Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont is the 14th-best state to retire, according to a new Bankrate.com report. Vermont strengths are lowcrime rate (lowest in the nation), an abundance of seniors (the 4th-highest percentage of residents age 65 and older) and cultural vitality (4th-highest). Its weaknesses include theweather (2nd-worst), cost of living (8th-highest) and taxes (tied for 10th-highest). New Hampshire is the best state to retire, according to the Bankrate.com report. Colorado, Maine, Iowa and Minnesota comprise the rest of the top five.

The study examined eight key factors which were weighted in line with a nationally representative survey of non-retired USadults. From most to least important, the categories were: cost of living, healthcare quality, crime, cultural vitality, weather, taxes, senior citizens’ well-being and the prevalence of other seniors.

Vermont Business Magazine The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission has recently assisted 20 towns with 36 applications to the Vermont Better Roads Grant Program. Those applications total $1.8 million in project costs requesting $700,000 in grant funds. The Vermont Agency of Transportation announced the 20^th year of funding to support projects on municipal roads that improve water quality and result in maintenance cost savings. The grant funds are provided by the Vermont Agency of Transportation in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. The Vermont Better Roads Program promotes the use of erosion control and maintenance techniques that save money while protecting and enhancing water quality around the State.

Vermont Business MagazineFour start-up companies that grew out of the research of University of Vermont faculty and graduate students, two technologies developed by UVM faculty that have commercial potential, and a start-up launched by staff at the UVM Medical Center will be on display at the invitation-only National Innovation Summit & Showcase, the world’s largest showcase of industry-vetted emerging-technologies ready for commercialization.

The event will be heldMay 14 through 17at the Gaylord Hotel and Conference Center in Washington, DC.

The seven invitees place UVM and the UVM Medical Center in the top 10 percent of all universities, federal labs, government research centers and companies submitting applications for the event.

Vermont Business Magazine National Grid in Waltham, MA, todayannounced a proposal to develop an innovative, new transmission project that wouldbring up to 1,200 megawatts of clean energy from Canada to the New Englandpower grid.To drive down costs,increase efficiency andminimize environmental impacts, the proposed GraniteState Power Link (GSPL) will be constructed almost entirely along existingtransmissioncorridors and will maximize use of existing infrastructure.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Laplatte River Marsh is recognized as one of the state’s highest quality wetlands. Located in the town of Shelburne at the end of the Laplatte River, which drains into Lake Champlain, this nearly 150-acre wetland and floodplain forest ecosystem is a haven to 60 species of birds, 20 mammals, and 50 species of reptiles, amphibians and fish. The area is unique in its size and characteristics within the Champlain Valley Basin, and provides vital natural water quality functions that help protect Lake Champlain.

Today, VNRC filed a petition to reclassify the LaPlatte River Marsh as a Class I Wetland, which would grant it the highest level of protection under Vermont law. Reclassifying the wetlands as Class I would ensure that no development could take place within the wetland’s boundaries and set up a 100 foot buffer around the wetland.

by John McClaughry In a recent talk before students at St Johnsbury Academy, Senator Bernie Sanders declared that although we are living in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, “the nation’s wealth is in the hands of a privileged few”, producing what he called an “unfair and grotesque level of income inequality.” This is a familiar theme for Sanders, who has attacked the unworthy rich in every campaign he has run since 1972.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Brattleboro Retreat received a Governor’s Excellence in Worksite Wellness award at the 2017 Worksite Wellness conference held on Thursday, March 23, at the Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center in Burlington.

The award was presented to several Vermont employers who in the past year have demonstrated excellence in worksite wellness and have played an integral part in Vermont's reputation as one of the healthiest states in the nation.

On hand to acknowledge the recipients was Vermont Governor Phil Scott, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine, and Janet Franz, chair of the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Governor Scott shared his appreciation for the employers who received awards based on their commitment to forward-thinking wellness policies that not only benefit employees but ultimately benefit the employer as well by creating a culture of wellbeing in the workplace.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) has developed a new learning opportunity—The Total Joint Replacement Class—to inform those suffering from painful joints. This free class is appropriate for both patients who are scheduled for a joint replacement surgery and for those who have received an orthopedic surgeon’s recommendation for a joint replacement.

“Our aim is to prepare patients and give them the confidence they need to have a safe and successful experience,” said Jonathan Cluett, MD, the medical director for SVMC Orthopedics. “This class really provides access to everything patients need to know and lots of opportunities for them to ask questions.”

The Total Joint Replacement Class covers all of the information patients need to prepare their bodies for surgery and their homes for recovery. Instructors address what patients can expect before, during, and after.

The University of Vermont Medical Center This UVMMC blog discusses sugar in our diet, the science of happiness, infertility, safety in the kitchen, maple glazed Brussels sprouts and more.

Vermont Business MagazineThe National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality, has awarded Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) Level 3 Recognition – the highest level attainable – as a Patient Centered Medical Home(PCMH). This is third consecutive time the hospital has earned NCQA recognition.

Vermont Business MagazineOn Friday, March 17, Moody’s Investors Service revised the Burlington International Airport outlook to positive and affirmed the Airport’s Baa3 credit rating (see the complete ratings table below). In itsCredit Report, Moody’s stated that, “The positive outlook reflects ongoing improvement in the airport’s liquidity and debt service coverage ratios (DSCRs), in addition to a strengthened cost recovery framework following the recent adoption of a five-year residual airline agreement.”

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Tech has its first female president in the 150-year history of the college. This weekend during its quarterly meeting, the Vermont State Colleges System Board of Trustees appointed Patricia Moulton as president of Vermont Technical College after a months-long national search.Moulton, who has served as the Vermont Tech interim president since September of 2016, was chosen to lead the school as its president beginning immediately.

Patricia Moulton