Current News

Mount Family Group, Ltd., the longtime Burlington-based franchisee of Westaff Workforce Solutions and Remedy Intelligent Staffing, has moved its corporate headquarters from 74 Main Street in Burlington to 188 Allen Brook Lane in Williston. This move was precipitated by the need for more space in the growing Burlington Westaff branch office and for a larger meeting space for the Mount Family Group’s corporate office. This new corporate headquarters is the home to James Mount, COO, Karen Mount, CAO, Jill Marsano, CFO, and Denise Burns, Director of Administration.

"I deeply appreciate the outpouring of support I received from those who urged me to return home to run for governor as well as those who urged me to keep at it in Congress. While being governor would be a distinct honor, I believe I can best serve Vermonters by continuing the hard work of getting Congress back to work for Vermont and the nation."

Beginning Friday June 26th and running through Sunday June 28th, the Vermont State Police Marine Division, Grand Isle Sheriff, Colchester Police Marine Patrol, and the Burlington US Coast Guard station, will participate in the national Operation Dry Waterhttp://www.operationdrywater.org/> campaign. This is a national campaign that occurs annually to promote safe and sober boating as we enter the boating season. The campaign hopes to reduce the numbers of boating while intoxicated (BWI) incidents by increasing awareness and recreational boater education, along with visible police deterrents. In Vermont, we are entering the main boating season, with the most activity associated with the weeks around the 4th of July holiday.

In the case of King v Burwell, the US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision Thursday, upheld the regulation issued by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service through which tax credits are made available for purchasers of health insurance through the federal exchange established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Fourth Circuit US Court of Appeals had previously upheld the agencies’ interpretation regarding tax credits, and the Supreme Court agreed that the ACA allows tax credits for purchasers of health insurance through the federal exchange.

Chief Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion, as he did in the first major ACA vote by the high court in 2012, which was a 5-4 decision. Joning the majority on this occasion was Justice Kennedy, along with the liberal wing of Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, Ginsburg and Breyer; while the conservative wing of Justices Alito, Scalia and Thomas dissented.

Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) has chosen Central Vermont Medical Center as a 2015 ‘Northeast Business Leader for Energy Efficiency’ for its efforts to foster the economy and protect the environment via its commitment to energy efficiency. UVM Health Network – CVMC was one of 14 organizations named as Business Leaders for 2015.

The hospital is being honored for its continued efforts to advance energy efficiency in its operations. UVM Health Network – CVMC has worked closely with Efficiency Vermont, the statewide energy efficiency utility, for the past five years to make efficiency improvements, which have resulted in a 26% reduction in total energy consumption. These efforts have cut hospital energy use by 1.6 million kilowatt-hours and over 100,000 gallons of fuel oil each year, translating to annual cost savings of $500,000.

The Agency of Natural Resources is holding three public comment meetings in July to gather feedback on the Draft Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages Tactical Water Quality Management Plan. The public is encouraged to attend the meetings, hear a presentation and offer their comments and suggestions. This plan will be used to establish priorities for clean water projects being pursued in fulfillment of the Vermont Clean Water Act (H.35), signed into law by Governor Shumlin on June 16, and related Lake Champlain restoration efforts. (See information regarding the Waits, Wells, Ompompanoosuc and Steven’s River Tactical Water Quality Management Plan below.)

Meetings will take place in the following locations:

Monday, June 29, 5 -6:30 pm, Swanton Municipal Building, Swanton, VT (hosted by Friends of North Lake Champlain)

The Burlington Free Press on Wednesday won three of Gannett's 12 National Edward R Murrow Awards, including an Overall Excellence award. The Edward R Murrow Awards honor outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism and are sponsored by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA). The largest daily newspaper in Vermont won these awards for its online service.

“Gannett has always been a company where content comes first and our commitment to quality journalism is second to none. These 12 awards, in addition to the 72 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards we won earlier this year, are a testament to the exceptional work being done daily by our journalists that makes an impact in the communities we serve. It is always an honor to be recognized by the RTDNA and I congratulate all of our winners,” said Gracia Martore, president and CEO of Gannett.

Winners are:

Renewable Energy Vermont Beneath bluebird skies, Vermonters strolled sun-soaked solar farms and toured solar-powered homes during the inaugural Celebrate Solar Tours last Saturday. Like open sugarhouse weekend in the spring and open art studio weekend in the fall, Celebrate Solar Tours gave Vermonters the opportunity to get an up-close view of solar systems, learn how they work and the story behind improving our energy future with the sun. In St Albans, three local families participated in the statewide celebration by inviting neighbors and community members to visit their residential solar systems.

by Basil DN Waugh UVM A major international study finds that surprisingly few bee species are responsible for pollinating the world’s crops. The paper, published in Nature Communications, suggests that only two percent of wild bee species pollinate 80 percent of bee-pollinated crops worldwide. The study is one of the largest on bee pollination to date.

While agricultural development and pesticides have been shown to produce sharp declines in many wild bee populations, the study shows these “busy bees” can remain abundant in agricultural landscapes.

Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) Director Joe Flynn has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct a preliminary damage assessment (PDA) in Vermont counties impacted by severe storms on June 9th. The state is asking for the assessment to determine if the state qualifies for federal public assistance to help cover the costs of cleanup and repairs from the storm.

Director Flynn has asked FEMA Regional Administrator Paul Ford to send assessors to work with local and state personnel to assess damages in Addison, Chittenden, and Franklin counties. The letter from Flynn to Ford is attached.

“(On June 9th) torrential rains resulted in flooding and erosion which washed out roads and destroyed drainage structures … causing more than a million dollars of damage to public infrastructure,” Flynn wrote in his request.

Vermont’s lottery for moose hunting permits closed June 17, but there’s one more opportunity to get a permit for this fall’s moose hunt. Vermont’s auction for five moose hunting permits is open until 4:30 p.m. August 13. Bids will be opened and winners notified on August 14. Auction winners will hunt in one of several wildlife management units (WMUs) open to moose hunting and choose to hunt during the October 1-7 archery season, or in the October 17-22 regular season.

photo credit: VFWD - Wayne Laroche

Vermont’s 2014 Moose Harvest Report on Fish & Wildlife’s website has details on last year’s hunt, including the towns where moose were taken. Look under moose hunting.

Sugarbush Resort’s Gadd Brook Slopeside development project, sixteen ski-in/ski-out condominiums at the base of Lincoln Peak, began construction last week. The resort received the necessary permits required for the project in May (Town of Warren) and mid-June (Act 250). A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday, June 19^th to celebrate the project’s inception.