EPA estimates that clean water needs will cost Vermont $154 million
Vermont Business Magazine The US Environmental Protection Agency yesterday released the 2012 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey. This survey compiles 2012 data for wastewater and stormwater projects planned for the five years following the survey. The five-year cost for these projects across the nation was $271 billion, of which Vermont’s share was $154 million. (http://www.epa.gov/cwns(link is external))“Clean water is our most precious resource,” noted Commissioner Alyssa Schuren of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. “If anything, the U.S. EPA’s survey understates the cost of restoring and enhancing the quality of Vermont waters. I remain committed to working with the Vermont Legislature and U.S. EPA to secure long-term clean water resources.” Vermont’s clean water projects will help ensure that local waters remain fishable, swimmable, drinkable waters. By preventing untreated wastewater and stormwater from reaching lakes and rivers, Vermont communities play a key role in keeping Vermont’s waters clean. Both the U.S. EPA and the State of Vermont contribute money to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which provides low-interest loans to municipalities for clean water projects. The State of Vermont also provides funding for clean water projects through pollution control grants and the Vermont Clean Water Fund.Some of the Vermont projects included in this survey were the phosphorus upgrades at the Waterbury wastewater treatment facility, the refurbishment of the Royalton wastewater treatment facility, a phosphorus removal-alternatives study at the St. Albans wastewater treatment facility, and a needs assessment for wastewater treatment for the Town of Fairfield.Local communities can obtain low-interest loans for wastewater and stormwater projects through Vermont’s clean water state revolving fund, which receives an infusion of roughly $17 million a year from federal and state sources, which includes funding for project planning.“Local communities can access planning funds to initiate water quality projects. Preliminary engineering is a critical first step to advancing capital improvement projects,” commented Eric Blatt, Facilities Engineering Division Director for the Department of Environmental Conservation. Communities interested in learning about these funds are encouraged to contact the Facilities Engineering Division.Below: EPA survey for Vermont. Top Photo: Governor Shumlin signs the Water Quality bill last summer at St Albans Bay alongside legislative and environmental leaders. Courtesy photo.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont,Vermont Business Magazine SI-BONE, Inc, an innovative medical device company that pioneered the use of the iFuse Implant System, a triangular shaped minimally invasive surgical (MIS) device indicated for fusion for certain disorders of the sacroiliac (SI) joint, announced that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT), an independent, local, not-for-profit Vermont company, has established a written positive coverage policy for minimally invasive surgical (MIS) SI joint fusion. The policy, available at the link below, will provide coverage for more than 200,000 BCBSVT health plan members and will become effective on July 1, 2017. BCBSVT becomes the fourth BCBS insurer to cover MIS SI joint fusion joining the BCBS insurers HCSC (that includes BCBS of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas), BCBS of Michigan and BCBS of Nebraska bringing the total number of people with BCBS insurance who have access to the procedure to over 18 million in eight states.Craig Bartlett, MD of the University of Vermont Medical Group in Burlington, VT commented: “This is great news and I am delighted for our SI joint patients with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont coverage. I regularly see patients in my practice with chronic sacroiliac joint pain who could benefit from minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion with iFuse but I have been unable to perform the procedure due to coverage limitations. Now, with this positive coverage decision, I will be able to provide iFuse as a treatment option to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont patients who are properly diagnosed surgical candidates and meet the treatment criteria.””We are very pleased to learn that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont has established a positive coverage policy based on the published peer-reviewed clinical evidence for patients with