Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan today announced that his office has reached settlements with nine different online sellers of electronic cigarettes for violations of Vermont’s Delivery Sales Ban and Vermont’s Consumer Protection Act. Under the settlements, the companies resolved claims that they sold electronic cigarettes, e-liquids, or other tobacco paraphernalia to individual consumers. As of July 1, 2019, it is illegal to sell electronic cigarettes and related “vaping” products over the internet to individual Vermont consumers. In total, the companies will pay $157,500 in civil penalties to the State of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine John Tunnicliffe, King Arthur Baking Company’s Director will serve as keynote speaker at the Vermont Specialty Food Association’s 2021 virtual Spring Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 9th. VSFA members will convene virtually from 1:00pm to 3:30pm to learn from experts on managing production costs and selling on Instagram stories. This yearly event, typically drawing over 100 participants in person, is part of the association's ongoing effort to harness and develop educational resources for specialty food and beverage producers, retailers, and the small business community.

by Betsy Bishop, President of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and Charles Martin, Government Affairs Director of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce At the start of the pandemic last year, it became clear that along with significant challenges posed, there were new opportunities to reevaluate Vermont’s needs and invest in our future. The Vermont Chamber identified specific critical needs for working Vermonters in child care, broadband, and housing. During the past legislative session, we saw substantial investment in these areas through a child care bill, $150 million allocated for broadband expansion, and $190 million allocated for housing.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP), Efficiency Vermont (EVT) and Vermont Dynamic Organics (DO), a Vermont software company, today announced a new pilot program designed to help business customers reduce their costs while increasing Vermont’s grid flexibility, reliability, and efficiency. The Flexible Load Management (FLM) pilot program offers financial incentives and direct technical expertise to larger commercial and industrial customers to help them shift their electrical use to reduce peak demand times on the grid.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington School District (BSD) has released the 2019-2020 Equity and Inclusion Data Report, the annual report that measures equitable outcomes for students. Available on the District website, the report analyzes data on student academic achievement, discipline, and participation in order to identify and eliminate disparities in these areas, and to show whether, and to what extent, there are different student outcomes collaborated with race/ethnicity, household income, language background, ability, or gender.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University’s College of Graduate and Continuing Studies presents “A Conversation with Guy Raz,” as the 2021 Residency Conference keynote and Todd Lecture Series speaker from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Wed, June 23. This virtual lecture is free and open to all who register.

Vermont Business Magazine The percentage of eligible Vermonters vaccinated (age 12+ with at least one dose) currently stands at 76.9%. Gov. Phil Scott said last week that COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted when Vermont reaches 80%. This would project to be around June 2 at current vaccination rates. As of today there has not been a COVID-related death in a week, which are holding at 255. And the VDH is also reporting today only 9 new cases of COVID-19. Generally the numbers across the board are better than they've been since last fall.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Representative Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ-09) Tuesday reintroduced the Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act of 2021, their bill to modernize the capabilities of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to trace crime guns. After a firearm associated with a crime is discovered somewhere in the United States, federal, state or local law enforcement officials contact ATF, which then must recreate the chain of custody of the firearm. But ATF is prohibited by law from electronically searching millions of gun sales records already in its possession.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, dealerships and consumers are more dependent on digital than ever. To succeed in this new era of car buying, dealerships must personalize each customer's path to purchase and cater to their diverse needs at all touchpoints—especially those taking place online. Backed by industry-leading consumer insights, Dealer.com is constantly focusing on total user experience, with technologies and tools that give their clients an advantage in a very competitive automotive retail landscape.

Vermont Business Magazine National Life will host a Covid-19 vaccination clinic this week, which will be free and open to the public, in support of Gov. Phil Scott’s commitment to getting more than 80 percent of the eligible population vaccinated for at least the first time. The clinic will take place inside the company’s cafeteria at 1 National Life Drive on Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The state Agency of Human Services and the Vermont National Guard are organizing all of the details.

Vermont State Police On May 25, 2021 at approximately 0300 hours, the Corinth Fire Department responded to a report of a residential fire at 642 Camp Munn Road, Corinth, VT. Upon arrival the residence was observed to be fully involved, and it was learned from two of the residents that there was one occupant still inside. Due to the intensity and size of the fire, members of the fire department were unable to enter the residence. When the fire was extinguished, the unaccounted-for occupant was found deceased inside the residence.

Members of the Vermont State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit conducted an investigation into the cause and origin of the fire and determined that the fire was not suspicious in nature. The fire started on the front porch in the area of a can used for discarded smoking materials.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has signed a proclamation designating today, May 25, 2021, as George Floyd Remembrance Day in Vermont. With the proclamation, he issued the following statement: “One year ago today, George Floyd, an African American man, was murdered by a police officer. His death under the knee of someone charged with protecting all citizens, and caught on video for all to see, was a terrible tragedy – one that sparked grief and outrage around the country. Importantly, it also inspired a national reckoning on racial justice and equity and the role we all play to address these issues, as well as reforms to modernize law enforcement and address racism across government systems."