Current News

Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and Congressman David Young (R-IA) recently introduced legislation that would address the critical concern of call quality and completion in rural America, the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act. In some rural areas, nearly one in five inbound calls to land line phones are not completed or are of poor quality. This is a great inconvenience to families, but can also be catastrophic to small businesses whose customers cannot reach them. This bill would establish call quality standards and take steps to ensure Americans in rural areas are receiving all their calls.

The Lamoille County Planning Commission (LCPC) announced today that Tasha Wallis of Morrisville, an accomplished executive with leadership experience in both government and the private sector, will join the Commission as Executive Director on July 1, 2015. “Tasha has the skills, background, and experience to work effectively with our municipalities and to lead the staff in advancing the important work of the Commission.” said Dave Bergh, Chair of the LCPC Board of Directors. “This was a thorough and inclusive search process and we are delighted that Tasha will be joining the Planning Commission.”

Caleb Magoon, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors added that, “Tasha has lived in Lamoille County for almost twenty years and we are pleased to have someone with such extensive executive experience committed to this community and to the work of the Planning Commission.”

Vermonters are slightly more frustrated than patients in other states in understanding the costs of medical care, though less than half feel it is difficult to receive cost information, according to a national survey released today. The upcoming Supreme Court ruling on King v Burwell may result in more than half of Americans looking for a new healthcare provider that offers more transparent costs and billing, according to a new TransUnion Healthcare survey of insured consumers released today. If the Supreme Court rules to eliminate the subsidies, more than half (51%) of Americans will look for new providers, according to the survey.

by Mike Smith Scott versus Welch? It would be a loss for Vermont if one were elected at the expense of the other. Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, a moderate Republican, and Congressman Peter Welch, a liberal-leaning Democrat, are widely respected, trusted and, most importantly, liked by most Vermonters. They both would likely clear the field of credible opponents in their respective party primary. Both would attract voters from all political perspectives: Democrats, Republicans, independents and even Progressives.

What distinguishes these two potential gubernatorial candidates from many others is a personable style that connects with Vermonters. And yet, if these two run against each other for governor in 2016, the loser will likely fade from Vermont politics and that would be a disappointment to many.

In a new report, "The Facts Hurt: A State-By-State Injury Prevention Policy Report," Vermont ranked 21st highest for the number of injury-related deaths in the state, with a rate of 66.0 per 100,000 people. Overall, the national rate is 58.4 per 100,000. Rates in Vermont remained stable over the past four years for injury deaths, which includes drug overdoses, motor vehicle crashes, homicides and others. Overall, 17 states increased, 24 remained stable and 9 decreased. Injuries are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44 – and are responsible for nearly 193,000 deaths per year.

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Drug overdoses have become the leading cause of injury in 36 states, including Vermont, surpassing motor vehicle-related deaths.

The John Merck Division of Science and Technology at Southern Vermont College (SVC) is pleased to announce that the 2015 graduates of the Bachelor of Science degree in Radiologic Sciences received a 100 percent pass rate on the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) examination in Radiography. This was the largest graduating class from this major at SVC. In addition to the pass rate, SVC students scored high marks.

“Our students have generally been above the national grade average and the national pass rate,” according to Linda Lippacher, Program Director of Radiologic Sciences.

The New England Telehealth Consortium (NETC) has announced that it has connected the 300th healthcare facility to its network. NETC worked with FairPoint Communications, one of several vendors, to link healthcare facilities in northern New England to the network. NETC is a federally funded consortium of healthcare providers whose mandate is to create a shared network among rural and urban healthcare facilities across the region. Based in Bangor, Maine – NETC received a$24.6 million Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rural Health Care Pilot Program award to bring telemedicine to the region.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org Dan Quinn, the former CEO of Rutland Mental Health Services, was pressured to resign last week because of poor management. Sources say the state asked the board of the social service agency to take “bold action” and effectively asked that Quinn leave. His resignation comes on the heels of intensified state scrutiny. Officials cite a pattern of shortcomings in the care provided by the agency that contributed to a client’s overdose, a client being sexually exploited and several others being placed in neglectful or abusive situations, according to documents obtained by VTDigger. Poor management may have also contributed to one client’s untimely death.

Governor Peter Shumlin today highlighted two major rural economic development investments at Vermont Technical College that will bring 45 jobs to the region and help prepare Vermonters for the hundreds of advanced manufacturing jobs available statewide. Joined by Vermont Tech and Vermont State Colleges officials, cabinet members, and representatives from Vermont advanced manufacturing businesses, the Governor pointed to two projects included in the recently signed Capital Bill that will benefit Vermont Tech and the region’s economy.

US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) announced today a new form of assistance for small businesses and startups at the launch of the Vermont Patent Pro Bono Program. The event, at the Burlington Generator in downtown Burlington, was held in conjunction with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Vermont Small Business Development Center, the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston, and the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts.

The Patent Pro Bono program was created as part of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, a comprehensive update to U.S. patent law authored by Leahy in 2011. The program will help qualified Vermont inventors and small businesses procure pro bono patent prosecution services from registered patent agents or attorneys. The Vermont program will be part of a regional New England effort run by the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts and the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The massive earthworks at the Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport is the largest of its kind in New England. The top three largest employers represent health care (Rutland Regional Medical Center, 1,300 employees), high-end manufacturing (GE Aircraft Engines, 1,000 employees) and hospitality (Killington/Pico Ski Resort, 800 employees). Rutland downtown is as good as it’s been in anyone’s memory. Higher education, until recently a weakness, is becoming a significant contributor to the economic landscape. But all of that is not what local development specialists mention first when talking about the local development: It’s energy innovation.

“We’re leading the way in the state with respect to energy innovation and sustainability and knocking down the barriers between the competing elements of adaptation and mitigation regarding climate change,” long-serving Rutland Mayor Chris Louras said.

by Matt Durkee NBT Bank Most financial institutions across the country are facing similar challenges, but we see that many are taking different approaches to try to address these challenges. No matter how they chose to move forward, banks need to evolve into something new – something that surpasses customer expectations. One trend many banks are seeing – in Vermont and throughout the industry – is that as customers continue to show their preference to complete banking transactions from the comfort of their home, office or on the go.