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by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine "If you don't have a store, you can't really have a town," Ripton resident and prominent environmentalist Bill McKibben wrote in a New York Times op-ed three years ago. It's a thought that haunts many Vermont towns, as general stores, long a sine qua non of village economies – and the Vermont brand – contend with today's economic forces. From Albany in the state's northeast to West Rupert in the southwest, dozens of communities have confronted what it means to see their local stores endangered, or closed.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Retail and Grocers Association (VRGA) and the Vermont Specialty Food Association (VSFA) work together to guide Vermont made products through the doors of grocery and retail stores statewide. In early 2021, VRGA Member Farrell Distributing partnered with the two associations to pair Vermont specialty foods with beverages that would enhance and highlight the unique nature of both products.

Leonine Public Affairs The Senate Appropriations Committee finalized the FY2022 budget bill, H.439, on Monday. On Friday the Senate gave final approval to the bill and thereby paved the way for a conference committee where the House and Senate will reconcile their respective versions of the bill. While overall base spending changed little from the House-passed version of H.439, the Senate spending plan is significantly different due to the inclusion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) appropriations. The House had little time to consider ARPA funding as the federal spending bill had just been enacted when the House passed H.439. As a result, the Senate Appropriations Committee did the bulk of the work in deciding how to allocate ARPA funds. When the budget reached the Senate, Governor Phil Scott offered his own proposal on ARPA spending.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Lake Monsters are excited to announce its 68-game schedule for their inaugural season in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, beginning with the first of 38 games at historic Centennial Field on Wednesday, May 26th against the FCBL defending-champion Nashua Silver Knights.

Limited Batch Flavor Kicks Off the 2021 Ice Cream Season

Vermont Business Magazine If your parents didn't let you lick the batter bowl, the ice cream gurus at Ben & Jerry's have a new offering to help you recreate that childhood joy. Totally Unbaked, Ben & Jerry's first Limited Batch flavor of 2021, is a mixture of chocolate and vanilla ice cream that prominently features two unbaked components: chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie batter swirls.

Vermont Business Magazine Burton and Shinola are proud to unveil the Jake Burton Carpenter Shinola Gift Set – a timeless tribute in honor of Jake, the founder of Burton Snowboards and widely deemed the godfather of snowboarding. Created in collaboration with many of Jake’s closest friends and family, the gift set features one-of-a-kind items with a special connection to Jake, including a Shinola Duck Watch custom-detailed in Jake’s honor, a replica of Burton’s first production board and a hardbound coffee table book with an eclectic mix of images and stories gathered from family, friends and world-class photographers.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott announced today that as of May 1, masks will only be required outdoors in situations where a 6-foot distance cannot be maintained. Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, said this change is based on science that shows the risk of transmission when outdoors is very small. “This is why, now when you’re outdoors, masks will only be required when you’re in a crowd or with multiple households, where you can’t keep a 6-foot distance from others,” Dr. Levine said. “This is regardless of whether you are vaccinated or not.”

Vermont Business Magazine In honor of our Golden Anniversary and in celebration of 50 years of love, Subaru of New England (SNE) is proud to sponsor Green Up Day, once again, this Saturday, May 1 in Vermont. Through our Subaru Loves the Earth initiative, we seek such opportunities to preserve the environment for generations to come. For the 15th consecutive year, SNE and a group of its employees will be traveling to The Green Mountain State to support Green Up Vermont’s statewide initiative to make the state even greener. The SNE team will be cleaning nearly a mile of roadway near Stowe, VT’s downtown.

All seven of our Vermont Subaru Retailers will, once again, be serving as official drop-off locations for the cleanup: Brattleboro Subaru, Burlington Subaru, Lundgren Subaru, Rutland Subaru, Saint J Subaru, Twin City Subaru, and White River Subaru. Each location will have a dumpster for disposal of Green Up bags.

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, April 28, the Vermont Department of Labor disabled its online unemployment insurance initial claim application in response to a sharp increase in fraudulent claims being filed. Upon review of the claims being submitted, more than 90% of initial claims were being flagged as fraudulent.

In the meantime, Vermonters who need to file a first-time claim or open a new benefit year can do so by contacting the UI Claimant Assistance Center at 877-214-3330. The Claimant Assistance Center is open Monday-Saturday from 8:00a.m. to 5:30p.m.

Vermont Business Magazine Applications for the BTV Ignite STEM and Technical Skill Grant Fund are open now and remain open through July 23, 2021.

The STEM & Technical Skill Fund, provided by Burlington Telecom, is a competitive process open to Burlington-based non-profit or entrepreneurial support organizations well-positioned to support teaching technical skills, STEM education, and workforce development for the Burlington youth and workforce, principally those for whom this would create new economic opportunities.

Vermont Business Magazine Mike Smith, Secretary of the Agency of Human Services, announced today that Sarah Squirrell, Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health (DMH), and Cory Gustafson, Commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA), will resign from their positions effective July 1, 2021 and May 31, 2021, respectively.