Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger and other Burlington institutional leaders today announced a series of steps to strengthen the two-year-old BTV Ignite initiative which is dedicated to aligning Burlington’s powerful gigabit infrastructure as a tool, test bed, and accelerator for economic, educational, and community benefit. These next steps include:

· Formation of a new 501(c)(3) and board of directors for BTV Ignite with funding committed by Burlington organizations;

· The board’s selection and hire of Michael Schirling as BTV Ignite Executive Director; and

· The announcement of the first BTV Ignite Conference to take place in October 2015.

Vermont Business Magazine Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the deadline to enroll for the dairy Margin Protection Program for coverage in 2016 has been extended until November 20, 2015. The voluntary program, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides financial assistance to participating farmers when the margin – the difference between the price of milk and feed costs – falls below the coverage level selected by the farmer.

Vermont Business Magazine Local community members and businesses have spent the past three years working to construct a 2.12 mile shared-use recreational path that would run along the Walloomsac River, connecting Bennington’s urban core to the village of North Bennington. Now with some help from a federal grant, it looks like the completion of a major portion of this project is in sight. In an award letter from the Vermont Agency of Transportation, Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager Jon Kaplan announced the successful application as part of the State’s 2015 VTrans Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, with an award amount of $1,108,000, which includes a local share of 10% being borne by the Town. The local match as it’s called, can be in the form of direct cash or in-kind service (ie, materials and/or labor).

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin joined the Woodstock Community Trust, Twin Pines Housing Trust, Housing Vermont and funders and supporters of Safford Commons to celebrate the opening of the rental housing development at the site of the former Grange Hall and church on Route 4 across from the Woodstock High School. Safford Commons provides a total of 28 attractive, affordable and energy-efficient rental apartments. Four apartments were created through extensive renovations of a former Grange Hall and church building while 24 new construction apartments are scattered among 10 buildings.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s adult obesity rate barely budged between 2013 and 2014 (24.7 percent to 24.8 percent), but the state ranked 6th best in the nation overall, according to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hawaii had the nation’s lowest rates at 22.1 percent. Colorado (2nd), the District of Columbia (3rd), Massachusetts (4th), and California (5th) also had lower rates than Vermont.

“Vermont is doing well compared to the rest of the nation, but the bar is set so low,” said Health Commissioner Harry Chen, MD. “Our obesity rate in 1990 was close to 11 percent, and now it is one of every four adults. That’s an alarming trend and it’s unacceptable.

Vermont Business Magazine Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus has been detected in a batch of mosquitoes collected from the town of Swanton on Sept. 14, and confirmed by the Health Department Laboratory. This is the first detection of EEE virus in Vermont this year. The risk for mosquito-borne illness will continue until the first hard frost of the year. EEE can be spread to humans and some animals through the bite of an infected mosquito. No human or animal cases have been reported so far in 2015.

“The highest risk for human infections is this time of year,” said Patsy Kelso, state epidemiologist for infectious disease. “We predicted going into this mosquito season that the Swanton area, due to prior years, had a moderate risk for EEE, so the detection was not unexpected.”

Vermont Business Magazine Farrell Distributing Company of South Burlington, Vermont and g.housen, Inc of Keene, NH, have reached an agreement that will transfer ownership of g.housen’s portfolio of beverage brands in Vermont to Farrell Distributing. Both companies said the transaction would strengthen their businesses and improve service to suppliers, retailers and beverage consumers. The g. housen portfolio of brands includes some of the nation’s top national wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverage brands, including Anheuser-Busch, and will compliment the locally driven portfolio Farrell currently manages.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) has begun notifying non-subsidized individuals with BCBSVT plans purchased through Vermont Health Connect that they will be able to enroll directly with the health plan when open enrollment begins on November 1, 2015. Individuals and families currently enrolled through Vermont Health Connect that do not receive state or federal subsidies like tax credits or premium assistance are invited to give BCBSVT a ‘heads up’ if they plan to enroll directly through the health plan for 2016 coverage.

“BCBSVT is pleased to offer non-subsidized customers the option of directly enrolling with us.” said Don George, President and CEO. “Our enrollment and billing capabilities are reliable and easy to use.”

Vermont Business Magazine As high schools across the country continue to reduce physical education, recess, and athletic programs, a new study shows that regular exercise significantly reduces both suicidal thoughts and attempts among students who are bullied. Using data from the CDC's National Youth Risk Behavior Survey of 13,583 high school students, researchers at the University of Vermont found that being physically active four or more days per week resulted in a 23 percent reduction in suicidal ideation and attempts in bullied students. Nationwide nearly 20 percent of students reported being bullied on school property.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Housing & Conservation Board announced that Vermont will receive a $3.2 million grant from the US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) to continue the State’s Lead Hazard Reduction Program. The funds will be used to control lead paint hazards in the homes of low-income families and to raise awareness about this common and dangerous toxin still found in the majority of Vermont homes.

Program Director Ron Rupp said, “Lead poisoning remains the number one environmental threat to young children, causing permanent neurological and behavioral problems and lowering IQs. Vermont has some of the oldest housing in the United States, much of it containing lead paint hazards, and these funds will be used to make homes safe for families with young children.”

Vermont Business Magazine American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women announced today this year’s “Real Women,” national spokespeople for the cause. These nine women from across the country will share their personal stories and encourage women to take a proactive role in their health by knowing their family history and scheduling a Well-Woman Visit. “I was walking my dog when I began to feel pressure in my chest and was short of breath but I figured it was allergies,” said Montpelier resident Shalini Suryanarayana, National Go Red For Women Spokesperson. “The thought that my symptoms were heart-related never crossed my mind. When the symptoms persisted even when I was indoors, I reluctantly went to the ER at the urging of my sister-in-law, and it’s a good think I did because it turned out that I was experiencing a cardiac event that required a stent to reopen an artery.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce (LCRCC), the state’s largest business organization, has secured Jennifer Williams to work with the Chamber’s marketing and public affairs team. Williams will develop and manage tourism-specific media relations, website content, newsletters and social media as part of the Chamber’s on-going efforts to strengthen tourism, a vital economic contributor to the region.