Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The CCTV Center for Media & Democracy Board announced today that founding director Lauren-Glenn Davitian will be stepping down from her leadership role to take on special projects for the organization. Lauren-Glenn stepped down as as Executive Director in September 2022 in support of a new co-director leadership structure, assuming the role of interim Operations Director. Long time staffer and media educator/producer Meghan O’Rourke was selected by the Board to be Director of Projects. The Board is in the process of hiring a new Director of Operations. Once that position is filled, Lauren-Glenn will focus on Special Projects including advocacy, archival research, media production and preparation for CCTV’s 40th Anniversary in June 2024.

Vermont Business Magazine NBT Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ: NBTB) reported net income and diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2023. NBT Bancorp, based in Norwich, NY, is the parent of NBT Bank with branches in western Vermont. Net income for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was $33.7 million, or $0.78 per diluted common share, compared to $39.1 million, or $0.90 per diluted share, for the three months ended March 31, 2022, and $36.1 million, or $0.84 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and 23 of their colleagues introduced legislation to boost Medicare negotiation of drug prices to lower prescription drug costs for consumers. The Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act would give the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) enhanced authority to negotiate for Medicare Part D. This legislation builds on a provision Welch and Klobuchar included in the Inflation Reduction Act that empowered Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices for the first time, unleashing the power of Medicare’s 50 million seniors to help lower drug prices for all Americans.

Vermont Business Magazine Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Ranking Member Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) on Tuesday issued the following statement announcing a bipartisan deal on legislation to lower drug prices in America: “We are happy to announce that we’ve come to an agreement to consider critical pieces of legislation to reform pharmacy benefit managers and expand the availability of low-cost generic drugs through the HELP Committee. We will hold an official markup of the legislation on May 2nd.”

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski issued the following statement regarding the misinformation that was released by Governor Scott’s administration on S.5, the Affordable Heat Act: “Last week, the Governor released a statement in response to the passage of S.5. This statement contained inaccurate information regarding the impact of the bill and the legislature's intent. Thankfully, Vermonters brought these inaccuracies to his attention, and as a result, he corrected some of his statements and released an updated version. However, the amended release still contained incorrect assertions that intentionally or unintentionally undermined the true intent of the legislation. So let’s correct the record."

Vermont Business Magazine Bennington alum, former trustee, and noted photography collector Bruce Berman ’74 and his wife Lea Russo have donated 77 works of art, mostly notable American photography, to benefit Bennington College’s innovative Art for Access program. The gift includes photographs by Graciela Iturbide, Mary Ellen Marks, Guillermo Srodek-Hart, Mike Smith, Joel Sternfeld, in addition to some 30 photographs by Chilean-born writer, photographer, documentarian, and MacArthur Fellow Camilo José Vergara. Berman retired as chairperson and chief executive officer of Village Roadshow Pictures Entertainment in Los Angeles in 2021. Throughout his career, he oversaw more than a hundred movies, including the Ocean’s Eleven franchise, the Matrix franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road, and the Clint Eastwood films Mystic River, American Sniper, Gran Torino, Sully, and Joker.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont-based Lawson’s Finest Liquids wins a 2023 Good Food Award. Recognized for its delicious Maple Tripple Ale and its sustainability- and community-minded business practices, Lawson’s Finest has been selected as a Good Food Award Winner following a rigorous blind tasting process. In addition to taste, all winners of the Good Food Awards are recognized for being upstanding members of their communities, committed to equity and inclusion in all levels of their business. Enticing, rich and complex, Lawson’s Finest’s award-winning Maple Tripple is a ‘once-a-year beer’ brewed only during sugaring season with 100% Vermont maple sap. Maple Tripple has also received international recognition at the prestigious World Beer Cup.

Vermont Business Magazine VITL, the trusted source for securely delivering health data for Vermonters, announces today the launch of Vermont’s first two-way immunization data sharing connection between the Vermont Department of Health and Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury. Using the two-way connection built with VITL, clinicians and the health department will be able to easily and efficiently exchange immunization data, back and forth, in real time. Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital’s clinicians will benefit from efficient access to patients’ immunization histories delivered through the new, two-way connection provided by VITL. The data is available with a single click in the hospital’s electronic health record (EHR).

Vermont Business Magazine The Emergency Department at Rutland Regional Medical Center has launched a new Nurse Practitioner Triage Model of Care with three Nurse Practitioners specializing in Emergency Medicine. The traditional triage model involves nurses who assess/stabilize the patient, and then await the evaluation by a provider who can then place orders such as x-rays, Cat Scan, labs, etc. Under the new triage model of care, the patient will first see a Nurse Practitioner who is licensed to order diagnostic tests, x-rays, scans, labs immediately. When the attending physician sees the patient, they will already have the results of the patient’s testing, etc. in hand and can make a diagnosis or recommendation for next steps.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Federal Credit Union has partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington to support its Early Promise Program. The Early Promise Program provides partial sponsorships to all Early Promise graduates while they are enrolled in post-secondary education programs. “At Vermont Federal Credit Union, supporting our community is at the heart of everything we do” said Jean Giard, CEO of VFCU. “The Boys and Girls Club of Burlington is an incredible resource to our community and we are delighted to be able to support the continuing education of its members”.