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Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Friday made an update to the Vermont Forward Plan, announcing the state would move to Step 4 and drop all COVID-19 restrictions when 80% of eligible Vermonters have received their first dose of vaccine. Also, Vaccine clinics for hospitality and tourism workers continue around the state, with more being confirmed soon. And, the US Small Business Administration announced that eligible eating establishments have until Monday at 8 pm to submit applications to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF).

Vermont Business Magazine The Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation has awarded Bennington College a $10,000 grant to support the Incarceration in America think tank that will be held October 1-2, 2021. This think tank will focus on building out a continuing education program for students with long-term or life sentences. The event will be live-streamed, free, and open to the public.

Vermont Business Magazine Shelburne Museum will open on Wednesday, June 2 with a full slate of new exhibitions and programs. Northern New England’s largest art and history museum will be open five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, from 10 am to 4 pm through October 17. Seventeen of the museum’s 39 buildings will be open—including the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education, Pleissner Gallery, Webb Gallery of American Art, and the 220-foot steamboat Ticonderoga. The Weathervane Café and Museum Store at Diamond Barn will also be open along with a popular favorite, the Carousel, with free rides scheduled every 15 minutes.

Vermont Business Magazine Bolton Valley is excited to announce that on July 1, 2021 mountain bike lift operations will begin anew with lift service to the top of Vista Peak. Conveniently located under 2 hours from Montreal, 3 hours from Boston and just 30 minutes from Burlington, Stowe and the Mad River Valley in north central Vermont, the new lift serviced downhill mountain bike park is expected to be popular with locals and regional visitors alike.

Public Assets Institute The number of hotel and restaurant jobs increased by 1,800 in April, out of 1,900 total new private-sector jobs last month. As COVID-19 cases declined and business restrictions loosened, jobs in the hospitality sector grew to 24,300. The sector is still down more than 20 percent from pre-pandemic levels.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Legislature on Friday evening passed a $7.35 billion budget for FY22 for the operations of state government and provide services and benefits to Vermonters. The budget also makes investments in Vermont’s infrastructure and human capital from the federal funds available from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the CARES Act (CRF).

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today addressed Vermont legislators to mark their adjournment for the 2021 legislative session. The governor thanked lawmakers for their work, noting the significance of what they have achieved during this once-in-a-century public health crisis.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Colleges System Chancellor Sophie Zdatny released a statement on the Vermont Legislature’s historic investment of 88.9 million dollars in the Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) and Vermont students in the Fiscal Year 2022 State Budget. The legislature is funding $88.9 million in investments in the state's colleges.

Vermont Business Magazine Northern Vermont University celebrated the 494 graduates of the Class of 2021 through two Virtual Commencement ceremonies this past weekend, honoring Johnson Campus graduates on Saturday, May 15 and Lyndon Campus graduates on Sunday, May 16. Held as YouTube Premiere events, both celebrations incorporated time-honored commencement traditions into the watch party experiences.

Vermont Business Magazine Audit reveals 1099G errors caused by single person, Scott announces the Vermont Forward Plan, Koffee Kup, Vermont Bread close, 247 jobs lost, PUC extends utility disconnection moratorium through May 31, Community Health Centers get $33 million investment, Community Health Centers get $33 million investment, Montpelier hotel, parking deck project scrapped, and more...

Vermont Business Magazine The VDH reported today 37 new cases of COVID-19 with no deaths, which remain at 255. Governor Phil Scott announced today that all the state’s pandemic restrictions can be lifted ahead of the Vermont Forward target date of July 4th — if the state vaccination rate reaches 80% of eligible Vermonters (age 12 and older). Currently, nearly 75% of eligible Vermonters have received at least one dose — more than 400,000 Vermonters. “So, here’s my challenge to Vermonters, if we hit 80%, I’ll lift any remaining restrictions and mandates — that day.”

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that when 80 percent of Vermont’s eligible population - those age 12 and older - have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the state will enter Step 4 of the Vermont Forward plan – currently slated for July 4 – and remove its remaining restrictions. At a modest rate of 1,500 vaccinations a day, the state would reach Scott's goal by June 8.