SI joint related low back or buttock pain who essentially meet the NASS coverage criteria for MIS SI joint fusion,” said Michael Mydra, Vice President, Health Outcomes & Reimbursement at SI-BONE.http://www.bcbsvt.com/wps/wcm/connect/50f5e2b1-b03e-4192-95e7-efb0f092e319/diagnosis-and-treatment-of-sacroiliac-joint-pain-medical-policy-2017.pdf?MOD=AJPERES(link is external)About SI joint dysfunctionThe SI joint has been attributed as a source of pain in 15-30 percent of patients with chronic low back pain1-4, and in up to 43 percent of patients with new onset or persistent low back pain after lumbar fusion.5 Like all other major joints, the SI joint can be injured or degenerate, which can cause debilitating pain in the lower back, buttocks and legs. Simple movements such as standing up, sitting down, stepping up or down, bending and lifting, walking, or even sleeping or sitting on the affected side can provoke a symptomatic SI joint. SI joint dysfunction is often misdiagnosed and the resulting pain can be misattributed to other causes. Not all healthcare providers evaluate the SI joint and many patients do not know to ask about it. While not commonly diagnosed, SI joint disorders can be identified when a patient points to their source of pain directly over the posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS) known as the Fortin Finger Sign, combined with a number of positive provocative maneuvers to stress the SI joint and elicit the pain, followed by image-guided diagnostic injections.The other major joints in the human body, such as knees, hips, ankles and shoulders, have specialized device-based surgical solutions. The SI joint is the largest and the last of eight major joints in the human body to have a proven surgical solution. The iFuse ImplantTM was designed specifically to withstand the extreme forces resulting from load-bearing and the unique rotational and translational motion of the SI joint referred to as nutation, and is supported by more than 50 peer reviewed publications including two level 1 randomized controlled trials. About SI-BONE, Inc.SI-BONE, Inc.(link is external) (San Jose, California) is a leading medical device company that has developed the iFuse Implant System, a proprietary minimally invasive surgical implant system to fuse the sacroiliac joint to treat common disorders of the joint that can cause lower back pain. Patients with sacroiliac joint dysfunction experience pain that can be debilitating. SI-BONE believes that the sacroiliac joint is the last of the eight major joints in the human body to have a proven surgical treatment and that the iFuse Implant is the only device for treatment of SI joint dysfunction supported by significant published clinical evidence, including level 1 trials, showing safety and durable effectiveness, including providing lasting pain relief. The iFuse Implant System is intended for sacroiliac fusion for conditions including sacroiliac joint dysfunction that is a direct result of sacroiliac joint disruption and degenerative sacroiliitis. This includes conditions whose symptoms began during pregnancy or in the peripartum period and have persisted postpartum for more than 6 months. There are potential risks associated with the iFuse Implant System. It may not be appropriate for all patients and all patients may not benefit. For information about the risks, visit: www.si-bone.com/risks(link is external)SOURCE SAN JOSE, Calif., June 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — SI-BONE, Inc.
Absentee votes: What percentage of the vote has been cast in your town? This map uses town-by-town election data to determine the rate at which absentee ballots sent to voters have been received by town clerks. (Last updated 10/23/2020) CLICK MAP FOR DYNAMIC DATA Multiple clerks expressed similar sentiments due to the stream of incoming ballots as well as what Mazzucco estimates as double the quantity of phone calls. Most offices are still closed to the general public because of the pandemic.In Charlotte, town clerk Mary Mead said that every day the mailbox is stuffed with mail. “Starting last weekend and every weekend going forward I am coming in to pick up ballots and will do that the whole time until the election is over,” Mead said. Unfounded fraud claims hurt town workers, Condos saysCondos told us that all of the planning that went into this election was focused on protecting Vermonters’ voting rights and protecting the health and safety of town clerks and other workers. Nevertheless, clerks across Vermont have noticed an increase of worried citizens calling to express their concerns about