Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) Medical Matters Weekly with Dr Trey Dobson is pleased to welcome Michaelia St Jacques, OTR/L, CWCE, CHT, at noon on Wednesday, February 2. St Jacques is an occupational therapist at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) Outpatient Rehabilitation. The show is produced with cooperation from Catamount Access Television (CAT-TV).

Vermont Business Magazine Bennington College’s Prison Education Initiative (PEI) has been awarded a grant of $60,000 from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. Now in its seventh year, PEI brings Bennington College faculty to Great Meadow Correctional Facility, a maximum-security men’s prison in Comstock, NY, to provide a quality liberal arts education to incarcerated students.

Vermont Business Magazine Randy Crossman, a 62-year-old woodworker and 7th-generation Vermonter, has crossed the halfway mark in his goal to summit Pico Mountain 365 times in 365 days, a project he calls “PicoSummit365.” He began the project in summer 2021 and just recently exceeded 200 hikes. Crossman is an avid outdoorsman who committed to this goal to raise awareness and funds for Building Bright Futures (BBF), where his daughter Dr. Morgan Crossman serves as executive director.

Vermont Business Magazine Nearly a dozen Vermont businesses are partnering with the Alzheimer’s Association Vermont Chapter to support the 2022 Camel’s Hump Challenge set for Saturday, February 5. The Challenge offers a rigorous wilderness ski touring experience where backcountry Nordic skiers traverse around the perimeter of Camel’s Hump, the third highest peak in Vermont’s Green Mountains, to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Proceeds from the event support the educational programs and services offered free of charge by the Vermont Chapter.

Among the businesses supporting the 2022 CHC, Burlington-based Switchback Brewing Co. will be donating a portion of proceeds from its Tap Room sales during the month of February. The cause hits home for the employee-owned brewery, as one of their staff members has lost family members to Alzheimer’s disease.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 317 cases of COVID-19 for Saturday. Cases the last week were down 27 percent and for the last two weeks were down 37 percent. At Governor Scott's media briefing tomorrow, the numbers are expected to be substantially lower over the last two weeks. However, the VDH today reported three additional deaths reported for 536.

Vermont Business Magazine US Representative Peter Welch’s campaign for Senate closed the books at the end of the December 31 reporting period with over $2.5 million cash on hand according to a report filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The campaign received more than 1,200 contributions – including donations from all 14 Vermont counties, 48 states and Washington D.C. – and raised $550,022 in the six weeks following the campaign's launch on November 22. Educator was the most common occupation among online contributors to Welch’s campaign and the most frequent online donation amount was $5.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Is your business looking for a fun way to connect with new customers across New England? Apply to join us at the Vermont Building at the Eastern States Exposition's Big E! The Vermont Building is one of six New England buildings on the Avenue of the States at the Big E, a 17-day fair and exposition that will take place September 16 - October 2, 2022, in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont (3.0 cents/gallon) and Burlington (4.8 cents/gallon) have risen in the last week, averaging $3.39/g in Vermont and $3.44/g in Burlington today, according to GasBuddy's survey. Prices in Burlington are 8.1 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand $1.03/g higher than a year ago and in Vermont 5.4 cents higher for the month and $1.00 higher for the year.

by Kellie Campbell, EdD, Co-Chair of the Vermont Commission on Women​ If you have been to a restaurant lately, you have probably seen signs on the door about being short-staffed and asking for your patience. Perhaps you are a parent who received a message from your childcare provider about having to close early or shorten hours due to staffing challenges. If you have read the local newspaper, you might have seen an article about nursing shortages around the state. There is no way around it: times are tough and there are many systemic reasons we are faced with these challenges.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 597 cases of COVID-19 for Saturday. Cases the last week were down 27 percent and for the last two weeks were down 37 percent. There were no additional deaths reported for 533. While Vermont was slower to get the Omicron variant than the rest of the Northeast, it is showing a similar trend with a spike followed by an overall decrease in cases.

Vermont Business Magazine David Hiler, and Tim and Amy Brady, owners of Whetstone Brands, including Whetstone Craft Beers, Whetstone Station Brewery and Taproom, and River Garden Marketplace in Brattleboro, and Kampfires Campground, Inn & Entertainment in Dummerston were named Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce “2021 Entrepreneurs of the Year” at the organization’s annual meeting, January 25.

Vermont Business Magazine Forty-five new captive insurance companies were licensed this past year in Vermont, making 2021 Vermont’s 4th highest year of growth in its 40-year history. Vermont is now home to 620 licensed captives, consisting of 589 active and 31 dormant captives. Vermont’s 52 sponsored cell captives currently host nearly 500 cells and separate accounts, in addition to the licensed captive companies. The new captives were licensed in 17 different industries, the main industries being healthcare, real estate, manufacturing, insurance, and transportation. At least 5 of Vermont’s new captives in 2021 were formed by companies with international roots — including Japan, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Australia.