Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A lawsuit (2:21-cv-01508 Kennedy et al v. Warren) filed today against Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) alleges the senator violated the First Amendment of the US Constitution by seeking to stop booksellers from selling and/or promoting the plaintiffs’ book, “The Truth About COVID-19: Exposing the Great Reset, Lockdowns, Vaccine Passports, and the New Normal.” The book’s co-authors, Dr Joseph Mercola and Ronald Cummins, along with author of the foreword, Robert F Kennedy, Jr, and White River Jct publisher, Chelsea Green Publishing, Inc, filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) at a press conference at Burlington International Airport today touted the benefits of the just-passed infrastructure bill that will bring at least $2.2 billion into Vermont. More than two months after the US Senate passed bipartisan legislation to invest $1.2 trillion to the nation’s infrastructure, the House of Representatives late Friday night gave final approval to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bill next goes to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Leahy said that infrastructure used to mean roads and bridges. It still means that, he said, but he also emphasized the hundreds of million of dollars also coming into Vermont for broadband, electric vehicles and water and stormwater projects.

Vermont Business Magazine The Canadian border reopened today and with it Governor Phil Scott announced the selection of Montréal -based economic development firm, CIDEP, as the new Vermont Trade and Investment Representative and Liaison in Canada. CIDEP’s main priority will be to initiate contact with Canadian businesses looking to expand into the U.S. market and then generate quality leads that have high potential to turn into Vermont investment projects. CIDEP will also represent Vermont at key trade events in Canada touting Vermont as a business and tourist destination.

Vermont Business Magazine Encore Renewable Energy and Vermont Electric Cooperative announced today the commissioning of two new community-scale solar projects comprising 4.5 megawatts (MW) of new, clean energy generation in Jericho. The two new solar arrays include a 2.3MW project on the town’s former gravel pit and a 2.2MW project on the former municipal landfill. These new arrays support VEC’s goals of achieving a 100% renewable power supply by 2030 and represent the fourth and fifth utility-scale solar projects commissioned by VEC, four of which have been developed in collaboration with Encore Renewable Energy.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Blue Advantage has been awarded their second contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Vermont Blue Advantage offers three comprehensive plans with premiums starting at $0 a month. All Vermont Blue Advantage plans include medical and Part D drug coverage, along with dental, hearing, vision, fitness, and more.

​by Don Turner Workforce woes aren’t new to Vermont—but COVID-19 has made them worse. And our low unemployment rate doesn’t tell the whole story. There are nearly 25,000 fewer Vermonters in the workforce then there were just before COVID-19 hit. The number of unemployed Vermonters hasn’t changed—it’s that thousands of employed Vermonters have left the labor market altogether, despite near record wage growth.

Vermont Business Magazine A total of 19 incarcerated individuals and four staff members at Northeast Correctional Complex (NECC) in St Johnsbury have tested positive for COVID-19 in the current outbreak. Outbreak testing on November 5 returned three new COVID-positive cases in the incarcerated population and four cases among staff at Northeast Correctional Complex (NECC) in St. Johnsbury.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets announces grants totaling $324,467 for eight projects to benefit Vermont fruit, vegetable, and value-added producers and increase consumer access to locally produced food. These grants are funded through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

Vermont Business Magazine On Saturday, October 23rd, locals shopped till they dropped, and raised more than $23,000 to fight hunger in our area. During the 11th annual Charity Sale, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel and customers collectively raised $23,775 for the Vermont Foodbank and JCEO Plattsburgh Foodshelf.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting today that COVID-19 cases surged again to 376 cases, the third highest on record. This was an increase of 114 from Saturday. Cases Friday were 377 and there were 487 cases on Thursday, which was the all-time record. The 12 worst days have all come since mid-September, following from the Delta variant surge that began in July.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Economic Development Authority has released its annual report for the 2021 fiscal year, which ended June 30. In that time, the organization was able to help 806 Vermont businesses by approving $81.1 million in financing — positively impacting about 6,000 jobs. All 14 Vermont counties and 19 different industries benefited from VEDA’s financial support during Fiscal Year 2021. This included $51.2 million in commercial, small business, renewable energy and broadband loans, to a total of 632 businesses. Loans for the Paycheck Protection Program accounted for $30.8 million of that.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will set aside $20 million in CARES Act funding to provide assistance to organic farmers who experienced losses or additional expenses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the Biden administration announced it is reversing reductions in cost sharing assistance for farmers transitioning to organic made by the Trump administration in direct contradiction of provisions within the 2018 Farm Bill.