Vermont Business Magazine Health Care and Rehabilitation Services (HCRS), southeastern Vermont’s non-profit community mental-health agency, announced today the results of a successful campaign to support Vermonters in need of winter clothing. A total of $9,395 was raised to provide warm clothing to their clients as well as community members across Windsor and Windham Counties.
Vermont Business Magazine St Johnsbury Pediatrics has received a $5,000 COVID Relief Suicide Safer Care Mini-Grant. The grant program, which is supported by COVID Relief and Carry-forward funds from the Department of Mental Health, will help providers at St. Johnsbury Pediatrics in supporting their patients as well as making referrals when a higher level of care is warranted. The Mini-Grant program, which was developed by the Center for Health and Learning/VT Suicide Prevention Center, will engage staff in training and assessment of depression, suicidality, and safety planning. It will also help strengthen workflows and implement suicide specific protocols.
Vermont Business Magazine On February 1, two community members set out to raise $500,000 in support for Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) project to re-imagine the former Southern Vermont College campus by February 28. They called it The Grateful Bennington Fund. The fundraiser has collected $216,009 in funds and pledges from more than 150 donors so far. The group is grateful for each and every gift they have received, ranging from $5 to $25,000, with an average donation of $250.
Vermont Business Magazine The Small Business Administration’s Vermont District Office and Western Pennsylvania District Office are co-hosting a webinar about the System For Award Management at 11 am February 25. SAM is a centralized government website used by small businesses and non-profit organizations to apply for and obtain federal government contracts and grants, such as the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.
by John McClaughry Last month the three-member Vermont Tax Structure Commission delivered a well-written, informative, and conscientious report. The legislature will now need to come to grips with some very large taxation change proposals.
The longest part of the report deals with our complex property tax financing of education. It recommends replacing the education homestead property tax with an income tax. Non-residential property would continue to be taxed for education at a statewide rate.
Vermont Business Magazine Unraveling the unique characteristics of cancer cells and finding less-harmful ways to stop their growth have long been a focus for cancer researchers worldwide. New findings, reported today in Nature Communications, describe the discovery of a unique dependence of cancer cells on a particular protein, which could lead to desperately-needed treatment for hard-to-treat cancers. Lead author and University of Vermont (UVM) Cancer Center researcher Jason Stumpff, PhD, has spent over two decades studying how cells divide and how mistakes in this process contribute to diseases, such as cancer.
Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) Medical Matters Weekly with Dr. Trey Dobson, a weekly interactive, multiplatform medical-themed talk show that launched February 10, will feature two Emergency nurses—Alexandra Chaffin, RN, and Jill Maynard, RN—as guests on its February 24 show. The show will cover what it is like to be an emergency nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic and initiatives implemented to ensure patient and staff safety.
Vermont Business Magazine Fully vaccinated people who travel to and from Vermont will no longer need to quarantine, effective tomorrow (February 23). Fully vaccinated means it’s been at least two weeks since your final dose. Travelers must be able to prove they have been fully vaccinated, Governor Phil Scott said at Friday’s press conference. He encouraged people to carry the federally-issued card they receive when they are vaccinated with them and be prepared to show it when asked. Vermont is currently vaccinating people age 70 and older. But even if you are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, you can get a head start on the process now by creating your account in our online system. That way, it'll be smooth sailing when it’s your turn to make an appointment for your first dose. The VDH is reporting 102 more cases of COVID-19 and another death for 198 statewide. The US surpassed 500,000 deaths today.
Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger announced today that he and the Developer of CityPlace Burlington have negotiated an amendment to the proposed Amended and Restated (A&R) Development Agreement, which secures further benefits for the workers who will construct the project. In response to this amendment, the Vermont Building and Construction Trades Council has announced its support for the proposed settlement agreement and the project. Now, after the City Council voted to table its approval of these agreements, Mayor Weinberger has called a Special Meeting of the City Council for February 23, and he urges the Council to approve the agreements at this meeting.
Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont State College System Board of Trustees voted to move forward with the proposal outlined by the state’s Select Committee on the Future of Public Higher Education in Vermont. The proposal will unify the three residential colleges, Castleton University, Northern Vermont University, and Vermont Technical College, under a common accreditation in Academic Year 2023-2024 while maintaining the Community College of Vermont as a separate institution. Additionally, the system will streamline services across the institutions through significant administrative consolidation. The board said it is committed to maintaining the current campus locations.
Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger and Senator Patrick Leahy announced that the Burlington International Airport (BTV) has received a $14.5 million federal grant to expand the Airport’s terminal building and consolidate the two existing security checkpoints into one, which will significantly improve the Airport’s efficiency and traveler experience. The grant comes from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Supplemental Airport Improvement Program, and will cover 90 percent of the cost for engineering, design, and construction. The remaining 10 percent local match will be funded through the Airport’s passenger facility charges. Construction is anticipated to begin by July 2021 and continue for 12-18 months.
Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that 11 new plug-in electric vehicle (EV) fast-charge stations are scheduled to be installed across Vermont over the next two years. The charge stations will be located in Newport, Enosburgh, St Johnsbury, Johnson, South Hero, Springfield, Fair Haven, Wilmington, Ludlow, Randolph and Rutland. The chargers will be a part of the Blink Network and available to all EV drivers. When these new stations are completed, nearly every Vermonter will be within 30 miles of a fast-charge station. They will cost $1.7 million and will be paid for from the Volkswagen settlement. Vermont has the greatest number of EV stations in the nation per capita, with 114 public EV chargers per 100,000 people, and the number of registered EVs in Vermont has risen by 321 percent since 2015.