Vermont Business Magazine Matt Dunne, Democratic candidate for governor, today unveiled a comprehensive senior citizen policy platform including a proposal to exempt middle class Vermonters’ Social Security income from all state tax and benefit calculations. Dunne made the announcement following a visit to the Bugbee Senior Center in White River Junction. Currently, Social Security income that is taxable at the federal level is also counted as part of Vermont taxable income.

Vermont Business Magazine Rates of bad mortgages in the US have finally fallen below Great Recession levels, but are still historically high, as the volatility in real estate in the run-up to the recession turned out to be a reliable indicator of forthcoming trouble. Vermont has remained in the middle of the pack for non-current mortgages (foreclosures plus delinquent) for the last few years and like other states has seen dramatic reductions in the number of bad mortgages. And like other judicial states, Vermont's progress in cleaning up such mortgages has been somewhat slower than non-judicial states. Vermont's overall non-current rate was 5.4 percent (foreclosures 1.8 percent, delinquent 3.7 percent). This is down 8.9 percent from last year. It is the same rate as the US average. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Gas Systems CEO Don Rendall issued a statement today saying the cost of the Addison Natural Gas Project will increase more than $11 million and is now estimated to be $165.6 million. Rendall said "virtually all" of the cost increase for the pipeline construction will be borne by the company, not ratepayers. He said the increase essentially will be offset from profits.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington City Arts announced today the third recipient of the Herb Lockwood Prize - the largest arts prize in Vermont - is filmmaker Nora Jacobson from Norwich. Jacobson received the $10,000 prize during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at The BCA Center. The Herb Lockwood Prize aims to reward the pinnacle of arts leadership in Vermont by honoring the state’s most influential artists. The Prize recognizes artists who produce significant work in the areas of visual arts, music, writing, drama, dance, film, and fine woodworking—while also having a beneficent influence on the Vermont community. The recipient of the 2015 Prize was fine artist and typographer Claire Van Vliet from Newark, Vermont. The 2014 recipient was actor/theater director Steve Small from Middlebury, Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) of Central Vermont has celebrated its first graduating class of moms and babies at the State House Cafeteria in Montpelier. Nurse-Family Partnership is a national, evidence-based program that supports first-time mothers with education and care to promote healthy pregnancies and empower women to achieve better lives for themselves and their families.