Current News

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.

Vermont Business Magazine During the winter, many people seek to avoid high heating costs by turning to wood as a fuel. However, many wood heaters are inefficient and emit more pollutants into the air than heaters that burn oil or natural gas or those that run on electricity such as heat pumps. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is sharing tips for a healthier heating season. Older or inefficient wood heaters emit fine particles and other pollutants, including carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), black carbon, and air toxics, such as benzene.

Vermont Business Magazine At recent meetings, the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board awarded $31.96 million in state and federal funds for construction and rehabilitation of 244 homes serving households in Hartford, Morrisville, Newport City and Newport Center, Windsor, South Burlington, and Burlington. Federal funding commitments totaling $30.33 million were matched with $1.62 million in state funds. A loan program for repairs to farmworker housing will be recapitalized, helping improve housing for farmworkers around the state.

The Vermont Chamber of Commerce and VermontBiz have announced the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Business of the Year Award is Hickok & Boardman Insurance Group. Hickok & Boardman will accept the award at the upcoming Vermont Economic Conference, which will take place on January 30, 2023, at the University of Vermont Dudley H Davis Center. The Outstanding Business of the Year Award is presented annually to the Vermont business that demonstrates a commitment to community, workforce well-being, environmental stewardship, and growth in sales or employment. Award recipients have been based in Vermont for at least 10 years.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America and part of POWDR, has received a positive snow control announcement from FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation), the governing body of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup. With this announcement, Killington Resort can assure international race teams and ski racing fans traveling to central Vermont for Thanksgiving weekend that both the Giant Slalom and Slalom races will take place as scheduled on November 26 and 27.

Vermont Business Magazine Pursuant to the Vermont Uniform Commercial Code, 9A V.S.A § 9-610, the security interests of the Secured Creditor will be enforced and all assets of Edge Pharma, LLC., a compounding pharmacy in Colchester, VT, will be sold via online auction on Orbitbid.com, the auctioneer announced today. A federal court had permanently enjoined the Colchester, Vermont, compounding pharmacy from distributing drugs unless they are manufactured in compliance with the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), the Justice Department announced on June 13, 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that David Green, 23, of South Burlington, Vermont, was arraigned today on three felony counts of Promoting a Recording of Sexual Conduct. The charges brought against Mr. Green are the result of a criminal investigation – including the execution of residential and online data search warrants – conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), including personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and South Burlington Police Department.