Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Representative Becca Balint (D-VT) delivers an urgent call for protecting reproductive rights during her first speech on the House floor. Representative Balint stands united with her Democratic colleagues as the House considers misleading and dangerous Republican-sponsored anti-abortion legislation. Rep. Balint has long been a champion of reproductive freedom and plans to fight continued attacks on abortion access for all Americans.

Vermont Business Magazine Polly, the leading embedded insurance marketplace for automotive retail, today released an in-depth study on car shopper expectations about insurance that found 72% of recent car buyers saying that they would like an opportunity to get auto insurance at the dealership. The study also found that compressed consumer budgets and inflation, along with shifts in insurance buying preferences, are reshaping consumer expectations about insurance in the dealership.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger with local leaders announced the Administration’s next steps to protect public safety in Burlington. The plan includes 16 near-term initiatives focused on four areas of priority; ending the recent spike in gun violence and preventing future gun violence, improving the downtown climate, making progress on 21^st Century Policing, and rebuilding the Police Department. The BPD has now resolved 81% of shootings since 2020, and 100% of homicides. Many serious offenders have been charged and incarcerated, and there have been no new shootings and only one gunfire incident since early October. However, the possibility of a resurgence in gunfire is not remote. Included in the Mayor’s call to action for the Vermont legislature to advance Statewide gun safety laws, including; requiring the safe storage of firearms, prohibiting guns in bars, restaurants, and other sensitive spaces, making reckless endangerment with a gun a felony, and funding gun violence research.

Vermont Business Magazine The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced 12 grants totaling $210,000 to Vermont arts and cultural organizations, including one Literature Fellowship to a Vermont poetry translator. The Vermont awards are part of more than $34 million in NEA funding to support the arts nationwide.

Vermont Business Magazine Union Mutual Insurance Company recently announced a multi-year financial commitment to Central Vermont Medical Center's Workforce Development: Nursing & Clinical Pathways Program. The Montpelier-based insurance carrier will donate $50,000 to the initiative over the next 5 years. The growing Nursing Pathways program provides education and clinical training to support the opportunity for career growth while simultaneously addressing the critical shortage of nurses at all levels throughout the state.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) has announced the four selected communities for their Climate Economy Resilient Communities (formerly known as Climate Economy Model Communities). For the 2023 Resilient Communities program, over 15 communities submitted applications and through a competitive selection process, VCRD and its Climate Economy Advisory Committee have chosen Arlington, Lyndonville, Randolph, and the greater Randolph/Rochester/Bethel region. The four selected communities will receive targeted facilitation, strategic planning, and/or project support from VCRD through direct partnership with a community committee, organization, or leader working on local climate action solutions.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) has released the 2023 Environmental Common Agenda, which lays out this year’s top legislative priorities for the Vermont environmental community. VCV releases the Common Agenda each legislative session in partnership with other advocacy organizations across the state. This year, 17 organizations participated in the process of developing and setting the agenda. This year’s Environmental Common Agenda puts forward critical solutions to help address some of the most pressing issues facing our state— in particular, the ongoing and worsening climate crisis, and the need to support more efficient, equitable, and clean ways to heat our homes, get where we need to go, and generate our electricity.

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday, January 3, Sugarbush Resort submitted two sets of applications to the Town of Warren Development Review Board seeking approval to redevelop the former Rosita’s Restaurant and three of the four so called Sugar Cube parcels to house Sugarbush Resort employees. The Rosita’s project contemplates a four-story apartment building housing 16 studio apartments along with four floors of congregate living. The congregate living units include a total of 176 single occupancy bedrooms with shared living, dining, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry facilities. The Sugar Cube project contemplates rebuilding three existing single-family dwellings. The redevelopment plan includes one 2-bedroom, one 4-bedroom and one 6-bedroom single family dwelling(s).

Vermont Business Magazine As Montpelier's first Vermont certified "Green Restaurant," the Wayside Restaurant continues to expand on its earth-friendly initiatives. In addition to its 6 rooftop solar hot water panels they are now enjoying the benefits of a 2,160 panel ground-mounted array. Working with Norwich Solar, the Wayside is now partnered with 5 other businesses and towns in a 500kW Community Solar array located in Perkinsville, Vermont (Town of Weathersfield, Windsor County). The bifacial solar panels are state-of-the-art. In addition to collecting sunlight on the front of the panel, the backside collects light as well. These panels work double-duty in the winter collecting reflected light off the snow-covered ground.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont have risen 2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.40/g today, according to GasBuddy price reports. Prices are down 15 cents from a month ago and are up 5 cents from one year ago. The lowest price in the state is $2.99 in Brattleboro and the highest is $3.99 in Island Pond. The national average price of gasoline has risen 1 cent per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.27/g today.

by Jack Hoffman, Public Assets Institute There were two threads running through Governor Phil Scott’s fourth Inaugural Address last week. One was a clear, even refreshing, acknowledgement of the role that government and money played in the last few years to protect Vermonters and improve their lives. The other was the governor’s vision of a future Vermont where all communities, big and small, have the tools they need to be “more dynamic and vibrant.” The challenge of this new biennium will be to keep these two threads connected. Continued public investment—government and money—will be required to provide the kind of infrastructure and services the governor wants Vermonters to have.

Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing The US General Services Administration (GSA) is holding a public meeting this evening, January 12, at 5:30 pm in St Albans to discuss expansion of the Highgate border crossing that sits at the northern end of Interstate 89. This first public meeting is to discuss the project timeline and the process for public feedback. GSA will consider three project alternatives and seek public input multiple times over the next 18 to 24 months. No project plans or designs are currently available for review or being decided on at this meeting. As more information on the project becomes available it will be updated at the GSA website.