Current News

The Department of Veterans Affairs needs $17.6 billion to hire 10,000 doctors, nurses and other health care providers and make other reforms in order to meet the needs of a growing number of veterans and reduce long waiting times for health care, Acting Secretary Sloan Gibson told the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs today. Gibson was responding to a question by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), the committee chairman, about what the VA needs to address a large influx of veterans needing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other health care needs.

Without the resources to deal with veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gibson said, “the wait times just get longer.”

by Tom Brown vtdigger.org A study released Tuesday suggests the state of Vermont should change the way it manages reserve funds. Vermont is among the top five US states in revenue volatility for the period of 1994-2012, according to a report by The Pew Charitable Trusts titled “Building State Rainy Day Funds.” The study suggests that states that tie reserve funds to economic volatility fare better in the event of fiscal emergencies such as a recession or budget shortfall. Vermont’s Rainy Day Fund is fueled by surplus revenue and is not tied to fluctuations in tax receipts. The state frequently taps the fund to pay for unanticipated expenses that are part of the mid-year annual budget adjustment legislation each January.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org The rumored deal between IBM and chip-making rival Globalfoundries could be off, industry observers say. Alliance@IBM, the unofficial union for the tech giant, issued an unconfirmed report Tuesday afternoon that a company executive made the announcement to managers at IBM’s East Fishkill, New York, facility. Lee Conrad said the group received the update by email, and he had no further information. Mike Cadigan, the executive named, and other IBM representatives could not be reached for comment. It had been anticipated that an announcement could come along with IBM's second quarter financial report scheduled to be released at 4:30 pm Thursday.

Employer-sponsored health insurance is a misnomer, according to the Public Assets Institute based in Montpelier. Money that an employer putatively “contributes” to a company health insurance plan is simply employee compensation in another form. The point is driven home in a recent column in the American Prospect by Paul Waldman about the US Supreme Court decision in the Hobby Lobby case. Understanding that health insurance is part of an employee’s compensation package will be critical as Vermont moves forward with Green Mountain Care — now under the umbrella of Obamacare or later as a publicly funded, universal health care system.

Skiers and snowboarders visiting Okemo Mountain Resort this winter will be viewing the snowy landscape through the bright orange tint of a retractable, transparent dome when they ride in the comfort of a new, high-speed, six-pack bubble chairlift with heated seats – the first of its kind in North America. The new detachable lift, with chairs that seat six people, will be outfitted with heated seating pads and retractable acrylic domes to protect passengers from wind and weather. The new lift, built by Leitner-Poma, will replace Okemo’s Northstar Express lift and is scheduled to begin operation in December.

Governor Peter Shumlin joined the hundreds of workers of Vermont Castings’ Randolph and Bethel facilities Tuesday to celebrate the new management of this iconic Vermont brand and the return of some of its offshore manufacturing to Vermont. Last summer, Vermont Castings went through an ownership transition that resulted in a management buyout, saving the company and retaining more than 200 jobs in Vermont. CEO Ricardo Leon said that while headquarters remain in Paris, KY (where the company has been based since it went through another acquisition several years ago), this past winter Vermont Castings repatriated much of the production that had gone to China and Mexico.

by Bill Schubart Sixty years ago, our family drove to Burlington two or three times a year. This was before the interstate, car culture, and paved roads wove Vermont together into a rural community. Towns were socially and economically more self-reliant. They had to be. Few townsfolk ventured far afield. But in the intervening years the impacts of communication technology, transportation, and state and global businesses rather than local employers has eroded town boundaries, economies, and social cultures. Some of our schools and their governance are artifacts of that bygone era, yet we cling to the mirage of “local control.” State and federal revenue sources with their mandates and curricular requirements, regional healthcare and energy costs, and a national teachers’ union have long since laid to rest the idea of local control. But we persist in our belief.

The Senate Tuesday night unanimously passed bipartisan legislation authored by Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) that would restore the ability of consumers to more easily transfer their cell phones to other wireless carriers. Approval of the bill comes just days after the Judiciary Committee unanimously reported it to the full Senate. Leahy and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined together last month to announce a bipartisan agreement on the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, which they first introduced last year after more than 100,000 consumers signed a “We the People” petition calling for a change in cell phone unlocking law.

by Rob Roper Much focus lately, both from our politicians and our media, has been on IBM, the potential sale of its Essex facility and the question of what will happen to its 4000 employees. The Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC) has proposed, among other measures, making a $4.5 million cash payment – the entire newly formed Enterprise Investment Fund – to either IBM or the plant’s buyer to keep jobs here in Vermont. Eyebrows also raised when we learned Keurig Green Mountain decided to open its new cold-pod factory in Atlanta, Georgia – home of new partner (and large and growing shareholder) Coca Cola – and not in Vermont despite years of encouragement and investment by the state through the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive Program to expand here.

Another storm is gathering west of Vermont and could hit later today. The NOAA forcast for Tuesday night states: "Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before midnight, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after midnight. Some of the storms could produce small hail, gusty winds, and heavy rain. Cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible."

After successfully restoring 73,621 outages during July storms already (July 2 – July 9), Green Mountain Power said it is ready for another round of storms. GMP said in a release that its employees and contractors are fully prepared to respond quickly if thunderstorms building up west of Vermont cause significant damage Tuesday evening.

Burlington has ordered new "smart meters" and will raise rates to make the city's public parking system more efficient and sustainable, which will include raising rates to generate about $500,000 more a year. Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced that the City of Burlington will implement several changes to the downtown parking system to both improve the customer experience and to ensure the City has a sustainable plan for maintaining the parking system and infrastructure in the downtown. For the past year, a public/private partnership comprised of the Department of Public Works (DPW), the Burlington Business Association (BBA), and the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) has worked to address longstanding concerns of residents, merchants, and visitors about downtown parking.

Elected officials, economic development representatives, and friends of SunCommon gathered in front of Sharon Academy’s 26-panel array Tuesday to celebrate the launch of SunCommon’s solar program into Orange and Windsor counties. SunCommon originally launched in central Vermont two years ago with a mission: to increase access to solar among everyday Vermonters and dramatically increase the amount of solar installations in the state. Before SunCommon’s launch, there were a total of 1,500 residential solar installations statewide; since then, SunCommon has sold almost 1,000 systems in the six counties in which they currently operate.