Current News

by Laura Krantz vtdigger.org Car dealership mogul Ernie Boch Jr announced last Wednesday he will donate $50,000 to a substance abuse treatment facility in Rutland. Boch joined Governor Peter Shumlin at a news conference in Montpelier on Wednesday to announce his gift to Recovery House in Rutland. Recovery House Inc CEO Richard Keane’s jaw dropped when Boch spontaneously doubled his donation from an anticipated $25,000.

“The work that Serenity House is doing is fantastic,” said Boch, the multi-millionaire president and CEO of Subaru of New England who also owns seven New England dealerships that sell vehicles ranging from Toyotas to Ferraris.

The Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont (CVRI-VT) at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and Fletcher Allen Health Care has announced the naming of six inaugural Distinguished Investigators. The recipients were recognized at a celebration event held April 17, 2014 at the Marble Court at UVM’s Fleming Museum.

Founded in 2002 by the late Burton Sobel, M.D., University Distinguished Professor and former chair of medicine at UVM/Fletcher Allen, the CVRI-VT has been led by David Schneider, M.D., professor of medicine and director of cardiovascular services, since August 2013.

Bob and Christine Stiller and Fern Tavalin Receive 2014 Honorary Degrees

Champlain College President David F. Finney conferred 520 associate and bachelor degrees to the largest graduating class in the College’s history on May 3 under a tent on Edmunds Field adjacent to Skiff Hall. More than 4,000 people attended the ceremony.

The College’s 136th Undergraduate Commencement presented honorary degrees to a nationally known creative educator Fern Tavalin, and two Vermont philanthropists, Bob Stiller, founder of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and his wife, Christine Stiller, president of the Stiller Family Foundation and Adventure Girls of VT.

Tavalin spoke about the history of the internet and creativity on behalf of the honorary degree recipients. She received a Doctor of Fine Arts honorary degree. Bob Stiller received a Doctor of Commerce honorary degree, and Christine Stiller will receive Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree.

The Edison Awards™ recently honored BioTek's Cytation™ 3 Cell Imaging Multi-Mode Reader with a Silver Edison Award in the Lab Diagnostics, Science/Medical category at the 2014 Edison Awards Annual Gala, held in San Francisco, CA. The awards, named after U.S. inventor Thomas Alva Edison, symbolize outstanding product innovations with lasting impact and value for users.

"Cytation 3 is at the leading edge of today's complex research applications," noted Peter Weith, BioTek Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service. "We've already seen the positive difference it's made for our customers around the world, and we're honored that these achievements are also independently recognized by the distinguished judging panel at the Edison Awards."

Thousands of Vermonters took to the roads on Saturday, May 3, to participate in the 44th annual Green Up Day. From cans to papers to box springs to cigarette butts, tons of litter is now off of the roadsides and in bright green garbage bags thanks to the statewide show of support.

“For more than 40 years, Vermonters have supported Green Up Day by pitching in and lending a hand because we take pride in our state and know that it doesn’t remain beautiful by accident,” said Lt. Governor Phil Scott, who picked up two truckloads of trash around Central Vermont on Saturday. “The dedicated volunteer town coordinators, some of whom have been doing this for decades, make sure there are boots on the ground in communities from the Northeast Kingdom to our southernmost counties. Vermont depends on our tourism industry to bring much-needed dollars into the state; I can say with pride that tourists will now see a greener, cleaner, more beautiful Vermont when they visit.”

Vermont Gas President and CEO Don Gilbert and Engineers Construction, Inc. (ECI) President Ken Pidgeon announced Monday the signing of a multi-million dollar agreement for construction on Phase 1 of the Addison-Rutland Natural Gas Project.

The agreement with the Vermont-based contractor focuses on horizontal directional drilling – an environmentally preferable technique for installing natural gas systems. It is also the first construction contract for the project. Construction is expected to begin in June.

When complete, the Addison-Rutland Natural Gas Project is expected to help about 16,000 additional homes and businesses cut heating costs by about half, while reducing emissions by about 25 percent when converting from oil.

Natural gas is currently 49% less expensive than oil and 63% less than propane.

The Department of Buildings and General Services will be auctioning a large assortment of State vehicles and equipment to the general public beginning at 10:00 AM on Saturday, May 10, 2014. The May 10 physical auction of State vehicles is expected to be very well attended based on inquiries received by the Vermont Surplus Property Division.

“This is an ABSOLUTE auction with no reserves. All vehicles will be sold to the highest bidder rain or shine,” said Terry Lamos the State’s Surplus Property Coordinator. “This auction is on many calendars across New England and Quebec. It has become a destination event for many who come year after year in hopes of obtaining a good deal on a vehicle or piece of equipment,” said Lamos. State officials are hopeful that a portion of the equipment and vehicles being offered finds their way back into service in Vermont communities.

Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce select the three finalists for the Deane C Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award: Dealer.com, High Mowing Organic Seeds and PC Construction.

One of these impressive finalists will be named the Deane C. Davis Outstanding Vermont Business of the Year on Wednesday, May 21 in an awards presentation ceremony that kicks off the 30th annual Vermont Chamber Business & Industry EXPO. Governor Peter Shumlin will announce the award winner at 10 am in the foyer of the Sheraton Burlington Conference Center.

Vermont Supreme Court Justice Beth Robinson, widely regarded for her work on LGBT civil rights, will deliver the 39th Commencement address at Vermont Law School on Saturday, May 17, President and Dean Marc Mihaly announced today. In addition to honoring Robinson, VLS will confer honorary degrees upon U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, NextGen Climate founder Tom Steyer, former VLS Dean Geoffrey Shields, and artist and writer Genie Shields.

Over fifty Vermont schools serving high numbers of low-income students are eligible to use the new federal [or USDA’s] Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) to provide school meals to all students free of charge—and without collecting applications—starting next school year. Statewide, 1 in 5 children live in families struggling to put enough nutritious food on their tables. In these schools eligible to use CEP, the number of food insecure children is closer to 3 in 5.

“The federal school meal programs are some of the best tools we have for reducing childhood hunger,” states Hunger Free Vermont’s Executive Director Marissa Parisi. “To provide access to school meals for every child who needs them and improve the health of all Vermont’s children, we must make school meals universal statewide, and community eligibility is a great start.”

Jane Lindholm will deliver the address at Lyndon State College’s 102nd commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 18, 2014. Lindholm, host of the award-winning Vermont Public Radio program Vermont Edition, has been recognized with regional and national awards for interviewing and use of sound. She was named one of Vermont’s “Rising Stars” by Vermont Business Magazine in 2013 and won a 2014 regional Edward R Murrow Award for “State of Mind,” an audio documentary piece on Vermont’s mental health care system.

The Community College of Vermont will hold its 47th commencement ceremonies at Norwich University’s Shapiro Field House at 2:00 p.m. on June 7, 2014. For the second year in a row, CCV will be graduating a record-high number of students. Six hundred and seventy-eight graduates will receive Associate of Arts, Associate of Science and Associate of Applied Science degrees.

Five hundred and eighty-seven Vermonters representing all 14 Vermont counties will be graduating along with students from nine other states and 15 countries worldwide. The youngest graduate is 17, the oldest, 67.

Governor Peter Shumlin, who will congratulate the 2014 graduates, will Join CCV President Joyce Judy in leading the processional of students. Also attending the ceremony will be Vermont State College's Chancellor Tim Donovan and members of the VSC Board of Trustees.