Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Rabbi Steven Greenberg will present the annual Rabbi Max B. Wall lecture Series at Saint Michael’s College on March 22, 2023, at 4:30 pm in the Dion Student Center Roy Room. His topic is “A Decade of Conflict and Convergence: LGBTQ lives in Orthodox Jewish Contexts.” The speaker is an Orthodox rabbi, ordained at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Early in his career, he served as a senior educator for the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL), a think tank and training institute where he worked as an educator, curriculum writer, lecturer and consultant on wide variety of cutting-edge projects on the ethics, environment, social justice and communal leadership.

Vermont Business Magazine ISO New England today filed the finalized results of 17th Forward Capacity Auction (FCA 17) with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The finalized results confirm that the annual auction, held March 6, secured commitments for 31,370 megawatts (MW) of capacity to be available in 2026/2027. Continuing a trend seen in recent auctions, new generating resources securing capacity supply obligations were non-carbon-emitting resources, including this year offshore wind, solar, and hydroelectric resources. Overall, non-carbon-emitting generators within New England, including new and existing resources, secured nearly a quarter of the auction’s total obligations. The 7,620 MW of obligations secured by these resources represents an 11% increase over the 6,844 MW of obligations secured by non-carbon-emitting resources in 2018. The finalized results confirm a clearing price of $2.590 per kilowatt-month (kW-month) in all zones and import interfaces except the New Brunswick interface, which cleared at $2.551 per kW-month. These prices rank among the lowest in auction history.

Vermont Business Magazine State Treasurer Mike Pieciak held a press conference on Tuesday morning alongside Senators Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D) and Randy Brock (R), from the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs, and Greg Marchildon, State Director for AARP Vermont. Together, they introduced the Treasurer’s VTSaves public retirement initiative. Senator Brock will present the bill on the Senate floor this week as S.135, after passing out of committee with unanimous support. VTSaves is an auto-IRA program that provides employees not currently covered by a workplace retirement plan access to one at no cost to their employers. Employers who do not already have a workplace retirement plan are required to sign up and their employees are automatically enrolled into a Roth IRA with automatic payroll deductions. Employees can opt out of the program and always have access to any principal they put into their IRA without tax or penalties.

Vermont Business Magazine Capstone Community Action’s Fuel Your Neighbors campaign, in partnership with VSECU, raised over $325,000 to support emergency food and heating assistance to struggling Central Vermonters. This winter has once again been a challenge for Vermonters with low income. While warmer than some previous winters, the dramatic price increases in food and fuel costs continue to put many families at great risk. In spite of the extra assistance available through federal pandemic aid, more Central Vermonters are in need of support for food and heat than in previous years. Capstone Community Action (Capstone) was able to provide over 1,230 people with heating assistance, distributing over $302,778 in funds already this winter. In addition, Capstone had over 2,300 visits to the food shelf between October 1, 2022 and March 8, 2023. Without public funding for Capstone’s Food Shelf, the Fuel Your Neighbors campaign is critical to keeping the food shelf stocked to meet the community need.

Vermont Business Magazine The Seventh Annual Vermont Beardies Finals, which benefits Make-A-Wish Vermont, took place over the weekend at the Burlington Beer Company's taproom. Vermont's favorite fuzzy fundraiser raised $100,000 to grant wishes for Vermont's children with life-threatening medical conditions.

"We are thrilled with the success of this year's Vermont Beardies competition," said James Hathaway, CEO of Make-A-Wish Vermont. "The competition will help Make-A-Wish grant ten wishes to Vermont's children."

Vermont Business Magazine Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) is excited to partner with SCORE NH-VT to help leverage its strong national business assistance program to assist Windham entrepreneurs. SCORE works through a program of volunteers who are trained to work 1:1 with entrepreneurs to help focus on business fundamentals. In addition to the benefits of having a mentor, participants will also receive access to hundreds of videos and lessons on topics ranging from social media marketing to cash flow analysis. BDCC is building a cohort of Windham SCORE Mentors to work with Windham businesses. BDCC's technical assistance team will collaborate with Windham SCORE Mentors and Windham Clients on delivering the needed resources and support for the region’s small businesses to thrive.

Vermont Business Magazine UVM Medical Center’s Comprehensive Pain Program (CPP) has been recognized for its novel approach to pain management by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, winning the organization’s 2023 Blue Cross Provider Innovation Award for its PATH (Partners Aligned in Transformative Healing) program. Launched in 2019, PATH is an intensive, 16-week program that uses a unique approach to caring for patients experiencing chronic pain. In addition to using a group setting, the program integrates modern medicine with a wide variety of evidenced-based complementary and alternative therapies that address the physiological, mental and emotional, and spiritual aspects of each patient’s well-being. Patients have access to about 12 therapies that range from Acupuncture and Reiki, to hands-on cooking classes, occupational and physical therapy, and Mindfulness interventions.

Vermont Business Magazine Spring is near! As the seasons change, the American Red Cross is reminding the public that the need for blood doesn’t take a break. Blood and platelets remain at risk of running low this month. Donors are crucial to helping the Red Cross avoid a blood shortage in the weeks to come. Donors of all blood types, especially type O donors and platelet donors, are encouraged to make and keep appointments to donate. When donors lend an arm this month, the Red Cross will lend a hand. All who come to give blood, platelets or plasma March 1-31, 2023,​​​​ will receive a $10 Visa Prepaid Card by email. Plus, they'll be automatically entered for a chance to win a $3,000 Visa Prepaid Card – which could help toward expenses like gas or groceries. There will be five lucky winners.

by Michael Del Trecco, President and CEO, VAHHS According to media reports, more than 40,000 graduating medical students found out where there will spend the next several years in medical residency and training on what is appropriately referred to as “Match Day” this past week. Included in the celebration is of course our highly rated and much-respected Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. Through the National Fellowship Matching Program (NFMP), students list the programs they are interested in joining and the programs choose students they are interested in having. The aspiring and soon-to-be primary and specialty care physicians who matched on Friday enter practice at arguably the most challenging time in health care—especially rural health care—in modern history.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Scott and members of the Cabinet participated in several events Monday as part of their work to revitalize communities across the state, including a public safety and human services summit in Bennington, forums in Lamoille County to engage communities on available infrastructure funding, and a trades education and recruitment event in Randolph.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott allowed the budget adjustment bill to become law without his signature today. It surpassed his recommendation by about $50 million. Scott could have vetoed the bill, which would have been unprecedented. While he agreed with the vast number of provisions to the bill, which adds spending to the current fiscal year, he said he was concerned that it could remove options for needed spending items in next year's budget (FY2024, beginning July 1, 2023). Meanwhile, Scott did sign H46, which allows for the dissolution of Colchester Fire District Number 3.