Current News

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.

Castleton Polling Institute The 2016 Vermont gubernatorial race is just getting underway. To assess the starting position of the candidates—those declared and some who may potentially run—the Castleton Polling Institute measured the public’s awareness of 8 potential candidates. The poll followed up with respondents who have heard of a candidate by asking the respondent’s views of that potential candidate, whether they have a favorable or an unfavorable view.

Vermont Business Magazine Gathered in the backyard of Ben Cohen’s home on the evening last Wednesday, 200 Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) members and guests celebrated the group’s 25th anniversary and the remarkable achievements of Duane Peterson, cofounder of SunCommon, Vermont’s largest residential solar company. Peterson was honored with the Terry Ehrich Award for Excellence in Socially Responsible Business. Named for the late owner of Hemmings Motor News and a founding member of VBSR, the award is given to a VBSR member who best exemplifies Terry Ehrich’s commitment to the environment, workplace, progressive public policy, and community.

Vermont Business Magazine Washington Monthly ranked the University of Vermont 15th among 402 colleges and universities in the Northeast on its "Best Bang for the Buck" list in the magazine’s annual College Guide issue, published in September. No other Vermont colleges were in the top 100. The magazine describes the list as showing "which schools in the Northeast are the best value for your money based on 'net' (not sticker) price, how well they do graduating the students they admit, and whether those students go on to earn at least enough to pay off their loans."

Schools on the "Best Bang for the Buck" list, grouped into five regions, were chosen from a total pool of 1,540 four-year colleges in the United States.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power, the first utility to become a B-Corp, and Boston-based Yeloha, a peer-to-peer Solar Sharing Network, have announced a groundbreaking partnership with a mission to unlock the benefits of solar energy for everyone -- by sharing it. Yeloha and GMP will make it possible for individuals who don't have a roof suited for solar to subscribe online to power produced by other homeowners and businesses, essentially going solar on someone else's roof. Those who do own suitable roofs will be offered to host the panels free of charge in exchange for sharing some of their solar power. The partnership marks the first utility-adopted Sharing Economy platform to offer its customers the opportunity to generate their own energy and share it with other residents online. The companies said the initiative represents a beacon of change for energy nationwide.

Vermont Business Magazine With the help of two recent National Science Foundation (NSF) grants totaling close to $1.2 million for him and collaborators at top universities, Saint Michael’s College astrophysicist John O’Meara will try to “join two powerful tools for exploring the universe: observations from the largest telescopes in the world and simulations from the most powerful supercomputers.”

“The point of the fundamental research is understanding the universe better -- understanding how atoms that make us up got here,” said O’Meara, who regularly uses the Hubble Space Telescope and some of the world’s largest ground telescopes in Hawaii and Chile for his work. This semester, he’s also teaching an astronomy course and Introduction to Physics for Saint Michael’s undergraduates.

NSF only approves about 11 percent of the submitted proposals that it reviews, so this would be a big deal for any scientist, he said.

by Governor Peter Shumlin It is all too easy for those of us who care about protecting our environment, combating climate change, and preserving a sustainable planet for our kids and grandkids to lose hope that we can win the fight. At the national level, powerful fossil fuel interests and their climate-denier allies in Congress prevent meaningful action and work to preserve the status quo. Here in Vermont, however, we are showing that progress can be made and that there is a model for energy that is good for our economy and our environment.