Current News
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by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org
A legislative panel resoundingly rejected legislation on Tuesday that would have increased the minimum age for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21.
The House Human Services Committee voted 10-1 and 11-0 to kill two related proposals, the first would have raised the minimum age, the other would have exempted military personnel from the age limit.
The committee took testimony from the Vermont Grocers Association, the Vermont Department of Health and the Vermont State Colleges.
Rep. Ann Pugh, D-S. Burlington, said raising the minimum age for purchasing cigarettes is not one of the strategies recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. Secondhand smoke is a much more serious issue, she said. A bill that was overwhelmingly passed in the House before the Town Meeting Day break prohibits adults from smoking in cars when children are present.
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Today Keurig Green Mountain, Inc (NASDAQ: GMCR) launched its ninth annual Sustainability Report. In addition to communicating progress on 2013 initiatives, the 2013 Sustainability Report announces Keurig Green Mountain's ambitious new 2020 targets, which strive to take the Company's performance to the next level as a leader in sustainability and global corporate citizenship. The report focuses on three main practice areas of the Company's sustainability strategy: Resilient Supply Chain, Sustainable Products, and Thriving People and Communities.
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by Laura Krantz vtdigger.org
The Senate Tuesday passed a bill expanding the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in the state from four to six.
The bill, S.247, passed on a voice vote. It now heads to the House.
Medical marijuana was legalized in Vermont in 2004. The fourth dispensary opened several weeks ago in Brattleboro.
So far, 1,156 patients statewide have registered to receive medical marijuana, according to the Vermont Department of Public Safety. The number of registrations is up from 1,017 last month, according to a figure DPS provided the Senate Finance Committee in February.
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RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc. today announced a new round of Bank Better enhancements for Citizens Bank and Charter One customers: technology upgrades enhancing the customer experience across multiple banking channels including branches, ATMs and mobile devices.
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The Northeast Kingdom Chamber moved back to its old office in the Green Mountain Mall this week, and the organization’s staff members and trustees could not be happier.
Following the massive Feb. 3-4 water-main break that flooded its office, the NEK Chamber was forced to relocate to temporary quarters at the north end of the mall while repairs and renovations were made. The chamber had been located in the former PJ Hallmark store for the past month.
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April in Vermont is sweetened with festivities that celebrate a variety of Vermont’s spring-time traditions. Some events are playful, like pond skimming at ski resorts; others are enriching, like the Full Circle Festival and the Made in Vermont Marketplace. There are also several seasonal art exhibits opening. Here's a sampler of the hundreds of VermontVacation.com events you’ll want to experience:
Poem City
Montpelier & select Vermont Visitor Centers, month-long
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The largest and only state chartered credit union for all Vermonters announced that the VSECU Board of Directors has named Robert Miller, Managing Director at Conning, Hartford, CT, and former Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Economic Development, to succeed Steve Post as the Chief Executive Officer. Miller will join VSECU on March 31 and immediately assume the role of CEO.
In its search for a new CEO, the Board sought a candidate with leadership and strategic experience who could demonstrate a strong commitment to Vermonters and community.
“The Board had a handful of very qualified individuals. What stood out about Rob Miller is his extraordinary success in community development and relationship building in his previous leadership positions,” said Jerry Diamond, Chair of the VSECU Board. “We are confident that Rob is the right fit for our membership and the future of VSECU.”
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National Life Group has been granted a permit by the Vermont Public Service Board to build a 500-kilowatt solar array project on about 4.5 acres of its Montpelier campus.
National Life Group said it was pleased that the Public Service Board supported the company’s goal of generating renewable, sustainable electricity. The company is reviewing the project and the board’s decision.
The 2,090 stationary, ground-mounted panels would be installed on 95 racks near the southern portion of the company’s property, approximately 325 feet from the closest neighbors on Northfield Street/Vermont Route 12 and would be screened with 20, five-foot-tall hemlock trees.
The proposed project has been endorsed by the city of Montpelier and the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission.
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This morning, the Senate passed by voice vote legislation authored by Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and Representative Greg Harper (R-MS) to boost funding for pediatric research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act (HR 2019) passed the House in December by a vote of 295-103. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law.
The legislation is named in memory of Gabriella Miller, a 10-year-old children’s health research advocate from Virginia who recently died of brain cancer. Her story is told in this December CNN report which features Representative Welch.
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A Senate panel chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) heard today that other major countries offer better health care at less cost than the United States.
“What this hearing is really about is two fundamental issues. First, the U.S., the wealthiest country on the planet, is the only major industrialized country in the world that does not guarantee health care as a right to its citizens. Should we consider joining the rest of the world? I’d argue we should,” Sanders said. “Second, the U.S. spends twice as much as other countries that have much better health outcomes. What can we learn from these countries?” asked Sanders, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging.
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by Rob Roper The past year has been a hard one on Vermont employees. For example, IBM, Vermont’s long-time top private employer laid off 419 workers from its Essex facility last summer and just announced another 140 jobs will go. Up north, Energizer closed its St. Albans factory in September, costing us 165 jobs. Down south, just this past month Plasan Carbon Composites of Bennington announced it is moving to Michigan along with 143 more jobs. Vermont Yankee and its 600 plus jobs, which average over $100,000 per year salaries, will close its doors at the end of 2014.
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by Morgan True vtdigger.org Governor Peter Shumlin won’t introduce tax options to pay for a universal health care system this year, despite promising on several occasions that they would be presented to lawmakers before the end of the legislative session.
“We’re not ready, it’s as simple as that,” Shumlin said at a press conference Monday.
Making the transition to universal health care is the most important move to improve job growth and Vermonters’ prosperity in the state’s history, Shumlin said.
“All I’m saying is let’s get this right. That’s more important than meeting some arbitrary deadlines,” he said.
However, all deadlines at this point are self-imposed, because Shumlin missed the statutory requirement to present financing options in January 2013.