Current News

byJohn McClaughry The sudden political struggle over health insurance for unionized teachers isn’t over but some useful lessons are emerging. This struggle was triggered by a provision of ObamaCare called “the Cadillac tax”. Starting in 2018, plans with premiums of over $10,800 a year for individuals and $29,500 for families will face a crushing 40% tax on those premiums.

Congress has delayed the Cadillac tax before, and could do so again. But next year school employees need to be in one of the Vermont Education Health Initiative plans designed to escape the tax.

In mid-April, with the Senate hard at work on the House-passed budget, GovernorPhil Scott suddenly produced a major new proposal or, it turned out, a demand.

Public Assets InstituteEmploymentticked down slightly in April. But the drop followed a slow 17-month growth trend. Vermont’s unemployment declined after therecession, but not all of the people who left the unemployment lines went back to work. Employment also dropped for many months, until 2015, when it began to climb again.

Vermont Business Magazine ThePeople’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, announced that it has awarded $2,500 to Mobius for its Quality Mentoring System (QMS).

QMS is a national evaluation system developed by MENTOR (The National Mentoring Partnership) to ensure that mentoring programs are meeting all of the best practices in the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™. In collaboration with Vermont mentoring programs, Mobius - a statewide nonprofit supporting more than 140 adult-to-youth mentoring program sites serving 2,300 mentor pairs - has adjusted this national system to fit the local needs of the Vermont mentoring community.

Comments Of Appropriations Vice Chairman Patrick LeahyOn Vermont’s Priorities And President Trump’s Budget. . . Budget Slashes Vermont Priorities And Undercuts Rural Communities.

Vermont Business MagazineHighlighting the need for legal services in rural andlow-income communities across the country, Attorney General Donovan today joined abipartisan group of 32 attorneys general in urging Congress to oppose the TrumpAdministration’s proposal to eliminate federal funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC).

Attorney General Donovan said: “For more than a half-century legal services for low-income Americans have represented a critical anti-poverty element of our legal landscape. Legalservices funding provides greater access to justice for those that do not otherwise haverepresentation. That is why funding for the Legal Services Corporation is essential and why wecall on Congress to oppose reductions to an historically bi-partisan commitment to legal servicesfor the poor.”

Vermont Business Magazine The second graduating class of Castleton University passed across the stage at its 230^thCommencement ceremony on Saturday, May 13, bringing to close the 2016-17 academic year. Governor Phil Scott addressed the more than 3,500 guests in attendance and thousands more streaming the ceremony live online. Scotturged the graduates to understand that the best, is yet to come.

“If you never stop listening, learning, exploring, and expanding your comfort zone,” said Scott, “Life will indeed get better. Promise yourself you'll never settle, neverbe afraid to pursue opportunities, and you'll find your passion.”

Castleton President Dave Wolk began the proceedings byreflecting on his many years at Castleton and previous Commencement ceremonies, acknowledginghislast as Castleton University President.

Vermont Business MagazineSen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) responded to President Donald Trump's budget at a press conferenceTuesday. See below for a full transcript andclickhereto watch the speech.

Vermont Business MagazineBioTek Instruments celebrated the completion of a $4.5 million facility expansion and renovation during a company-wide event on Thursday, May 18. The 22,000 square foot expansion is already supporting the Company’s rapid growth. While many departments are benefitting from the additional space, the Company’s manufacturing area is most notably affected, growing by 33%. The project also includes a new 1,400 square foot training facility for the Company’s new and existing employees.

In a letter to the company, Vermont Governor, Phil Scott, congratulated BioTek on the expansion stating, “BioTek is a working example of how a high-technology company can make its home here in Vermont and compete with and win against top companies located anywhere in the world.”

Council Established in Governor’s Executive Order to Combat Vermont’s Opioid Crisis Holds its First Meeting

Vermont Business Magazine Earlier this month, Governor Phil Scott convened the inaugural meeting of his Opioid Coordination Council (OCC). The Council, which the Governor established byExecutive Order 02-17as one of his first actions upon taking office, is charged withleading and strengthening Vermont’s response to the opiate crisis by ensuring full inter- and intra-agency coordination between state and local governments in the areas of prevention, treatment, recovery and law enforcement activities.

Vermont Business Magazine Recently, Jon and Pam Baker of Roswell, Ga. celebrated a moment they were not sure would ever come. Their sons, Gavin and Jake Baker took their first dose of Orkambi, a drug recently approved by the FDA to help control their cystic fibrosis. At this “First Dose Party,” the Bakers were surrounded by hundreds of family and friends that helped make this special drug possible.

On Saturday, March 18, 2017, their army of dedicated supporters from Vermont teamed up with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) for the3rd Annual ShamRockin’ for a Cure VTevent at The Abbey Restaurant in Sheldon, VT. The evening helped them surpass their goal in their fundraising efforts to fight CF.

Vermont Business Magazine ThePeople’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, announced that it has awarded $20,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington for their Early Promise program.

The Early Promise program encompasses a wide range of academic components that help Club members be successful in school and prepare them for education beyond high school. The program serves 175 young people each day through a total of ten different learning opportunities.

“We have been a supporter of the Boys & Girls Club Early Promise program for 10 years,” saidMichael Seaver, Officer, People’s United Community Foundation and President, People's United Bank Vermont. “It is something we support because we are seeing results. Kids coming through the Club have dreams of going to college and the staff makes sure they get there.”

by Jennifer NachburUniversity of Vermont All it takes is the flip of a protein “switch” within the tiny wire-like capillaries of the brain to increase the blood flow that ensures optimal brain function. New research has uncovered that capillaries have the capacity to both sense brain activity and generate an electrical vasodilatory signal to evoke blood flow and direct nutrients to nourish hard-working neurons.

Thomas Longden, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacology and Fabrice Dabertrand, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pharmacology (Photo: LCOM Creative Services)