voter fraud. “I wish people would stop bashing us,” Gage said. “It really is not a fraudulent process.” According to Prince, there is not a lot of room for fraud. Still, she has noticed that “people are worried that the ballots were sent out because we don’t want them to come to the polls.” In response to those concerns, she explains that if folks don’t feel comfortable mailing in their ballots, they can drop them off day or night, seven days a week in a completely secure drop box. Otherwise, they are welcome to come to the polls but should just be prepared to wait outside, possibly in the cold. Ballots can certainly be mailed, or dropped off any day, including election day. “Or if you left your ballot at home, you can sign an affidavit saying you haven’t previously voted and we’ll give you a new ballot and you can vote on Election Day,” Condos said. “The polls are open. We haven’t changed anything else. This is just one more option.” The clerks want Vermonters to have the opportunity to vote using the voting method that is most comfortable and safe for them, they said. Multiple clerks encouraged CNS reporters to vote and to encourage friends and family to vote if we hadn’t done so already.According to Condos, Vermont voters should not be at all concerned about fraud. “The true voter fraud in this country is denying an eligible American the right to cast a ballot,” Condos said. Emmy Sobelman contributed to this story.A project of the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program. by Valentina Czochanski, Community News Service, UVM For the first time ever, every registered voter in Vermont received a ballot in the mail. According to town clerks across Vermont, those ballots are being returned in record numbers. As of Oct. 23, over 190,000 people have already cast their vote by mail, according to a daily-updated dataset provided by the Vermont Secretary of State’s Elections Division. With three weeks to go, that number has already surpassed the 2016 general election total of 91,000 for early and mail-in ballots. “We suspect that this is going to be a dramatic increase in voter turnout,” said Secretary of State Jim Condos.The Community News Service has developed an interactive map to keep track of the ballots being returned in Vermont towns. This map is constantly updated with state data.Town Clerks describe “crazy” amount of ballotsCommunity News Service Vote tracker map(link is external) follows the votes town by town. A big surge is expected at the end of today when votes from Sat and Monday are included. This edition includes Friday’s data.Top Five Vote By Mail TownsShelburne: 58.92% Norwich: 56.46%Calais: 56.08%Richmond: 55.07%Middlesex: 55.28%Bottom Five Towns Pownal: 4.43Searsburg: 4.45%Panton: 11.75%West Fairlee: 12.28%Weathersfield: 21.62%We checked in with town clerks from Barre, Brandon, Cambridge, Charlotte, Hinesburg, Milton, Morristown, and Randolph to see how voting is going and what has changed in this unusual election year. “The volume coming back is robust to say the least,” said Deborah Lefebvre, an assistant town clerk in Barre. “That first week we were just buried in ballots coming back because a lot of people got them, voted, and sent them right back.”The high return rate is likely including scores of first-time voters, Milton Clerk Sheryl Prince said. “We’re very busy,” Prince said. “We’re getting a lot of people voting who haven’t voted before because they got ballots in the mail.”When asked if they expected any issues or confusion from first-time voters or folks not accustomed to voting by mail, multiple clerks assured us that there were no more defective ballots than usual.A ballot may be rejected for several reasons(link is external) under state law. Brandon Clerk Sue Gage attributes most defective ballots to simple mistakes such as a missing signature or the ballot not being placed in the voted ballot envelope. Vermont has a historically low defective ballot rate. Jim Condos assumes that this election will have even fewer defective ballots than the primary election, where over 6,000 ballots were uncountable(link is external). The problem in the primary was attributed to an influx of first-time mail voters who filled out their ballots incorrectly.“For the general election, it’s a much simpler process, so we don’t think it’s going to be a problem,” Condos said. “We typically are 1% or less.”When asked how voting was going in Randolph, Clerk Joyce Mazzucco said, “it’s crazy. We’re overwhelmed.” Close to one-quarter of the town’s registered voters have already mailed in their ballots. Hinesburg poll workers count ballots.
