Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan has asked the Lamoille Superior Court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by five EB-5 investors against the State of Vermont and 10 current and former state employees. Plaintiffs allege that they lost money invested in EB-5 projects run by Bill Stenger and Ariel Quiros. They claim that the State should have supervised these projects more closely and discovered misconduct including the alleged misuse of investor funds by Stenger and Quiros.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University Professor of Earth and Environmental Science Laurie Grigg has earned a $132,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support her research on insights into the impacts of climate change on Vermont lakes. The NSF recently announced that Grigg’s is one of 30 faculty research fellowships awarded through NSF’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) nationwide.

Vermont Business MagazineThe University of Vermont will name center court in Patrick Gymnasium “Tom Brennan Court” at a ceremony preceding the men’s basketballgame against Siena College onDecember 11, 2017. The court-naming opportunity is the result of a $1 million fundraising goal established to both recognize Coach Brennan and advance the planning for the Multi-Purpose Center.

In his 19 years at UVM, the man simply known as “Coach” won 264 games and led the Catamounts to four 20-plus win seasons, three America East championships and UVM’s first three NCAA Tournament appearances. This incredible March Madness run was capped by the 2004-2005 season when the Catamounts defeated BIG EAST Conference champions Syracuse University in a stunning over-time win.

by John McClaughry “Free electricity from the sun” has been a dream for decades. Although solar photovoltaic cells have been used for 40 years in spacecraft, the growth of the solar PV industry began around 1990, spurred by concerns about global warming from fossil fuel combustion. “Clean, green” solar PV electricity can charge radios and cell phone batteries, but it’s challenged by powering a refrigerator or home freezer. That’s because sunlight is diffuse and intermittent.

“Diffuse” means that the amount of direct sunlight that falls on a PV cell, even in a cloudless desert, is pretty weak. Overcoming the “diffuse” problem requires lots of collector area – full roof coverage for a home, or acres of solar panels for supporting the power grid.

Vermont Businiess MagazineAt the 59^thannual American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Awards Ceremony in San Diego California, Richard Lovett, MD, Rutland Regional Medical Center Radiation Oncologist, was one of 23 exemplary members throughout the United States and Canada to receive the 2017 ASTRO Fellow Designation.The Fellows Program, started in 2006, honors those who have been an Active, Emeritus or International member of ASTRO for at least 15 years, have given the equivalent of 10 years of service to ASTRO, and have made significant contributions to the field of radiation oncology in the areas of research, education, patient care or service and leadership.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced thefirst annualInnovation Spaces Conference,focused on creating a community among founders, users, and supporters of innovation spaces in Vermont.The free conference, which will be held onThursday, October 26,is designed to support the success of a new kind of business model that is spreading throughout the country and has a vibrant, growing presence in Vermont.

Innovation spaces – the collective term for a communal and efficient shared workplace that includes co-working and maker spaces, incubators and accelerators – are becoming more prevalent in Vermont, as entrepreneurs leverage them for their low cost, collaborative atmosphere, and specialized equipment.

byTJ Donovan, Vermont Attorney GeneralThe Equifax data breach is the largest data breach in our nation’s history. With 143 million Americans and 240,000 Vermonters at risk, I heard from many friends, neighbors and constituents asking the question “What should I do? How can I protect my family?” The data breach left my family and me asking the same questions.

Vermont Business MagazineSchool officials focused exclusively on bullying prevention efforts might want to consider the findings of a new study showing the highly damaging effects of multiple forms of victimization on school climate.The study, published in theJournal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, measured the impact of polyvictimization – exposure to multiple forms of victimization – on school climate at the middle and high school levels. Results show that bullying, cyberbullying and harassment were significantly associated with decreases in perceptions of school safety, connection, and equity.

byMike SmithThe carnage in Las Vegas shocked us all when Stephen Paddock murdered 58 innocent concertgoers, including Vermont native Sandy Casey. Many others were injured. Inevitably, this shooting reignited a debate about stricter gun control laws.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont public power utilities, including Burlington Electric Department (BED), Stowe Electric Department (SED), and Washington Electric Cooperative (WEC), will be sending lineworker crews and bucket trucks to the US Virgin Islands to assist in restoring the power grid that was destroyed as part of the devastation from Hurricanes Irma and Maria last month. The effort has been organized through the Mutual Aid Network of the American Public Power Association (APPA), the non-profit trade association for the more than 2,000 local- and state-owned electric utilities in the US that collectively serve more than 48 million Americans.

Vermont Business Magazine Co-operative Insurance Companies, with over 100 years of providing reliable insurance coverage, today announced that it has won the prestigious ValChoice award for Number One Best Value in the states of New Hampshire and Vermont for the year 2016. To win this award, Co-op provided their customers with a unique combination of excellent customer service, claims handling and value in the auto insurance products they sold over a three-year period. They ranked ahead of 62 other insurance companies in Vermont, and 80 other insurance companies in New Hampshire

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s congressional delegation announced Friday that firefighters throughout Vermont have received $1,635,648 through 15 federal grants. The awards are part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, which helps fire departments purchase critically needed equipment to better protect the public and first responders. This year’s Assistance to Firefighters grants will help buy a range of equipment, including turnout gear, breathing apparatus, a brush truck and radios.

“Our firefighters play an invaluable role in communities throughout Vermont. We are pleased to be able to help provide the resources they need. These federal grants will play a crucial role in purchasing essential equipment to help our first responders protect Vermonters,” said Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.).