Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Lawson’s Finest Liquids is debuting a new addition to their lineup of specialty beers - Super Session #3 with Comet hops. The single-hopped IPA is part of Lawson’s Finest Liquids longstanding Super Session series featuring a wide array of unique flavors. Super Session #3 will be available throughout spring in the brewery’s nine-state distribution area. Super Session #3, Comet features zesty Comet hops with hints of grapefruit and tangerine backed by unique grassy, herbal elements. The beer has a 4.8% ABV for a light, refreshing and approachable beer to kick off the spring season.

​Vermont Business Magazine Get ahead in your studies or take a course for fun during Castleton's summer session. Courses are offered in six-week sessions. Summer Session One runs from May 16-June 26. Summer Session Two is July 5 to Aug. 15. Offerings for undergraduate and graduate students are delivered in a variety of formats, including hybrid and online.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 263 cases of COVID-19 for Thursday, down from Wednesday's 243. There were four additional COVID-related deaths for 583 statewide. The fatality rate has remained relatively high and has been running about two a day on average. COVID cases have been falling here and across the nation, but the fatality rate has yet to fall.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The usual suspects of personal income, corporate income and consumption taxes continue to bolster Vermont’s revenues. Personal income, the most important General Fund revenue source, was nearly 12% over its target for the month. The volatile corporate income tax was over 81% ahead. And the rooms and meals tax was 28.3% above targets. Combined, General Fund, Transportation Fund, and Education Fund receipts in January were a combined $305.9 million, or 5.8%, above upwardly revised monthly consensus expectations.

by Leslie McCrorey Wells As the co-owner of Burlington restaurants, Pizzeria Verità, Trattoria Delia, and Sotto Enoteca, I know how hard this past year has been on our industry partners. During the first 18 months of the pandemic, we furloughed staff, lost revenue, and accumulated debt. At the same time, we worked harder than ever to adapt, pivot, and persevere to keep our businesses viable and our workers and customers safe. Even with the extraordinary challenges faced by Vermont’s independent restaurants, we were lucky. We received funding through the first round of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), which has been instrumental in helping our businesses to survive. Only 366 of the 947 Vermont restaurants that applied for RRF relief were awarded funds, leaving a $120.5 million hole in our state’s restaurant industry

Vermont Business Magazine The State of Vermont and the Vermont State Employees’ Association (VSEA) announced today an agreement on successor two-year contracts for the Supervisory, Corrections, and Non-Management Units covering more than 6,000 employees. Terms for the unionized workers include a 3 percent wage increase this year and 2 percent increase in 2023. VSEA members have voted to ratify the contract settlements that include, in addition to the wage increases, lump sum payments, shift and weekend differential increases, hearing aids reimbursement benefit, and options to purchase additional life insurance.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Public Utilities Commission on Thursday denied a request by GlobalFoundries to make its Essex Junction facility an independent energy utility. Last April, GlobalFoundries filed a petition with the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to do just that, but yesterday, the PUC denied the request because it would require an exemption to the state's renewable energy requirements.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Technical College ranks first in the state and #7 nationally among four-year public universities with best short-term net value, according to a new report from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW). Georgetown CEW’s new return-on-investment tool ranked 4,500 colleges and universities by net value at several benchmarks -- after 10 years of enrolling, 15 years, 20 years, 30 years, and 40 years. Notably, the rankings include a metric that measures the share of students at an institution whose earnings 10 years after enrollment are higher than those of workers with a high school diploma as their highest level of education. Vermont Tech also moved up in the rankings for long-term return on investment.

Vermont Business Magazine With a new gift of $50,000, NorthCountry Federal Credit Union’s support of children at the Greater Burlington YMCA has reached a remarkable total of $1,000,000. For more than a decade, NorthCountry has been the Y’s Community Partner for Youth Development, supporting the organization’s work to nurture the potential of every child. In a check presentation earlier this week at the Y, NorthCountry CEO Bob Morgan shared this milestone gift with Y President and CEO Kyle Dodson.

Vermont Business Magazine Employers like Vermont Creamery are turning back to a tried-and-true method in an effort to recruit talent – job fairs and hiring events. Thursday marked the first of two days that Vermont Creamery will host its career fair at Berlin Mall in Berlin. Job fairs provide employers like Vermont Creamery – a leading goat cheese producer in the United States based in Websterville – the opportunity for face-to-face conversations with jobseekers, to quickly answer questions about the application process, incentives and other perks (in Vermont Creamery’s case free cheese!), and to find the right fit for their growing teams.

Vermont State Police Following continued investigation into the crash resulting in the death of two people in the Town of Charleston, Vermont, the Vermont State Police announces Katelyn Deslandes was issued a citation for grossly negligent operation with death resulting. An arraignment for Deslandes is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 22, in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Newport.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 243 cases of COVID-19 for Wednesday, down from Tuesday's 375. There were four COVID-related deaths 579 statewide. The four people who died were all over 70. While cases and hospitalizations have been falling, the fatality rate has remained relatively high and has been running about two a day on average. COVID cases have been falling here and across the nation, but the fatality rate has yet to decrease substantially. The record daily high of COVID-19 cases was set January 7, with 2,975.