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Vermont Business Magazine Reinforcing other real estate reports that show strong home sales with a moderate increase in prices, Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty today released the Mid-Year 2015 Vermont Market Report for Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle, and Addison Counties. Sales jumped 13.7 percent during the first six months of the year, with more residential properties selling in each of the four counties than a year early. Across all four counties tracked in the report, the median sales price rose 5.7 percent.

A rebounding local economy, historically low interest rates, and an influx of first-time home buyers have contributed to the healthy sales growth. Northwest Vermont is facing some headwinds, however. Affordability issues, lagging wage growth, and rising property taxes have added to affordability concerns for both mid-range and high-end buyers. (See county-by-county reports below.)

Vermont Business Magazine A Vermont nonprofit is among nine grantees that will collectively receive nearly $1.2 million in grants to improve rural lives. The grant, announced today, is to rehabilitate or replace substandard homes, according to NeighborWorks America, a national nonprofit that creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities. In support of the Safe and Sound initiative, Wells Fargo Housing Foundation donated $1 million and is the lead funder of the effort.

Under the Safe and Sound Rural Housing Rehabilitation or Replacement program, 50 rural homes will be rehabbed or replaced in at least five rural regions by Dec. 31 to raise the visibility of rural communities as unique and inviting investment opportunities.

The NeighborWorks America Safe and Sound rural grant participants are:

Vermont Business Magazine The "Fiske Guide to Colleges," a leading college guidebook, has selected Champlain College for its 2016 edition highlighting more than 300 of the "best and most interesting schools" in the United States, Canada and Great Britain. Compiled by former New York Times education editor Edward B. Fiske, the guidebook selects colleges based primarily on academic quality. It includes information about each college's academics, social life, student body, financial aid, campus setting, housing, food and extracurricular activities.

"Our inclusion in the Fiske Guide is an recognition of the value and quality of a Champlain College education," noted Champlain President Donald J. Laackman.

"Guides that include student voices, qualitative evaluations, and realistic quantitative comparisons are valuable resources for parents, students and high school counselors looking for colleges that are a good fit," he added.

by Mike Smith Military members will often assign the term “weenie” to people who speak with much bravado, but when confronted with the prospect of actually fighting for this country — or putting their life on the line for others — they simply run the other way.

Donald Trump is acting like a weenie.

More than 58,000 Americans were killed in Vietnam and another 153,000 were wounded. When you come from privilege, as does Trump, true courage and heroism would have been serving in the military or speaking out against the war in a meaningful way. Trump chose to do neither. Doing neither is, well, being a weenie.

Vermont Business Magazine Rutland Accounting firm Siliski & Buzzell has merged with Williston-based CPA firm, Davis and Hodgdon Associates in a deal that closed on July 1. Operating under the banner of Davis & Hodgdon Associates CPAs, the firms’ newly expanded team will continue to operate from their existing locations in Rutland and Chittenden counties. Robert E Buzzell Jr, CPA, CVA will continue to manage the Rutland office which will be known as Siliski & Buzzell, a division of Davis & Hodgdon Associates CPAs.

John Davis, left, and Robert Buzzell, partners, Davis & Hodgdon.

Vermont Business Magazine All State of Vermont email addresses will be changing today, Monday, July 27, 2015 from [email protected] to [email protected]. The reason for the change is to enhance security on state-owned email addresses, and all associated communications from the State. Email addressed using the old [email protected] address format will continue to be received until August 2016.

If you have a [email protected] email address there is no action you need to take to start receiving and sending mail using the @vermont.gov address.

Email addresses from @partner.state.vt.us will also change on July 27, 2015 to @partner.vermont.gov.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Historical Society President Laura Warren has announced that Mark Hudson, who has been the Vermont Historical Society's executive director for six years, has resigned to take a position as the executive director of the Tudor Place Historic House & Garden in Washington, DC. Warren also announced that the organization has launched a national search for his successor.

Under Hudson's leadership, the Vermont Historical Society conducted several fundraising campaigns which created three rotating exhibit galleries at the Vermont History Center in Barre and which supported restoration projects of the Center's historic building. The organization also received two awards from the American Association for State and Local History-one for its Vermont History Explorer website for children and teachers and another for publication of A Very Fine Appearance: the Vermont Photographs of George Houghton.

Vermont Business Magazine On six acres along the banks of The Ottauquechee River in Woodstock, a brand-new, 38-room boutique hotel grand opened in early July. This opening makes 506 On The River Inn the only new hotel to appear in this historic town in decades. Though the hotel has enjoyed a soft opening for some months, the announcement that the final eight guest rooms and its pool, the sole indoor hotel pool in Woodstock, are now complete, brings the self-contained resort to complete fruition. Immediately upon entering the hotel, guests are enveloped in the inn’s chic yet comforting modern meets farmhouse aesthetic.

by Erin Mansfield vtdigger.org Governor Peter Shumlin now believes Vermont should create an independent commission to handle ethics complaints, his spokesperson said. Scott Coriell, said Wednesday was the first time, to his knowledge, that the governor had been asked whether he supports such a commission. The governor’s call for a commission was first reported by The Associated Press.

Wednesday was also the day that three news organizations published articles that raised questions about possible conflicts of interest within Shumlin’s administration. Coriell said recent events, including news about a state regulator who moved to work on a project he was overseeing, had nothing to do with the announcement.

Vermont Business Magazine Senix Corporation of Hinesburg, manufacturer of ToughSonic ultrasonic level and distance sensors, today announced the launch of a new website, http://senix.com/, the first in a series of initiatives to expand the product and information capabilities it delivers. The new website launch coincides with Senix Corporation’s 25^th anniversary of continuous industry leadership in delivering advanced, smart ultrasonic sensors worldwide.

Vermont Business Magazine Nearly $250,000 will be awarded to Vermont watershed teams, supporting projects largely developed during the 2015 Leahy Center Environmental Summit. The High Meadows Fund announced this week $249,000 to be awarded to six watersheds. The Mad River, Lamoille Valley, Saxtons River, South Lake, Upper White River, and Mill Brook teams will work with their own communities to help residents solve pressing issues to become more floodwater and climate change resilient.

At the Leahy Summit in March, all the teams, save one, joined together to discuss the theme “Climate Change Resilient, Floodwater Smart.”

The about 150 attendees heard from experts, including Vermont Secretary of Transportation Sue Minter, Partnership for Water Sustainability Executive Director Kim Stephens, Sen. Patrick Leahy and keynote speaker, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, and spent two days brainstorming at ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain.

Elizabeth Hewitt vtdigger.org Vermont Legal Aid filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday seeking to halt implementation of a $125 reduction in the monthly Reach Up benefit for hundreds of Vermont families. The Department for Children and Families recently sent notices to 860 Reach Up households saying they would see a $125 reduction in their monthly benefit beginning August 1 if an adult family member receives supplemental security income (SSI), a federal disability benefit. The reduction would impact more than 15 percent of the homes that receive the program’s cash benefits.

The class-action lawsuit alleges that the reduction, which the Legislature approved in the fiscal year 2016 state budget, is unconstitutional and that it discriminates against households with family members with a disability.