Current News

Vermont Business Magazine As the world continues to deal with the realities of climate change, countries are increasingly turning towards renewable energy sources. Here in the U.S., the Biden administration has set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030, but progress varies by state. According to a new report by The Motley Fool, which looks at renewable energy stats by state, Vermont ranks #3 in terms of percentage of total electric power generated by renewable energy sources. Iowa generates the most and Kentucky the least.

Vermont Business Magazine Roundup of news from November 2022: Hickok & Boardman Insurance to receive 2022 Outstanding Business of the Year Award; Favorites win big in 2022 General Election; Tax revenues continue on strong pace despite inflation; VSECU members approve merger with NEFCU; Vermont’s unemployment rate increases to 2.3% in October; Vermont Electric Cooperative files 8.19% increase in 2023 rate request; Worker Relocation Incentive Program application now open; CityPlace construction begins in Burlington: and more.

Senator Leahy: “The Atomic Energy Commission’s decision in 1954 to revoke J. Robert Oppenheimer’s security clearance was based on a manifestly unjust and unethical hearing that would be resoundingly condemned today. Robert Oppenheimer was a brilliant scientist whose indispensable role in leading the Manhattan Project is beyond dispute. He served this country in a time of great peril as no other person could have, and he remained steadfastly loyal to this country until his death. I commend Secretary Granholm for taking this important step in the interest of justice and fairness.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Animation Festival has announced Oscar-nominated animation directors Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata will be the keynote speakers for the Eighth Annual Vermont Animation Festival. Hosted by Northern Vermont University in partnership with Catamount Arts, the festival will be held March 24 and 25 on the NVU-Lyndon campus. Porter and Kuwahata specialize in mixed-media narratives and the pair have been working together as Tiny Inventions (tinyinventions.com) since 2008. Their work often combines handcrafted art, CG animation, drawn animation, stop-motion, and photographic effects and they have directed and produced TV commercials, music videos, PSAs, and independent films. Negative Space, their 90th Oscar-nominated film, has won 128 awards at 320 film festivals worldwide.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) announced this week the Good Spirits Café has officially opened its doors to incarcerated individuals and staff at Southern State Correctional Facility (SSCF). The café is an innovative small business venture created by incarcerated individuals of the SSCF honor unit—a special residential housing unit with increased independence and behavior contracts—with assistance from DOC staff.

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.