Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Mosquitoes collected in Weathersfield, Brattleboro and Hardwick have tested positive for West Nile virus. These are the first detections of the mosquito-borne virus this year. There have been no positive test results for Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEE) this surveillance season.The infected mosquitoes were collected by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets as part of the State's arbovirus surveillance program. The testing is performed by the Department of Health Laboratory.

West Nile virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Over the years, the virus has been found in every county in the state. Eight cases of West Nile virus in Vermont residents have been reported since 2011, though no human case of illness from West Nile virus or EEE virus has been confirmed so far this year.

Vermont Business MagazineDeveloped in association with the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, UVM and Cabot Creamery have collaborated to launch a fully online, eight-week End of Life Doula Professional Certificate Program, starting September 2017. As Cabot Creamery Co-op approaches their 100^th anniversary, member farm families have recognized a gap in end of life care and support for the aging population, particularly for those in rural communities who wish to remain in their homes through the dying process. The UVM and Cabot partnership addresses this gap with the development of the online End of Life Doula Certificate Program.

Vermont Business Magazine Most wired hospitals use technology to partner with patients on their health, and this is the second consecutive year that North Country Hospital in Newport has been named a “Most Wired” hospital. In 2016, the hospital received the accolade in the “Small and Rural” category as a frontrunner among smaller community hospitals. This year North Country received the commendation of “Most Wired - Most Improved” and its efforts were compared with that of hospitals of all sizes across the country.

Vermont Business MagazineAfter the collapse of the latest effort in the U.S. Senate to repeal and replace existing federal health care policy, leaders of The University of Vermont Health Network are calling on Congress to maintain critical funding that provides access to affordable insurance coverage for tens of thousands of vulnerable residents in Vermont andNorthern New York.

“Lawmakers in Washington have a new chance to create a bipartisan proposal that genuinely improves the health care system for everyone,” said John Brumsted, MD, president and CEO of the UVM Health Network. “We urge them to recognize that deep cuts to Medicaid – which have been a central component of recent proposals – would move us in the wrong direction and hurt children, seniors and those with disabilities.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor has partnered with NSA Industries, LLC in St. Johnsbury in an effort to fill the company’s available positions with skilled, available talent. On Wednesday, July 26, 2017, NSA will open its doors from 4 pm – 7 pm for an onsite recruitment event for the general public. NSA’s facility is located at 210 Pierce Road, St Johnsbury.

Founded in 1982, NSA specializes in machining, sheet metal fabrication, engineering and logistics. The company currently employs over 200 individuals and is looking to hire machine operators, assemblers, testers/inspectors and welders, as well as a variety of other positions.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced Bennington’s NSK Steering Systems America Inc has received a $208,753 Vermont Training Program Grant from the Vermont Department of Economic Development to create a Manufacturing Center of Excellence that will broaden the capabilities of current and future employees. The Bennington site will utilize this training grant to increase its capabilities and further the development of its workforce. Upgrading employee knowledge supports the continued production of quality products using more technically advanced manufacturing processes and equipment.

Vermont Business Magazine An already gloomy tax revenue situation for the current fiscal year was further downgraded by the Emergency Board Friday afternoon. Economists Jeff Carr and Tom Kavet presented their revenue forecasts for FY2018 (which began July 1) and for FY2019. Last January they had downgraded revenue projections by $24.7 million, but on Friday the new estimate was down $28.8 million.

Governor Scott and legislative leaders have already come up with a plan to meet a shortfall in corporate revenues due to refunds of $16.3 million, but will need to find the other $12.5 million in August when decisions on budget cuts will be made.

Carr, of Economic & Police Resources of Williston, represents the administration and Kavet, of Kavet, Rockler & Associates of Williamstown, represents the Legislature. They develop a consensus revenue report twice a year and present it publicly to the Emergency Board in January and July.

Vermont Business MagazineThe annual return of Vermont fairs and field days give people traveling in Vermont ample opportunities to enjoy the last full calendar month of summer. Steeped in decades of tradition, the many fairs scheduled for August in the Green Mountain State offer guests throwback fun, great food, carnival rides, farm animals, and entertainment acts.

Some of the top Vermont fairs scheduled include the Vermont State Fair (August 15-19, Rutland), Champlain Valley Fair (Aug. 25 – September 3, Essex Junction), and Addison County Fair and Field Days (August 8-12, Vergennes). Musician John Mellencamp will perform at the Champlain Valley Fair onFriday, Sept. 1.

Please visit VermontVacation.com for more information aboutVermont fairs and field days.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) State Director Linda Rossi last week announced Business Advisor Laurel Butler as VtSBDC’s 2017 Vermont State Star. “I am pleased to make this announcement and to recognize Laurel for her many contributions to Vermont start-ups and the positive impact she has made to our organization. Laurel was nominated by her peers and is a highly respected member of the VtSBDC team,” Rossi said. Butler is the Start-up Specialist and champion of student and youth entrepreneurship initiatives at VtSBDC. She joined VtSBDC as a consultant eight years ago and was hired a year later under

by Mike Smith Over the past several weeks the Vermont attorney general, a prominent prosecutor and a state representative have all said or done things that have left many Vermonters shaking their heads in disbelief.Let’s start with the attorney general, TJ Donovan.

Soon after taking office in January, he quietly asked the National Association of Attorneys General to conduct a management and organizational study of his office. New ideas, new approaches and more efficiency can be identified by such a study, so who could argue against the need for such a review? After all, Donovan had succeeded an attorney general who had been there for nearly 20 years.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont announces the launch of four new online digital marketing certificates designed for business professionals through a collaboration with the Digital Marketing Institute, the certification standard in digital marketing education. Adding to UVM’s nationally recognized Digital Marketing Fundamentals Professional Certificate, students will now also be able to enroll in 10-week, online, advanced-level digital marketing certificates—Social Media Marketing Certificate and Search Marketing Certificate— beginning on September 27, 2017. In Spring 2018, UVM will be offering two additional certificates—Digital Marketing Strategy & Planning, and Social Selling.

Castleton University is partnering with the Vermont Early Childhood Consortium to offer the Early Childhood Summer Institute onJuly 24-27, 2017. The institute consists of 10 simultaneous classes offered by 10 different Vermont Institutions. The courses are designed to promote Vermont’s core values for early education and to meet the needs of teachers of all levels. A strong emphasis is placed on courses that assist teachers in obtaining or retaining licenses and endorsements.