Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The deadline to apply for one of the 150 scholarships managed by Vermont Student Assistance Corp closes soon – February12. Don’t miss out on over $5 million in awards to help Vermonters pay for their education and training after high school. Last year, VSAC made almost 3,200 awards to Vermonters worth $5.4 million. Scholarships—like grants—are financial aid that you do not need to pay back.

Vermont Business Magazine On January 25^th, One Credit Union presented Jamie Hathaway, CEO of Make-A-Wish Vermont with a check for $18,000 at the One CU annual team meeting. This money was raised as part of a yearlong effort in 2019 with the help of One Credit Union members and staff in our local communities. Throughout the year, One Credit Union worked to raise money at community events through bake sales and giveaways, and many One CU employees contributed by way of payroll deduction to Make-A-Wish as well. One Credit Union matched every donation given, dollar for dollar, bringing the total to $18,000. The Vermont chapter will receive $16,000 and the New Hampshire chapter will receive $2,000.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger today released an executive order to create Burlington’s first open data policy, and at the same time, released major upgrades to both the City’s open data platform and the “BTVStat” performance dashboard that tracks City operations. The open data platform and BTVStat performance dashboard further improve the public’s ability to access City data in open, machine-readable formats and to understand and evaluate the City’s performance across a variety of different metrics.

The executive order, developed in cooperation with the Sunlight Foundation, outlines the principles, standards, and governance framework that will guide Burlington’s open data program.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) is now accepting applications to participate in Vermont’s Insurance Regulatory Sandbox. Under the program, insurers can request waivers of certain statutory or regulatory requirements for a limited period while an innovative insurance product or service is piloted in the Vermont marketplace. Companies seeking waivers must show that their innovative product or service could not otherwise be offered in Vermont and that a waiver is in the public interest.

“Establishing the Sandbox sends the clear message that Vermont is open to innovation and is willing to explore new ideas and new approaches to age-old products and processes,” said Commissioner Michael Pieciak. “This approach is balanced with enhanced regulatory oversight to help ensure Vermonters are protected and well served.”

Vermont Business Magazine Seeking to honor a leading Vermont environmentalist and the legacy of a legendary wildlife advocate, Green Mountain Power (GMP) is calling for nominations for the 11th annual GMP-Zetterstrom Environmental Award. Named for famed osprey advocate Meeri Zetterstrom of Milton, the award is given to one person, business, group or non-profit that has made a significant contribution to Vermont’s environment. The award is accompanied by a $2,500 donation to the winner’s environmental cause.

Vermont Business Magazine Some of our favorite Vermont products require refrigeration: craft beer, apple cider, cheese and other dairy products, and more. That refrigeration can be a significant portion of a Vermont business’s electric use, whether it’s your neighborhood convenience store, a major grocery chain, or a restaurant.

Vermont Business Magazine In partnership with Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI-USA), Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) has released a new free resource for plant breeders entitled A Breed Apart: The Plant Breeder’s Guide to Preventing Patents through Defensive Publication. The guide outlines practices for plant breeders to keep genetic resources in the public domain.

VLS photo of Cydnee Bence and Emily Spiegel.

“Biodiversity in crop species is essential to the future of farming, especially as climate change alters growing conditions,” said Emily Spiegel, co-author and Vermont Law School assistant professor. “But agricultural biodiversity has declined drastically during the past century.”

Vermont Business Magazine The 25^th annual Special Olympics Vermont Penguin Plunge is coming up on Saturday, February 1^st at the Burlington Waterfront. Over 1,300 Plungers will take the Plunge in both the Cool Schools event (for students and educators) at 11am, and the Burlington event (for all community supporters) at noon. It is an extremely exciting day celebrating our community’s effort to grow inclusion across the state of Vermont. We invite everyone to come down to the Waterfront to experience the event and enjoy our Winter Village which will have music, food trucks, local vendors, SOVT merchandise, a scavenger hunt and more!

Vermont Business Magazine Sean, a recent Winooski High School graduate, gestured beyond farm fields to the Winooski River and Green Mountains visible from Vermont Youth Conservation Corps’ farm in Richmond. His work at VYCC last summer was supported in part by grant funds from three local companies: National Life Group Foundation, International Paper Foundation, and Hunger Mountain Co-op. All three have awarded funds to VYCC for at least five consecutive years.

Vermont Business Magazine Tobacco use remains the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and disease, taking an estimated 480,000 lives every year. This year’s “State of Tobacco Control” report from the American Lung Association calls for proven tobacco control policies in light of the fact that the country’s youth vaping epidemic worsened in 2019. The state scored a failing grade for inadequately funding the Tobacco Control and Prevention Program, down from a D the in the 2019 report, but it scored an A grade in the minimum age category (up from an F in 2019) for being one of 13 states that increased the tobacco sales age to 21 this year.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Donovan today joined a coalition in filing an amicus brief in support of the children who are plaintiffs in Flores v. Barr. The case, currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, involves the Trump Administration’s attempts to terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement, which has governed the treatment of children in immigration custody since 1997. In the amicus brief, the coalition urges the court to uphold the permanent injunction issued by the district court, preventing the federal government from keeping children in prolonged and unnecessary detention.

“Children in federal immigration custody should be treated humanely,” said Attorney General Donovan. “We will keep fighting to make sure that these kids are protected.”