It’s report card time and my youngest just brought home her marks from the first trimester of sixth grade. I’ve been blessed with three children that are self-motivated and have an appetite for learning and a drive to excel, so report card time has never been stressful for anyone in my house. They usually bring home As with an occasional B, but as long as they have provided their best effort, they rarely hear anything but praise for their efforts.Our elementary school recently changed to a system of 1-4 with 1 and 2 being low marks, 3 being great performance and 4 being reserved for something exceptional. My daughter has adjusted well, but we did have to level set her expectations that a 3 was equivalent to an A and a 4 was going to be pretty hard to achieve.I remember a couple of instructors I had in college who practiced something similar. They would walk the students through the syllabus, class expectations and learning objectives. At the end they would review their grading system and explain that if you did everything the professor expected, you would get a B.As a kid who had a 4.2 GPA through high school, this was hard to absorb, and I remember thinking it was dumb at the time. “If I do everything you ask, I get a B?”However, in retrospect I like this grading methodology … a lot!The reality is that in life, excellence and innovation don’t come from memorization and regurgitation, or from consistent execution of well-known activities.In order to move the bar, in order to create something new, in order to push boundaries, there has to be original thought —the ability to connect the dots in new ways. Yes, you have to know the basics to do that, but a B student memorizes a textbook, while an A student connects that book to the six other subjects they are studying, finding how they interact and amplify each other, drawing conclusions and theories from study and lived experience.Connecting the dots is worth the A. Reading the book and passing the test really isn’t.Based on that — I want to propose the same type of system for employee empowerment and development.To be clear, I am making a hard line here between the academic performance above, and the performance of an employee on the job.A+ employees can come from any academic background. Not everyone is geared to excel in an institutional, educational environment, and that doesn’t devalue them as hires or employees in the least.It’s also worth noting, innovation and original thought aren’t limited to management or the C-suite. In fact, some of the most valuable original thought comes from the ones who execute the work daily, finding a processes or techniques that create efficiencies or solve practical problems.Imagine a technician who comes up with a better way to stage a job or a factory-line worker who brings a more efficient way to produce a product or reduce waste. Impact is not in anyway limited to job title. Sometimes we fail to engage our best resources when looking to solve problems, those being our frontline workers.Therefore, when evaluating employee contributions look beyond the role or title and look at the work being done and ideas being deployed.Doing something common correctly is average, a C.Doing something common with a level of excellence is above average, a B.Doing something UNCOMMON with a level of excellence is an A.Of course there are a variety of tasks that don’t lend to or require innovation, so there may be many tasks that are just fine being done at a B+ level.The question is, are we creating the proper environment and reward systems to inspire original thought and excellence to assure our employees have the opportunity to perform at A+ levels when possible?I’d love to hear how your company drives personal growth and innovation below.
ShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr by. Robert McGarveyIn the aftermath of the Target, Neiman Marcus and other retailer breaches, suddenly new enthusiasm has embraced EMV, the chip and PIN credit card security toolset, as a safer way to process plastic.There’s just one problem.Maybe it’s not the solution.That contrarian thinking has been voiced lately by a growing number of security experts. continue reading »
To access this article REGISTER NOWWould you like print copies, app and digital replica access too? SUBSCRIBE for as little as £5 per week. Would you like to read more?Register for free to finish this article.Sign up now for the following benefits:Four FREE articles of your choice per monthBreaking news, comment and analysis from industry experts as it happensChoose from our portfolio of email newsletters
