Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Executive Director Sarah Carpenter announced Vermont Housing Finance Agency seeks investors for historic "Housing for All" initiative. Proceeds expected to create or rehabilitate 650 homes statewide. Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) invited bids from investorsFridayfor the "Housing for All" initiative passed by Vermont lawmakers earlier this year. The proceeds from this financing will be used to create and rehabilitate an estimated 650 rental and owned homes across the state.

"We've repeatedly heard about how widespread the lack of affordable, decent housing is in many parts of Vermont," said Governor Phil Scott. "By leveraging other funds, this investment will help create much-needed homes affordable for working Vermonters at the middle and lower end of the wage scale."

Vermont Business MagazineVermont Task Force 1 Swift Water Rescue has returned from its deployment to Texas.The team assisted in searches, well-being checks, and other tasks during its mission. The 11-day deployment through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) was at the request of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.The team was on the ground in the Lone Star State from September 2-8, with the rest of the mission spent travelling to and from the impacted area.

Vermont Business MagazineExtending their influence and civic-mindedness across international borders, the Castleton University Nursing Department recently created its own medical brigade chapter under the Global Brigades organization and are set to travel to Honduras in early March for their first medical mission. Tasked with providing sustainable medical and dental care to the local communities, the student led group, accompanied by two faculty and staff advisors, will spend nearly an entire week delivering various healthcare services to more than 1,000 people.

Vermont Business MagazineFollowing seven months of good faith discussions at the bargaining table, the University of Vermont and United Academics declared impasse in their negotiations for a successor contract at9amtoday.United Academics is the union of full and part-time faculty at UVM. The next phase of the process will be to engage a mutually acceptable outside mediator to assist the parties with reaching agreement. In four of the five previous rounds of bargaining between the parties, impasse was declared and a final resolution was achieved through the mediation process. In a statement, UVM said itstrongly respects the collective bargaining process and will continue in good faith to work through the agreed upon process to achieve a successful conclusion.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has appointed Lisa Senecal to serve on the Vermont Commission on Women (VCW), the state’s non-partisan commission working to advance rights and opportunities for women and girls. “Lisa’s background and commitment to raising awareness for issues of importance to women, and leadership in advocating to advance opportunities for women will be a tremendous asset on the Commission and for its important mission,” said Governor Phil Scott. “I thank Lisa for her willingness to serve in this role, and as a leader in Vermont.”

Vermont Business MagazineGifford Health Care and Vermont Blueprint for Health are offering a free, six-week Healthier Living Workshop for people who have been living with chronic pain for more than 3 to 6 months. The program offers support and education, including techniques to deal with common problems (frustration, fatigue, isolation, or poor sleep); exercises to improve your strength, flexibility, and endurance; and tips for talking with your family, friends, and health-care professionals about pain.

Chronic pain conditions include: musculoskeletal pain (neck, shoulder, back pain, etc.), fibromyalgia, postsurgical pain that lasts beyond 6 months, neuropathic pain, and post stroke pain. This workshop can also benefit people with persistent headache, Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, diabetic neuropathy, or those who experience severe muscular pain from conditions such as multiple sclerosis.

by John McClaughry

Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow at the liberal-leaning Brookings Institution in Washington. He is himself a bona fide liberal, or at least, what passed for a thinking liberal a decade ago. He is a sharp commentator on American politics, and has given us a brilliant and timely essay in the July-August issue ofThe Atlanticentitled “How American Politics Went Insane”.

Young Americans may not think politics has become insane, because they have never known what it used to be like. The leading political science text of fifty years ago (originally published in 1942, 5thedition in 1964) was Harvard Prof. V.O. Key Jr.’s authoritativePolitics, Parties and Pressure Groups.

by Kirk J Woodring, LICSW, Brattleboro Retreat “SUICIDE.” I intentionally write it in capital letters, and place it in quotes, because so many of us find the word extremely difficult to see and to say. And yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified suicide as an epidemic in the US, with rates having reached a 30-year peak since they began to climb in 1999.

Why are we so afraid to talk about suicide? It’s not as if the media avoids it. Just do a Google search of “suicide as a current epidemic” and you’ll find more than 500,000 results. Articles in almost every major news outlet in the nation address the concern. The recent Netflix series “Thirteen Reasons Why” addresses the subject and is one of the company’s most viewed series.

Vermont Business MagazineOnJune 19, continuing a tradition that began 35 years ago, the Woodstock Country Club hosted the annual MAH Classic golf tournament. More than 80 golfers participated in a day filled with challenges and fun to raise funds for MtAscutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) in Windsor and the Ottauquechee Health Center (OHC) in Woodstock.“The MAH Classic brings people together for a great cause and a good time,” said Charles Clement, Director of Development for the Hospital. “Golfers enjoy playing at one of New England’s premier golf resorts while raising funds to support quality health care in our communities.

Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement:

“Sixteen years ago today, our nation experienced terrible and senseless terror attacks in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania that were felt around the country and the world.

“On this day each year, we remember and mourn those who were lost in the attacks and the many heroes who saved lives and helped with recovery in the days and months that followed.

“Despite the terrorists’ attempts to divide us with hate and fear, we came together during one of our country’s darkest hours. As we mark this day, let’s remember those who were lost, but also how strong our country is when we join together, united by the values we share as Americans. In times of tragedy, we put our differences aside and work towards a common goal – a spirit of unity that we should strive to embody each and every day in addressing our challenges, both large and small.”

Vermont Business MagazineNearly 200 young professionals from across the state and members of the Vermont business community convened in Rutland on Saturday for the third annual Young Professionals Summit of Vermont. The summit is a one-day event held to share ideas and confront issues faced by the state’s young workforce.

“We were absolutely thrilled to have such strong attendance from young professionals across Vermont at this year’s summit”, said Amanda Dagg O’Brien – who organized the event along with Laura Pierce. “Laura and I both returned home to Vermont after starting our careers elsewhere and we hope events like todays will help more young Vermonters return home to help build their careers and our economy.”

Vermont Business Magazine Today more than ever, technology is interwoven into our daily lives, and, recently, is becoming a key player on Vermont dairy farms. In April of this year, Dan Barnes of Barnes Black and White Farm in Birdport, Vermont took a leap of faith and turned to robotic milking technology as the next way to milk some of his dairy cows. Robotic milking systems not only take care of the milking chores nearly 24 hours a day – they also regularly screen every individual cow’s health, monitor the quality of her milk, and ultimately position the dairy to be more sustainable into the future.