Current News

Change The Story Vermont After closing down to slow the spread of COVID-19, the Campus Children’s School at the University of Vermont announced it would shut its doors permanently. St Michael’s College Early Learning Center did the same. The closures of two high-quality academic child care centers in Chittenden County are canaries in the coal mine. The pandemic is pushing an industry that was already operating on razor thin margins over the edge.

Vermont Business Magazine Telemedicine is on the rise in Vermont communities. In a recent statewide survey conducted by OneCare Vermont, healthcare providers overwhelmingly responded that they are providing telemedicine services to patients during the public health emergency. OneCare Medical Director Dr. Susan Shane presented the findings of the survey at the Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care Telehealth Virtual Office Hours. 92% of respondents said they had utilized audio/video services in the past 60 days, and over 80% responded that they had provided audio-only services to patients.

Vermont Business Magazine The Central Vermont Medical Center announced today that patients, visitors, and staff entering its main hospital will now have their body temperature read by a thermal imaging camera. Since March 21, anybody entering a CVMC facility is required to pass a temperature screening due to COVID-19 concerns, but most methods of taking temperatures are time consuming, uncomfortable or invasive – creating lines as the hospital has returned to normal patient volumes.

Vermont Business Magazine Union Mutual of Vermont announced last night that Michael W. Nobles, President and CEO of Union Mutual, passed away unexpectedly Thursday. He was 50 years old.

“Our Company, industry, and state have suddenly lost an inspiring, energetic and articulate leader,” said Josh Fitzhugh, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Union Mutual. “We grieve his passing and extend the deepest condolences to his family.”

Michael W. Nobles, President and CEO of Union Mutual

Nobles joined Union Mutual, based in Montpelier, in 1995 and served as assistant treasurer, treasurer, senior vice president, and chief operating officer before being elected president and CEO in 2014.

Vermont Business Magazine The Bank of Bennington is proud to have been able to serve its community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most notably, the bank worked quickly with local businesses to provide more than 360 Payroll Protection Program (PPP) Loans to local businesses in a four-week period of time. The bank's lending team working seven days a week put more than $27 million dollars into the local economy to assist businesses with the ability to retain their employees during this unprecedented time.

Vermont Department of Health As more of us are outside, being active, seeing family and friends, gathering in groups at events like barbecues or on the lake, health officials are reminding Vermonters the risk of transmission does increase. Please enjoy these summer activities, but make sure you understand the level of risk for you.

Vermont Business Magazine The Future Forest Economy Initiative awarded three grants that will drive a $1.7-million investment in the region’s forest economy, seeking to diversify markets for wood and wood products from the Northern Forest region. The Burlington Electric Department will receive $97,840 for design and pre-engineering to advance a wood-fired district heating system to serve the University of Vermont Medical Center.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, ahead of the Senate’s consideration of a proposed $740.5 billion military budget authorization, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) took to the Senate floor to call for a 10 percent cut in annual Pentagon spending to invest in education, health care and poverty reduction in America’s most marginalized communities.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Pico Mountain and Killington Resort, the largest mountain resort in Eastern North America, today announced a new In Season COVID-19 Coverage as part of its Passholder Promise. The Passholder Promise launched earlier to address the impact of COVID-19 on the 2019/20 season and provide assurances for the 2020/21 season. The Passholder Promise’s new In Season COVID-19 Coverage will provide assurance for passholders’ investment in the 2020/21 season with a pro-rata voucher for future use on a season or multi-day pass should there be a COVID-19-related prolonged closure.

Vermont Business Magazine In 2019, investigating vaping and improving substance abuse prevention for young people were top priorities for Vermont health researchers. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, altering behavior in both areas. Armed with data from their 2019 pilot study of young Vermonters, a team of University of Vermont (UVM) and Vermont Department of Health behavioral and public health scientists are poised to take the pulse of this population in the environment of the “new normal.”

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Mutual Insurance Group, headquartered in Montpelier, has announced that they will contribute $1 million in charitable donations to assist with COVID-19 relief efforts in Vermont. Two organizations, the Vermont Foodbank and the Vermont Community Foundation have already been named as the first recipients, with $500,000 total being designated for the two institutions.

Vermont Business Magazine The state’s independent non-partisan Vermont Commission on Women just released a new data dashboard report focusing on the ways the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately and uniquely impacted women. For those who work in child care and for those that rely on child care to work, the loss of jobs and access have real and potentially lasting economic impacts for women. June 1st marked the first date child care programs could reopen, but with limitations on numbers of children and challenging new health protocols. Some programs are closing, further limiting availability. Before COVID-19, over 70% of Vermont children 6 and under had all available parents in the labor force – the need for more quality affordable care is now likely greater than ever.