Current News

Bernie Isabelle, President and CEO of Vermont Federal Credit Union, is pleased to announce the hiring of Insuritas, the nation’s premier provider of turnkey insurance agencies. Isabelle said: “We are excited to partner with Insuritas. We wanted to provide our members with all the insurance options they might need in a one stop shopping solution that focuses on price, convenience, and service. We are committed to insurance with the same passion and energy we have for deposit and loan products that our members, their families, and their businesses need. Through this partnership we own the agency, offer a complete array of insurance products to protect our members, their families and their businesses, and we build a powerful new fee income stream.” Isabelle concluded: “Adding a turnkey insurance agency for our members supports our mission to make a decided difference in the lives of our members.”

This year marks 40 years of independent publishing for Vermont-based Inner Traditions Bear & Company. Founded by Ehud C Sperling in 1975, Inner Traditions has established itself as a landmark publisher of books on new age spirituality, alternative health and more. Internationally recognized, Inner Traditions moved to Rochester, Vermont, in 1986. Nestled in the Green Mountains, Rochester provides a community and setting well matched to the company’s values and aspirations. Inner Traditions is one of the largest employers in the area.

by John McClaughry The Vermont legislature has entered the final four weeks of its 2015 session. The House has passed its appropriations, tax and health care “reform” bills, and the Senate is now well along in its consideration of those measures. It’s too soon to predict how differences between the two chambers will be resolved, but the outline of their likely product is emerging.

The Legislature will send the Governor a balanced General Fund budget, they will keep the three statutory reserve funds filled to required levels, and they won’t cheat on the required $300 million transfer to the Education Fund. That’s good news.

To close a $113 million budget gap, the House turned aside $53 million that the Shumlin administration wanted, above and beyond what it got last year. This is referred to as a “cut”, but it is only a “cut” from desires and expectations, not from last year’s spending level.

AllEarth Renewables, a Vermont-based solar tracker manufacturer and SunPower commercial dealer, has received the SunPower “Commercial Regional Top Producer of the Year” award for its sales performance in 2014. In 2014, AllEarth partnered with SolarSense, a provider of clean, reliable and affordable power for commercial and industrial scale clients in the US, to commission 2.15 megawatts (MW) of net metering projects utilizing American-made AllEarth Solar Trackers and SunPower’s high efficiency solar panels.

Among the five solar tracker projects, all net metered in Vermont, were three 500-kilowatt (kW) projects for the State of Vermont, providing solar energy and electricity at below market rates to correctional facilities and state office buildings.

Another amazing season at Stratton Mountain has come to a close, and Saturday's Pond Skim participants certainly did not disappoint with their elaborate costumes and skimming skills. Temperatures were unseasonably chilly for the event, with a low of 30 degrees, but that didn't stop 125 participants from daringly skimming their way across the 20” by 90’ man-made pond.

by Mary Powell, President & CEO, Green Mountain Power When I was 19 years old, I found out that my mom had cancer. She had known for some time, but only when surgery was imminent did she tell us of her diagnosis, during a routine exam, of lung cancer. She was 50, and had quit smoking the year before. The subsequent surgery left her with one fully operating lung, a horror movie scar from one end of her chest to the next, follow-up radiation, nerve damage, burning and scarring. We all felt blessed she was alive.

Marking National Equal Pay Day – the date that symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year – Governor Peter Shumlin and the Vermont Commission on Women today launched the Vermont Equal Pay Compact. The initiative aims to boost wages for Vermont women, improve economic security for women and their families, and make progress towards the overdue right of equal pay for men and women.

United Way of Chittenden County’s Women’s Leadership Council awarded a $25,000 grant to Mercy Connections’ Women’s Small Business Program Account-able LIFE Initiative, which will provide financial coaching, mentoring and peer groups that cultivate financial empowerment through gender-sensitive coursework and activities designed to help women make informed, proactive money management decisions. The United Way Women’s Leadership Council was formed in early 2015 by a Steering Committee of 22 local female leaders and volunteers who believe in the power of women and their ability to catalyze social change through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy.

The Insurance Technology Association (ITA) announces that Lisa L Keysar and Gary H Ouellette, executives with Montpelier-based Union Mutual of Vermont Companies, are the winners of the first ITA Bridge Award. The award was presented at ITA LIVE, the ITA’s inaugural event held this week at the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa.

Genworth has announced the results of its 12th annual Cost of Care Study, which shows that in Vermont, the cost to receive long term care services at home with a home health aide has increased over the past five years. Vermont is also more expensive than the national average for both in-home and assisted living facility care. On a national level, the survey shows a dramatic increase in facility based care, including assisted living and nursing home facilities, while the cost to receive care at home through a home health aide is rising at a more moderate growth rate.

Debbie Boyce is a passionate community volunteer, whether she is supporting a local vaccine clinic or through her service as an Emergency Medical Technician. "She is a phenomenal volunteer -- very dedicated and works really hard," said Sue Hommel, a public health specialist for the Vermont Department of Health. Hommel recruited Boyce to serve as the Rutland County Medical Reserve Corps unit coordinator two years ago.

Boyce is featured in On Call for Vermont television and web videos launched today to recruit volunteers to serve as Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers. An EMS recruitment and retention survey conducted by the Health Department in January 2014 showed that two-thirds of EMS agencies statewide felt understaffed.

The Health Department hopes On Call for Vermont will recruit hundreds of volunteers who are willing to put their skills to use to help others.

Starting this fall, the University of Vermont will offer a new medical science master’s program for students with a limited background in science and those whose undergraduate grades do not reflect their true academic ability. UVM’s Master of Medical Science degree is a 30-credit, one-year, on-campus program, which includes a cohesive set of core courses that cover the major biomedical disciplines and provides a foundation of understanding how the human body works. In addition to biochemistry, cell biology, and physiology, the core curriculum includes a six-credit human anatomy course, something not offered in many similar programs across the country, and also covers the fundamentals of pharmacology and biostatistics.