Former state auditor hangs out conflict resolution shingle

Bernie wants $1 billion a year for Long Covid

A Vermont post office closed since early March is scheduled to begin asbestos remediation later this month, according to the Hardwick Gazette.

The Cabot Post Office closed on March 5 after a heating contractor spotted vermiculite filtering from the ceiling.

Gazette: “Most vermiculite before 1990 comes from a single mine in [Montana], which also had a deposit of asbestos that contaminated the vermiculite, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Cabot’s postal operations were relocated to Marshfield after the temporary closure.

The Cabot building is owned by Postal Realty Trust based in Cedarhurst, New York. Postal Realty Trust says it will re-insulate the building and construct a new ceiling. A related company, also based in Cedarhurst, owns the Bradford Post Office building on Barton Street.

After repairs are made to the Cabot Post Office, the U.S. Postal Service will decide when to return to the building, according to the Gazette.

The asbestos-tainted vermiculite from the Montana mine has a long legacy. Victims of asbestos-related disease have sued a railway, now owned by Berkshire Hathaway, that shipped the vermiculite from Montana across the country to be used as insulation in homes and businesses. – Journal-Opinion

Sanders wants $1 billion/year for Long Covid – Senator Bernie Sanders, Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, this week unveiled a draft legislative proposal aiming to tackle the Long COVID crisis affecting 22 million Americans, he said. The proposal would fund research, support patients, and inform public policy in response to what Sanders called “the ongoing public health emergency.”

Before introducing the bill to the Senate, the HELP Committee is seeking feedback from the Long COVID community, including patients, their families, researchers, and healthcare professionals. The draft proposal includes several key measures:

• Allocating $1 billion annually for ten years to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for Long COVID research.
• Creating a centralized coordinating entity at NIH for Long COVID research, incorporating patient experiences.
• Establishing a new, expedited grant process for clinical trials focusing on Long COVID.
• Forming a research advisory board comprising scientists, healthcare providers, and Long COVID patients.
• Developing a Long COVID database to enhance research accessibility and data sharing.

Mandating continued education for patients, providers, and the public about Long COVID.

Former state auditor hangs out conflict resolution shingle – Tom Salmon, CPA, and former state auditor, has started a new conflict-resolution business called “TheFlatTable.com,” using his experience as a certified dispute resolver, CPA and MA in Conflict Resolution. 

“Helping people get traction when they are stuck and take simple- not easy- actions toward resolution is very rewarding work,” Salmon adds. Spending 21 years in the Navy Seabees, Salmon learned the importance of a “Can Do” attitude where a solution will be found for every problem.

Salmon wants to help ‘stuck people’ – seniors and families with life care decisions, property division, elder care decisions, neighbors, and businesses that need to work on sensitive matters. “It’s really a grab bag of important matters. People are wanting to brainstorm, bounce off ideas, have a facilitator, rather than get the legal system involved,” Salmon states. 

One of the fastest growing areas of conflict resolution guidance is related to adult children. Issues like employment, housing, transportation, finances and health have fallen onto more parents and guardians these days and “our service helps people get a handle on the real, not apparent, state of affairs,” Salmon said. Salmon is the son of former Gov. Thomas Salmon.

For a free consultation, call or text Tom Salmon at 802-535-1555 or go to TheFlatTable.com.