Current News

Vermont Business Magazine As residents and visitors pull off Route 100 and onto Route 4 accessing all that Killington has to offer, it’s hard to pinpoint “the heart of town.” In an effort to create a “Welcome to Killington” marker at a place where residents and visitors have all-in-one access to town offices and a welcome center, the Town of Killington is in process of purchasing a five-unit, 11,000+ square foot property at 2046 US-4, Killington, VT. This action is the first step to creating an entrance for the community resort and town businesses. It also frees up the current town office to become a recreation and gathering space for youth and senior residents.

VermontBiz Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement: “I am saddened to learn of the passing of Representative John Palasik this morning. Rep. Palasik was a committed public servant, devoting his career to helping others, whether it was in the U.S. Army, Vermont National Guard, Milton Police Department, Milton Rescue, as a State Representative, or the many other local roles he performed.

VermontBiz The Vermont Department of Labor has announced an increase to the State’s minimum wage. Beginning January 1, 2023, the State’s minimum wage will become $13.18 per hour. This is an increase of $0.63 from the current minimum wage of $12.55.

This annual adjustment also impacts the minimum wage for tipped employees. The Basic Tipped Wage Rate for service, or “tipped employees,” equals 50% of the full minimum wage. On January 1, 2023, the tipped minimum wage will increase from $6.28 to $6.59 per hour.

Vermont Business Magazine March of Dimes, the nation's leader in mom and baby health, released its 2022 Report Card today, revealing that the US preterm birth rate increased to 10.5% in 2021 – a significant 4% increase in just one year and the highest recorded rate since 2007. Despite reporting a slight decline last year, the preterm birth rate has steadily increased since 2014, earning the country a D+ grade in the Report Card. Vermont, with an A-, was the only state to get better than a B+ grade (New Hampshire). The data also shows persistent racial disparities across maternal and infant health measures that were compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, making the US among the most dangerous developed nations for childbirth.

Vermont Business Magazine On November 15, 2022 Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) filed a request for an 8.19 percent rate increase to apply to VEC member bills in the new year. The primary driver for the increase request is the significant upward pressure on the cost of wholesale power, primarily driven by the worldwide shortage of natural gas. Since sixty percent of VEC’s operating budget is spent on power supply and the transmission system to deliver it, and because we are a small part of a regional grid and worldwide market, it is challenging to mitigate these increases. VEC’s 2023 power supply cost is projected to increase by $4.8 million over 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine Commemorate a loved one by participating in the 2022 VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region’s Annual Tree of Remembrance Ceremony. Held virtually again this year, the tree will be illuminated, and the names of loved ones read during a Facebook broadcast. The broadcast will be held on Thursday, December 15, 2022, at 7pm on the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region’s Facebook page. Dr. Allan Eisemann, Hospice Medical Director and Medical Director of the Foley Cancer Center, will be featured along with Jesse Bradley, Hospice Chaplain of the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region.

Vermont Business Magazine Richard L. Page, M.D., dean of The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, has announced the appointment of J. Kathleen (Kate) Tracy, Ph.D., as senior associate dean for research. Tracy will also serve as professor of medicine at the Larner College of Medicine and director of research at the UVM Health Network. She will begin her new role in February 2023. Tracy comes to Vermont from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMB-SOM), where she is a professor of epidemiology and public health, vice chair for research services, epidemiology and public health, and head of the Division of Preventive Medicine.

Vermont Business Magazine Scott Administration officials will be visiting Essex and Orleans counties on Thursday to hear from community leaders about their unique infrastructure needs and to discuss the many funding opportunities available to them via federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. Officials will offer guidance on how communities can apply for assistance with tangible economic development, housing, water and sewer, climate change mitigation measures, and broadband projects.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College President Alex Hernandez announced a new partnership between Champlain College and HULA at his inauguration ceremony earlier this month. The college and business incubator are committed to working together to support the growth of the entrepreneurial community and be an economic engine of opportunity for Vermont. The partnership will begin with an “Entrepreneurship Master Class” at Hula, extending the Champlain College classroom footprint onto the Hula campus. The class will host a series of HULA members as speakers and provide opportunities to learn from a variety of entrepreneurs in the start-up community.

Vermont Business Magazine The Great American Smokeout is Thursday, November 17, and Vermonters who smoke or use tobacco can take a first, big step to improving their health by joining this national quit day. Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death and illness worldwide, claiming an estimated 480,000 lives every year — or about 1 in 5 deaths. The good news is that recent data show that risk drops the sooner someone quits smoking. For Vermont youth under the age of 18, confidential help is also available. The vaping epidemic over the past several years has impacted thousands of Vermont youth — 26% of high school students reported current use of electronic vaping products, with more than a third reporting daily use. s