Current News

VermontBiz Today, Treasurer Mike Pieciak announced the successful launch of the Vermont Saves program’s pilot phase. Vermont Saves was unanimously approved by the Vermont Legislature and signed into law by Governor Scott in 2023.  

The program establishes a workplace retirement plan for Vermonters who are not offered a plan through their employer.  Seven businesses are participating in the pilot before the program is opened to all eligible employers in December 2024. 

VermontBiz  Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest mountain resort in Eastern North America, announces a massive investment in new energy efficient snow guns totaling 1,000 new pieces of equipment over the next two seasons.  

For the 2024 season, Killington and Pico will be adding 36 HKD Snowmakers Phazer portable snowmaking guns and installing 454 HKD Impulse and Phazer R5 tower guns as well as four fully automatic HKD Diablo fan guns. In 2025, an additional 510 new HKD Impulse and Phazer R5 tower guns will be installed. This will more than double the total number of fixed tower snow guns between Killington and Pico, an unprecedented increase in equipment.   

VermontBiz The Vermont Department of Labor has announced the determination of the 2025 Unemployment Insurance (UI) Taxable Wage Base. Effective January 1, 2025, the Taxable Wage base will increase from its current level of $14,300 to $14,800 - an increase of $500.  

Employers pay unemployment contributions based on initial wages earned annually by each of their employees up to a certain amount. This is known as the Taxable Wage Base. Under the new Taxable Wage Base, employers will pay UI contributions on the first $14,800 an employee earns in calendar year 2025.  

VermontBiz The Department of Health announced today the first confirmed death this year caused by infection with Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus. The Chittenden County resident, a male in his 70s, was hospitalized in late August and died due to his illness in September. This death is the first in Vermont since 2012. Test results were confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week. While the risk is much lower now than it was in August, residents of communities at high risk should continue to take precautions, particularly after dark.

Vermont Business Magazine The Weston, a luxury boutique hotel located in Weston Vermont, has been named the #1 hotel in New England by Condé Nast Traveler's 2024 Readers' Choice Awards. Condé Nast Traveler today announced the results of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards with The Weston, a luxury boutique hotel located in Weston Vermont, recognized as the #1 Hotel in New England. More than 575,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers across the United States submitted responses rating their travel experiences across the globe to offer a comprehensive look at the places they eagerly anticipate revisiting. The Readers' Choice Awards, with their unparalleled legacy as the travel industry's longest-running and most prestigious accolades, remain the ultimate symbol and acknowledgment of excellence within the travel sector. 

Vermont Council on Rural Development This fund helps community projects move from an ambitious idea to an implemented climate-based solution. The first three rounds awarded a total of over $200,000 to 68 local innovators for a diversity of projects including a floodplain public food forest, frontline emergency preparedness kits, climate economy workforce training, e-bikes at local libraries, solar with back-up battery storage for a library community hub, and more. Applications are now open for the 2024 Climate Catalyst Innovation Fund! Grants range from $500-4,000 and will be awarded based on a mix of innovation, resilience, collaboration, replicability, and addressing Vermonters in need. Eligible applicants include municipalities, town committees, schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations. Application deadline is October 28th @ 5pm. Award decisions will be made and funds distributed by the end of November.

Vermont Business Magazine Consolidated Communications  a leading broadband and business communications provider, today announced that business customers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont can now benefit from Consolidated’s comprehensive Cloud WiFi solution. In today’s business environment, half of all internet traffic is over WiFi, and 64% of U.S. adults use their personal smartphones for business-related purposes. The need for simple, comprehensive WiFi services for businesses will continue to grow as businesses increasingly utilize connected devices and their customers desire and expect an exceptional WiFi experience.  

Vermont Business Magazine When Vermonters tune in to broadcast news, more than likely they are being informed and inspired by a Vermont State University (VTSU) graduate. Known for its excellent communications program with concentrations in new media, journalism, and cinema studies and production as well as its top-notch atmospheric sciences program, Vermont State University produces graduates who are working across the media landscape as journalists in broadcast, online, and print media, meteorologists, in production behind the scenes, and more. Alumni are excelling in journalism and media here in Vermont as well as across the region and country. The Vermont Association of Broadcasters (VAB) recently announced that two Vermont State University alumni will be honored at their upcoming Hall of Fame & Awards Gala on November 16, 2024, and two additional alumni are receiving recognition as 2024 VAB Rising Stars. 

Vermont Business Magazine After a rare Canada lynx was confirmed in Vermont last August for the first time in years, biologists with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department have continued to receive verifiable photos and videos of what they believe is the same individual wild cat. Reports indicate that the lynx has moved about 60 miles north of where it was first sighted in Rutland County into Addison County, traveling around a dozen miles at a time and then staying in the same general area for several days before moving on.  Juvenile lynx will often travel long distances searching for new territory, a behavior called “dispersal” by biologists.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, in collaboration with Attorney General Charity Clark, shared a new webpage and two PSA videos this week to warn voters about disinformation and scams they may encounter this election season. “Election season is when we come together to engage with our communities and advocate for the visions and values we want to see from the federal to the local level,” said Secretary Copeland Hanzas. “Unfortunately, we also see malicious efforts during this time to take advantage of voters, either with misleading and fake information or with direct scams.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont School Boards Association (VSBA) has released the final report from the Task Force on Collaboration to Benefit All Students, identifying and addressing long-standing challenges within the state's education leadership structure. These challenges have impacted the ability of districts to meet Vermont's commitment to equity in public education, as codified in Title 16 of Vermont statutes, which guarantee that all children have access to substantially equal educational opportunities. The Task Force, composed of representatives from each of the 11 VSBA regions, sought input from key stakeholders across the education system, including the Interim Secretary of Education, the Chair of the State Board of Education, school board members, superintendents, and staff from Vermont educational organizations.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in introducing the New Homes Tax Credit Act, legislation that will provide tax credits to incentivize new investments and additional resources for home construction and renovations for working families. The New Homes Tax Credit Act will address the lack of housing inventory for individuals and families whose incomes are below 120% of the area median income (AMI), particularly including in areas where middle-income families have historically been priced out. In Burlington, Montpelier, and Rutland this added housing inventory would benefit families with annual combined incomes of up to $142,680, $126,480, and $114,000, respectively.