Current News

Vermont Business Magazine National Life Group is accepting submissions beginning March 3 from Vermont high school bands to compete in 2023 Beats for Good for a chance to perform at its annual benefit concert, Do Good Fest. Beats for Good is open to any current Vermont high school student and their classmates. This contest is open to musical acts of all sizes and genres, acoustic or electric. The grand prize winner will open Do Good Fest, have the opportunity to meet the local and national musicians, and receive a $5,000 donation to their school’s music program. First and second runners-up will receive $2500 and $1000 respectively for their school’s music program, play during the festival and also have exclusive backstage access.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Cheese Championship, a biennial contest held this year in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, deployed a professional panel of judges to evaluate over 2,249 entries. A first, second, and third place cheese or dairy product was named for each of the 113 entry categories. The 20 highest scoring cheeses were then evaluated for a final round of judging. Whitney, Jasper Hill Farm’s top scoring entry, is the American Cheese Society’s current Best in Show Champion. It is a raw milk, semi-firm cheese made with natural cultures from the Farm’s own herd of cows. Whitney has a velvet-smooth, supple texture, rosy-orange hued washed rind, and notes of butter and toasted nuts. Whitney’s recipe is based on classic European Mountain style cheeses designed for melting, and as such, it took first in the Raclette-style category at both the ACS and USCC Competitions.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) today delivered a letter to President Joe Biden, voicing his concern for the future of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and urging the Biden Administration to make assertive efforts to end the cycle of violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians. Following a recent congressional delegation visit to Israel, during which the senators met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sen. Welch expressed his increasing concerns about the current Israeli government’s apparent lack of commitment to advancing the two-state solution and protecting peace and prosperity in the region.

VAHHS President and CEO Mike Del Trecco, in response to the recent federal ruling in New Hampshire regarding the practice of boarding patients in need of mental health services in hospital emergency departments, said today: “We have been following the recent federal ruling in neighboring New Hampshire regarding the boarding of patients in need of inpatient mental health treatment in hospital emergency departments. A federal judge declared the state's practice of involuntarily holding psychiatric patients in emergency departments unconstitutional. We experience the same challenges with patients who need inpatient psychiatric care, but are being boarded in our emergency departments, unable to be transferred for lack of available beds. We are working hard to find solutions that can benefit the patients and staff who deal with these situations daily."

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont fell 1 cent per gallon last week and are now $3.41/g, according to GasBuddy. They are down 8 cents from last month and are down 31 cents from the same time last year. The lowest price in Vermont is $3.12/g in Brattleboro and the highest is $4.29/g in West Bridgewater. The national average price of gasoline is unchanged in the last week, averaging $3.35/g today. The national average is down 11 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 34 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick J Leahy will follow up his decades of service in the U.S. Senate with an appointment to the position of President’s Distinguished Fellow at the University of Vermont. Leahy will participate in campus activities with a special focus on the numerous program areas for which he was a tireless advocate for Vermont. As President’s Distinguished Fellow, Leahy will contribute to UVM’s mission by participating in the launch of research, academic and engagement projects initiated through his efforts while in Congress. He will be available as an advisor to students and faculty members, a guest lecturer in classes and at public events, and a conduit between the university and organizations and communities in all corners of the state.

Vermont Business Magazine The Legislative Joint Fiscal Office on Wednesday published their updated ‘Fiscal Note’ on S5, The Affordable Heat Act. Below is their analysis. The bill would establish the Clean Heat Standard to reduce Vermont’s greenhouse gas emissions from the thermal (heating) sector. The Public Utility Commission would administer the Clean Heat Standard with assistance from two advisory groups: the Technical Advisory Group and the Equity Advisory Group. The Department of Public Service would be a partner in providing assistance and in verifying and evaluating clean heat credit claims.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Ram Hinsdale and President Pro Tem Baruth gathered with Representative Sims, Representative Stevens, Commissioner Hanford, and a broad coalition of Vermonters, businesses and housing advocates to mark the momentum on housing opportunity legislation. S100, which passed unanimously from the Senate Committee on Economic Development and is currently being reviewed in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, seeks to address Vermont’s housing crisis by enabling more housing opportunities that reduce sprawl and protect our forests and farmlands.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), on Wednesday applauded people with diabetes for organizing to force Eli Lilly and Company to reduce the cost of insulin by 70 percent. Sanders also sent letters to other major insulin makers – Sanofi and Novo Nordisk – calling on them to follow suit. In 1923, the inventors of insulin sold their patent for $1 to save lives, not to make pharmaceutical executives extremely wealthy. Today, insulin costs just $8 to manufacture. Despite this, Eli Lilly has increased their insulin prices by 1,200 percent to $275 since 1996. Meanwhile, 1.3 million Americans were forced to ration insulin last year because of the unaffordable cost of this lifesaving drug.

by Trine Bech Before I retired as an attorney, I had been professionally involved in all sides of the child protection system: represented children and parents, run a child protection agency, and advocated for changes in the system to better serve children and families. I believed that the State had an important role in the protection of children. But never did I think that we would come to a point where our government would include one out of every 26 people on their list without ever going to court. This list is called the Child Protection Registry.

Vermont Business Magazine At his weekly press conference today, Governor Phil Scott and Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore discussed S5, The Affordable Heat Act, which is currently before the Senate. They addressed the potential significant financial hardship the proposal could inflict to low- and moderate-income Vermonters, and the need to thoroughly plan how to make a transition to carbon-free heating alternatives – a goal the governor said he shares. The governor agreed with the ultimate goals of reducing carbon emissions and with it cost savings, which modeling suggests will be achieved over time. But he emphasized that initial costs will be significant, especially to those who can least afford it. S5 does not directly address those startup costs which are likely much greater than the millions already set aside for heating upgrades, like weatherization and heat pumps.