Current News

by Dr Todd D Gregory I am an Emergency physician at Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC), where I have worked for the last nine years. In addition, I have been afforded the opportunity to observe—and participate in—discussions and planning around healthcare reform at the community and state level. There are many questions about what healthcare reform should look like and how it will affect us as patients, family members and providers of care.  

Dr Todd D Gregory

Vermont Business Magazine Alan DeForest ’75 has been named chairman of the Board of Trustees at Norwich University. DeForest has served on the board since 2000. He replaces former Army Chief of Staff General Gordon R. Sullivan ’59, who joined the board in 1995, served as chairman since 2003 and stepped down at last week’s board meeting. Sullivan will continue to serve Norwich as Chairman Emeritus and Distinguished Leader in Residence, guiding Norwich in the following areas: Undergraduate Leadership; Peace and War Center; Center for Global Resilience and Security; Leadership and Change Institute; and as Honorary Chair of the Norwich Bicentennial.

Vermont Business Magazine Haskins Gas Service, Inc, a Vermont company, has agreed to pay $45,600 to 96 Vermont consumers and $15,000 in civil penalties to the State of Vermont to settle claims that the company violated Vermont consumer protection laws. The Attorney General found that when terminating propane service, Haskins failed to remove propane tanks and issue refund checks within the timeframes required by Vermont law.

“Vermont consumers who terminate propane service should not have to experience the kinds of unjustified delays that occurred with Haskins. Vermont’s propane law has strict timeframes to protect consumers. There is no excuse for propane companies who fail to heed the law,” said Attorney General Bill Sorrell.

Vermont Business Magazine How Vermont defines the relationship between employers and workers is one the most fundamental regulatory issues for Vermont’s economy. In a statement released Monday morning, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and the Women Business Owners Network said employers deserve clear and consistent rules to follow and workers deserve both flexibility and access to the workplace safety net, such as unemployment and worker’s compensation benefits. They urged the Legislature not to pass H867, the bill setting new definitions for employees and independent contractors. The bill has languished in the House Commerce and Economic Development committee.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (VTFPR) has awarded $586,764 to fifteen significant trail projects. This funding, available through state and federal funds in the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), will go towards maintaining and building public trails all over Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine At the Vermont Retail & Grocers Association annual convention this past weekend at the Hilton Burlington, VRGA president, Jim Harrison, announced to members of the trade group that he would be stepping down at the end of the year. VRGA was brought about by the merger of the Vermont Retail Association and the Vermont Grocers Association. Harrison began his association career with VGA in 1987 and has continued as president of the new VRGA since the groups combined in 2014.

Jim Harrison

by Mike Smith There is a tactic that politicians sometimes use when they are in political hot water. The tactic is to blame others. Frequently, the goal is to cast blame far and wide so no one person is held responsible. Ironically, it’s a tactic we discourage our children from using when they say, “everyone is doing it” as a defense for bad behavior. 

Attempting to spread the blame around, and therefore deflect blame, has been on full display as Governor Peter Shumlin addressed alleged fraud in the EB-5 program. 

by Mike Faher/The Commons A warm, unseasonable winter has forced an undisclosed number of layoffs at Mount Snow ski resort in Dover. But resort administrators expect to hire back those employees soon. And they say the furloughs aren’t related to a $52 million cash crunch in the resort’s EB-5 foreign investor program — a problem that has slowed new development at Mount Snow.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin on Saturday addressed the 129 graduates of the Vermont Department of Labor's Registered Apprenticeship Programs in electrical and plumbing trades. The programs are run in collaboration with Vermont Technical College under a grant from the Vermont Department of Labor. The ceremony was held at the VTC campus in Randolph Center. 

"This program is a great example of effective workforce training. The apprenticeship graduates have a bright future and will earn good wages as skilled tradespeople”, said Governor Shumlin. “The Vermont Department of Labor is applying for additional federal funds under the new “American Apprenticeship” grant initiatives, and this will allow more Vermonters to be trained in high-demand, good wage careers, in health care, engineering, ‘green’ building, IT, advanced manufacturing and other priority sectors that have current and projected vacancies”, said Governor Shumlin. 

by Chris Graff Years ago the publisher and writer William Allen White was so sure there had to be corruption in Vermont government he sent up investigators and offered rewards. None was found. White had his own theory why this was so: “There are so few pennies in the state treasury that every Vermonter knows where every one of them is, all of the time.”

Now days, of course, there are enough pennies circulating in the state that White’s theory probably is long outdated.

But with all the talk about the allegations of the EB-5 fraud one point needs to be remembered: Vermont state government is still pretty squeaky clean. 

Amid all of the allegations of hundreds of millions of dollars misspent and juggled in a hugely complicated Ponzi scheme, Vermont’s elected officers primarily appear to be guilty of over-enthusiastic boosterism.

by Gary Karnedy Vermont’s new sick leave law takes effect January 2017 (January 2018 for those who employ five or fewer employees). Although you still have seven months to determine how this law applies to your business, it would be wise to start reviewing your current policies and planning for the remainder of 2016 now. This will ensure a smooth transition once the new, and somewhat complex, law goes into effect.

by Nick Wallace The middle class is shrinking, but Vermont is the highest ranking state in the East for the "Middle Class." According to a 2015 analysis by Pew Research, for the first time in recent history less than half of American households are part of the middle class, with greater numbers of households moving into the upper and lower classes. Likewise, while middle-income Americans used to earn more than 60 percent of total US income, today their combined paychecks add up to just 43 percent of the whole pie. Vermont overall was eighth, as the Northeast and South generally ranked low.