Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Last night, Representative Becca Balint (D-VT) voted to oppose the Republican rules package. The package brought to the floor by the Republican-led Rules Committee includes many of the concessions Speaker McCarthy made to the extreme right-wing which would pave the way for the MAGA agenda to reach the House floor. By voting “no” Balint is opposing allowing the far-right to hold the Speaker hostage to their agenda, attempting to end Congressional staff unionization, reinstating rules to target civil servants, and giving Committee Chairs unprecedented power.

Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center VMEC has announced the results of its December 6, 2022, annual election of VMEC Advisory Board members.

Newly elected to the VMEC Advisory Board for two-year terms were Melissa Bounty, Assistant Director, Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation (Montpelier) and Cristin O’Donnell, Director of Training and Development, Cabot Creamery Cooperative/ Agri-Mark Inc. (Waitsfield). Dr. Parwinder Grewal, Ph.D., President, Vermont State University (Randolph Center) was designated an ex-officio Advisory Board member.

Vermont Business Magazine Community Bank’s Vermont branches recently donated $5,000 to the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge in Burlington, Vermont, which provides free, temporary lodging for caregivers and people with cancer who must receive treatment away from home. The Hope Lodge program reduces financial strain, makes treatment more accessible and improves quality of life for thousands of cancer patients every year.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Mutual Insurance Group donated a record $16,000 to the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins program, a multi-year, community-based, collaboration between Vermont Mutual Insurance Group and the University of Vermont. Since the program’s debut in 2017, Vermont Mutual has donated $80,000 to local non-profits through the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative and has awarded more than $3.5 million dollars through the Vermont Mutual Charitable Giving Fund since its inception in 2014.

White River Junction VA Healthcare System (WRJ VA) and Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System (VA Boston) are co-hosting the New England Winter Sports Clinic this week. Over the years it has grown to be the nation’s second largest adaptive winter sports clinic offered to Veterans. Monday was the clinic’s kickoff event at the James W. Campion III ice rink in West Lebanon, NH where Veterans from all over New England and further gathered to participate in adaptive sled hockey. Some were returning participants and for others this is their first try. Tuesday through Thursday will be spent with New England Healing Sport Association at Mount Sunapee in Newbury, NH, where Veterans and caregivers will learn adaptive skiing and/or snowboarding.

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center is enhancing its crisis and urgent response supports to meet growing needs in the community. The Agency’s crisis response teams include Street Outreach, Community Outreach, a mental health specialist embedded with the Vermont State Police, and a newly created Family Crisis Response Team. All can be dispatched based on calls to the Agency’s crisis or access and intake lines, or they can be called on by first responders. Each team works proactively to address increasing public health concerns surrounding social service needs: the housing crisis, substance use, community safety, and psychiatric crisis throughout Chittenden County. The aim is to provide people with immediate access to help when they need it, beginning with outreach and engagement of at-risk individuals and families.

Vermont Business Magazine The Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) Foundation gratefully accepted a $25,000 donation from the M&T Bank Charitable Foundation last week. The contribution will help fund Vision 2020, A Decade of Transformation Capital Campaign, the hospital’s largest project in more than 30 years. The funds will help enhance the emergency and cancer care services available to residents regionwide.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont has elevated Margaret Pinello-White to the newly created role of Chief Administrative Officer. Growing up on a working dairy farm in Randolph Center, Pinello-White learned at an early age the value of hard work and being resourceful. She has drawn on those skills during her 14 years with the Blue Cross, working in a wide variety of roles. Starting as a human resources specialist, she has also been a worksite health and wellness coordinator, benefits manager, and most recently the director of human resources and facilities.

Vermont Business Magazine Join the SBA Vermont District Office for a virtual workshop at noon January 11 about COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan repayment. Topics include: Creating a Capital Access Financial System account; Making payments and tracking EIDL account; Q&A.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont have risen 4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.39/g today, according to GasBuddy. Prices are down 24 cents from a month ago and are up 7 cents from one year ago. The lowest price in the state is $2.99 in Brattleboro and the highest is $3.69 in Burlington. The national average price of gasoline has risen 8 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.25/g today.

by Megan Sullivan, Tino Rutanhira and Kelly Stoddard Poor In the past year, local news outlets have covered recurring instances of essential housing projects being delayed by one, or a few people. Stories from Jericho, South Burlington, Middlebury, Williston, Castleton, Waterbury, Morristown, Burlington, Winooski, Hartford, Putney, and others, highlight how easy it is to obstruct housing progress in Vermont. Legislators of all parties, businesses from all industries, and communities across the state, agree that housing is the foundational challenge for Vermont right now. We can no longer allow state and local regulatory processes to be weaponized to derail housing opportunities.