Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Evernorth and RuralEdge were joined by community members, funders and local elected officials on Friday afternoon to celebrate newly renovated buildings and significant progress to a newly constructed building on Burkeland Lane. Burkeland Lane (formerly known as West Burke Housing and Pilgrim Manor) is a mixed-generation affordable housing property located in the heart of West Burke. West Burke village is a small, but thriving community fueled by tourism. The local rental market, like much of Vermont, has been affected by significant rent increases and the conversion of rental units into short-term rentals. These market realities make Burkeland Lane, which will remain permanently affordable, a critical community resource.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC), hosted by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets announces the Organic On-Farm Milk Storage & Handling Grant. This grant opportunity opened December 13, 2022 and closes on February 9, 2023. In a continuing response to the ongoing organic dairy crisis brought to the forefront when dozens of farmers across the Northeast lost milk contracts in 2021, and in response to the high demand for milk storage and handling upgrades in previous funding rounds, the NE-DBIC is opening a special grant round for organic dairy producers.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) is celebrating CVFiber, one of Vermont’s 10 Communications Union Districts (CUDs), on its launch of construction set for Wednesday, December 21. CVFiber leadership will welcome state and local officials to the Calais Town Hall, 1662 Kent Hill Road, at 11 am to mark the start of construction of its 1,200-mile fiber network that will serve nearly 6,000 underserved locations throughout central Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The bipartisan Promoting Peace, Education, and Cultural Exchange (PEACE) Through Music Diplomacy Act, introduced in the Senate by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Intellectual Property Subcommittee, passed the Senate Thursday night as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment authorizes the State Department to facilitate music-related exchange programs with other countries, including those focused on cross-cultural understanding and conflict resolution.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) is now accepting applications for Trade Show Assistance Grants. Funded by the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative (WLEI), these grants provide Vermont agricultural and forestry businesses with funds to identify, plan, exhibit, and sell their Vermont products at out-of-state and international trade shows or virtual shows targeting out-of-state buyers. WLEI has set aside $50,000 to support Vermont businesses with their tradeshow marketing between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. Trade Show Assistance Grants provide 50% reimbursement on eligible expenses to help mitigate the financial risks associated with exhibiting at trade shows.

Vermont Business Magazine State Director for US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) in Vermont and New Hampshire, Sarah Waring, today announced $2,136,062 in grant funding to improve housing and economic opportunity for socially vulnerable rural residents in the Twin States. USDA is making the investments through its Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) program, Housing Preservation Grants (HPG), Community Facilities Disaster Relief Grants (CF) and a partnership with the Northern Border Regional Commission. The investments are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to ensure that people living in rural America have equitable access to the infrastructure and economic opportunities they deserve.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Labor reported that the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for November was 2.5 percent. This reflects an increase of two-tenths of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. The Labor Force improved but both the number of employed (down 209) and the number of unemployed (up 547) contributed to the rate increase. October's rate also saw an increase of two-tenths as the major indices revealed mediocre results, but they have shown vast improvement from the same time last year. The rate during the summer fell to 2.1 percent, which is the state's historic low. The civilian labor force participation rate was 61.7 percent in November, unchanged from the prior month. Vermont has the fifth lowest unemployment rate. Minnesota is lowest 2.2 percent, while Nevada is highest as 4.9 percent. The US rate of 3.7 percent is unchanged.

Vermont Business Magazine Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBank Boston) awarded nearly $19.6 million in grants, loans, and interest-rate subsidies to support 32 affordable housing initiatives in New England and beyond. These projects, funded in part through FHLBank Boston’s Affordable Housing Program (AHP), will create or preserve 929 rental and homeownership units for individuals and families earning up to 80% of the area median income. As part of this funding round, Vermont received $900,000 for 78 affordable units of rental and homeownership housing in Hinesburg, Randolph, and Vergennes.

Vermont Business Magazine Trends like accelerated adoption of cloud services, new emphasis on zero trust architecture, and remote enablement aren’t limited to the private sector. These innovations are also critically important to state and local governments and higher education (SLED) institutions that the American population counts on for vital functions and reliable services. NuHarbor Security, based in Colchester, the industry’s most trusted managed security provider to the SLED community, has released the first Cybersecurity Priorities Report (CPR) created by, and for, SLED IT and security leaders.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Public Service (PSD) on Thursday announced that it has released results of a drive test, conducted in conjunction with the Agency of Transportation (AOT), to determine mobile wireless coverage throughout the state. “Access to mobile wireless service is a top priority for Vermonters, for this Administration, and for the Department,” said PSD Commissioner June Tierney. “We all know that there are many areas of the state that lack service. The drive tests will help to identify those areas so we can prioritize them for new coverage.”

Vermont Business Magazine University-led student statehouse reporting programs provided more than 1,000 news stories to 1,200 media outlets in 17 states, according to a new report from the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont. While statehouse reporting has been decimated due to cutbacks in the industry, increases in student legislative reporting is one bright spot, the report finds.