Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment rise last week after falling the week before, which itself had followed two weeks of very high numbers. After a long period of very low numbers, claims have been higher over the last two months and now have entered the holiday period, which typically brings with it wild swings in claims, as retailers hire and then lay off seasonal workers.

Vermont Business Magazine That is the crucial message behind the Second Annual Vermont Tourism Day, slated for January 15, 2020, at the State House in Montpelier. The event will highlight the importance of tourism to Vermont and advocate for increased tourism funding to encourage more out-of-state tourists to visit. Tourism contributes more than $2.5B in spending to the Vermont economy each year. The most recent Vermont Tourism Benchmark Study showed that the industry supports more than 32,000 jobs – roughly 10 percent of the state’s total workforce – and generates upward of $391 million in tax revenue, saving the average household $1,450 in taxes annually.

by Ethan Tapper We humans have a very strange idea of what a well-tended woodlot should look like. To many people the epitome of good forest management is the image of towering overstory trees over a bare forest floor, their sightline is dotted with massive, evenly-spaced identical trunks.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine In 1976 a skiing prodigy from Southern Vermont not only achieved international fame, but within a few years would forever alter the future of snow sports. This fellow used a little known type of ski to win the first ever American Olympic medal in his sport – a feat not again achieved for 42 years. Within a half-dozen years he would again change the entire industry by popularizing a new way of Nordic skiing.

Economic Policy Institute At the start of the new year, minimum wages will go up in 22 states, lifting pay for 6.8 million workers across the country. In Vermont, the automatic inflation adjustment of 19 cents to $10.96 will affect 16,200, who will see an average increase of $240, or a total of nearly $4 million. Across the US, workers affected by the increases will earn an extra $8.2 billion over the course of 2020 as a result of the changes. The increases range from a $0.10 inflation adjustment in Florida to $1.50 per hour raises in New Mexico and Washington. Affected workers who work year-round will see their annual pay go up between $150 and $1,700, on average, depending on the size of the minimum wage increase in their state.

by Erin Fernandez, Executive Director, Vermont Adaptive It's a bit overwhelming to reach this amazing milestone - raising more than $90,000 during #GivingTuesday. This incredible effort shows that people do pay attention to the season of giving and what it really means. The monies raised allows us to reach more people with our adaptive programs, regardless of their ability to pay, fund and keep current our fleet of expensive adaptive equipment, and continue to broaden our programming options with not just traditional outdoor sports and recreation, but also with our wellness and environmental programming.

Vermont Business Magazine Online shopping is projected to break records this holiday season. A new study shows nearly 40 percent of consumers have been victims of package theft, and holiday shoppers in Vermont are the No. 50 most at-risk, or second lowest, with Massachusetts lowest and the District of Columbia highest at more than triple the Vermont rate. The state had 1,108.30 larceny thefts per 100,000 residents during the holiday shopping period, according to Security.org. Online shopping from November 1 to December 31 is projected to increase to $136 billion, a 13 percent jump from 2018. Driven by Amazon, the package delivery industry is expected to reach $107 billion. This has created a new avenue for criminals and a new term: “Porch Pirate.”

VNAs of Vermont The 2020 legislative session is fast approaching. It will be the second year of a two-year biennium which means any bill that had not yet passed at the end of the 2019 legislative session picks up where it left off. Controversial bills often require a full two-year biennium to make it through the entire process. Such is the case for the minimum wage and paid family leave bills, both of which failed to pass when negotiations to reconcile the House and Senate versions stalled. Eventually, in an unusual move, the House brought the session to an end without agreement from the Senate.

by Jeff Tieman, President and CEO, VAHHS As many of us sit down to a holiday dinner or stand up to toast the new year, thousands of our neighbors are hard at work caring for others. Hospitals don’t close for the holidays—babies are born, emergency surgeries are performed and, unfortunately, more accidents occur during the darkest, iciest days of the year. It takes a lot of devoted people to care for unexpected patients and conditions. 

Missing regular celebrations during the holidays is just one way hospital employees serve their patients and their communities during the giving season. Vermont hospitals contribute millions each year to support community programs and partners—and to provide care for people who cannot afford it. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Interventional and Perioperative Services Departments at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC)—part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC)—received a special gift from donors Bob and Anne Farrara of Eagle Bridge, NY. The couple donated $10,000 for the purchase of an Arrow Vascular Positioning System (VPS) G4 Device from Teleflex. The machine expedites the placement of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) lines—a long thin tube inserted into a vein in the heart. PICC lines remain in place long term and provide clinicians convenient access to deliver intravenous (IV) antibiotics, nutrition, or medications or to draw blood over several encounters without the need for a needle stick.

Vermont Business Magazine Published studies have long found a correlation between obesity in children and decreased executive function. New research published in JAMA Pediatrics, based on data mined from a massive national research study, suggests that a change in brain structure – a thinner prefrontal cortex – may help explain that interrelationship. “Our results show an important connection; that kids with higher BMI tend to have a thinner cerebral cortex, especially in the prefrontal area."

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), earned an ‘A’ for hospital safety from the Leapfrog Group. The national distinction recognizes SVMC’s achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization driven by employers and other purchasers of health care. The organization is committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers.