Current News

Vermont Business Magazine If you are outdoors foraging for wild leeks, also known as ramps (Allium tricoccum), health officials want you to be sure you don’t mistake the ramps for a poisonous lookalike plant called false hellebore. The young leaves of American false hellebore (Veratrum viride) can resemble the edible ramps now making their springtime appearance. However, false hellebore contains poisonous chemicals called alkaloids, and eating it can make people very sick. In most cases, people who have eaten false hellebore need to go to the hospital.

Vermont Business Magazine Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) announced on Friday that the committee will hold a hearing entitled, “The Need to Make Insulin Affordable for All Americans” on May 10. The CEOs from the major insulin manufacturers, Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi, and top executives from the major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) of CVS Health, Express Scripts, and OptumRX, will testify. In 1923, the inventors of insulin sold their patent for $1 to save lives, not to make pharmaceutical executives extremely wealthy. While researchers estimate a vial of insulin costs just $8 to manufacture, the price has gone up by over 1,000 percent since 1996. Sanofi’s Lantus costs $292 per vial. Novo Nordisk’s Novolog is listed at $289. Eli Lilly’s Humalog can be purchased for $275.

by Vermont Chamber President Betsy Bishop This week, the tri-partisan Rural Caucus of the House of Representatives emerged as true leaders on housing. Members of the Rural Caucus reaffirmed their commitment to addressing the statewide crisis, as they promised their constituents they would when they ran for election only six months ago. A letter to the Speaker of the House, Jill Krowinski, was signed by 33 legislators from the Rural Caucus supporting regulatory changes to create more housing for Vermonters. They did this even after House Leadership instructed members of the House General and Housing Committee to stop discussing or voting on an amendment that would have addressed these same concerns. With 23 Democrats, 7 Republicans, and 3 Independents, this coalition suggests real power.

Vermont Business Magazine National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, April 22, 2023. The Rutland County Sheriff’s Department will host a drive-thru disposal event at Rutland Regional Medical Center from 10am – 2pm in the employee parking lot at the hospital. This is an opportunity to clean out your medicine cabinet and turn in your used and unused prescription drugs in a safe and anonymous way. In addition to the Take Back event at Rutland Regional Medical Center, other drop off locations throughout Rutland County are open between 10am – 2pm on Saturday.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today visited Vermont’s Largest Career Fair at the Champlain Valley Exposition, where he met with dozens of employers and job seekers. The event, sponsored by Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Vermont, in partnership with Vermont's Department of Labor, the Agency of Education, the University of Vermont (UVM), and the Vermont Independent Electrical Contractors (VEIC), included over 150 employers looking to hire and attracted over 1,000 potential employees. Prior to visiting the fair, the Governor, Labor Commissioner Mike Harrington, Acting Education Secretary Heather Bouchey and several employers delivered remarks at the Governor’s weekly press conference, focused on our demographics, workforce challenges and affordability.

Vermont Business Magazine The Goddard College Staff Union (GCSU) voted yesterday evening to suspend our strike and return to work on Friday, April 21, after reaching a tentative agreement with Goddard College Corporation. Members have been out since March 24, marking 28 days on strike. Workers won a real increase in wages for those making under $20 an hour and increased time off in recognition of staff’s sacrifices, while also rejecting a so-called “management rights” clause. Members will vote on whether to ratify the final agreement in the coming days.

Vermont Business Magazine The Norwich University Schools of Architecture + Art and Construction Management announced today that their proposal for the renovations to Vermont’s historic Barre Municipal Auditorium was delivered last weeks and were approved for implementation. The historic Barre Auditorium has long been a community hub in the city of Barre. Designed by Ruth Freeman, the first female architect in the state of Vermont, it opened its doors in 1939. It has played a variety of roles since then, hosting trade and farm shows, town fairs, concerts, municipal voting polls and state basketball championships. Lately, though, it has been somewhat of a second classroom for Norwich architecture, engineering, and construction management students.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) led a bipartisan group to introduce the Invasive Species Prevention and Forest Restoration Act today. The bill, co-led by Senators Mike Braun (R-IN) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), provides tools to combat non-native insects and pathogens that threaten forests and woodlands. The bill takes a comprehensive approach to combatting the presence of invasive species by expanding access to emergency funds for the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to eradicate or contain pests.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont today are $3.54 per gallon, this is an increase of 7 cents per gallon from last week, and 15 cents/g from a month ago, but 55 cents/g lower than a year ago, according to national analyst GasBuddy. The lowest price in the state yesterday is $3.29/g in Middlebury, Milton and Troy, while the highest was $3.79/g in Norwich, a difference of 50 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 1 cent per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.66/g today. Meanwhile, US gas taxes will total about $78 billion for 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) and Farm to Institution New England (FINE) today released a report examining the laws and policies that shape food in New England’s publicly operated correctional facilities. Titled “The State of Prison Food in New England: A Survey of Federal and State Policy,” the resource offers recommendations for advocates and policymakers to ensure nutritious and safe meals while improving how prison food is sourced and served. In the midst of budget cuts and other obstacles facing state-run prisons, food is under-prioritized. From sourcing, quality and safety to dining environments, the correctional food system often fails to provide individuals who are incarcerated with health, safety and dignity. One study found that individuals who were incarcerated were six times more likely to contract a foodborne illness than the general population. The population that is incarcerated also experiences higher rates of chronic illness.