Current News
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by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org Vermont’s 72-year-old junior senator told The Nation that he has begun meeting with political strategists, traveling to southern states and entertaining the logistics of a run for president in 2016.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, a devotee of Eugene Debs, a socialist reformer who lost five bids for president at the turn of the last century, says he has nothing against Hillary Clinton, the presumed Democratic nominee, but he believes she will not adequately address climate change and fight for working Americans. Democrats, in his view, are too beholden to corporations and special interest groups to implement needed political reforms, in his view.
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To provide additional support to Vermonters signing up for April 1 health coverage, Vermont Health Connect is extending the Customer Support Call Center hours this weekend and next. The Call Center will be open:
Saturday, March 8 – 8 am to 5 pm
Sunday, March 9 – 11 am to 5 pm
Monday, March 10 to Friday March 14 – 8 am to 8 pm
Saturday, March 15 – 8 am to 8 pm
The Customer Support Call Center is a place where Vermonters can ask questions about Vermont Health Connect or their applications or complete an application over the phone. To contact the call center Vermonters should call 855-899-9600.
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Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce are soliciting Nominations for the 24th Annual Deane C Davis Outstanding Vermont Business Award. Given to the Vermont Business whose outstanding accomplishments in 2013 complement its history of success and awareness of what makes Vermont unique. Nominations close on March 7.
The award will be presented at the Vermont Chamber Business and industry EXPO on May 21, 2014, at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel & Conference Center. The theme of this year's Expo is Business Innovation: Media, Workforce, and Finance.
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by Laura Krantz vtdigger.org
Last fall, Governor Peter Shumlin publicly supported an initiative that is supposed to make it easier for the state to keep guns out of the hands of alleged domestic abusers. A fee mechanism to pay for safe storage facilities is part of that initiative.
Ann Braden speaks at a gun safety rally in the Statehouse. Photo by Anne Galloway
The Shumlin administration brokered an agreement to work language into a broader fee bill, H.735, instead of creating a separate bill that could become a vehicle for any number of gun control amendments.
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Making ski-industry history, The Intrawest Passport will offer children 12 and under free skiing, as well as redefine what a “Family Pass” is all about. Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Stratton Mountain Resoprt along with several North American ski resorts, announced today the introduction of The Intrawest Passport, a season pass that includes six days of skiing at each of six participating North American ski resorts. The Intrawest Passport™ is designed to make destination skiing easier and offer more flexibility and value for families in the 2014-2015 season. The game-changing pass is a first of its kind in the industry as it changes the rules on the definition of family.
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Verizon Wireless ranked highest among all other national wireless providers in the New England region in the JD Power 2014 Wireless Network Quality Study, Volume 1, issued March 6, 2014. The New England region includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. This is the 19th consecutive reporting period that Verizon Wireless ranks highest in the Northeast.
The J.D. Power study measured network quality among U.S. wireless service providers in its survey of wireless subscribers about calling, messaging and data service between July and December 2013. Based on their responses, Verizon Wireless, for the second consecutive time, was ranked highest among national wireless companies in all six regions.
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The Burlington Business Association (BBA) has selected the winners of its 2014 Annual Awards, which include David Finney of Champlain College, Burton Snowboards and Hotel Vermont.
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A newly released report shows AT&T wireless customers in Vermont are enjoying a network experience ranked highest in a tie for combined/overall voice, data, and text performance by an independent mobile research and testing organization.
Seattle-based RootMetrics has released a national wireless network performance study (SEE FULL REPORT), which awarded AT&T a tie for first in Vermont with Verizon for its combination of call, text and data performance.**
"AT&T is tied for the highest rank in our National Study of overall network performance in Vermont. Our National Study looks at data, call and text performance across all network technologies, including 4G LTE in Vermont. We look at performance from a consumer's point of view, and AT&T offered a very strong overall performance for those in Vermont during our tests," said Bill Moore, president and CEO of RootMetrics.
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National Bank of Middlebury has announced a major donation in support of Howden Hall in Bristol. Pledged in celebration of the bank’s 175th Anniversary (2006), NBM donated its gift of $25,000 upon the recent completion of the renovations to the home of the Bristol Historical Society.
Howden Hall was the subject of a massive restoration project (total project was approximately $120,000) encompassing outside renovations (painting, siding repair, attic insulation), as well as indoor renovations (new boiler, new wiring, new windows, ADA lift for accessibility to both floors, and a complete renovation of the basement to create a modern meeting room with kitchenette).
"The Hall provides a fitting home for the Historical Society,” added G. Kenneth Perine, NBM’s President, “an important institution that reminds us of our roots, and a wonderful, modern meeting space with its completely renovated basement will allow for the community to benefit from this space."
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by Morgan True vtdigger.org
Vermont Republicans are questioning the Shumlin administration’s decision to hire a special lobbyist to push its health care reform agenda. In an email blast on Wednesday, the GOP attacked the man tapped for the job.
Former House Majority Whip Floyd Nease has reemerged at the Statehouse, and it was reported last week that he’s back to marshal support among his former colleagues for single-payer health care.
Republicans are curious why Shumlin needs additional help to sell a Democratic super-majority on his plans to transition the state to a single-payer health care system, according to a statement released Tuesday.
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Vermont Business Magazine Susan L Donegan, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation, announced today that the state has received more than $270,000 as the result of a settlement reached last week into the conduct of a Rutland area securities broker. The investigation determined that George “Rip” Lincoln IV of Shrewsbury had made overly risky recommendations to many clients and then manipulated their financial records to mislead his supervisors.
Between 2008 and 2012, Lincoln led his supervisors to believe that some speculative investments were appropriate for his clients even though he was aware of his clients’ need for more conservative investments and/or limited investable assets. As a result, many Vermonters’ portfolios contained unsuitable investments.
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Louise McCarren, a Charlotte resident with extensive experience in public service and private business, has been elected by the board as the chair of Campaign for Vermont (CFV).
“I’m very excited to have someone of Louise’s talent and experience to lead CFV as we continue to grow,” said Bruce Lisman, co-founder of CFV, Vermont’s largest grassroots public advocacy organization. “I am confident that Louise and the entire Board will successfully lead CFV to achieve significant progress that will surely benefit Vermonters for years to come.”
McCarren has held numerous leadership positions throughout her career, including chair of the Vermont Public Service Board, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Service, Vermont state president for Verizon, and, most recently, CEO of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council.