Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.27 per gallon, down 2 cents/g from last week. They're down 16 cents/g from last month and down 13 cents/g from the same time last year. The lowest price in the state is $2.89/g in Brattleboro and Rutland, while the highest is $3.99/g in Wolcott, according to GasBuddy. The near future of gasoline prices is uncertain. International pressures keep mounting, from the Middle East to Ukraine to the recent shipping crisis in the Red Sea, all of which could stymie what should be a decline in gasoline prices. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.07/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine As the new year begins, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is offering a few tips on what not to flush down toilets and how to better dispose of that waste. “Everything we flush – except water – is waste that needs to be dealt with to prevent pollution,” said Wastewater Management Program Manager Amy Polaczyk. “Knowing where and how to best dispose of waste can cut wastewater treatment costs, protect our health, and keep our environment clean.” Most waste should not be flushed. That includes tissues, cotton swabs, floss, diapers, feminine hygiene products, coffee grounds, cat litter, wipes, excess household cleaners, cigarette butts, and medications.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Federal Credit Union proudly announces the success of its dual initiatives: the 14th Annual Feed Your Neighbor Food Drive, which took place in November, and the 10th Annual Feed a Family Campaign, which happened in December. The Feed Your Neighbor food drive, a collaborative effort with local radio stations 106.7 WIZN, 99.9 The BUZZ, Costco, and Hannaford, collected more than 4,000 meals to aid local residents in partnership with Feeding Chittenden and the Joint Council for Economic Opportunity. The Feed a Family campaign, in collaboration with the Vermont Foodbank, gathered 2,306 pounds of food and over $1,400 in cash donations at its December 14 event at City Market in Burlington's South End.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is pleased to announce that a fourth and fifth lake have achieved the Gold Lake Wise Award. Lake Raponda in Wilmington and Lake Morey in Fairlee join Echo Lake, Seymour Lake, and Lake Iroquois in reaching this accomplishment. The Gold Lake Wise Award is granted to lake associations when 15% of the properties surrounding a lake have received an individual Lake Wise Award. A Lake Wise Award is given to individual lakeshore property owners who participate in the voluntary Lake Wise Program to improve stormwater management and prevent erosion. Their properties must meet a series of criteria that indicate it is well managed, uses Shoreland Best Management Practices, and is maintained to care for the lake.

by Lisa C Bailey, University of Vermont UVM’s Center for Community News (CCN) is helping breathe new life into local news outlets across the country. Inspired by the success of UVM’s Community News Service (CNS), which matches students with local news outlets in Vermont to provide reporting, CCN already supports around 170 partnerships between universities and local news organizations across the United States—and it’s only in its second year of existence. There are 1,316 U.S. campuses located in or adjacent to a county with a “news desert” where there’s just one news outlet—or none at all. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Liquor and Lottery has extended the annual license renewals for over 750 flood-impacted Vermont businesses by two months. Seven hundred sixty-one (761) individual businesses with a total of 2,476 licenses in 74 towns will receive the benefit of the license extension. These businesses were selected because they are in towns most affected by the flooding based on data gathered by the Agency of Digital Services and the Department’s flood-impact survey of licensees. By extending the license renewal date from April 30, 2024, to June 30, 2024, the Department provides these businesses an additional 61 days on their 2023 licenses, with an economic value of $122,332. 

Vermont Business Magazine Trappers must ensure they are compliant with Vermont’s new trapping regulations that come into effect on January 1, 2024. The new regulations include a requirement that live trapped animals be killed humanely and establish standards for trap types and use of baits to reduce the risk of catching pets and non-target wildlife.  Trappers must also follow new guidelines for where traps can be placed, such as maintaining a 50 ft. setback distance from a legal trail, public trail or public highway unless set in the water or under ice.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reports that Ryan Goodrich, 38, of Athens, Vermont was sentenced to five years in federal prison to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release by the United States District Court in Rutland on December 20, 2023 after pleading guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of firearms. On December 15, 2023, he was convicted in Windham Superior Court on State charges for taking deer in closed season, possession of heroin, possession of a narcotic, and driving on a suspended driver’s license.  He was sentenced to serve 59-60 days, pay $835 in fines and to pay $2,000 in Fish and Wildlife restitution. 

by Annette Smith Legislators dictating Vermont’s energy future – or is that energy swamp? – would have done well to remember the engineering mantra “Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS)". Instead, they ignored it, choosing their own approach, which can be aptly described as “Make As Darn Complicated As Possible”, or MADCAP. That is exactly what the last two legislative sessions have been: MADCAP. The Democratic supermajority began with the tortuously complicated “Clean Heat Standard,” later rechristened the “Affordable Heat Act,” when the PR optics deteriorated as more people learned about the bill.  

Northeastern Vermont Development Association (NVDA) is in the process of updating its Regional Plan, a guiding document that outlines a vision for the area and goals to help achieve that vision for the community. The Plan will cover a range of topics, including transportation, housing, energy, recreation, and zoning. Please visit NVDA.net to take our survey and help identify priorities for the NEK and inform the recommendations of the new Regional Plan. 

Vermont Business Magazine An innovative initiative is underway in Vermont, spearheaded by the nonprofit organization Operation Recovery together with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets; U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants; the dairy farm families of Agri-Mark; Cabot Creamery Cooperative; and Liberty Hill Farm. The Grow America Farm Corps initiative addresses Vermont’s farm labor shortages by fostering dynamic collaboration among local farmers, new Americans, and supporting partners. Farmers with employment opportunities can sign up to match with new Americans seeking agricultural training and mentorship. Grow America Farm Corps partners assist in placing and transitioning participants who gain housing through on-farm living spaces, professional skills development, and community.

by John McClaughry With this column, I am concluding my biweekly commentaries for the Ethan Allen Institute, that stretch back to 1993. Years ago, I learned that I had some marketable abilities in understanding issues, analyzing implications, and explaining things clearly and I hoped persuasively. Accordingly, I embarked on a career that I half-jokingly referred to as “brain rental.” In 1988, after a tour in the Reagan campaign and White House, I was elected to the Vermont Senate, and reelected with 82% of the vote. But after those often frustrating four years, I concluded that maybe I could make a more valuable contribution by launching a nonpartisan think tank to promote “Ideas for Vermont’s Future” built upon the liberal principles of Vermont’s brilliant 1777 Constitution.