Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of Chief Medical Examiner relased its premilnary report on the cause of death for Vermont State Trooper Kyle Young, stating "death was accidental and the result of 'exertional heat stroke' due to 'strenuous physical activity in high environmental temperature.' Governor Shumlin has ordered the Vermont state flag to fly at half staff for three days starting at sunrise on the day of Trooper Young's funeral, which will be Wednesday, September 23 in Brownville, NY (details below).

Vermont Business Magazine Once again, a national rating firm has discovered that Vermont has relatively high taxes. Kiplinger’s yesterday released its rankings of the most tax-friendly states and least tax-friendly states—with Vermont placing seventh on the "least" list. Surprisingly, New Hampshire was not among the "most." The rankings were released as part of Kiplinger.com’s newly launched 2015 Tax Map, which compares taxes across all 50 states. In a statement released with the results, Kiplinger’s said that many taxpayers can save thousands of dollars per year just by moving to a different state. Kiplinger’s has released its ranking of the most and least tax-friendly states. The list was unveiled as part of Kiplinger’s third annual Tax Map—available at Kiplinger.com/links/taxmap—which offers an easy-to-use visual guide that compares income tax, sales tax, gas tax, “sin” tax (for products such as alcohol and tobacco) and other tax types, rules and exemptions across all 50 states.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Chamber has secured several large out-of-state companies to attend the one-day 2015 Manufactured in Vermont Supply Chain Conference & Trade Show on Thursday, September 24 at the Champlain Valley Exposition. Boeing, Siemens Healthcare, Raytheon and Textron Systems top the list of out-of-state companies representing the aerospace, aviation, defense, naval, and medical device industries. With over 475 meetings scheduled, 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 An analysis of US Census Bureau data released this morning shows that the gender-based wage gap is hurting women and families in every single state. Overall, women who are employed full time, year round in the United States are paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to a yearly gap in wages of $10,762. If the gap were eliminated, on average, a working woman in this country would have enough money for 1.6 years’ worth of food, more than seven months of mortgage and utilities payments, more than 11 more months of rent, or 4,635 gallons of gas.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont ranks 59th on the New York Times' College Access Index, a measure of top colleges’ efforts to boost economic diversity at their institutions. UVM is among universities whose scores “indicate the most effort” toward making college accessible to economically disadvantaged students. The ranking scores schools on the share of students who receive Pell grants, the graduation rate of those students, and the price that colleges charge both low- and middle-income students. Only schools with a five-year graduation rate of 75 percent or higher are included on the list.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Vermont's unemployment rate has been the same since April, but the numbers from August reveal a weakness in the labor situation, as the labor force decreased, the number of employed decreased and the number of unemployed increased. The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for August was 3.6 percent. The national average in August was 5.1 percent, a decrease of two-tenths of a percentage point. As of the prior month’s initial data, Vermont’s unemployment rate was tied for third lowest in the country. August represents the eleventh consecutive month without an increase to the unemployment rate.

by Olga Peters/The Commons The road less traveled — a reference to Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken — served as a theme that accompanied Kevin FF Quigley as he took the helm last weekend as the ninth president of Marlboro College. Over three days, the college celebrated the inauguration of Quigley, who took over from Ellen McCulloch-Lovell, the college’s president for 11 years. The inauguration weekend kicked off September 11 with an afternoon of service, with approximately 80 students and staff volunteering throughout Windham County that Friday.

Early the next morning, Quigley spoke about how serving and volunteering in one’s community supports democracy.

Vermont Business Magazine Despite nearly four years of work by Vermont’s congressional delegation, the Vermont Division of Emergency Management & Homeland Security, Agency of Transportation, and Agency of Natural Resources to help the town of Bennington secure funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for costs incurred during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, FEMA today denied the final appeal allowed under federal law.

Vermont Business Magazine The AARP Fraud Watch Network lit up the phone lines today as part of a “Reverse Boiler Room,” dialing thousands of residents to warn them about two leading “imposter scams” hitting thousands of Vermonters – the IRS and “tech support” scams. Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell joined AARP Vermont volunteers and staff in Boston along with other regional attorneys general to help educate the public and call attention to the growing crime. Borrowing a favorite tactic of con artists, AARP Fraud Watch Network staff and volunteers operated their own telemarketing boiler room. But instead of hearing from crooks, Vermont residents received tips and information on how to protect themselves from “imposter scams.” Impersonating police officers, federal agents, the IRS or financial service companies, scammers use their “authority” to scare a person into paying them. Or, they pretend to be a friend or loved one in trouble who needs money.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has announced the Department of Health and Human Services awarded $2.7 million to 10 community health centers throughout Vermont. The health centers will use this new federal funding to offer more than 3,700 additional Vermonters low-cost prescription drugs and medical, dental and mental health care services. See list below.

The Vermont awards are part of nearly $500 million in new funding announced by HHS for community health centers across the United States. The funds will provide health care services for 1.4 million new patients nationally. The funds were authorized by a Sanders provision in the Affordable Care Act that made available $11 billion for community health centers.

By Jim Condos, Vermont’s Secretary of State Vermonters deserve good government - and that includes an open and transparent government! By and large, Vermont is well served by our dedicated public servants. Most of our elected state and local officials are trustworthy, dedicated and passionate individuals working to do right by their constituents. However, corruption can exist, and in small doses it can be just as corrosive to our democracy as any prominent scandal, undermining the public trust.

The public’s access to open and transparent government is key to our democracy.

This sacred trust must not be taken lightly. We must restore that accountability or risk Vermonters’ faith in our ability to govern.

Vermont Business Magazine For the fifth consecutive time Seventh Generation has been ranked as the best company on the planet according to 'The Better World Shopping Guide,' a book that provides consumers with company ratings based on social and environmental responsibility. The company also received an A+ rating and title of 'green hero' in the cleaning products category in the most recent edition.

"It's not easy for companies to do the right thing when it comes to their environmental and social impacts in the world. It's almost always more profitable to cut corners and pretend to be doing good," said Dr. Ellis Jones, author of 'The Better World Shopping Guide.' "That's why it's so important that consumers recognize which companies are walking the talk and which ones are just for show. Seventh Generation has led the charge in integrity around these issues for the past decade and continues to set an example for how business should be done on this planet."