Current News

by Sarah Olsen vtdigger.org New research shows that concentrations of nitrogen could make drinking water from lakes unsafe. Until recently it was thought that algae blooms could only be caused by high concentrations of phosphorus in lakes, but freshwater research now suggests that high levels of nitrogen can also increase the potential for harmful blooms.

The law firm of Diamond & Robinson significantly expanded its utility, energy and environmental practice areas by adding attorneys Richard H. Saudek, former Chair of the Public Service Board, and Ronald A. Shems, former Chair of the Natural Resources Board. “Teaming up with Ron Shems and Dick Saudek adds enormous horsepower to our already robust law firm. Ron and Dick are very talented attorneys who can easily handle highly complex legal and regulatory issues,” said M. Jerome Diamond, founder of Diamond & Robinson and three-term Vermont Attorney General.

The Town of Bennington is launching its second round of promotional videos for the area. Titled “Profiles in Bennington,” these in-depth interviews showcase business and community leaders in Bennington. Most of the interviews are between 8-12 minutes long and discuss what it’s like to experience Bennington either as a community member or business owner. Each video has its own tone, but the overarching theme is that Bennington is a great place to build a business and raise a family.

Current interviewees include Sheela Harden, President and CEO of Bennington Potters; Tom Dee, President and CEO of Southwestern Vermont Health Care; Dimitri Garder, Vice President of Global Z International; Mariko Silver, president of Bennington College; Stuart Hurd, Bennington’s town manager; Paul Doucette, Bennington’s chief of police and Michael Harrington, Bennington’s economic and community development director.

State and federal officials say that more than $1 million in federal assistance has been delivered to the state to help cover the costs of the December 9-12, 2014, winter storm that wreaked havoc on Vermont’s infrastructure, downing trees and power lines. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the $1 million in FEMA aid to the state thus far for infrastructure repair includes roughly $670,000 for emergency protective measures to safeguard lives and property while responding to the disaster, and another $384,000 in permanent repair work. Another $2 million in FEMA aid is anticipated, most of it for Vermont Electric Cooperative.

“The December storm was a four-day event that caused an estimated $4+ million in damage and response costs,” said State Coordinating Officer Robert Schell with Vermont’s Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. “The federal dollars coming to Vermont are assisting numerous communities and non-profit utilities.”

Yonder, the leading outdoor recreation mobile app and platform for outdoor enthusiasts based in Woodstock, Vermont, has closed $2 million in seed funding, with the company's Board approving an additional $1 million to be raised. The company, Green Mountain Digital LLC, is now focused exclusively on expanding the Yonder platform to become the social infrastructure for the outdoor and adventure travel industries.

Montpelier rado station WNCS-FM and the Colchester-based Mt. Mansfield Media took home the coveted “Best in Show” honors May 28 at the Vermont Association of Broadcasters annual Commercial of the Year Awards luncheon in Montpelier. More than 200 radio and television commercials were entered for this year’s competetion by Vermont radio and television stations, and by Vermont advertising agencies. Entries were judged by a panel assembled by the Communications Department at Champlain College.

The Cause Marketing Forum presented its 2015 Halo Awards today in Chicago, IL. Widely considered cause marketing’s highest honor in North America, the Halo Awards recognize overall excellence in cause marketing in eight categories. The 2015 Gold Halo for Best Environmental or Animal Campaign was awarded to The Orvis Company, Inc, the famous fly-fishing company based in Manchester, Vermont, in partnership with the Morris Animal Foundation, for the Orvis Cover Dog Photo Contest campaign. Since its inception in 2009, the Cover Dog Contest has raised in excess of $1.1 million dollars to support the Morris Animal Foundation’s canine cancer research initiatives.

by Tom Pelham It is important that Vermonters understand the realities and weaknesses of the so called “budget gap” approach to the state budget. Unfortunately, the “budget gap” has replaced the concept of “sustainable spending” that reliably guided Governor’s Snelling, Dean and Douglas. The “budget gap” clears a path for higher taxes while “sustainable spending” points toward living within our means. The Joint Fiscal Office, the Administration and the media should abandon this unreliable and unrealistic portrayal of the state budget process.

To profile the flaws in the “budget gap” approach, only three documents need to be referenced. Readers should take the time to understand these documents in order to prepare for the 2017 “budget gap…..OMG what can be done?” onslaught by the legislature, Governor and too often, the media.

The three key documents are:

Doc # 1 – FY 2016 Budget Gap:

On Tuesday, May 19, GS Precision, Inc and Vermont Tech celebrated the completion of the Manufacturing Technician Apprentice Program with a graduation ceremony for six participating employees. The ceremony included student project presentations and remarks from GSP’s CEO, Norm Schneeberger. Over 30 people from the plant, as well as family members, were in attendance to mark the occasion.

“These projects have thoughtfully and methodically solved the problems that are unique to G.S.,” said GSP’s CEO, Norm Schneeberger to the graduating class. “You have already realized the return on investment of this program.”

Vermont Tech continues its commitment to being an asset and partner for Vermont industry, including energy, agriculture, healthcare, construction and engineering.

The St Albans Rotary Club has announced that it has raised a record $59,000 with over 4,500 visitors to the Club’s Annual Home and Recreation EXPO, held this past Spring. “It was a tremendously successful weekend for our local vendors and our community” said Carrie Johnson, co-chair of the expo organizing committee. This is the St. Albans Area Rotary Club’s only large fundraiser. In addition to selling booth space at the expo, the club offers a silent auction, grab bags and a raffle all sponsored by local businesses.

Proceeds from the expo will be used to fund Rotary’s numerous charitable and community
activities. Rotary provides financial support to area organizations including Martha’s Kitchen, Little
League and operation of the Ski Bus, providing access to Smugglers Notch for local children and
teens. The Club has also recently taken on the challenge of restoring the fountain in Taylor Park.

In March, a series of milestones were outlined for improved customer service for Vermonters using Vermont Health Connect. The first of these milestones occurs on June 1 when systems updates are scheduled to go live, allowing customer service staff to process consumer requests more quickly. The deployment of this upgrade will require the Vermont Health Connect health insurance application and user accounts to be unavailable starting this evening and running through the weekend.

The following information is intended to help Vermonters understand what to expect during that time period.

The Transition

by Morgan True vtdigger.org Governor Peter Shumlin remains “cautiously optimistic” the state and its contractors will complete the needed functionality for Vermont Health Connect, the state’s troubled health care exchange, by the May 31 (Sunday) deadline. Shumlin said he receives daily, sometimes multiple, updates on VHC and the progress of its primary contractor, Optum, in automating the process for changing personal or plan information online.

“As you know, with any major technology project you can hit a glitch at any time, but we’re cautiously optimistic” that the state will meet a self-imposed May 31 deadline for completing the function, the governor said at a Wednesday news conference in Waterbury Center.