Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported September 21 that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations both increased but are still considered "Low." Total cases for the week increased by 31% to 581. Hospitalizations increased by 2 to 39 and have been edging up over the last three weeks. There were 19 COVID-related fatalities in August and 4 so far in September, for a pandemic total of 719.

Vermont Business Magazine The Board of Trustees of the Vermont State Colleges System at this week’s board meeting unanimously approved a base tuition for Vermonters enrolling at Vermont State University of $9,999 per year in undergraduate programs, commencing with the launch of the new university on July 1, 2023. This reflects a 15% decrease from the current average in-state tuition1 at the unifying institutions – Castleton University, Northern Vermont University, and Vermont Technical College. After holding tuition rates flat for two years to address the key strategic priority of student affordability, the Board said in a statement that it "is pleased" to announce an in-state tuition rate that drastically lowers a barrier to access for many Vermonters and increases the attractiveness of pursuing higher education in Vermont for out-of-state students. The base tuition rate for out-of-state students was also lowered and will start at $19,998. Approximately 70% of students attending the future Vermont State University are Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) will launch a significant program to purchase local food and support the most vulnerable. Earlier this summer the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced it signed a cooperative agreement with Vermont under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). Through LFPA, VAAFM has connected with local partners to purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.

Vermont Business Magazine The Executive Board of the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association (VFDA) unanimously endorsed a strategic plan designed to strengthen the nearly 60-year-old organization. Stephanie Austin will become VFDA’s Executive Director, effective October 1. Austin started her career at VFDA in 2006 and has run the training programs and compliance center for over a decade. Matt Cota, who has led the organization since 2007, will become VFDA’s Managing Director under his new government affairs firm, Meadow Hill Consulting.

Vermont Business Magazine Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom recently had the opportunity to help host the Foundation For Rural Service (FRS) Congressional Broadband Tour. Each year, FRS hosts a trip for Congressional staff members to get out in the field to see first-hand how broadband is delivered in rural communities and how these services impact the local economy. This is the first time this trip has come to Vermont and it was a great opportunity for WCVT to be part of the conversation and highlight both the importance and the challenges associated with building broadband in Vermont.

Vermont State Police An autopsy was completed Thursday on Mark P. Benjamin, 42, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the neck, and the manner of death is a homicide. The suspect, 61-year-old Michael Chadwick of Brownington, was arraigned Thursday afternoon in Hyde Park on a charge of second-degree murder, pleaded not guilty, and was ordered jailed without bail.

Sponsored Content

Software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) is one of the most rapidly adopted technologies of the past decade. According to a study published by Dell’Oro Group, the worldwide sales of SD-WAN technologies are forecasted to grow at double-digit rates over each of the next five years to surpass $3.2 billion in 2024. This growth is certainly a testament to some of the more well-known benefits of SD-WAN technology, such as centralized network policy management, network flexibility and application-aware routing. More recently, SD-WAN has emerged as a key component for building more flexible, integrated security frameworks.

Vermont Business Magazine Want to see what a modern high school and technical center in Burlington could look like? Burlington School District (BSD) released the most recent drawings, floor plans, and a “fly through” video of the school at a Town Hall on Wednesday, September 21st. The video gives a glimpse of the building, which is being designed to be open, sustainable, flexible, accessible, and vibrant. The numbers are based on the passage of a $165 million bond vote in November. The district also released more tax estimates targeted toward those who pay school taxes based on their income rather than the cost of their home. The range is $190 a year on the low end to $1,088 on the high end.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard destination in Eastern North America and a POWDR resort, announced today that tickets for the 2022 Killington Cup will be available for purchase starting October 6 at 10:00 a.m. ET at killington.com. Taking place November 25-27, the Audi FIS Ski World Cup will once again bring the women’s giant slalom and slalom races to Vermont. The event is expected to attract US Ski Team superstars, including five-time Killington Cup slalom victor and last season’s overall World Cup winner Mikaela Shiffrin, former University of Vermont skier Paula Moltzan and Burke Mountain graduate and Dartmouth student Nina O’Brien.

Vermont Business Magazine Gasoline prices in Vermont and across the country continued to edge down over the last week, but at a slower rate than in August. US prices even rose slightly during the past week before falling. As of today in Vermont, the average price of gasoline is $3.76 per gallon. This is unchanged from yesterday, 7 cents lower than last week, 44 cents lower than last month and 66 cents higher than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine As millions of birds are flocking to their wintering grounds, the National Audubon Society and nine partner organizations has announced the Bird Migration Explorer, a state-of-the-art digital platform that reveals migration data consolidated for 458 bird species found in the United States and Canada. The free, interactive platform, available in English and Spanish, allows users to see the most complete data collected on migratory species in their neighborhoods and where those birds go throughout the year. Since 1997, Audubon Vermont has operated a MAPS bird banding station at the Green Mountain Audubon Center, operated by a USGS-licensed Master Bander, Audubon Vermont’s conservation program manager Mark LaBarr. Mark has handled more than 15,000 birds for banding in his lifetime, including 5,000 birds over 25 years at the Green Mountain Audubon Center.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Buildings and General Services Surplus Property Program will be hosting a special 4-day sale of surplus property at 11 Green Mountain Drive in Montpelier starting Monday, September 26, 2022. On Monday, September 26, the sale will be open to State Agencies and Departments only. On the Tuesday, access will expand to include schools, towns, and non-profit agencies. On Wednesday, the sale will be open to the public and on Thursday, all remaining items will be free.