Current News

VermontBiz Today, the Vermont Department of Labor released data on the Vermont economy for the time period covering October 2022. According to household data, the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for October was 2.3 percent. This reflects an increase of two-tenths of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. The civilian labor force participation was 61.7 percent in October, a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point.

VermontBiz U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Charles Grassley (R-IA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) released the following statements after the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2022, which would reauthorize the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program to combat child exploitation across the country, passed the Senate earlier this week:

“By providing the resources, officers, and technology law enforcement agencies need to counter the threat of cyber-crimes, we can build more barriers between predators and the victims they target,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I applaud my colleagues for reauthorizing this task force that prevents the perpetrators of these heinous crimes from committing future abuse, and I urge the House to pass this legislation as soon as possible.”

VermontBiz The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently issued seven ‘Water Quality Restoration Formula Grants’ to provide funding for clean water projects to address phosphorous and other water quality impairments in the Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog watershed basins.

These grants were distributed to newly formed regional Clean Water Service Providers (CWSPs) established under Vermont’s Act 76 of 2019. Each CWSP represents their respective tactical basin planning watershed and will operate within their assigned area. The grants, totaling in $7 million, were funded out of the Clean Water Fund, which is supported by revenue from Vermont’s Rooms and Meals and Property Transfer revenues, and unrecovered nickels from unreturned recyclables.

VermontBiz Governor Phil Scott and the Department for Children and Families (DCF) announced today the release of $20 million in Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding for households that heat with fuel oil, propane, kerosene, coal, electricity, and natural gas.

“We know many are feeling the burden of high inflation that is impacting the entire country, and the rise in home heating costs is a significant challenge,” said Governor Scott. “LIHEAP is an important benefit that helps vulnerable families, and I thank our congressional delegation, in particular Senator Leahy, for his work to secure additional LIHEAP funding this year. In Montpelier, we must work tirelessly to keep costs down for Vermont families.”

VermontBiz Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced and celebrated the completion of the Shelburne Street Roundabout Project in Burlington’s south end. The Project redesigned the existing rotary into a modern roundabout, provides designated crossing locations with rapid flashing beacons, new sidewalks, and shared-use paths. It was funded through the State of Vermont’s Highway Safety Improvement Program with $7.7 million in Federal Highway Administration dollars.

VermontBiz In celebration of 45 years of recycling, Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CWST), chose America Recycles Day to launch the latest in a series of videos aimed at educating its customers and the public on the importance of recycling as part of an integrated resource management system that facilitates a circular economy, while maintaining economic and environmentally sustainable business practices.

VermontBiz Extraordinary cost inflation and workforce shortages continue to impact hospitals and health systems as the University of Vermont Health Network releases its Fiscal Year 2022 year-end results. To address these broad challenges, the Network is actively implementing a focused path forward plan to improve revenue and expenses, recruit and retain talented employees and continue improving patient access to high-quality care in Fiscal Year 2023.

VermontBiz Winter is around the corner and I know many of you are worried about your heating bills. The good news is that assistance is available to help you and your family stay safe and warm through this winter season.

Vermont will be receiving $25.4 million in funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the federal program that provides critical assistance for Vermonters and people across the country during the winter and summer months. In Vermont, LIHEAP can help cover seasonal fuel bills as well as assist with furnace and fuel tank replacements or repairs.

VermontBiz Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Senator-elect Peter Welch (D-Vt.) this week joined their New Hampshire counterparts in sending a letter urging a locality pay region be established for the White River Junction area of Vermont. Federal workers in Windsor and Orange Counties in Vermont, and Grafton and Sullivan County in New Hampshire, face gaps with their private sector equivalents and nearby Federal employees due to categorization as “rest-of-U.S.” Vermonters who work for the White River Junction VA and the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab have strongly advocated for the change.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) announces the awardees for the second competitive round of the Climate Catalyst Innovation Fund. The funding supports projects that make a meaningful, community-scale impact. Of the 37 applications that totaled more than $118,000 in requests, VCRD was able to fully fund 25 project requests totaling over $82,000 to support local climate solutions in Vermont. In collaboration with generous funders including VLITE, VSECU, the Sunflower Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation and others, VCRD is supporting local innovators in developing solutions that move Vermont closer to its climate and energy goals.

Vermont Business Magazine Williston-based iSun, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISUN), a leading solar energy and clean mobility infrastructure company with 50 years of experience accelerating the adoption of innovative electrical technologies, today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2022. Results include: Revenue of $19.0 million, an increase of 185% from the third quarter of 2021; Gross profit of $3.6 million, compared to $1.3 million in last year’s third quarter.