Current News

by Roxanne Vought of Weybridge, executive director of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility Talk to any business owner today and you’ll likely hear the same refrain: they’re struggling to find workers. They’ve tried everything: raising wages, sign-on bonuses, creative recruitment strategies, and they still can’t fill their openings. Some are eliminating product lines or reducing their manufacturing runs, others are cutting back hours. How did we get here?

Vermont Business Magazine On Friday, March 11th, from 1-1:20 pm, Vermont students will join thousands of peers across the nation in what could be the largest LGBTQ+ youth led walkout in history. They are protesting the recent wave of anti-LGBTQ+ actions that queer youth advocates say will further endanger a population already at elevated risk of bullying, violence, and suicide. All students are strongly encouraged to participate, and adult supporters to stand in solidarity with youth. Outright Youth Organizers - a cohort of Vermont teens working with Outright Vermont to lead social justice initiatives in their communities - are rapidly mobilizing to support Vermont students’ participation in this national action.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Secretary of Administration Kristin Clouser today released Vermont’s revenue results for February, which showed a steep decline in personal income tax receipts. The PI is the most important General Fund revenue source. She suggested that this could be a net number reflective of early tax refunds. Overall, General Fund (-$12.5 million, -10.93%) and Transportation Fund (-$2.55 million, -13.2%) revenues were below targets for the month, while Education Fund ($2.6 million, 5.3%) revenues exceeded expectations for the month.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 98 cases of COVID-19 for Wednesday, down from Tuesday's 195. Hospitalizations today were 22 (up 4). The record was 122 on January 19. Health officials have focused on this as a key indicator. They had been running over 100 in early February. ICU stays, which also had been elevated and have now fallen, were 7 (up 3). The one-day record there was set December 7, 2021, (31).

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont had the lowest gender-based wage gap of any state in the United States. But still, women on average were paid $4,600 less than men. Wyoming was the highest at $21,676. When all entities were included, Puerto Rico had the lowest wage gap (statistically insignificant, but women in any case had a slightly higher wage) and Washington, DC, had the highest ($16,032). Overall, the gender gap in the US has narrowed in recent years, but disparities remain: national median earnings for civilians who worked full-time, year-round in the past 12 months was $53,544 for men compared to $43,394 for women.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont rose to $4.34 per gallon today, according to national tracking service GasBuddy.com. This is an increase of 52 cents from last week, 80 cents from last month and $1.63 from last year. The national average is $4.33, up 57 cents since last week, up $85 from last month and up $1.51 since last year. "We've never been in this situation before, with this level of uncertainty. As we lose a major global producer under the weight of deserving bipartisan sanctions for invading a sovereign country, the cost is high. Americans will be feeling the pain of the rise in prices for quite some time, with little good news foreseen."

Vermont Business Magazine Mission Hill Hospitality, a KSL Capital Partners portfolio company based in Denver, announced Wednesday it has acquired the Killington Mountain Lodge, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. Terms of the deal are undisclosed. This is the 15th property added to the Mission Hill Hospitality portfolio since the company was launched in March 2021. Killington Mountain Lodge is located less than one mile from the Killington Ski Area, the largest and most visited mountain in Vermont, drawing nearly 1 million visitors annually.

Vermont Business Magazine In recognition of National Consumer Protection Week, Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced the top 10 consumer complaints received by the Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) in 2021. CAP, a partnership between the Attorney General’s Office and the University of Vermont, offers a free mediation service for Vermont consumers, including small businesses. In 2021, CAP received 1,173 complaints and recovered more than $240,000 for Vermont consumers. Claiming the list’s top spots are complaints involving vehicles, retail, and home improvement, respectively – representing approximately 44 percent of all complaints filed.

Vermont Business Magazine Integrated Solar Applications (ISA) has announced a limited opportunity to join a new community solar array entitled “ISA Exit 1 Solar”. The array is located on 13.8 acres owned by the company, on Canal Street in Brattleboro, serviced by Green Mountain Power. It will provide direct access to renewable energy, enabling members to reduce their electricity bills and carbon footprint, without having to install or own a solar array on their property.

Vermont Business Magazine A group of faculty, staff and students at the University of Vermont has been studying the negative impacts of road salt on campus and exploring ways to reduce its use. Professionals charged with applying salt where it is needed at UVM have continued to introduce new materials and methods to reduce usage. Matt Walker, grounds manager for the physical plant department, has been experimenting with the use of magnesium chloride, an anti-icing liquid which helps break the molecular bond between ice and paved surfaces and makes cleanup more efficient. The department had previously used rock salt for this purpose.

Department of Financial Regulation Recently, UnitedHealthcare has written to patients to inform them that University of Vermont Health Network providers and facilities in Vermont and upstate New York, including the University of Vermont Medical Center, Central Vermont Medical Center, Porter Medical Center, Alice Hyde Medical Center, Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, and Elizabethtown Community Hospital, will no longer participate in its commercial insurance provider network as of April 1, 2022. As a result, most non-emergency services will not be covered as an in-network benefit under commercial UnitedHealthcare plans.

​Vermont Business Magazine The US Citizenship and Immigration Services St Albans field office and application support center are moving to 463 Mountain View Dr., Suite 200 in Colchester. The offices will now be called the Burlington field office and Burlington ASC. The last day of operations at the USCIS office currently located at 64 Gricebrook Rd. in St. Albans will be Thursday, March 10. USCIS services will resume at the new office location on Wednesday, March 16.