Stay at the forefront of thought leadership with news and analysis from award-winning journalists. Enjoy company features, CEO interviews, architectural reviews, technical project know-how and the latest innovations.Limited access to building.co.ukBreaking industry news as it happensBreaking, daily and weekly e-newsletters To continue enjoying Building.co.uk, sign up for free guest accessExisting subscriber? LOGIN Get your free guest access SIGN UP TODAY Subscribe now for unlimited access Subscribe to Building today and you will benefit from:Unlimited access to all stories including expert analysis and comment from industry leadersOur league tables, cost models and economics dataOur online archive of over 10,000 articlesBuilding magazine digital editionsBuilding magazine print editionsPrinted/digital supplementsSubscribe now for unlimited access.View our subscription options and join our community
(171108) — MAPUTO, Nov. 8, 2017 (Xinhua) — Photo taken on Nov.7, 2017 shows the Chinese naval hospital ship, Peace Ark, at port Maputo, Mozambique. The Chinese naval hospital ship, Peace Ark, arrived in Maputo on Tuesday morning, starting an eight-day humanitarian mission of providing free medical services to local residents. (Xinhua/Jiang Shan) China’s naval hospital ship Peace Ark concluded its eight-day humanitarian mission in Mozambique on Tuesday, providing free consultation and treatment for almost 10,000 people in the east African country.Locals have been praising the efforts of Chinese medics on the hospital ship. CGTN’s Leslie Mirungu reports.Forty-four cases of surgery were performed aboard the ship and over 4,000 people received the auxiliary examination, Task Group Commander Guan Bailin told Xinhua before the departure of Peace Ark.“The whole team has been working at full capacity and the number of people receiving medical services from our ship in a single day reached 1,796, which is a new record,” Guan said.Mozambican military and civilian officials spoke highly of the mission and the team’s selfless help to the locals.“The Peace Ark’s visit is significant and it’s like China’s national icon, which is going to boost the relationship between Mozambique and China and deepen the cooperation between the two armed forces,” said Deputy Minister of National Defense Patrício José.(171108) — MAPUTO, Nov. 8, 2017 (Xinhua) — Photo taken on Nov.7, 2017 shows the Chinese naval hospital ship, Peace Ark, at port Maputo, Mozambique. The Chinese naval hospital ship, Peace Ark, arrived in Maputo on Tuesday morning, starting an eight-day humanitarian mission of providing free medical services to local residents. (Xinhua/Jiang Shan)Minister of Health Nazira Abdula said she was deeply impressed by the advanced equipment and the superb medical skills of the doctors when she visited the ship and the patients on board on Monday.“On behalf of our government and people, I thank the Peace Ark team for bringing medical services to us,” the minister said. “This will be memorized by our history.”President of Maputo City Council David Simango told Guan last Friday that the ship’s visit was “a happy coincidence” and “the best gift” when the whole city marked its 130th anniversary on that day.Prior to Mozambique, the hospital ship had visited Djibouti, Gabon, Sierra Leone, the Republic of Congo and Angola.Its next stop after Mozambique will be Tanzania.
LocalNews Dominica will take your breath away by: – October 22, 2012 Share Share Tweet Share
Sharing is caring! 17 Views no discussions Fort Shirley in Cabrits National Park is the home of history and a beautiful view. Photo: Erin MacLeod.Narrow streets that lead to deep blue waters of a busy port. French and English spoken in equal doses. Bustling groups of tourists. Look behind you and there’s a green mountainside. It could be the Old Port. But it’s fall, and the temperatures are in the 30s, so this is certainly not Montreal.This is Dominica — pronounced “Doh-min-EE-ca” and not to be confused with the Dominican Republic. It’s an eastern Caribbean island that sits about halfway down the chain of islands, between Guadeloupe and Martinique.Its history includes a bit of French, a touch of English, roots in the Kalinago native peoples, African ancestry and a pile of Caribbean charm. I first visited the island as a guest of Discover Dominica, the island’s tourist authority. The island is such an appealing alternative to the all-inclusives that I made a return trip on my own.Dominica is not a big place — 754 square kilometres — but the majesty of its green mountains is evident from the moment you land. The ride from the airport provides the first taste of the gorgeous scenery and views. It takes just over an hour to arrive in the capital, Roseau, but it doesn’t seem that long, especially if you stop in one of the cassava cake bakeries in the Kalinago territory on the way. Bakers use the traditional method of grating the cassava, shaping it in a metal mould and baking it over