Current News

Senator Patrick Leahy: “I have heard from thousands of Vermonters who oppose these stumbling and outrageous efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to replace it with Trumpcare. ‘Mean’ only begins to describe it.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Governor Phil Scott sent the following letter to US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer regarding the Senate’s consideration of the Better Care Reconciliation Act. Scott said he remains concerned over the harmful impact this legislation could have on Vermonters, including provisions in the bill relating to the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare).

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJDonovan filed an amicus brief filed with the USCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit, arguing that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The brief was led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and signed by Donovan and Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen. This week marks the second anniversary of the USSupreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which recognizes the constitutional rights for same sex couples to marry. The Attorneys General argue that sexual orientation discrimination is a form of sex stereotyping and wrongly penalizes LGBTQ employees for conduct that would be considered “acceptable” if they were of the opposite sex – thereby constituting disparate treatment on the basis of sex.

Vermont Business Magazine Over the last two years, South Burlington residents saved big in electricity costs, slashing 6% from their bills, or nearly $450,000 in real savings. How did they do it? It began when the City participated in the Georgetown University Energy Prize competition—offering a $5 million incentive prize to the community that leads the way in energy efficiency. The effort was led by The South Burlington Energy Committee, which has been active since 2008 and has a mission to promote energy efficiency, conservation, and renewable energy.

by Jack Hoffman The Equal Educational Opportunity Act, better known as Act 60, is 20 years old on Monday. On June 26, 1997, at an outdoor ceremony in Whiting, Governor Howard Dean signed into law Vermont’s unique and groundbreaking education funding system. As we face tensions over school consolidation and who should determine teachers’ health insurance benefits, it’s worth remembering what Vermont has already achieved in school funding.

Vermont has taken a huge step toward solving a problem that still plagues other states: educational disparities between kids born into wealthy communities and those in cities and towns with less wealth and fewer educational resources.

Vermont Business Magazine Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC is launching its first annual patent competition. Targeting early-stage companies and promising startups, the grand prize is $10,000 of legal services, to be used toward the filing of a utility patent application. It is critically important for early-stage companies with new technology to protect their intellectual property, but it can be difficult to find the resources to invest in patent protection. The DRM patent competition is designed to help by awarding a patent application to one local start-up each year and by providing an IP 101 seminar to address IP questions entrepreneurs and others in local companies might have.

Vermont Business MagazineOver 200 people attended the Kismet Place Grand Opening CelebrationMondayevening. Kismet Place is home to multiple businesses including the RehabGYM, Pingala Café and Eatery, Scott Benjamin Physical Medicine, Pulse Cycle & Fitness Studio, Kids’ RehabGYM, Curiosity Counseling and Nectar Nutrition, and a Community Fitness Studio hosting a wealth of independent fitness businesses. Kismet is an innovative model of community fitness and health.

Vermont Business MagazineWide eyes, bright smiles, and several yards of blue ribbon marked two milestones for Copley Hospital and more than 200 community memberson Wednesdayevening, June 21. They were on hand to celebrate the James and Mary Louise Carpenter Surgical Center and the completion of the largest successful capital campaign in the hospital’s history. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held almost three (3) years to the day after the hospital announced plans to build a new Surgical Center.

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center’s Chittenden Clinic at San Remo Drive in South Burlington was just notified that it has been awarded a three-year accreditation—the highest level of accreditation—from CARF International, an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human service organizations. In addition, the Clinic received a three-year recertification from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Vermont Business Magazine Northwestern Medical Center recently heldits annual Employee Recognition Banquet, recognizing staff at five yearmilestones of service. The yearly event honors NMC’ers who reach thefive-year mark and then those at each 5 year increment above that milestone. Over 90 employees were honored this year, and the total of their years ofservices was 1,010! The highest numbers for years of service were 25, 30 and40 years. Staff in those top categories included:

Vermont Business Magazine Beth Holden, Associate Director of Howard Center programs for children and families, presented a workshop, “Riding the Roller Coaster: Implementation of Zero Suicide.” The presentation was part of the recent 2017 Vermont Suicide Prevention Symposium, sponsored by the Vermont Suicide Prevention Center.

Holden says, “Howard Center has made a commitment to suicide prevention, in both concept and practice. Our agency supports Vermont’s aspirational goal of zero suicides among persons receiving care. The workshop was an opportunity to present plans and strategies of a system-wide approach to improve suicide care to those seeking treatment.”

Vermont Business MagazineThe Public Service Board’s name is changing.As of July 1, 2017, its new name will be the Public Utility Commission, which will be abbreviated as the PUC or as the Commission.The PUC said in a statement that its new name more clearly reflects its existing statutory responsibilities and will reduce confusion about the difference between the Public Service Board and the separate state agency known as the Public Service Department.