Vermont Business Magazine News

The Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration (BISHCA) has imposed a penalty of $250,000 on the UnitedHealth Insurance Company, part of a negotiated resolution of administrative charges that alleged improper advertising practices by the insurer.  “With the receipt of United’s payment today this matter has been successfully concluded,” said BISHCA Commissioner Steve Kimbell.

Green Works/Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association is pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Industry Award Program. A panel of industry professionals and landscape architects met in Janaury. Projects were judged according to difficulty, proper horticultural practices, craftsmanship, and contributions to the quality of sustainability to the environment. The awards are as follows: 

Vermont placed in the top ten states with its graduates participating in AP and scoring a 3 or higher on an AP Exam (21.4 percent). Maryland once again led the nation with the highest percentage. While the national percentage of high school graduates who participated and succeeded in AP is 18.1 percent, 19 states exceeded that national average. The full list of the top 10 states is:

Gifford Medical Center’s nursing home, the Menig Extended Care Facility in Randolph, has been named among the nation’s 39 best nursing homes.  

Saint Michael’s College has been named a Fair Trade College, the first in Vermont, and will be granted that official status at a Fair Trade Café ceremony as sanctioned by Fair Trade Universities on Thursday, Feb. 23, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Governor Peter Shumlin today appointed Jill Krowinski of Burlington to replace outgoing state Representative Rachel Weston for the seat representing Ward 3. 

People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, announced today that it has awarded $22,500 in grants to nonprofit organizations in Vermont during the first quarter of 2012.  The organizations and programs supported include:  

Registration for the 28th annual Vermont Chamber Business and Industry EXPO is underway and booths are filling up fast!

A celebration of entrepreneurship in Vermont featuring the announcement of the winners of the annual high school poster contest and a Governor’s Proclamation will be held Thursday, February 9th at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier from 10:30 am to 1 pm. 

by Colin Ellis Governor Peter Shumlin addressed the issues of school funding and quality of education at a recent chamber legislation meeting. He urged voters around the state to level fund school budgets to try to keep property taxes down. He also wants school choice at the high school level.

On Wednesday, February 8th, Vermont AFL-CIO, Teamsters, and Building Trades will recognize former Governor Howard Dean with the first annual John Murphy Labor Award. The event will be held in the Montpelier Room at the Capital Plaza Hotel from 5:00-8:00 pm.  Governor Peter Shumlin will speak at the event. 

US Senator Patrick Leahy (D) and the US Army Corps of Engineers Tuesday announced plans to move forward with $1.65 million in storm water management projects in South Burlington. The Corps and the City of South Burlington have signed an agreement to develop the projects, which are authorized under a Leahy program enacted in 2000 to forge and help finance local-federal partnerships to ease local drainage problems and help achieve compliance with Vermont water quality rules, by reducing polluted runoff from developed areas reaching Lake Champlain and its tributaries.

Approximately $25 million in State of Vermont Citizen Bonds will be offered for sale on March 5. This offering is part of a larger bond sale that was scheduled for last October, but postponed shortly after Tropical Storm Irene caused widespread destruction in the state. The opportunity to purchase the general obligation bonds will be made available first to Vermont residents and businesses. Previous Vermont Citizen Bond offerings have sold out in a matter of hours. 

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org Entergy Corp filed a motion with the US District Court on Friday to recover $4.6 million in legal fees for its lawsuit against the state. The Louisiana company prevailed in federal court on January 20 when Judge J. Garvan Murtha struck down two state laws that required Entergy to seek approval from the Legislature to continue operating Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant past its 40-year anniversary and to store high level nuclear waste at the plant site. The state has 30 days to appeal the decision.