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Vermont Business Magazine Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen headlined the announcement today that Green Mountain Power is now the first utility in the world to become a Certified B Corp. B Corps are companies that believe business can be a force for good and are certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Greenfield and Cohen were among the first to advocate that social responsibility could benefit the bottom line when they founded Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc in 1978.

"As your business supports your community, the community will support your business," Cohen said.

Greenfield was effusive. "What a glorious day. Glorious day! (Cohen: Halleluiah!). To be at Green Mountain Power."

On December 1 – World AIDS Day – the Vermont Department of Health is reminding Vermonters that early diagnosis and linkage to medical treatment are essential for people living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Patients who stay engaged in their HIV treatment stand the best chance of lowering the amount of virus they carry (viral load). People with HIV who have viral loads that are undetectable improve their health outcomes and reduce the risk of transmitting the virus.

“In Vermont we’re proud of our work to help people with HIV move through this continuum of care,” said Patsy Kelso PhD, state epidemiologist for infectious disease. “Our latest data indicates that 62 percent of people with HIV in our state are seeing their doctor at least twice a year. Of these, 80 percent have virus that is undetectable.”

by John Herrick vtdigger.org A state utility regulator was sanctioned by a panel that determined he violated professional conduct standards during his practice as a private lawyer. John Burke, a member on the quasi-judicial Public Service Board and a licensed lawyer in Castleton, was publicly reprimanded in September for failing to keep clients informed and delays in the execution of a land deal, according to a decision by a panel under the Professional Responsibility Board.

Burke was also cited for failing to cooperate with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, a group of lawyers appointed by a Supreme Court administrator to enforce the professional conduct of attorneys.

by Robert Keren Sanskrit is the ancient language of India. Similar to Latin, it lives on today mostly in religious or official ceremonies. It enjoys a rich history with contemporary literary importance. If you want to know more about the traditional language of Hinduism and Buddhism, you should, of course, really ask an expert, such as the new president of Middlebury College. Laurie L Patton reads, writes and translates Sanskrit, along with several other languages. That seems to make the Harvard educated and current Duke professor and perfect fit for Middlebury.

The Chittenden Solid Waste District is rewriting its Solid Waste Implementation Plan (SWIP) to comply with the State of Vermont's

by John Herrick vtdigger.org Vermont and two dozen other states affected by floods, drought and wildfires have sent a letter to the White House recommending changes in how the federal government responds to extreme weather events linked to climate change. Twenty-six governors, mayors, county officials, and tribal leaders from across the United States delivered a report to the Obama administration last week. The report called on the White House to help communities mitigate the effects of climate change and better prepare for damage associated with superstorms.

Vermont saw enormous damage from Tropical Storm Irene on August 28, 2011. Twenty-six rivers broke flood records and damaged hundreds of homes, 500 miles of roads, dozens of bridges and the state office complex in Waterbury.

Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in commercial fleet management and supply chain solutions

Vermont Business Magazine Although Vermont’s slow economic recovery continues, state revenues have not performed as well as economists had projected and the state has experienced upward budget pressures. The Shumlin Administration today directed state agencies and departments to prepare plans to reduce General Fund spending by up to $17 million for the current fiscal year to ensure a balanced budget without raising broad-based taxes. The state cut $31 million just this past summer. Agencies and departments must submit their reduction plans to the Department of Finance and Management by Friday, December 5, 2014.

“Prudence dictates that our Administration take steps without delay to ensure spending does not exceed available revenues,” said Jim Reardon, Commissioner of Finance and Management. “The sooner we take action, the less painful the reductions will be.”

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office is warning that hundreds of Vermont consumers have reported receipt of recorded robocalls or live phone calls from persons identifying themselves as IRS agents. The caller threatens legal action if an alleged outstanding debt to the IRS is not paid immediately. The callers then direct the consumer to call a phone number and make immediate payment by credit card or other direct means of payment. This is a scam.

Consumers should immediately hang up if they receive this call. These calls are coming from outside the United States. By using voice over internet services, the scammers are able to mask the number they are calling from and can make it appear that they are calling locally or from another state. Do not call the number back and do not engage with the caller.

A snowy forecast for Wednesday and Thursday could create challenges for those travelling on the Thanksgiving holiday. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Bennington and Windham counties and Winter Storm Watches for other areas of the state. Significant snowfall is possible in much of the state.

Drivers should monitor forecasts and adjust travel times accordingly based on conditions. Now and throughout the winter you should always build in extra travel time to allow for slower speeds in difficult conditions. When on the road you should also leave extra space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you to allow for longer breaking distances.

The first major winter storm of the season is upon us and Green Mountain Power is ready to respond to outages caused by wet heavy snow beginning in southern Vermont and making its way north throughout Wednesday and into Thursday. In preparation of the storm, hundreds of GMP employees have been stationed around the state and crews will work around the clock and throughout the holiday tomorrow, as necessary, to restore outages as quickly as possible. In addition, GMP has lined up additional lineworkers and tree trimmers to be available should wet, heavy snow cause extensive damage.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has settled consumer protection claims against Stonebridge Benefit Services, Inc, a seller of discount membership programs, and against JC Penney Company, Inc, which provided Stonebridge with consumer credit card information. Under the settlement, Stonebridge will pay a total of over $400,000 to Vermont consumers and the State. According to Attorney General William Sorrell, the settlement is the first to apply Vermont’s 2012 Discount Membership Program Act. “The Act,” he said, “provides our citizens with some of the strongest protections in the nation against a type of marketing that poses a risk to consumers of not knowing they are being billed, or for how long.”