Current News

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org It’s time to re-evaluate Vermont’s education financing system and test its fairness to both students and taxpayers. That was the consensus at an education symposium convened Tuesday by Gov. Peter Shumlin and the Legislature.
The event kicked off what’s intended to be a session-long discussion of the state’s school funding formula, with the aim of understanding how it’s working in the current economic and educational environment ‘ and whether it could be improved.
The current funding formula was created in 1997 with the passage of Act 60, and amended in 2003 with Act 68. Now all of the laws’ complex parts and funding mechanisms, everything from per-pupil costs and outcomes to property tax structures and income sensitivity, are on the table.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org Republican lawmakers say allowing businesses to enroll in the state’s health exchange directly through insurers is not enough to fix problems associated with Vermont Health Connect. The Shumlin administration announced on Tuesday that companies with 50 or fewer workers that had not yet purchased insurance could buy coverage directly through an insurer before the next deadline on March 31.
Representatives from the House GOP say individuals should not be required to enter the exchange because the state’s website, Vermont Health Connect, is not fully functional. Vermont is the only state in the nation that requires individuals and workers for small businesses to buy health insurance through the exchange.

FairPoint Communications, Inc (Nasdaq: FRP) has completed work in 2013 on two broadband expansion projects made possible by grants from the Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA). Additional VTA grants are expected to deliver broadband to more locations in 2014.
The two VTA grants, totaling more than $477,000, brought FairPoint’s broadband services to 58 more locations in the towns of Barnet, Bradford, Rochester, Rupert and Ryegate.’
‘FairPoint is committed to delivering high-speed broadband services to rural Vermont communities, and grants from the VTA allow us to do just that,’ said Beth Fastiggi, FairPoint state president for Vermont. ‘We’re proud to help the state meet its broadband goals and look forward to more opportunities to bring broadband to Vermonters.’’

The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC), with support from a number of planning partners and sponsors, has scheduled the first session this spring of a proven program designed to help small- and mid-sized Vermont manufacturers and other interested companies boost their sales through profitable exports.’ ‘

Bruegger’s Bagels, based in Burlington, Vermont, will open a new flagship bakery in the St Paul, MN, area on January 22 that will set a new direction for its bakery design nationally.’

The Vermont Chamber of Commerce has hired Danica Lamos for its Tourism Division. As Tourism Sales and Marketing Associate, Lamos will use her communication and organizational skills to help the Vermont Chamber’s tourism members promote their businesses through the official state tourism guidebooks and Vermont Chamber’s social media platforms. She will also help manage the Tourism Division’s educational programs, such as ServSafe.
Lamos was born in Burlington and graduated from Champlain College with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She enjoys hiking, biking, running, playing golf and improving her snowboarding skills. In 2009, she hiked 154 miles of the Long Trail with her brother, so appreciates the beauty that Vermont offers. Lamos, who will relocate to Waterbury in March, has lived in Vermont her entire life and has yet to find a good reason to leave.
Montpelier, VT (January 13, 2014)’ The Vermont Chamber of Commerce

The spending bill released late Monday night that funds federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year includes a provision, advocated by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont), requiring the US Department of Education to continue its contract with the Vermont Student Assistance Corp (VSAC) and other nonprofit student loan servicers nationwide.’

The Vermont Department of Labor will be holding an information and sign up session Wednesday, January 15 for the laid-off workers from IBM and Huber+Suhner who have been certified by the USDOL as ‘Trade Adjusted.’
On December 3, 2013, the USDOL Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) responded to the Vermont Department of Labor’s petition on behalf of the laid-off workers from IBM (and its contractors listed below), and on December 17, 2013 for the workers from Huber+Suhner. The USDOL determined that workers of IBM Corporation in Williston, and all of the workers of Huber+Suhner, are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance under Chapter 2 of Title II of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. ‘ The Vermont Department of Labor is inviting any employee who may be part of these specific displaced worker groups to the meeting.’ Affected employees have been individually contacted earlier this month by the Department to advise them of this informational session.’ ‘

At its 27th’ Annual Membership Meeting held at The Essex Resort and Spa, the Vermont Business Roundtable elected five new directors to their first three-year term, including:Jill Berry Bowen, CEO of Northwestern Medical Center in St Albans; Geoff Glaspie, Plant Manager of Husky Injection Molding in Milton; Brian Murphy, Managing Partner of Dinse Knapp McAndrew in Burlington; Bill Shouldice IV, CEO of Vermont Teddy Bear of Shelburne; and, John Wilking, CEO of Neville Companies of South Burlington.
Elected to their second three-year term were the following directors:’ Tim Donovan, Chancellor of Vermont State Colleges and Don George, CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont.

by Hilary Niles VTDigger.org It’s the day before Q Burke Mountain opens for the winter, and Ary Quiros could just as well be preparing for battle as for business. The new CEO is opening the ski resort for the first time since he started at the mountain the previous winter, and he’s amped. If Quiros, 36, can turn this chronically failing but beloved ski area into a stable business, he will succeed where prior, much wealthier, owners have failed.
The arc of history and local expectations give him long odds. But Quiros ‘ and his staff ‘ are determined.
Ary Quiros served in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division in Iraq and held other posts in Afghanistan and South Korea before taking over as CEO of Q Burke Mountain ski area in Vermont. Photo by Hilary Niles/VTDigger.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org Ariel Quiros is the entrepreneurial force behind Jay Peak ski resort and the $600 million Northeast Kingdom Economic Development Initiative ‘ one of the largest development projects ever attempted in Vermont. Though the project is high profile, Quiros is not. The international tycoon, though sometimes seen, is seldom heard.
The first generation American stands out at press conferences for his mystique: When he’s not got the ear of the governor, Quiros is most often seen standing uncomfortably before a crowd with pursed lips, staring silently and expressionless, at nothing in particular, through ice blue eyes.
Ariel Quiros whispers to Governor Peter Shumlin.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2014 Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence.’ The awards recognize the actions taken by individuals and organizations to conserve and protect natural resources, prevent pollution, and promoted sustainability. The Vermont Governor’s Awards were established in 1993, and to date more than 200 award winning efforts have been recognized.’