Current News

by John McClaughry In its final week in session, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down four opinions that brought the wrath of the left down upon the six justices in the majority. One expanded parental choice in education to sectarian schools, one ended New York’s arbitrary regulation on carrying firearms for self-defense, and one held that there is no constitutional right to abortion. The fourth one drew hostile fire from the anti-climate change movement: West Virginia v. EPA.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department will be offering a new Teen Conservation Weekend to be held at the Edward F. Kehoe Conservation Camp in Castleton, VT on August 5-7. The weekend is open to ages 15-17 and is the perfect way for teens to unplug and engage with peers outdoors before heading back to the classroom. The weekend is capped at 20 participants, but there is still space for new registrants. Arrival time is 5:45 p.m. Friday, August 5 with departure time 4:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC), Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Susan Collins (R-ME), and Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and David Rouzer (R-NC) announced their legislation, the LIFELINE Act, led to the publication of revised guidance by the Treasury Department that will unlock an additional $8 billion for affordable housing from the American Rescue Plan Act’s State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund.

Vermont Business Magazine The Snelling Center for Government has announced the graduates of the Vermont Leadership Institute Class of 2022. As the culminating event in their 9-month leadership journey, the Vermont Leadership Institute (VLI) Class of 2022 celebrated their past year with Graduation at Basin Harbor in Vergennes in early June. More than 90 attendees gathered to mark the occasion, a welcome sight after two years of limited guests.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Housing and Community Development announced awards of over $2 million in Downtown Transportation Fund grants to support 15 projects in Designated Downtowns and eligible Designated Village Centers. Since 1999, the Department of Housing and Community Development has been supporting investment in public infrastructure through the DTF. The program has helped update streetscaping, parking, rail, and bus facilities, bicycle and pedestrian safety, utilities, street lighting, and wayfinding signage. This round of awarded projects ranges from making urgent repairs to a train station and connecting rail-trails for multiuse recreation to replacing traffic and pedestrian signals to improve safety and pedestrian experience. These grants continue to help Vermont’s communities to invest in infrastructure to make downtowns and village centers pedestrian, bike, and transit friendly.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has reached an agreement in principle on key financial terms with opioid maker Teva, which would provide up to $4.25 billion to participating states and local governments. While critical details of the settlement remain the subject of ongoing negotiations, Teva disclosed the key financial terms in its earnings announcement yesterday. The Attorney General’s Office has been fighting to hold industry accountable for its role in promoting and profiting from the opioid crisis since 2017, when the Office began investigating opioid manufacturers and distributors. Since then, the Office has negotiated over $100 million in opioid settlements for Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University is hosting students and faculty from the Senior Military Colleges (SMC) for a week-long Cyber Summer Immersion this week. Twenty-seven cybersecurity students from four SMCs – University of North Georgia, The Citadel, Norwich, and Texas A&M – are spending the week on Norwich’s Northfield, Vermont campus for a deep immersion into cybersecurity-related topics. The weeklong event features lectures and exercises on Deepfakes, Information Operations, Intelligence and other cyber-related issues.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, has named Rutland Regional Medical Center as a 2022-2023 High Performing hospital for urology, hip fracture, hip replacement and knee replacement. These rankings recognize hospitals for providing care that was significantly better than the national average, as measured by factors such as patient outcomes. This is the highest award a hospital can earn for U.S. News’ Best Hospitals Procedures & Conditions ratings. Rutland Regional was the only hospital in Vermont to achieve high recognition for urology and knee replacement.

Vermont Business Magazine During the recent hot weather as temperatures soared into the nineties across many parts of Vermont and New England, Green Mountain Power (GMP) partnered with customers to leverage innovative energy storage initiatives to reduce peak energy costs and carbon emissions, all while keeping customers comfortable during extreme heat. If last week stands as the New England peak, GMP’s pioneering and growing network of home batteries helped reduce about $1.2 million in costs for customers while cutting power demand during the intense heat.

VermontBiz For residents and visitors alike, Vermont is an invigorating, scenic, and inviting destination for outdoor recreation…all year round. Behind the scenes, there is a thriving network of professionals and community organizations nurturing and growing the business side of outdoor recreation, fostering enjoyment and education for outdoor enthusiasts of every age and interest.

The Starting Point had a conversation with VtSBDC business advisor and outdoor recreation specialist Heidi Krantz about the climate of the industry for the summer of ‘22.

The Starting Point: Heidi, what trends are you seeing in outdoor recreation this summer?

Department of Labor, State Workforce Board continue job fairs

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor and the State Workforce Development Board will host Triple Play Job Fest job fair events this week in Montpelier at Montpelier Recreation Field (Wednesday) and in Burlington at Centennial Field (Thursday). Job Fest events will be held in partnership with the Vermont Mountaineers and Vermont Lake Monsters.

Vermont Business Magazine The SHRM Vermont State Council is currently accepting nominations for the annual Human Resources Awards: The Dolly Shaw, Vermont Human Resources Professional of the Year Award and The Vermont Emerging Human Resources Professional of the Year Award. Nominations must be received no later than Friday, August 12. The 2022 award winners will be revealed and celebrated at the 2022 SHRM Vermont State Conference on September 22-23 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in South Burlington.