Current News

Vermont Business Magazine An innovative project developed at the University of Vermont has received a $1.8 million award from the US Department of Energy SunShot Initiative for research aimed at improving the electric grid’s ability to accommodate power generated from renewable energy sources. The award, one of only 13 awarded nationally, is part of SunShot’s newest program called Enabling Extreme Real-time Grid Integration of Solar Energy, or ENERGISE.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Marathon Pharmaceuticals Monday demanding answers about its plan to charge $89,000 per year for deflazacort, a drug that is widely available abroad for approximately $1,000 per year.

“Marathon’s apparent abuse of government-granted exclusivity periods and incentives to sell what should be a widely available drug for $89,000 a year is unconscionable,” Sanders and Cummings wrote in the letter. “Exorbitantly pricing potentially life-saving medications that should be widely available for a fraction of the price hinders patient access and drives up costs for the entire health care sector.”

Vermont Business MagazineThe Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), a federal-state partnership for economic and infrastructure development, has announced the availability of grant funds for projects in Essex, Orleans, Caledonia, Lamoille, Franklin, and Grand Isle counties in Vermont. The Commission seeks applications from public bodies or non-profit organizations for projects that will help achieve Vermont’s statewide economic and community development priorities, as well as the goals of the recently adoptedNorthern Vermont Economic Development DistrictandNBRCstrategic plans.

by Mike Smith Ten months ago, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accused Bill Stenger and Ariel Quiros of using more than $200 million of investor money for purposes other than where it was supposed to go. The SEC described the fraud as a “Ponzi-like scheme.” Quiros was also accused of using money diverted from investor accounts for his own personal benefit. This scandal shocked most of us because we believed that fraud allegations of this magnitude happened elsewhere, but not in this state.

Vermont Business MagazineVermonters are gearing up for the first major storm of the winter, expected to last intoMondaynight, where accumulation is forecasted statewide between 6 inches to a foot. Vermont Gas Systems has offered the following safety tips to help customers prepare for the winter weather.

Here are some important reminders to consider:

Vermont Business Magazine With Vermont’s biggest snow storm of the year rolling across the regionSundaythroughMondaymorning, and many school districts already calling off school, Governor Phil Scott has declaredMondaya “Powder Day” and is urging regional winter enthusiasts to take full advantage of the excellent conditions.

“Tourism is a critical contributor to Vermont’s economy,” said GovernorScott, who encouraged out-of-state skiers and snowmobilers to stay an extra day or two in Vermont, make plans to visit Vermont mid-week or book a Vermont getaway for the upcoming Presidents’ Day holiday weekend.

Ski resorts, inns and hotels around the state are offering deals to encourage extended stays and mid-week guests. Some ski areas have made operational adjustments, such as extended lift hours, to accommodate guests extending trips due to the weather.

Leonine Public AffairsVermont State motto “Freedom and Unity” was on full display this week at the State House as politicians from all three major parties joined together to announce an effort to protect Vermonters from President Trump’s Executive Order that cracks down on immigration. Governor Phil Scott, Attorney General TJ Donovan, Lt. Governor David Zuckerman, House Speaker Mitzi Johnson, Senate President pro-tem Tim Ashe and other legislative leaders announced that companion bills will be introduced in the House (H.228) and Senate (S.79) titled “An act relating to freedom from compulsory collection of personal information.”

Vermont Business MagazineThe ninth edition of the “Middlebury Maple Run – The Sweetest Half” is scheduled for Sunday, May 7with a starting time of 9 am. The Middlebury Maple Run is one of New England’s “must-do” races and is included in the March 2017 issue of Runners’ World as being one of the country’s best food- and beverage-themed half marathons. The article’s backdrop includes a panoramic photo of Middlebury’s South Street Extension, approximately Mile 9 of the half marathon course.With 660,000 subscribers,Runners’ Worldis the running community’s most-read publication.

Vermont Business Magazine Katharine Shepherd, Ed.D., a professor and interim associate dean in the College of Education and Social Services (CESS) at the University of Vermont, was endowed in a formal investiture ceremony on February 7 as the inaugural Levitt Family Green and Gold Professor. Following remarks from UVM President Tom Sullivan and CESS Dean Dr. Scott Thomas, Dr. Shepherd was presented with a medallion in front of a packed room of family, friends, colleagues and students in the Memorial Lounge of the Waterman Building on the UVM campus. Recognition of the importance of endowed positions for senior teachers and researchers through a formal investiture ceremony – now a revered campus tradition – is one of the highest honors the University of Vermont can bestow on its faculty members and the generous donors who make it possible.

Vermont Business Magazine The owners of Phoenix Books, a Vermont-owned bookstore with locations in Essex, Burlington, Rutland and Chester, have purchased Woodstock's Yankee Bookshop. Michael DeSanto and Renee Reiner met with Susan Morgan - who bought the shop in 2001 - for the closing on February 1. Yankee Bookshop first opened in November of 1935, making it Vermont's oldest continuously operated independent bookshop.

From left to right, Kristian Preylowski, Kari Meutsch, Susan Morgan, Mike DeSanto, Renee, Reiner. Photo by Gareth Henderson of The Vermont Standard.

Vermont Business Magazine Students and teachers representing nearly 20 schools from across Vermont crowded into the Statehouse Cafeteria in Montpelier on Wednesday along with legislators, government officials, and Vermont Farm to School Network leaders to celebrate Farm to School Awareness Day and honor 2017 grant winners. Over $121,000 in grants and technical supports were awarded to 13 schools, representing 10 Vermont counties, for the purpose of growing and developing farm to school programs. This year’s Farm to School grants will expand the reach of the Vermont Farm to School Program by 5,000 students, raising the total number of Vermont students with increased access to fresh, healthy, locally grown foods and nutrition education through the grant program to 40,000.