Current News

Vermont Business Magazine SVMC General Surgery, formerly located in Suite 211 of the Medical Office Building at 140 Hospital Drive in Bennington, has moved to a completely renovated office, Suite 205, in the same building. In the past, each of SVMC’s four surgeons had individual practices. The renovation and move was initiated to give all four the capability to see patients in one practice. “Drs. Cope, Drew, Salem, and I work as a team, so it makes sense for us to share office space. This new arrangement makes collaboration even easier, and the combined staff will be able to serve patients better than ever,” said Dr. Graham Moore, Chair of the Department of Surgery.

Vermont Business Magazine Karen Glass, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ Vermont Campus, has been awarded a three-year research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaling $384,000. Through the grant, Dr Glass will continue research that seeks to identify new drug targets for heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other disease states. The grant, which began on February 1, 2016, is a renewal of an NIH funded grant that Dr. Glass received in 2013. Her submission for this latest grant received a score of “10” which is the highest possible score one can achieve, ranking it in the 1st percentile among all grants that NIH scores.

Vermont Business Magazine Lyndon State's News 7 broadcast has been named the third-best college newscast by the Broadcast Education Association (BEA), just behind programs from Arizona State University and the University of Oklahoma. This same newscast is a finalist for the Region 1 Mark of Excellence competition for Best All-Around Television Newscast in the northeast as chosen by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).

Vermont Business Magazine The Norwich University computer security and information assurance (CSIA) program, with students operating both onsite in California and on campus, supported Santa Clara Police Department, the lead law enforcement agency at Super Bowl 50, and the law enforcement and homeland security functions leading up to and during this international sporting event.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General William H Sorrell and four state agencies are leading a multi-state effort to have the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) take into account state interests as the NRC drafts new rules for decommissioning nuclear power plants. The Departments of Public Service, the Agency of Natural Resources, the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and the Department of Health contributed to the Comments filed last Friday.

Vermont Business Magazine A total of 104 wells have tested above acceptable levels of PFOA in North Bennington. Most of the highly contaminated sites are near the former Chemfab site. Governor Peter Shumlin provided the following update on the situation in North Bennington where a number of private wells are affected by PFOA contamination. The final round of well samples within the 1.5 mile radius around the former Chemfab plant were received yesterday. Of the 43 new results received, eight private wells showed PFOA levels above the Health Department’s advisory level of 20ppt.

Vermont Business Magazine Windham Grows and a Vernon Post-VY Community Engagement Process are the latest projects approved for funding from the Windham County Economic Development Program (WCEDP). “These projects will help build economic development foundations in the region, providing promising business opportunities in the food and agriculture sector in Windham County and a forum for Vernon residents to continue post-VY economic development planning,” said Governor Peter Shumlin.

Vermont Business Magazine The Champlain Valley Agency on Aging will hold a luncheon for seniors at St. Michael’s College Alliot Center on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 from 11 am-1 pm. Lunch will be provided to nearly 350 CVAA clients and supporters in honor of the 2016 March for Meals’ annual Community Champions’ Week. Tom Brennan, Sportscaster and former University of Vermont men’s basketball coach will kick off the event.

by Mike Smith The Vermont Agency of Human Services (AHS) was created in 1970 in an effort to unite various human services departments under a single leadership structure. The goal was to create an organizational structure that would deliver services to Vermonters in a more coordinated manner.

Currently the agency consists of the departments for Children and Families (DCF), Corrections, Vermont Health Access (DVHA), Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL), Health, and Mental Health. It is an enormous agency – the largest in state government with thousands of employees – that constitutes nearly half of all state spending.

Vermont Business Magazine Northfield Savings Bank has donated $25,000 to Vermont Technical College to support workforce development in Vermont's manufacturing sector. Vermont Tech recently launched a Bachelor of Science degree in Manufacturing Engineering Technology and is enhancing its manufacturing and electrical engineering laboratories to bolster Vermont's capacity for advanced manufacturing. The bank’s investment will support Phase II of Vermont Tech’s advanced manufacturing initiatives, some of which are located at the Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory and Electrical Engineering Technology Laboratory on the Randolph campus. Capital improvements include new 3D printers and additional scanners to teach manufacturing design, reverse engineering and additive manufacturing; a new machine tooling lab; new materials processing lab; and expanded virtual workstation technologies.

Vermont Business Magazine The People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, has announced that it has once again awarded $7,500 to the Boys and Girls Club of Rutland; as well as $3,000 to Everybody Wins! Vermont; $3,000 to Mercy Connections; $5,000 to Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA); $4,000 to Groundworks Collaborative; $5,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Addison County; and $2,500 to Central Vermont Adult Basic Education (CVABE).

The funding from People’s United Community Foundation will enable the Boys and Girls Club of Rutland to continue its summer feeding program, providing over 11,000 meals per year to youth in the Rutland area.

Vermont Business Magazine On Saturday, March 5^th with Merchants Bank as the presenting sponsor, Vermont CARES hosted the 30^th Annual Live and Silent Auction. Merchants Bank gathered with supporters to celebrate the accomplishments of Vermont CARES. Attendance was at an all-time high, up over 30% as compared to past years. This year's event rose over $24,000 with all funds going directly to prevention programs and Vermont CARES new campaign "ON THE ROAD TO ZERO" -- to assist Vermont in becoming the first state to have zero new HIV infections by 2020.Merchants Bank is proud to support Vermont's CARES work for and with Vermonters affected by HIV/AIDS to promote well-being through a continuum of prevention, support, and advocacy services.