Current News

One month from today, Brattleboro, Vermont will be jumping with excitement at the annual Harris Hill Ski Jumping Competition presented by Pepsi, slated for Saturday and Sunday, February 19 and 20.
Ski jumping at Harris Hill is one of Brattleboro's much loved traditions that dates back to 1922. Over the years the event grew to draw jumpers and spectators from around the world to this small Vermont town. After the 2005 event, the jump had to be shut down due to the wooden structure falling into disrepair and safety concerns for the jumpers. After an intensive fundraising campaign and the generosity of local and regional businesses and residents, a new 90-meter ski jump reopened to a record crowd in 2009.

Stephan Jost is stepping down as director of Shelburne Museum, Board Chairman James Pizzagalli announced. Jost has accepted a position as director of Honolulu Academy of Arts in Honolulu, Hawaii.
‘It was with regret that the board accepted Stephan Jost’s resignation. His dynamic leadership raised the museum’s profile and set the museum on a strong and steady course even in economically challenging times,’ Pizzagalli said.
In his five years at Shelburne Museum, Jost’s contributions have been many. Under his watch educational programs that serve tens of thousands of adults and children each year were revitalized and expanded. This included the addition of evening hours, summer camps, garden walks, expanded family programs and Passport to Learning, an innovative K-8 curriculum.

The man charged with developing Vermont’s health care reform effort, Dr William Hsiao of Harvard University, presented his report to the state Legislature today. He outlined three options and of those recommended a hybrid single-payer system that would offer a government-mandated, essential benefit package managed by a private entity and include an oversight board. Savings will be realized by administrative savings through a uniform benefits package and the system will be financed by a payroll tax. There would be exemptions for low-wage employers and low-earning workers. He suggests implementing it in 2015.
‘Beyond yielding greater cost savings, we believe Option 3 is most feasible because it is likely to be accepted by the broadest cross-section of Vermont stakeholders. In other words, we designed Option 3 to be both economically responsible and politically palatable,’ he told lawmakers. Hsiao's statement is pasted below.

The University of Vermont and the city of Burlington have been selected to host the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's Championship, as announced today by USA Hockey at a press conference this afternoon at the Waterman Building on the campus of UVM.

Gutterson Fieldhouse will host all U.S. and Canada games, plus the playoff and medal rounds.

Dairy farmers who say attorneys representing them are not looking out for their best interests have filed opposition to the proposed settlement submitted in the class action antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vt. Acting on behalf of its dairy farmer owners, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA), together with Dairy Marketing Services, LLC (DMS), also has filed objections to this settlement.
DFA and DMS' filing on January 18 joins at least 24 dairy farmers ‘ representing diverse cooperative members and independent producers ‘ who submitted their own affidavits challenging the fairness of the settlement.

There were 942 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, a decrease of 572 from the week before, as the data continued to show great volatility. Altogether 12,903 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 1,167 from a week ago and 2,149 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 2,203 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 80 fewer than a week ago. In addition, there were 869 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is a decrease of 25 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc

Today, Vermont Business Roundtable President Lisa Ventriss announced that three new directors were elected to the Roundtable Board of Directors at its 24th Annual Membership Meeting on January 13th at Topnotch Resort & Spa in Stowe.
New directors are: Rob Adams, President, Simon Pearce; Tim Donovan, Chancellor, Vermont State Colleges; and, Pam Mackenzie, Area Vice-President of VT/Western New England. Elected to a second three-year term is Howard Pierce, President and CEO of PKC.
New officers of the Roundtable Board include: Chair - Steve Voigt, President and CEO, King Arthur Flour; Vice-Chair ‘ Mary Powell, CEO, Green Mountain Power Corporation; Secretary ‘ Rob Simpson, President and CEO, Brattleboro Retreat; Treasurer: Gregory Bourgea, Co-Managing Partner, Gallagher Flynn & Co.; and, Immediate Past Chair ‘ Bill Stritzler, Managing Director, Smugglers’ Notch Resort.

Attorney General William Sorrell filed a complaint and proposed settlement Friday with Health Net, Inc, and Health Net of the Northeast, Inc., regarding the health insurance company’s loss of an unencrypted portable hard drive containing protected health information. The complaint alleges violations of HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), Vermont’s Security Breach Notice Act, and Consumer Fraud Act. The settlement requires the defendants to pay $55,000 to the State, submit to a data-security audit, and file reports with the State regarding the company’s information security programs for the next two years.

A small group of local, veteran business leaders has launched Bristol Works! LLC and recently closed on the purchase of approximately 6 acres and 55,000 square feet of commercial buildings in the heart of the Bristol village. The partners have begun the transformation of the former Autumn Harp manufacturing site into a new, mixed-use redevelopment project that will focus on health and wellness, educational services, light-manufacturing and housing.
‘We care deeply about this community, and want to keep working families in Bristol,’ says Kevin Harper, founder of Autumn Harp. Harper was the Managing Partner of the Mountain Greens Market redevelopment project, is currently the lead partner of the Bristol Bakery and Café, and now manages Bristol Works! LLC. ‘We want to use our resources and skills to re-purpose this site to be a focal point for the creation of livable wage jobs, and to enhance the health, well-being, and economic security of the region.’

Chuck Ross, Secretary of Agriculture, has announced the appointment of Diane Bothfeld as Deputy Secretary of Dairy Policy, Director of Administrative Services and Agriculture Development. Bothfeld has served as interim Deputy Secretary of the agency for the past year.
Diane Bothfeld has a deep understanding of the dairy industry and its importance to the economic stability of the state. Growing up on a dairy farm in Cabot, she learned the importance of animal care, environmental protection and diversification. She has used that knowledge and experience to be a tireless and dedicated advocate and supporter for the diary industry.

The University of Vermont Medical Group at Fletcher Allen announced the winners of four new Medical Group awards at the practice’s annual holiday reception held December 7, 2010. The awards, newly created to highlight Fletcher Allen’s academic mission and recognize the outstanding work of UVM/Fletcher Allen faculty, each carry a $1,500 cash award and $6,000 block grant related to the award’s focus.
Allyson Bolduc, M.D., associate professor of family medicine, was named CME (Continuing Medical Education) Educator of the Year in recognition of her role of course director for the long-standing and highly successful Family Medicine Review Course from 2006 through 2009. Under Dr. Bolduc’s direction, attendance at the longest-running family medicine conference in the country grew by approximately 30 percent.

Flanking Governor Peter Shumlin at a Statehouse press conference, the Vermont congressional delegation today announced federal legislation to let states in 2014 provide better health care at less cost.
A provision by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the new federal health care law allows states to propose pilot programs in 2017. Now Vermont's congressional delegates ‘ Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), Sanders, and Rep. Peter Welch (D) ‘ have drafted a bill to authorize federal waivers three years sooner. Sanders will introduce the bill in the Senate for himself and Leahy, and Welch will introduce the bill in the House.