a fire. The slightly sweet cakes are best eaten hot.The Kalinago territory is located on the northeastern side of the island and consists of 3,700 acres of land collectively owned by Dominica’s first people. Resisting European colonialism for hundreds of years, the Kalinago are one of the original peoples to populate the Caribbean. Today, their culture is a proud part of Dominican society.At the Barana Autê centre, 20 minutes from the airport, local guides explain the history and culture of the Kalinago, providing insight into the rich native history of the Caribbean and South America. And at the nearby Touna Kalinago Heritage Village, visitors are welcomed in to residents’ homes to learn about daily life, from sugarcane juice pressing to coconut oil processing. It is all part of Dominica’s community-based tourism efforts.Dominica’s past can also be found in living colour every February, when carnival fills the streets of towns across the island. Dominicans proudly refer to their carnival as “the real mas” (“mas” meaning masquerade). Many of the costumes reflect Kalinago culture, as well as Dominica’s African roots. If friendly islanders aren’t enough to encourage visitors to jump up and take part, the beats of homegrown calypsos surely will.But even if you miss the carnival in the streets, there is more than enough happening. Take a walk through Roseau’s historic craft market. It once held public meetings and slave auctions, but over the centuries has become a place to celebrate the arts and craft talent of Dominican people. It’s also a place to find spices, essential oils and hot pepper sauce.Fort Young, a former British military installation built in 1770, is a hotel with incredible views of the Roseau oceanfront, and walks around the centrally located hotel will take you to any number of small bars and cafés that serve fresh fish, a creamy coconut salt-fish stew called “sancoche” and Kabuli — the crisp and thirst-quenching local beer named for “Waitukubuli,” the Kalinago name for the country.Walking tours are a good way to see the sights. Whale-watching trips are available from some hotels in Roseau. Many of the whales in the vicinity have been studied and named by Canadian researchers from Dalhousie University. Another boat trip along the Indian River, located near Portsmouth, at the northern tip of the island, takes you to otherworldly places with deep turquoise green water and endless winding roots of mangrove trees. No wonder Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed here. And for those who like to take a peek under the water, Dominica is home to some of the best scuba diving in the region.But if you’d rather stay on land, there’s the 184 kilometres of the Waitukubuli National Trail. It is divided into 14 segments of varying difficulty, and covers a large part of the island. The first segment is a reasonable but challenging four hours with the reward of an incredible view of neighbouring Martinique. The last segment is less difficult, but takes about the same amount of time.After a long day of hiking, Dominicans will tell you the only thing to do is relax in the sulphur hot springs of Screw’s Spa, not far from Morne Trois Pitons National Park. Neighbours thought local Rastafarian Mr. Screw had a screw loose when he started digging big holes in his property, but the resulting spa is a series of intricately designed pools of varying temperatures, each perfectly integrated into the forest surroundings. Beautiful in the day and enchanting at night, a good soak will help any aching muscles.By Erin MacLeodMontreal Gazette
Farmington Voice Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Nardin Park Church in Farmington Hills will host weekly food truck events in July, with a portion of proceeds from food sales benefitting local charities.Motor City Sweet Treats will roll into the July 8 Nardin Park Do Good Dinners event. (Facebook)The series opens July 8, 4-7 p.m., with Brava Empanadas, offering authentic Argentinian foods, and Motor City Sweet Treats, serving up ice cream and other confections.Socially distanced space will be available for those who want to bring a blanket or chairs. Attendees should wear a mask and are asked to respect social distancing guidelines to help slow the spread of COVID-19.After dinner, catch the Nardin Park Livestream Summer Concert Series at nardinpark.org/livestream. The July 8 concert features theatre organist Lance Luce, who goes live at 7:30 p.m.Here’s the rest of the food truck and concert series schedule:July 15: Hubbs Grub BBQ & D’Vine Cookies, Matthew Ball, the Boogie Woogie KidJuly 22: Big Moe’s Kitchen & My Son Pops, organist Dr. Naki Sung KripfgansJuly 29: Simply Spanish & Little Donut Factory, pianist Dr. Yalan PiaoLearn more at nardinpark.org. Reported by