Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Common Good Vermont is pleased to announce the Vermont Edition of the 2020 Survey on Nonprofit Wages and Benefits in Northern New England. The Survey is conducted every two years in partnership with the Maine Association of Nonprofits and the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits.

The Report tells an important and deeply informative story about the health and viability of our sector which is important now more than ever. This year’s survey includes additional COVID-19 questions to help assess the short-term impacts of COVID-19 on Vermont’s nonprofit sector.

Vermont Business Magazine Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Friday announced the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agreed to postpone its scheduled furlough of more than 13,000 public servants through Aug. 31. The action affects 1,109 Vermonters who earlier had received furlough notices effective Aug. 3.

The announcement came after Leahy pressed the organization to reverse course on its intended furloughs after he made public the fact that new revenue estimates showed the agency ending the fiscal year in a surplus, and not the previously projected $571 million deficit. USCIS Acting Director Joseph Edlow gave the assurances to Leahy that the furloughs would be delayed on Friday morning by phone.

UVM President Suresh Garimella A year ago, I wrote you on my first day on the job. I still feel the same sense of honor and gratitude at being entrusted with leading this great University of the Green Mountains. Perhaps a little less mystique, and a little more of a sense of comfort and belonging, because my family and I did immerse ourselves in the community as I had hoped we would.

And while I acknowledged even then the challenges facing higher education, I can’t help noting the hope I expressed in that first-day letter. Hope that we could weather these challenges and thrive if we focused on our educational offerings, impactful research and scholarship, and meaningful engagement with our community. Through our work together and your feedback, these priorities are now reflected in our strategic imperatives plan, “Amplifying Our Impact,” approved by the Trustees on May 15. It is a strong framework that positions us for future success, and we can all take pride in its creation and offerings.

Vermont Business Magazine While the grandparent scam has long plagued older Vermonters, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a new twist that scammers are exploiting. Scammers, posing as the grandchildren of unsuspecting grandparents, call and pretend to be in the hospital, in jail, or stranded overseas and in urgent need of wire transfers, gift cards, or cash. By presenting an emergency in which their "grandchildren" need help getting out of, scammers pressure panicked grandparents into acting before they can realize it’s a scam. The Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) has received 93 reports of the grandparent scam since the beginning of the year, of which 34 have been logged since June 1.

Vermont Business Magazine On July 24, 2020 at approximately 0114 hours, Troopers from the St. Johnsbury Barracks responded to the Northeast Correctional Complex for a report of an escaped inmate. Troopers arrived on scene and learned that Shannon Edwards (35) escaped the facility by scaling an exterior fence.

Vermont Business Magazine In the spring of 2020, amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vermont Technical College faculty wrapped up the pilot for the Student Survival Project and prepared it for launch to all Vermont Tech students in the fall 2020 semester. Funded by a $10,000 grant from the Davis Educational Foundation in 2019, this project's mission was to develop educational modules and activities designed to enhance the first year student experience and assist in development of the skills necessary for successful student transition to the college experience. Two Vermont Tech professors, Dr. Lisa Fox, School of Nursing and Allied Health Coordinator, and Jessica Riley, School of Agriculture and Animal Sciences Coordinator, developed Student Survival Modules to improve student retention and success.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims fell by nearly 200 last week after a moderate increase overall during the last month. After a steep decline as the economy began to reopen in April, initial unemployment claims for the last several weeks flattened and then rose in June. They've been slowly declining again in July. For the week ending July 18, 2020, the Labor Department processed 1,637 Initial Claims, down 193 from the previous week and 1,375 more than the same time last year.

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Terrance Chipp, 42, of Rutland was sentenced today by US District Court Chief Judge Geoffrey Crawford to 72 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release, which follows the term of imprisonment. Chipp previously pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine base, and conspiracy to unlawfully possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. These offenses each carried a maximum of up to 20 years imprisonment.

Vermont Business Magazine As of Wednesday, five communities in Southern Vermont have a new cable, entertainment and communications services provider as Comcast acquires Southern Vermont Cable Company. The process to transition residents and businesses to Comcast in Dummerston, Jamaica, Newfane, Putney and Townshend will continue through the Fall of 2020.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported that there were 11 new cases of COVID-19 statewide, 10 of which were in Chittenden County and one in Windsor County. There were two people hospitalized. Deaths remain at 56 and there has not been one attributed to the virus since June 16. Vermont is still fortunate to have low levels of virus in our communities, but low is not the same as none. We still expect to see cases of COVID-19 and work quickly to contain them. To do that, we reach out to people who test positive and their close contacts to provide guidance, including on staying home to prevent further spread of the virus.

Vermont Business Magazine TD Bank, with branches across Vermont, today released new data from its 2020 Small Business Recovery Survey. The annual survey polled 750 small business owners (SBOs), including 153 SBOs in the Northeast, earning $10 million or less in annual revenue about their overall business outlook and plans in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most notably, the survey found that the majority (61%) of Northeast SBOs (in NY, NJ, PA, MA, CT, RI, ME, NH and VT) project a decrease in revenue due to the impact of COVID-19, despite 39% reporting that they did not have to close for any period of time due to the pandemic. Business owners in the NE were more likely than other regions to say that their revenue will decline significantly, with 47% of respondents in the area stating they will have 2020 revenue losses of more than 10% due to the pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont gasoline prices rose 3 cents to $2.16 as of today. Prices however, remain lower than the national average of $2.18 and more than 50 cents lower than a year ago. Prices have been low due to the global pandemic, which has stifled economies and depressed demand.