Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Montreal-based Énergir Inc and Énergir, LP announced Monday a private placement by Énergir, LP of $325 million of Series 2022-1 First Mortgage Bonds. The Series 2022-1 Bonds will be secured by collateral security backed by the assets of Énergir, LP. The Series 2022-1 Bonds, bearing interest at the rate of 3.04% per annum, are expected to be dated February 9, 2022, and to mature on February 9, 2032. Énergir, LP subsidiaries include Green Mountain Power and Vermont Gas Systems (VGS) in Vermont. Énergir, LP intends to use the proceeds to repay existing indebtedness and for general corporate purposes.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski and Representative Janet Ancel issued the following statements after the passage of H.510, a bill that would send $1,200 per child to most families with children age six or under and expands the Social Security deduction for older Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections announced today 28 incarcerated individuals and three staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at Northern State Correctional Facility (NSCF) in Newport during testing conducted February 8. As of Wednesday afternoon, 45 incarcerated individuals are considered positive across three Vermont facilities. Statewide, 24 positive staff cases currently exist across six correctional facilities, three field offices, and Central Office.

Vermont Business Magazine Nominations have opened for the sixth annual Southern Vermont Emerging Leaders nominations. This award recognizes young professionals who are leading the way in their communities and workplaces.. Each year, community members are asked to identify individuals who are making a difference in Southern Vermont. Nominations can be submitted until March 15.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing (VDTM) has awarded just under $600,000 in regional marketing grants to 22 organizations through the Tourism and Economic Recovery Marketing Grant program. The grant program was developed to aid economic recovery by supporting regional efforts to increase visitation and tourism-related activities. The grants are intended to enable local, regional, or statewide organizations to implement campaigns and initiatives that increase consumer spending, support local businesses, and advance community recovery efforts in the tourism sector.

Vermont Business Magazine House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) today announced that bipartisan, bicameral negotiators have agreed on a framework for fiscal year 2022 appropriations. With this framework, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will now negotiate the details with the understanding that final omnibus legislation will require agreement allowing for House and Senate passage and President Biden’s signature by the new March 11 government funding deadline.

VermontBiz The best piece of advice sales coach and keynote speaker Jack Daly says he has delivered in the last 18-plus months, is this: Focus on what you have control over and don’t worry so much about the rest.

Daly shared his thoughts on being successful in sales while the country and its sales force are grappling with how to do business during a pandemic in the February 2022 episode of the 21st Century Business Forum. The webcast that features monthly one-on-one interviews with some of the nation's most prominent business minds and thought leaders.

“Fifty percent or more of success at selling has nothing to do with Covid,” Daly says. “Half of selling is believing that you can be successful, and then taking the initiative to do what you can do, irrespective of what the environment is.”

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 497 cases of COVID-19 for Tuesday, which was more than double from Monday's 206. The VDH today also reported four additional deaths from yesterday for 562 statewide. One of the deaths was in the 70-79 age group and three were in the 80+ age group.

Vermont Business Magazine Soldiers and Airmen of the Vermont National Guard will participate in a medical readiness exercise (MEDREX) in Senegal for approximately two weeks as part of the National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program. 15 medical professionals with the Vermont National Guard will travel to Saint Louis, Senegal, during the second week in February. Personnel will include providers, public health nurses, combat medics, and bio-medical technicians in addition to command and control staff.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) will hold a statewide virtual town meeting with Vermont middle and high school students on Wednesday, February 16. A panel of students will join Sanders for a discussion to speak about the issues that matter most to them. The panel discussion will be followed by a question and answer session, with participants able to ask questions about how the federal government can address the needs of young people.

Vermont Business Magazine Ben & Jerry's and Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp are joining forces for a new billboard campaign hitting Los Angeles as it prepares to host the Super Bowl on February 13. The campaign asks state and local governments to invest in programs and services that address the root causes of social harm rather than in policing and prisons. Despite police spending being at an all-time high, crime rates are increasing.

“Can You Start Over, Your Call Dropped…”

by Public Service Commissioner June Tierney It’s happened to all of us. Traveling over hill and dale, connecting to a needed service, or getting work done thanks to Bluetooth. And then, nothing. Silence. Blank screens. Your tires roll on as your work comes to a screeching halt… spotty cell service strikes again, leaving you frustrated, lost or unproductive. Governor Scott has proposed spending $51 million of our state’s federal relief dollars on a program to build 100 cell towers that will substantially extend the coverage along roads and throughout rural communities.