Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Jay Peak will operate its aerial Tram to round out the last weekend of daily lift operations before reopening for the weekend of May 6-7 for two final days of skiing and riding on the Jet Triple Chair. While early May lift operations at Jay Peak is a long-standing tradition, the resort attributes this late-season push to favorable snowmaking temperatures early in the season and a natural snowfall total to-date of 355 inches; just 4 inches shy of its season average. On Saturday, May 6th, the resort will also host its Green Up Day celebration, and considering terrain and resort services, outside of lodging and lifts, will be limited, encourages visitors to contribute to statewide efforts to freshen up Vermont’s roadsides for the summer season. Local noodle experts Miso Hungry will graciously offer complimentary onigiri rice balls for participants who turn in a bag of collected litter. They will also give green-uppers each a voucher for free Miso at a later visit to its repurposed Tram cabin Noodle Shop.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College will celebrate its on-campus undergraduate and Champlain College Online undergraduate and graduate students during its commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 13. Honorary doctorates will be awarded to commencement speakers Dr. Aminata Touré, Senegalese politician and human rights activist, and JJ Green, national security correspondent. Ceremonies will kick off at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction at 10:00 AM for on-campus undergraduate students and 3 pm for students receiving undergraduate and master’s degrees through Champlain College Online. President Alex Hernandez is expected to confer 334 bachelor’s degrees during the on-campus undergraduate ceremony and 133 master’s degrees, 126 bachelor’s degrees, and 19 associate degrees during the afternoon ceremony for Champlain College Online graduates.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) today issued the following delegation statement in commemoration of Abenaki Recognition and Heritage Week which begins Monday, May 1: “It is with great honor and respect that we come together to celebrate Abenaki Recognition and Heritage Week, the centuries-old culture and rich heritage of the Abenaki people, and the descendants of the Western Abenaki Tribes that originally inhabited the land we now call Vermont. We owe the Abenaki people of Vermont, and Indigenous tribes across this country, an enormous debt, one that can never fully be repaid." Governor Scott’s Proclamation 23-054 names May 1-7, 2023, as Abenaki Recognition and Heritage Week.

Vermont Business Magazine The UVM Medical Center and Burlington’s Intervale Center are helping hospital employees celebrate Earth Day 2023 by providing them with free, Vermont-native trees and shrubs to plant in their gardens or home landscapes. Volunteers will be handing out trees and shrubs today, on the Rooftop Lawn at UVM Medical Center’s Main Campus and in the Garden at Fanny Allen, said Diane Imrie, Director of Nutrition Services at the Medical Center and Chairperson of the hospital’s Sustainability Council. This year, employees can choose between three native Vermont species: Aronia, Elderberry or Serviceberry. Each of the plants produces edible berries and are beneficial to pollinators, birds and wildlife, said Kiana French of the Intervale Center. The plants are also non-invasive and don’t compete with existing, native plant communities.

Vermont Business Magazine After nearly four years as the Executive Vice President for Operations and Chief Operating Officer for the University of Vermont Health Network, Al Gobeille has announced that he will step down from the position in late May. During his tenure, Gobeille played a key role in guiding the Network’s response to the pandemic – including coordination among government, community, and external health care partners, supported the recovery from a significant cyberattack in fall 2020, facilitated the expansion and refinement of the Network’s pharmacy operations, built a partnership with developers to create the first employee housing buildings in South Burlington, and has been a central leader in the Network’s Path Forward financial stabilization plan.

by Aubrey Weaver, Community News Service A bill that would remove the residency requirement in Vermont’s law allowing terminally ill patients to receive medication with which to end their own life has passed the Legislature and awaits the governor’s approval. “There’s no other kind of medical care in Vermont in which your residency is required,” said David Englander, senior policy and legal advisor for the Vermont Department of Health. “There shouldn't be anything unique about this care. It's simply the last decision made between a patient and a doctor through the lifetime of the patient.” The change comes following a lawsuit against the state last August after a Connecticut cancer patient was denied medical aid in dying because she was not a Vermont resident. In March, Vermont waived the residency requirement for her as part of a settlement of that lawsuit, in which the patient argued the restriction was unconstitutional.

Vermont Business Magazine A newly-released report from the Vermont Department of Health shows that the number of opioid-related accidental overdose deaths increased for the third year in a row. According to the 2022 data report, accidental opioid deaths increased by 10% in 2022 (239) over 2021 (217). In 2020, there were 158 opioid-related overdose deaths reported. The involvement of multiple substances in overdose cases has also increased. Fentanyl was involved in 93% of these fatal overdoses. The muscle relaxant, gabapentin, and xylazine, which is only FDA-approved for veterinary use, are contributing factors to overdoses at a rate that has increased by double digits in the past year. Dr. Levine said this new and comprehensive report adds to the information his agency and state policy makers use to address the ever evolving and increasingly dangerous landscape of opioid use.

Vermont Business Magazine Liquid Measurement Systems, Inc announced that they reached a long-term supply agreement with MD Helicopters, Inc., of Mesa, Arizona. Under this agreement, LMS will be supplying the fuel quantity measurement system for the 500 series helicopters, consisting of lightweight and durable carbon composite fuel probes as well as signal conditioners that calculate fuel quantity and detect high and low fuel levels. This production agreement follows LMS’ successful completion of a contract to design and qualify a new crash-resistant fuel gauging system for new deliveries of the MD 500 series.

Vermont Business Magazine National Life Group is sponsoring National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Vermont chapter’s annual fundraiser, NAMIWalks Vermont. The event is held on April 29 in Burlington. NAMIWalks Vermont is NAMI Vermont’s biggest fundraising and outreach event of the year. The walk brings together hundreds of individuals who are passionate about stopping the stigma around mental health. Participants will walk down Church Street in Burlington, Vermont to demonstrate their support for all communities, families, and individuals affected by mental illness or mental health challenges.

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: CWST), a Rutland-based regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company, today reported its financial results for the three month period ended March 31, 2023. Highlights include: Revenues were $262.6 million for the quarter, up $28.6 million, or up 12.2%, from the same period in 2022; net income was $3.5 million for the quarter, down $(0.7) million, or down (15.3)%, from the same period in 2022; the Company signed an equity purchase agreement on April 21, 2023 to acquire select operations from GFL Environmental Inc.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network today held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of its first investment in employee housing in South Burlington. This is the first of two buildings in the CityCenter complex intended to help alleviate both a worker shortage and a tight housing market. The worker shortage is a significant factor contributing to the Network losing millions of dollars. UVMHN CEO Sunny Eappen said the need to fill, especially, nursing positions with staff instead of traveling nurses will decrease expenses and increase morale. Eappen said UVMHN has 2,000 openings and employs 15,000. He said the ratio of openings is consistent with many other hospital groups across the nation.