Current News

In many ways, Amanda Shadowens is a typical teenager: hanging out with friends, attending school dances, playing her trumpet. But Amanda also suffers from chondrodysplasia punctata: a rare form of dwarfism that impacts the curvature of Amanda's spine and can cause a dangerous compression of her spinal cord. Amanda was forced to wear a collar to keep her neck straight, to prevent that compression. But a revolutionary surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock promises to change Amanda's life, allowing her to be an even more normal teenager.

BioTek is excited to introduce the new Cytation 5 Cell Imaging Multi-Mode Reader. This second generation imaging reader includes added functionality to both the automated digital microscopy and conventional multi-mode microplate detection modes, enhancing phenotypic cellular information and well-based quantitative data. Cytation 5’s microscopy module provides cellular visualization up to 60x magnification in fluorescence, brightfield, H&E and phase contrast modes. Equipped with BioTek’s patented Hybrid Technology™, the multi-mode module includes variable bandwidth quad monochromators, high sensitivity filter-based detection and laser-based Alpha detection for unmatched versatility and performance. Cytation 5 also includes temperature control to 65 °C, CO2/O2 control, shaking and Gen5™ software, specifically designed to make sample detection, image capture and analysis quick and effortless.

FamilyWize Community Service Partnership and United Way of Windham County are dedicated to building strong communities through better health. FamilyWize has been selected to help distribute 1,000 free flu shot vouchers provided by Walgreens. The vouchers are for families and individuals who are uninsured or underinsured, and otherwise unable to afford a flu shot without the voucher.

The flu can have significant impact on the lives of many individuals, especially those with lower income and/or who are either underinsured or not insured. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports parents spend between $300 to $4,000 in medical expenses and miss an estimated 11 to 73 hours of work when their children get the flu.

The economic burden of diabetes in America continues to climb, exceeding more than $322 billion in excess medical costs and lost productivity in 2012, or more than $1,000 for every American, according to a study being published in the December issue of Diabetes Care that also includes a state-by-state breakdown of the prevalence and costs associated with diabetes. Additionally, increased costs associated with prediabetes and undiagnosed diabetes highlight the growing importance of prevention and early intervention. Vermont has one of the lowest rates of diabetes.

Vermont Business Magazine Joined by Tax Commissioner Mary Peterson and Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe, as well as leadership from the Vermont School Boards Association and Vermont Superintendents Association, Governor Peter Shumlin today addressed the issue of property taxes and released his administration’s annual projections for school spending and statewide property tax rates for next fiscal year, FY 2016. According to Commissioner Peterson’s statutorily required annual report to the Legislature, school spending is projected to increase by 3.09 percent for FY 16, requiring a $0.02 increase in both the residential and non-residential statewide property tax rates. That’s compared to rate increases of $0.04 in residential and $0.075 in non-residential for FY 15 rates.

Vermont Business Magazine Coming on the heels of several dropped 911 calls last week, the Department of Public Service announced Monday that it has filed a petition with the Public Service Board requesting that the Board open an investigation into the adequacy of FairPoint’s Service Quality. Over the past several months the Department had twice advised FairPoint by letter that if the complaints regarding service quality did not decrease significantly by the end of November, a request for an investigation would be requested. The PSD advocates on behalf of the public before the Public Service Board, which is the regulator. FairPoint has been mired in a strike involving about 1,700 unionized workers in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine since October 17, with no end in sight.

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.