Current News
Bromley Mountain Resort Thank you again to those who came out to ski and ride with us for Opening Weekend. We're looking forward to getting back out there this weekend with expanded terrain. The snowmaking crew has had a busy week! They've been capitalizing on cold temps and blowing snow all over Corkscrew, Lower Boulevard, Spring Trail, Route 100, West Meadow, Upper and Lower Twister, and the Learning Zone. This weekend we plan to open with the 8 trails listed above, being serviced by the #1 Sun Mountain Express and the #5 Alpine Chair from 8:30am-4:00pm. Reminder: Midweek passes are valid on weekends until the mountain begins daily operations on 12/8.
Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Federal Credit Union (VFCU) announces the successful culmination of its Giving Tuesday campaign, during which it donated more than $25,000 to Vermont-based nonprofits. VFCU made Giving Tuesday donations to Clara Martin Center, Capstone Community Action, Enosburg Food Shelf, Green Mountain Mobile Therapy, Jenna’s Promise, Lamoille Community Center, LUND, Pride Center of Vermont, Tim’s House, and Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports.
Manchester Business Association We are delighted to announce that the Manchester Holiday Lighted Tractor Parade will take place this Saturday, 12/2 at 5:30pm. In its thirteenth year, this much-loved holiday event takes place on Main and Bonnet Streets in the heart of downtown Manchester, VT. Tractors and floats decorated with lights and festive décor will be cruising through downtown, spreading holiday cheer. Furthermore, there are rumors that Mrs. Claus and Santa will be there!
Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that David Gilbo, 39, of Newbury, Vermont, was convicted of one misdemeanor count of Grossly Negligent Operation for an accident that caused the death of David Elder. On September 10, 2017, David Elder was working on underground storage tanks near the gas pumps at P&H Truck Stop in Wells River, Vermont, where Mr. Elder was an employee. Mr. Gilbo stopped at P&H Truck Stop for gas, and as he was leaving the gas pumps, he turned and accelerated his Toyota pickup truck rapidly through Mr. Elder’s work area, striking and killing Mr. Elder.
Vermont Business Magazine The state's General Fund, led by the vital personal income tax, exceeded tax revenue expectations for the month of October. However, the two other major funds, Transportation and Education, failed to meet their projections, corresponding to the annual fiscal 2024 consensus forecast as adopted by the Emergency Board at its July 2023 meeting. Secretary of Administration Kristin Clouser today released Vermont’s revenue results for October 2023. While the PI continued its recent strength, of the larger sources, only the sales & use (0.02%) and rooms & meals taxes were ahead of expectations (3.17%). The State’s General Fund, Transportation Fund, and Education Fund receipts were a combined $261.5 million, exceeding the $258.6 million monthly consensus target by $2.8 million, or 1.1%. Year-to-date combined receipts are $25.2 million, 2.5%, above their $1,005.9 million target.
Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today said the forecasted average increase of almost 20% in property tax bills is “not acceptable” and issued the following statement: “Vermont’s tax burden is already, unfortunately, among the highest in the country, and families are bearing an incredible burden with increased costs of living across the board, including new and higher taxes and fees imposed by the Legislature. Put simply, a nearly 20% property tax increase would hurt Vermonters and our economy, and we cannot let it happen." This year’s letter projects property tax bills to increase by an average of 18.5 percent next fiscal year, driven largely by a forecasted 12 percent increase in year-over-year education spending. In addition, many districts are seeing changes in pupil counts due to implementation of the new pupil weights from Act 127 of 2022.
Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Wednesday evening spoke on the floor of the US Senate about Israel, Palestine, and the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. "As you know, and the American people know, there have been five wars in the last 15 years between Israel and Hamas. How do we end the current one and prevent a sixth war from happening, sooner or later? How do we balance our desire to stop the fighting with the need to address the root causes of this conflict? And here is the sad truth, and it really is a very sad truth: for 75 years, diplomats, well-intentioned Israelis and Palestinians and government leaders all over the world, including Presidents of the United States, have struggled to bring peace to this region. And during that time, among many other things, an Egyptian president and an Israeli prime minister were assassinated by extremists. You know why? Because they tried to bring peace to the region. This is an incredibly difficult and complicated issue and nobody has any simple solution to it."
Vermont Business Magazine In a Senate Judiciary Committee Meeting today, Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action and Federal Rights, voted to authorize issuing subpoenas to Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo, regarding the committee’s investigation into ethical concerns impacting Members of the United States Supreme Court.
Vermont Business Magazine Mamava cofounders Sascha Mayer and Christine Dodson along with Nic Longo, Director of Aviation, gathered with local leaders to celebrate the 10-year milestone for this partnership and offer a sneak peek at Mamava’s new XL V6. As with the first pod in 2013, BTV serves as the pilot location for the new unit. Since 2013 more than 4,000 pods have been placed including a fleet of 182 pods across 76 airports. “Mamava was born in Burlington because of community connections and a tradition of innovation, justice, and care that is central to the Vermont way of life,” says Sascha Mayer, cofounder and Chief Experience Officer of Mamava."
Vermont Business Magazine A program inspired by VT's Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative can expand in Vermont thanks to A $108,966 grant to help teachers and community organizations partner to engage students directly with local climate change mitigation and adaptation activities. The grant has been awarded to Shelburne Farms to launch the “Right Here! A Guide for Equitable Climate Action in the Upper Valley and Beyond” and is made possible by gifts from the following fund(s): Wellborn Ecology Fund.
Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.43 per gallon, down 5 cents per gallon from last week, down 18 cents from last month and down 37 cents from the same time last year, according to GasBuddy. The lowest price in the state is $2.99/g in Brattleboro while the highest is $3.69/g in Hancock and Rochester. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 1 cent per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.21/g today.
Vermont Business Magazine Today, Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Chair of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, introduced the Rural Energy Equity Act to improve and authorize strong funding levels for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The bill would make REAP more accessible for smaller rural businesses and farms and make the program more climate friendly.