Current News

by Bill Schubart Two weeks ago I wrote about extending gubernatorial and legislative terms from two-year to four-year terms. Since then, good friend and revered former State Archivist Gregory Sanford sent me a history of efforts to amend the Vermont Constitution that addressed the number of times such an effort has been tried and failed. Today’s screed addresses our stingy legislative compensation and support system. The Vermont legislature is a part-time (of which there are 14 nationally) legislature as opposed to a hybrid (26) or full-time legislature (10).

Vermont Business Magazine On November 3, the public is invited to participate in the first of a four-part series examining how racial inequities impact access to housing in Vermont. The initiative has been coordinated by the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, working in partnership with Abundant Sun, Champlain Housing Trust, Downstreet Housing & Community Development, RuralEdge, Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, NeighborWorks America, and Vermont Housing Finance Agency, with additional support from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston. The public speaker series has been developed by Abundant Sun, together with the Vermont Racial Justice Housing Jam, a committee of community members with lived experience and representatives from nonprofit housing organizations.

Vermont Business Magazine The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) invites creators of all ages to design and build original LEGO sculptures and display them at the 15th Annual LEGO Contest & Exhibit, taking place November 10 through 13, with an Awards Ceremony on November 9 at 5:30 p.m. This popular annual event is sponsored by G.S. Precision, Brattleboro Subaru, and Don Robinson Builder.

Vermont Business Magazine A ledger documenting the everyday activities of a Black woman living in a segregated neighborhood of Shreveport, Louisiana, after World War II is driving the research of the woman’s granddaughter – a fellow at Saint Michael’s College – by providing historical insight into the labor opportunities and practices available to Black workers at the time. Jolivette Anderson-Douoning, the Edmundite African American Fellow in the Saint Michael’s History Department and a PhD Candidate in the Purdue University American Studies Program, has used the ledger kept by her grandmother to inform part of her dissertation research. The North Louisiana native and former Jackson, Mississippi performance artist will present a public lecture titled “The Hands that Picked the Cotton: A Black Woman’s Labor as Acts of Liberation in Segregated Shreveport” about her dissertation chapter, “The Work (Labor) House,” during a free event on campus and via Zoom on October 25.  

Vermont Agency of Transportation This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will have traffic impacts on state highways throughout Vermont for the week of October 24, 2022. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported October 12 that COVID-19 cases rose and hospitalizations increased from 48 to 73. COVID-19 infections are now considered "Medium" after being at the "Low" level for the last few months. Total cases increased from 623 to 662. Hospitalizations have been edging up over the last few weeks (from a low of 30). There have been no reported COVID-related deaths in the last week. There were 19 COVID-related fatalities in August, 11 in September and 8 so far in October, for a pandemic total of 734

by Rob Roper Listening to the presentation to the Climate Council on the cost savings they are claiming will be associated with the Climate Action Plan (CAP), I was reminded of the classic scene from Caddyshack where Bill Murray’s character tells the story of his compensation for a round with Dalai Lama: “Oh, there won’t be any money,” says the Lama, “But when you die, on your deathbed you will receive total consciousness.” The reason for my cinematic flashback is that the “savings” being promised by the Climate Council if we spend the multiple tens of billions of dollars necessary to implement their programs are largely based on something called “The Social Cost of Carbon.” What is this? Well, like Murray’s caddying fee, there won’t be money.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Electric Supply, Inc of Colchester has acquired Falcone Electric of Batavia, NY. Generational Equity, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held businesses based in Dallas, announced the sale on behalf of its client, Vanderhoof Electric Supply, Inc (dba Falcone Electric). The acquisition closed October 3, 2022. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Vermont Business Magazine As the holidays are fast approaching, so are the mailing deadlines to send presents and merriment to friends and loved ones serving away from home. Be prepared and get your letters and packages in the mail in time to ensure their delight this festive season. To send packages to military and diplomatic addresses abroad, the Postal Service offers a discounted price of $20.95 on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate Box. The price includes a $1.50 discount per box for mail sent to Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post Office (APO/FPO/DPO) destinations worldwide.

Vermont Business Magazine Lisa Kelley, a Realtor with Cummings and Company in Windham, has been named the 2022 Realtor of the Year (ROTY) by the Vermont Association of Realtors (VAR). VAR’s Realtor of the Year recognition is the association’s highest honor and recognizes a Realtor member for outstanding commitment to the Realtor industry, and to their clients and community.

Vermont Business Magazine GlobalFoundries (Nasdaq: GFS) (GF), a global leader in feature-rich semiconductor manufacturing, today announced that Vermont’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has issued a Certificate of Public Good (CPG) approving the formation and operation of GF Power LLC as the electric utility for GF’s facility in Essex Junction. GF, which consumes more electricity than the City of Burlington, will not retail or distribute energy like a traditional utility. Due to its size, GF is the only transmission class customer in Vermont, meaning it takes service at a higher voltage than all other GMP customers in addition to owning, maintaining, and investing in its own transmission and distribution system. This uniquely positions GF to take on the responsibilities of becoming its own utility, directly serving only the facility’s needs.