Current News

by Rob Roper The mood at recent Vermont Climate Council committee meetings is bleak as the folks tasked by the legislature to come up with a plan to meet the greenhouse gas reduction mandates of their Global Warming Solutions Act do not have one. It’s not entirely their fault. The task is and always was politically and logistically impossible. The whole thing has echoes of the legislature passing a law to deliver a single payer healthcare system before looking at the details of what it would cost and what it would take. When the public finally saw the price tag, dreams of single payer very quickly evaporated.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Army and GlobalFoundries (GF) signed off Friday on a partnership agreement that could boost jobs as the semiconductor plant in Essex Junction. The deal would put servicemembers leaving the Army front and center with job openings at GF's plant in Vermont. There are about 200 job openings. GlobalFoundries VP and GM Kenneth McAvey told VermontBiz at the signing that many of the technical skills servicemembers are a perfect fit for positions available at the Vermont plant. They also bring a great work ethic.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Warden Service is actively investigating a hunting related shooting incident that occurred on Saturday, September 10, on private land in the town of Huntington. Game Wardens with the Vermont Warden Service and Troopers with the Vermont State Police responded to the area along with medical personnel after a 911 call was placed by a third hunter on Saturday morning. The victim was walking to a tree stand in a wooded area off Main Road when he was struck in the abdomen by a single gunshot fired by another hunter, who claimed that he mistook the victim for a bear.

Vermont Business Magazine Prior to the pandemic, Rutland Regional Medical Center embarked on crucial upgrades to the PSIU to comply with safety guidelines as well as create an updated and more patient-centered psychiatric unit. The celebration for the $4.1 million PSIU renovation will take place on September 14.

Vermont Business Magazine KeyBank has awarded a $20,000 grant to World Learning for the program Pathway to Financial Literacy, a new initiative under World Learning’s New Vermonter Education Program (NVEP). This critical support will expand NVEP’s curriculum offerings and help World Learning ensure the long-term success of the program, which is quickly becoming a national model for refugee resettlement. NVEP is a partnership between World Learning and School for International Training (SIT) and the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) in which refugees receive short-term housing and education in Brattleboro. More than 100 Afghan refugees have received temporary housing and English language and cultural orientation classes on SIT’s campus since January.

Vermont Agency of Transportation This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will have traffic impacts on state highways throughout Vermont for the week of September 12. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.

Vermont Business Magazine Farm, food, and forest businesses can apply now for Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Business Enhancement Grants. The Working Lands Enterprise Board (WLEB) is releasing a request for applications (RFA) totaling $450,000 that will allow Vermont farm, food, and forest businesses to invest in business enhancement initiatives, such as market, infrastructure, and workforce development. Please read the RFA (link below) to learn about eligible projects, the application process, and review the application questions. The application will open for submission September 23, 2022.  The application deadline is October 28, 2022.  

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), the statewide, nonprofit business association with a mission to leverage the power of business for positive social and environmental impact, has announced the 2022 recipients for three awards that encourage and showcase the growth and impact of socially responsible business activity in Vermont. Registration for the 21st Annual VBSR Awards Ceremony, Tuesday, October 4, 5:00-8:30 pm, at Basin Harbor, Vergennes, has also opened.

Vermont Business Magazine For the first time ever and just in time for fall, Lawson’s Finest Liquids is introducing a Black IPA across the Northeast. Big Hoppy, a 7.5% ABV Black IPA boasting a bold flavor profile, is now available for the first time across the brewery’s nine-state distribution area in the Northeast. Made with huge additions of five hop varieties and seven malts, Big Hoppy is a dark and decadent brew reflecting a resinous, sticky fusion and intense bitterness for the most devoted hopheads. With its potent aromas and bold taste, the beer leads with a roasted flavor profile complemented by its signature bitterness resulting from a potent blend of hops.

Vermont Business Magazine The work to mitigate hunger issues was aided recently by a $38,977 grant from Shaw’s and Star Market’s Foundation Nourishing Neighbors Program that aims to help connect qualified individuals with existing federal meal programs such as SNAP, WIC, P-EBT, and free or reduced school nutrition programs. This funding will allow Hunger Free Vermont (HFVT) to help more kids in Vermont access healthy food. HFVT trains and assists schools and daycares in increasing their average daily participation in the federal school, childcare, afterschool, and summer meals programs as well as empowering their staff to provide information about SNAP and WIC to the families they serve. HFVT’s partner agencies serving older Vermonters will also receive training on the benefits of participation in SNAP and be better prepared to help their clients apply.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont National Guard is hosting an Open House at the 158th Fighter Wing Air Base on September 11, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This free event will feature military and civilian aircraft, military vehicles and equipment, flight and driving simulators, demonstrations, and interactive displays from both the Army and Air National Guard.