Current News

Vermont Business Magazine #Farm24VT, a social media celebration of agriculture, food, and dairy in Vermont, is set for May 12 at 5 am and will run for a full twenty-four hours. Vermont farmers, agribusinesses, food producers, and others in the agricultural community will be sharing photos, videos, and stories to show the passion, hard work, and commitment that goes into growing and producing food. All of the posts will include the #Farm24VT hashtag so members of the public throughout the region can easily find them.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting today 73 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death for 243 statewide. Cases are trending down, especially among younger Vermonters. Regional cases are also declining. On April 29, vaccine registration will open to college students who are residents of another state and do not intend to stay in Vermont for the summer, as well as to people who live part of the year in Vermont. This opportunity will be based on the vaccine supply we receive from the federal government. Governor Scott believes that the CDC will resume distribution of the Johns & Johnson vaccine soon. An announcement on that could come as early as Friday evening.

Vermont Business Magazine Today Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos announced the date and towns included in the post-election audit of 2020 Vermont General Election results, which will occur on Wednesday, April 28th at the Pavilion Auditorium in Montpelier, starting at 9am. Seven randomly selected voting precincts will be included in this year’s audit: Brandon, Pownal, Randolph, South Burlington (Chittenden 7-4), Topsham, Warren and Worcester. Six of these seven towns use optical scan tabulators for the tabulation of election results, and one town (Topsham) uses hand count procedures.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Finance and Management announced today the publication of two interactive State of Vermont Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) Transparency Dashboards. The dashboards detail how the State of Vermont allocated and expended the $1.25 billion in CRF funds in support of individuals, families, vulnerable populations, and businesses affected by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Construction jobs are available across Vermont, and the Department of Labor is offering an opportunity for job seekers to learn about the benefits of working in this exciting sector at its #Hiring2DayVT Virtual Job Fair on Thursday, April 22 at 11:00am. This week’s virtual job fair is being held in conjunction with the Associated General Contractors of Vermont and is open to anyone looking for a job or interested in learning more about job opportunities within the construction industry. Employers from across the state will be participating.

Vermont Business Magazine The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) applied for and received a $276,000 award recently from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to establish a Creative Sector program to assist in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Creative Sector includes jobs within visual arts and crafts, culture and heritage, literary arts and publishing, performing arts, specialty foods and culinary arts, and film and media.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senators Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, Ron Wyden, D-Ore, and Rand Paul, R-Ky, and 17 other senators, today introduced a bill to put a stop to shady data brokers buying and selling Americans’ Constitutional rights. The Fourth Amendment is Not for Sale Act closes the legal loophole that allows data brokers to sell Americans’ personal information to law enforcement and intelligence agencies without any court oversight – in contrast to the strict rules for phone companies, social media sites and other businesses that have direct relationships with consumers.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power has launched a new pilot program to empower residential customers with new technology to simplify the transition to clean energy for home heating, vehicle charging, solar generation and energy storage. GMP is the first utility in the country to work with Span to offer the Span Smart Panel. The Span Smart Panel replaces the traditional home electric panel, and will give customers an easy way to understand and control energy use from anywhere, while helping all GMP customers as the technology can foster a more flexible, resilient, green grid. Plus, the smart panel can do much more than a traditional home panel, including replacing the meter to also measure energy use.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College today announced that Monique M Taylor, PhD, has been named its new Provost and Chief Academic Officer. She will begin in late summer. Dr Taylor comes to Champlain College from the New York Institute of Technology, where she has served as the Campus Dean and Executive Director for the school’s Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates programs.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) Wednesday introduced the College for All Act to open up the dream of a college degree to millions of working-class children. The legislation would make the most substantial federal investment in higher education in the modern history of the United States and its transformative potential is on par with President Lyndon B Johnson’s Higher Education Act of 1965.

Vermont Business Magazine The Chittenden Solid Waste District has been awarded a grant worth $106,849 by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation to help cover costs for providing facilities and education for the proper disposal of hazardous waste generated by residents and qualifying businesses. The grant is part of a solid waste assistance fund provided by the state to help towns and solid waste planning entities implement their solid waste plans.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced new details about application requirements and eligibility for the upcoming Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF). The opening date for the application portal has not yet been announcement but is expected in the weeks ahead. To review initial program details, ACCD and the SBA will hold a webinar today at 3:00pm for businesses owners.