Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Starting Thursday, May 18, blasting hours will be extended to allow for additional blasting operations between 6:30 am and 7 am. This extension will allow crews to prepare for daily blasting operations during off-peak hours when traffic volumes are low. Blasting activities will continue throughout next week along US Route 2/7 (U.S. 2/7) within the project area. Blasting activities will be restricted between the hours of 6:30 am and 7 am and 9 am and 2 pm outside of peak traffic hours. Crews will continue blasting along US 2/7 starting just north of Whitcomb Street and working north. Four minutes prior to each blasting event, Uniformed Traffic Officers (UTOs) and barricades will be placed at either end of the blasting zone on U.S. 2/7 and the I-89 offramps to prevent vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists from entering the blasting zone. The blasting zone is anticipated to be between South Park Drive and Mountain View Drive, however, this area will be refined based on the specific blasting location.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), along with 41 of their colleagues in the Senate and 80 in the House of Representatives, today introduced legislation that would ensure the United States finally joins virtually every other major country on Earth in guaranteeing paid sick leave to its workers. Ahead of the introduction of the Healthy Families Act of 2023 (HFA) on Wednesday, Sanders and DeLauro also rallied with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), rail workers, mothers, union leaders, advocates, and colleagues to call on Congress to pass the HFA and the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act into law, that would guarantee twelve weeks of paid family and medical leave.

by Matthew Durkee, New England President, Community Bank Vermont, like many other states in the US, is facing a severe affordable housing crisis. Affordable Housing Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the current crisis and the need for more affordable housing options. Affordable housing is defined by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development as housing where the occupant is spending 30% or less of their gross income on total housing—including utilities—and is typically available in low- to moderate-income areas. The housing crisis is particularly concentrated in cities where the cost of living is high and rental prices are skyrocketing. Chittenden County for example, is approximately 2,000 units of affordable housing short of demand. There is an urgent need, throughout Vermont, to meet the basic housing needs of its community members. Without actions to address the crisis, the situation is likely to worsen with more and more Vermonters facing housing insecurity.

The Vermont National Guard is hosting a Career Fair on Saturday, May 20 at Camp Johnson in the Green Mountain Armory in Colchester, VT, from 1 to 4 pm. This event is open to the public and will include more 35 businesses with hundreds of job vacancies. Please present any government or state photo ID (driver’s license acceptable). Weapons are not permitted on the base. The Vermont National Guard is collaborating with multiple businesses across the state to help recruit new employees and members. This supports Governor Scott’s workforce development initiatives. The Vermont National Guard is also partnering with businesses through the PRIME Program – Partnered Recruiting Initiative for Military and Employers – which works to pair military members with businesses and business employees to the Guard.

Vermont Business Magazine Realizing an action goal from Poultney Comes Together, a 2019 community workshop, Poultney residents will soon be able to enjoy public murals downtown thanks to a recently launched crowdfunding campaign. The campaign is sponsored by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development’s Better Places program and led by the Poultney Downtown Revitalization Committee. If the campaign reaches its $3,250 goal by June 21, 2023 the “Poultney Downtown Mural Initiative” will receive a matching grant of $6,500 from DHCD’s Better Places program.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor hosted its second spring Job Fest in Rutland last Thursday, continuing to help Vermonters find meaningful employment opportunities this season. The event attracted over 200 jobseekers and nearly 60 employers, adding to the over 100 employers from a variety of different sectors who have participated thus far in this statewide effort. More Job Fests are coming up this week across Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) led the Vermont and New Hampshire congressional delegations in sending a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Denis R. McDonough today, urging the VA to use authority granted under the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 to make it easier for veterans stationed in Kosovo from 1999 onwards to access health care and disability benefits for conditions related to toxic substance exposure during their service. The letter was signed by Senators Bernard Sanders (I-Vermont), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Representatives Becca Balint (D-Vermont), Chris Pappas (D-NH), and Ann Kuster (D-NH), and responds to concerns raised by the Vermont National Guard.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) grantees NEK Broadband Executive Director Christa Shute and Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (WCVT) Vice President of Industry Relations Roger Nishi will testify on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at 3 pm before the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy. The hearing is entitled, “Rural Broadband: Connecting our Communities to the Digital Economy.” The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a series of important broadband programs geared to the most rural areas of America where it is most costly to build and operate broadband infrastructure. True high-speed internet is fundamental for effective participation in our nation's economy, healthcare, education, and personal job success, as well as access to federal and state services, the political process, and community engagement.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) joined Representative Robert Garcia (CA-42) and Rep. Eric Sorensen (Il-17) in introducing a resolution to expel George Santos from Congress. This resolution would force the full House to vote on the resolution to expel, potentially leading to the expulsion of Santos. “Democracies don’t die overnight; they erode slowly as we degrade our ethical standards and turn away from our values. The Republican party’s defense of this proven liar who’s been indicted on 13 criminal charges is sign of the deteriorating health of our government. Americans want to have faith in our democracy, but with trust in government at an all-time low it’s critical we take action to restore that trust. Today, we’re calling on Members of conscience to stand up for truth and finally expel George Santos.”

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont’s commitment to a high-quality, accessible, and affordable education has resulted in a projected 8% increase in the number of students from the state of Vermont in the class of 2027 compared to last year. The university has made concerted efforts to make a UVM education affordable for all students through a tuition freeze announced in 2019. Both out-of-state and Vermont students will pay tuition rates that have not increased for five academic years. The class boasts more BIPOC students, more men, more Vermonters and more foreign students and matches the most selective in school history, which was just last year.

Vermont Business Magazine The Speaker of the House, Representative Jill Krowinski, has announced the formation of a Special Committee on Impeachment Inquiry to investigate the conduct and potential wrongdoing of Franklin County Sheriff Grismore and State’s Attorney Lavoie. Today she announced the committee roster, which will be chaired by Representative Martin LaLonde and Vice-Chaired by Representative Mike McCarthy. The remaining committee members include Representative Matt Birong, Representative Carolyn Branagan, Representative Tom Burditt, Representative Karen Dolan, and Representative Kelly Pajala.

Vermont Business Magazine For the third time, the Renal Dialysis Unit at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), has earned a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS Stars Program is designed to help patients understand differences in the quality of services being provided by different dialysis centers. Having earned the highest rating possible in its most recent review, SVMC’s Renal Dialysis Department has the unique distinction of being the only 5-star renal program in the state of Vermont and is proudly in the elite top 10% of facilities nationwide to earn a 5-star rating. According to the CMS website, the rating system allows consumers to compare dialysis facilities based on measurements related to five key performance areas.