Current News

SBA Vermont District Office The Small Business Administration reminds all Economic Injury Disaster Loan borrowers the agency extended deferment period for all disaster loans, including COVID-19 EIDLs, until 2022. The SBA continues to accept EIDL applications. EIDLs have affordable terms with a 30-year maturity and a 3.75% interest rate for small businesses and 2.75% interest rate for nonprofit organizations. Interest continues to accrue during the deferment period and borrowers may make full or partial payments if they choose.

Vermont Business Magazine Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Steve Daines (R-Mont) on Tuesday requested updates from both the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice on their recent efforts to combat anticompetitive conduct in the health insurance industry. The two senators recently served as chief cosponsors of the bipartisan Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act, which protects consumers by repealing a long-outdated antitrust exemption for the health insurance industry.

Vermont Business Magazine In response to increased incidents of violence and threatening behavior in the Downtown, a group of businesses and community stakeholders have come together to establish the Safety Escort Program. With organizational support from the Burlington Business Association (BBA), the Safety Escort Program will provide on-call Safety Escorts in the general downtown area. By phone or text, anyone can request a Safety Escort and a friendly Ambassador will walk them to or from their vehicle, building, hotel, or workplace. The service will have a special focus on supporting retail and nightlife employees.

Vermont Business Magazine Seventh Generation today announced it has named Alison Whritenour to serve as Chief Executive Officer. Whritenour represents the next chapter of leadership that will continue to accelerate business growth while working toward the company’s mission to make the world a healthy, sustainable and equitable place for the next seven generations. During her nine years at Seventh Generation, Whritenour has held many roles across brand marketing, innovation and customer development, most recently serving as Head of Sales.

Vermont Business Magazine The Government of Canada is prioritizing the health and safety of everyone in Canada by taking a risk-based and measured approach to re-opening our borders. Vaccinated Vermonters will be allowed to cross starting August 9.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced a series of new pop-up walk-in vaccination clinics available across Vermont beginning this week. Vermont leads the nation in COVID-19 vaccination rates. 83.2 percent of the eligible population has already received at least one dose of vaccine. This week one more person died from the disease, which was the first this month. Overall, 259 Vermonters have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Daily cases, while still low, have about doubled to an average of 13 over the last week. The VDH is reporting 11 cases today.

Vermont Business Magazine Cyanobacteria blooms, an unwelcome staple of summer, have been forming in Vermont waters. These blooms can produce toxins that are harmful to humans and animals, and health officials want you to know what cyanobacteria blooms look like so you can avoid them while enjoying Vermont’s waters. Some swim areas in Burlington have recently been closed due to blooms.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Auditor of Accounts today released his audit of Barre’s tax increment financing (TIF) districts. The audit found some glitches, as in the city slightly overpaid the state through a miscalculation and didn’t account for all properties within the district. These were fairly minor issues and did not result in much pushback from the city.

Vermont Business Magazine This fall, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets and the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing are partnering to celebrate the maple industry with a list of special events, specialty products and exciting activities all across the state. First introduced in a limited fashion in 2020, the Vermont Maple 100 is designed to promote the many ways to use and enjoy Vermont maple syrup and specialty products by connecting consumers, tourists, travelers and maple enthusiasts to the landscape of Vermont maple. This industry spans far beyond the iconic sugar house in the woods, to include many businesses across Vermont, value added products, artisans and of course, Vermont maple syrup.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) Medical Matters Weekly with Dr. Trey Dobson—a weekly interactive, multiplatform medical-themed talk show—will feature Rosalind Case, PhD, a psychologist at Monash University in Australia on its July 21 program. The show will air at noon. Dr. Case will discuss the psychological factors involved in changing one’s mind, especially as it relates to changing one’s mind about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

by Rob Roper Lawmakers recently passed a bill that begins the process for a major expansion of state-subsidized childcare for birth to five-year-olds rolled out over the next few years. The new law, crafted and pushed by the special interest group Let’s Grow Kids, could have major negative consequences for children, families, and taxpayers.

Let’s Grow Kids’ goals are, in a nutshell:

1) Capping payments to ensure that no family pays more than 10% of their income for childcare. This sounds nice but reduces the amount of money entering the system.

2) Establishing a central bureaucracy and infrastructure to oversee the program. This, of course, will require more money coming into the system. And

3) Ensuring that childcare workers are “compensated on par with their colleagues in similar professions” (read, “unionized public school teachers”), which will require a lot more money coming into the system.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and Senator Patrick Leahy issued statements today in response to the Canadian Government’s announcement that it will ease travel restrictions for fully vaccinated Americans, effective August 9.