Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Even while many open jobs continue to be unfilled, the state’s unemployment rate rose one-tenth to 3.3 percent last month. The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for August was 3.3 percent. This represents an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised July rate (3.2 percent). After a historic period of not increasing, the state jobless rate has gone up twice in the last three months, by a total of two tenths. The national rate in August was 4.9 percent.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the State of Vermont submitted its final Lake Champlain implementation plan to the Environmental Protection Agency.  The comprehensive cleanup plan addresses phosphorus pollution sources across all sectors, including agricultural, developed and forested lands, as well as roads and eroding stream channels.

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington City Council on Monday night unanimously approved a comprehensive, 10-year capital plan to steward its public infrastructure for future generations. Major elements of the plan include: Street, sidewalk, fire engine, and Bike Path investments over next five years; proactive replacement of water lines over 75-years-old. Non-property tax sources are anticipated to fund over 40 percent of the capital investment. The capital plan will appear on the fall ballot for voter ratification.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Chamber has a record number of large out-of-state companies committed to attend the 2016 Manufactured in Vermont Supply Chain Conference & Trade Show on Wednesday, September 21^st at the Champlain Valley Exposition. Airbus Americas, Raytheon, and Rolls-Royce top the list of out-of-state companies representing the aerospace, aviation, defense, naval, and medical device industries.

“Vermont plays an import role in optimizing the supply chain and competitive advantage for these companies,” explained Chris Carrigan, Vice President of Business Development for the Vermont Chamber. With over 500 meetings prescheduled, Carrigan stated, “these companies will have the opportunity to consider adding Vermont manufacturers to their supply chain, contributing to the economic growth of the state.”

Vermont Business Magazine A new study by researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (D-H) estimates patients actually need only 43 percent of the opioid pain medications they are generally prescribed and that surgeons can reduce the amount of narcotics patients usually receive after some surgeries.

University of Vermont Recruitment for the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States – the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study – launched on September 13, 2016. The landmark study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will follow the biological and behavioral development of more than 10,000 children beginning at ages 9-10 through adolescence into early adulthood. Recruitment will be done over a two-year period through partnerships with public and private schools near research sites across the country, including at the University of Vermont, as well as through twin registries.

by Mike Faher/The Commons The Brattleboro Retreat has changed its admission and discharge practices after a May incident in which a patient committed suicide within 24 hours of leaving the psychiatric facility. The suicide prompted a state probe in which investigators identified two regulatory violations: Officials say Retreat staff members failed to inform a guardian and a caseworker of the patient’s impending discharge, and they also failed to properly assess the patient’s discharge plan. But even before the state’s investigation was conducted in July, Retreat administrators say they had launched their own internal review and made procedural changes aimed at addressing the problem.

Vermont Business Magazine Unilever announced Monday that it has signed an agreement to acquire Seventh Generation, Inc, the North American home and personal care products company. Based in Burlington, Seventh Generation is a pioneer in corporate responsibility and sustainable product innovations, including plant-based detergents and household cleaners. The company’s turnover exceeded US $200 million in 2015 and it has seen double digit compounded annual growth over the last 10 years. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, the Wall Street Journal reports that the deal is worth "roughly $700 million." Unilever is also the parent company of another iconic Vermont company, Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc, which it acquired in 2001.

Vermont Business Magazine Mt Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) will host its 24^thannual Rehabilitation Reunion on Wednesday September 21, from 2 to 4 pm. Along with past patients, the public is cordially invited to visit and tour the Rehabilitation Center -- which hosted its Grand Opening last year -- to explore the subsequent opening of the Outpatient Therapies wing and listen to current and former MAHHC patients talk about the course of their rehabilitation as they strive to regain and maintain their optimum level of functionality, independence and quality of life following their initial illness or injury.

Vermont Business Magazine Flu season is fast approaching and Mt Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) has announced its annual schedule of free flu clinics. The Hospital has scheduled the free flu clinics for nine dates this fall. The first two will be held Saturday, September 24 from 9 am to noon at MAHHC in Windsor andTuesday, September 27 from 5 to 7 pm at Ottauquechee Health Center in Woodstock. The full schedule is available on the Hospital’s website.

by Mike Faher/The Commons Town officials in Grafton say they may not meet a developer-imposed deadline to vote on the controversial Stiles Brook Wind Project proposal. Developer Iberdrola Renewables has said it will abide by the results of a November vote from Windham and Grafton residents on whether the 28-turbine Stiles Brook plan — which would be the state’s largest turbine site — should proceed. While Windham has committed to a November 8 vote, Grafton Selectboard Chairman Ron Pilette says he doesn’t think residents will have all the information they need by Election Day. The vote could be postponed, officials have said, until later this year or early next year.

Vermont Business Magazine On Friday, September 16, the Town of Shelburne filed a Motion for Stay, Temporary Restraining Order, Relief from the Court’s June 29, 2016 Option, Order for and Expedited Discovery and Hearing, in United States District Court for the District of Vermont. In a statement released today, the Town said it is seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) ordering Vermont Railway, Inc to cease developing property located at 2087 Shelburne Road. The town said the Court’s decision of June 29, 2016, was based on incomplete information and possibly purposefully false testimony by Barrett Trucking and Vermont Railway, Inc witnesses. The Court in June, without fully settling the issue, gave Vermont Railway the greenlight to continue construction on the salt shed and related facilities off Route 7.