Current News

by Roland and Lisa Groeneveld and Eli and Nina Lesser-Goldsmith We all faced a barrage of unforeseen challenges when the pandemic arrived. As employers who deeply care about our teams, we prioritized the health and safety of our dedicated employees to ensure that their critical on-site work could continue. While we've done our best to address each new pandemic-related challenge, there's one ongoing crisis that we've been unable to overcome. That crisis is childcare. Affordable, high-quality childcare is essential to all Vermonters. Since the pandemic began, childcare has become even more difficult for our employees to find and afford, and for early childhood educators to provide.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Libraries, in collaboration with the Department of Corrections, has provided over $42,000 in books to the six state correctional facilities. The books will refresh the facilities’ library collections available to incarcerated individuals. The funding was part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant provided to the Vermont Department of Libraries by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The IMLS ARPA funding is meant to help libraries update collections, spaces, and equipment for safe operations and expand programming possibilities, with the overall goal of improving and increasing services to end-users.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), Representative Peter Welch (D) and state and local officials announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded Vermont three Rebuilding American Infrastructure With Sustainability And Equity (RAISE) grants totaling $34,624,624 for Fiscal Year 2022. The grants will support three projects in Vermont: replacing the Winooski River Bridge; construction of the Federal Street Multi-Modal Connector in St. Albans; and a planning grant to improve public transit in Northwestern Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Education and the Department of Health issued a joint memo to school nurses today for the opening of school relative to COVID-19. The memo gives school nurses recommendations on how to manage symptomatic individuals, implement testing protocols, and suggests communication strategies including the need to work closely with local medical practices. The memo puts emphasis on the clinical judgment of school nurses in determining if a student or staff member with mild symptoms is well enough to attend school.

Senator Bernie Sanders As you may know, the Senate passed a reconciliation bill on Sunday called the "Inflation Reduction Act." The vote was 51-50. I voted for it. Let me be honest with you in saying that I have very ambivalent feelings about this legislation. This bill was a chance to do big things. It did very modest things. It was a chance to stand up boldly for the working families of our country who, today, are struggling hard to keep their heads above water. Sadly, it didn't do that. In my view, after weighing the pluses and the minuses of the bill, the pluses won out and I voted for it.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos has released the unofficial results of the political primaries held on Tuesday, August 9. The Statewide Canvass will be held August 16, where a designee from each Major Party will join Secretary Condos to sign off on official results.

by John McClaughry The 2022 general election campaigns are now under way, and it’s time for citizens to smoke out where legislative candidates stand on issues that they are likely to face in 2023. I say “smoke out”, because many if not most candidates are nervous about telling voters where they stand on specific issues. That’s in part due to their limited understanding of the issues, and their anxiety about having to coherently defend any clear position.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development today announced the launch of the State’s first Technology-Based Economic Development program designed to catalyze growth in Vermont’s high tech business sector through increased access to targeted technical and research assistance. Coined as Elevate Vermont, the goal of the multi-faceted program is to help accelerate early-stage technology companies and help established small businesses remain relevant in a global market.

Vermont Business Magazine Sarah Copeland Hanzas won the Democratic primary Tuesday for Vermont Secretary of State in the closest of the major races. Copeland Hanzas received 43% of the vote, Chris Winters received 41% and John Odum received 16%.

Vermont Business Magazine David Zuckerman, the former lieutenant governor, won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor on Tuesday. He previously served two years ago before running for governor in 2020. On Tuesday he received 44% of the vote to outpace Kitty Toll (39%), Patricia Preston (10%) and Charlie Kimbell (7%).