Current News

Vermont Business Magazine On May 2, Governor Phil Scott returned without signature and vetoed S.286, the pension relief bill. Both the Senate and House passed the bill without opposition. Scott acknowledged his veto will likely be overridden, but he said the bill is just a "Band-Aid" on a $5.7 billion retirement problem. According to JFO actuarial estimates, the bill is expected to reduce Vermont’s long-term unfunded retirement liabilities for state employees and teachers by approximately $2 billion by prefunding other post-employment benefits, modifying the pension benefit structure, and making additional state and employee contributions into the retirement systems. The governor wanted new state employees to have a defined contribution option, as many private company workers do.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 98 cases of COVID-19 for Sunday, which tends to have the fewest reported cases. There were 294 cases on Saturday, 323 on Friday and 417 on Thursday. VDH also reported two additional deaths from the virus. The total death toll is now 639 lives lost. Hospitalizations were elevated in April and today were 66 (up 6 from Friday).

​Vermont Business Magazine Today Brenda Siegel of Newfane entered the Democratic primary for governor. She made the announcement from the State House Steps in Montpelier, where last fall she and Josh Lisenby slept for 27 nights to successfully demand that the current administration reinstate the GA Motel program that shelters Vermonters experiencing homelessness.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger announced today that Burlington has been named as having the “Best Public Square” in the United States for 2022, according to USA Today’s “10 Best” Readers’ Choice awards. Burlington was nominated by USA Today’s panel of judges, but the final ranking of the top 10 public squares was selected by readers after four weeks of voting.

Vermont Business Magazine Building Bright Futures through Vermont’s Early Childhood Data and Policy Center has released a new Data Brief on Exclusionary Discipline in Vermont to document and disseminate the existing data on suspensions and expulsions of children under age 9. The brief also lays out the limitations of the available data, implementation challenges, and policy considerations for Vermont’s Early Childhood System. Students ages 5-8 from lower-income families are more than twice as likely to be suspended from school in Vermont (as compared to students from higher-income families). Special education students ages 5-8 are more than twice as likely to be suspended from school in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Another healthcare leader is leaving the state. Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems announced today that president and CEO Jeff Tieman will depart the organization in June to lead the hospital association in his home state of Colorado. Tieman has led the association representing Vermont’s non-profit hospital system for almost six years, successfully navigating the country’s most complex regulatory environment, and serving as the key point of contact for Vermont hospitals in the state's pandemic response. NMC recently announced that its CEO, Dr Dean French, is leaving for a position in Kentucky.

Vermont Business Magazine The CEO of Northwestern Medical Center is leaving for a job in Kentucky. NMC and ScionHealth have announced that CEO Dr Dean French has accepted a position at the Louisville-based health system. This August, Dr French will become the Chief Medical Officer at ScionHealth, a 79-hospital healthcare system spread across 25 states.

In a statement to staff and medical staff, NMC Board President Jake Holzscheiter said that although this change was unexpected, the Board of Directors is pleased with the dramatic progress NMC has made in the past year and a half under Dr. French’s leadership. He was named NMC CEO in October 2020.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Save the date for this year's Open Farm Week, taking place August 7-14, 2022. Open Farm week creates an opportunity for folks to visit farms and connect with Vermont's working landscape. This event has proven to be a great way for farmers to meet their customers and community! For seven years, farmers have been inviting the public behind the scenes to experience and celebrate Vermont’s agricultural heritage. During Open Farm Week, farms across the state will offer a range of events from on-farm dinners and workshops to tours and tastings that are uniquely crafted at every farm. This is a great opportunity to show people the places where their food comes from and the farmers who make it happen.

Vermont Business Magazine Middlesex-based Kingsbury Companies was recently awarded the Royalton Fire District #1 Water Treatment Facility Improvements Project in South Royalton.

The work of this project includes the construction of a new 220,700-gallon water storage tank, a new third clarifier/filter treatment unit and appurtenances, upgrades to existing filters, building additions, new generator, mechanical, electrical/instrumentation and other upgrades to the existing facilities, and site work.

Chair of the Royalton Prudential Committee Theron Manning commented, “The Royalton Fire District represents most of the village structures within the boundaries of South Royalton Village. We are a small community of approximately 200 connections and currently provide service for about 470 units of either single family dwellings, a variety of residential apartments, a K-12 School, Vermont Law School and small businesses within the Royalton Fire District.

Vermont Business Magazine No winter was in sight on a balmy high 50 degree day as the crowds enjoyed the 5th Annual Winter Homebrew Festival in downtown Bennington, Vermont. The festival was once again organized by the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Hopridge Farms and topped out at over 500 attendees. The Saturday festival opened its doors at noon to exclusive VIP ticket holders for a private tasting of both regional food and brews. The general ticket holders were able to attend from 1pm - 4pm.

by Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network “Most of Vermont’s forested land is privately owned and fragmented into relatively small parcels,” said Jack Bell, co-founder of Long View Forest. “One of our goals is to provide continuity and professionalism over time so that the long-term health and composition of the forest is always the priority, even if the land changes hands.” Founded in 1999, Long View’s model is unconventional in Vermont. First, the company offers logging, forestry consulting, and woodland services—including invasive species management and young forest tending—under one roof. Second, Bell’s vision is for the company to be around for at least a couple of centuries, and he has a plan for that.

Vermont Business Magazine Citizens announced today that the national Citizens Business Conditions Index fell five points in Vermont in the most recent quarter, but remains over the crucial 50 mark. Meanwhile, the CBCI nationally reached 59.5 for the first quarter of 2022, up markedly from 54.4 at the end of 2021 and reaching its highest level since Citizens began tracking the data in 2014, suggesting that lessons learned by businesses during the pandemic coupled with strong consumer demand were a potent combination. The CBCI has been in expansionary territory (above 50) for six consecutive quarters, but the latest value exceeds even the first “reopening rebounds” that emerged in early 2021 and signals that resilient businesses that streamlined operations during early waves of the pandemic were able to benefit from a super-charged post-Omicron bounce.