Current News

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc is attempting to fend off one of its investors in a shareholders proxy fight that could result in Chairman and CEO John Casella being removed from the board of directors. JCP Investment Management, LLC, a small investment firm based in Houston, TX, holds just over a 5 percent stake in the Vermont-based firm. It claims it wants to replace the three board members up for re-election with three independent members of its choosing "because we are dedicated to maximizing shareholder value and improving corporate governance at Casella and we are confident that enhancing the Board is a critical first step towards these goals."

Casella released its statement Monday morning and by Tuesday afternoon shares were down slightly to about $5.80 (52-week range: $3.41 - $6.75) and down about 20 cents since their close Friday. JCP announced its intent to challenge the board nominees last April.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org Newly released court documents show that Department of Vermont Health Access Commissioner Steven Costantino was aware that money in a loan-guarantee program he crafted as a lawmaker in Rhode Island was being set aside for the now bankrupt video game designer 38 Studios. In 2010, as chair of the Rhode Island House Finance Committee, Costantino helped craft and guide the passage of a $125 million loan guarantee program. The economic development program was increased from $50 million as a result of Costantino’s involvement.

by Timothy MCQuiston Vermont Business Magazine With much riding on it, Keurig Green Mountain, Inc today announced the launch of the Keurig KOLD system, the first beverage system that allows consumers to freshly make cold sparkling and still beverages at home at the push of a button, including beloved favorites from The Coca-Cola Company and Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Keurig KOLD - the first personal cold beverage system that offers a wide variety of consumers' favorite beverages like Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Dr Pepper and Canada Dry, plus new discoveries, fresh-made at home, at the push of a button. Unlike rival SodaStream, the Keurig KOLD system does not employ a separate CO2 container to create the seltzer in the carbonated beverages.

Vermont Business Magazine An enhanced inflammatory response could be the key link between high saturated fat intake – a recognized risk factor for obesity-related disorders – and the development of diseases like type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. A new study led by a University of Vermont researcher in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry demonstrates that ingesting fats similar to those in a Mediterranean-type diet, featuring low saturated fat and high monounsaturated fat, appears to decrease the inflammatory response, both in comparison to a high saturated fat diet, as well as in relation to a low-fat diet.

Vermont Business Magazine The Stern Center for Language and Learning has recently become the first teacher training program in Vermont to be accredited by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). The accreditation is a result of the decision by the IDA to accredit all certified Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) programs based on the alignment of AOGPE’s training with IDA’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading.

The International Dyslexia Association is an international organization dedicated to addressing the complex issues of structured literacy learning for all learners, especially those with dyslexia. The IDA endorses effective teaching approaches and related clinical educational intervention strategies, supports and disseminates interdisciplinary research, and facilitates examination into the causes of reading difficulties and early identification of dyslexia.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin announced Monday that 5,800.4 pounds of prescription drugs were collected this past Saturday during the drug take back initiative in Vermont, representing the largest haul in the history of similar efforts in the state. Vermont’s drug take back day was part of a nationwide effort led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in partnership with local and state law enforcement to ensure the safe disposal of unwanted, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs.

by John McClaughry Hamilton Davis is a veteran Vermont reporter who has participated in health policy debates since his days as the advisor to Governor Madeleine Kunin thirty years ago. He is now is a health policy analyst and recently published in VTDigger a lucid description of Vermont’s likely health care future. Davis’s account is candid about some of the mistakes made during the Shumlin years. He acknowledges the embarrassing failure of the health insurance exchange, Vermont Health Connect, and especially “the devastating collapse” of Governor Shumlin’s four-year effort to install single payer health care.

That collapse, to Davis, “dealt a powerful blow to health care reform.” However, as a long-time advocate for government-run health care, he remains hopeful about the further prospects for “reform”.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health and the Vermont Falls Free Coalition have joined forces with the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and the Falls Free® Coalition to reduce the incident of falls among seniors. While falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injury for people 65 years of age and older, they are not an inevitable part of aging. This year’s Fall Prevention Awareness Day theme, Take a Stand to Prevent Falls, seeks to raise awareness about how to prevent fall-related injury among older adults.

Vermont Business Magazine The discussions taking place around possible changes to Vermont Title 21 and the "employee vs independent contractor" language are continuing, with the Department of Labor taking the lead to bring the business and labor communities together to find possible compromise and resolution to this long-standing issue. However, as of this date, the statutory language remains the same, and the court decisions surrounding the interpretation of the language provide the precedent and guidance to the Department, such that it is important for each business to review the provisions of the law, and resources, listed below. The Commissioner's Office welcomes comments and feedback on this issue.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell, in a brief statement posted on the vermont.gov Website, announced today that he would not run for re-election. He wrote: "It has been my honor and pleasure to serve the people of Vermont as Attorney General for well over eighteen years. I announce today that I will not be a candidate for re-election in 2016. I look forward to continuing to work hard, along with the very talented lawyers and other staff of the Attorney General’s Office, on the many important issues we presently confront and those we will confront during the next fifteen months. I am proud of my office and its many accomplishments. I am deeply grateful for the support I have received and continue to receive from so many Vermonters."

Chittenden County State’s Attorney TJ Donovan, a Democrat, is the only declared candidate from any party so far.

State Nets Nearly One-Quarter of $6 Million Awarded Nationally

Vermont Business Magazine To help combat the opioid crisis that grips the Green Mountain State and other states and regions, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) Monday announced a $1.4 million federal grant to the Vermont State Police for additional troopers dedicated to heroin and opioid trafficking enforcement. The grant is one of six awarded across the nation through the new Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Anti-Heroin Task Force (AHTF) Program.

Vermont Business Magazine Universal and ambiguous -- no communication trend illustrates Gen Y and Z's desire for both more than the use of emoticons and emojis, according to Burlington marketing firm Fuse. The use of symbols that deliver the emotion of the sender personalizes their content and allows a freedom of interpretation by the recipient. This type of visual consumerism doesn't necessitate breathtaking imagery to draw the observer's eye. Rather it relies on simplicity with stripped down symbols that deliver a general, yet uncertain message.