Current News

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine Prospects for Amtrak service to Burlington, which passenger trains have not served in almost 70 years, have taken a strange twist. The state has notified the occupants of a 19th-century depot that sits only a few feet from the state-owned tracks at the Route 7 crossing in New Haven that their building will have to be moved before the Amtrak train, the Ethan Allen Express, comes through on its new route. And moving the little brick building does not look like a simple matter.

Vermont Research News The Center for Research on Vermont received so many responses to its fall request for nominations of important Vermont books that we decided to share the results in several reports. Here we focus on titles about Vermont politics and government. Included is one from 1984 by William Doyle, then a state senator and a professor at Johnson State College, called Vermont Political Tradition. UVM historian Sam Hand regarded Doyle’s book as the best short introduction to Vermont political history available. Doyle’s concise and readable history includes chapters on major developments and identifies enduring themes.

by Scott Finn, VPR President and CEO As we prepare to merge Vermont Public Radio and Vermont PBS in July, I have a confession to make. Even though I’m the president of VPR, my first public media love was actually public television. My four siblings and I grew up two hours from the nearest shopping mall. Dad fixed appliances, Mom raised us and provided child care for others. Through the magic of our rooftop antenna, Mr Rogers introduced us to Iowa Public Television. Nova, Nature, Masterpiece - it was on all day long.

by Devon Green, VAHHS Vice President of Government Relations Last week The House advanced H315, a $62 million mini-coronavirus relief fund (CRF) bill with the following: $5 million to mental health needs; $500,000 to address health care disparities by enhancing data collection; $350,000 each to the Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV) and VT Refugee Resettlement Program (USCRI).

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) announced Saturday that all new 1099-G forms have been reviewed and printed and are set for mailing. The State began delivering the 180,000 pieces of mail to the US Postal Service in Essex beginning Friday afternoon, with the last batch being delivered on Monday, March 1st. Claimants can expect to receive their 1099-G forms over the course of this coming week.

VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets In a time when plans change from day to day and week to week, we all need something to look forward to. That’s why we’re thrilled to present our new Funding Opportunity Calendar, which displays the upcoming year of grants from the VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets by the month we anticipate applications will open.

Vermont Business Magazine From now through March 10th, the US Small Business Administration (SBA) is accepting applications for relief through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) exclusively for businesses with fewer than 20 employees to ensure equitable access to the program. Also, Residents of communities within five miles of a Vermont border with a neighboring state may now complete essential and necessary travel between border towns that occurs in the same day, without quarantining upon return to Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement with the emergency use authorization for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. He also noted that Vermont has now surpassed 100,000 initial vaccines and over 50,000 have completed both doses. The Vermont Department of Health on Sunday is reporting 100 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 15,198 and 204 deaths statewide.

Vermont Business Magazine Finalized results confirm that New England’s annual capacity auction concluded with sufficient secured resources to meet projected electricity needs three years in the future. ISO New England Inc filed the results Friday with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The filing also includes a list of electricity resources committed to ensuring reliable power for New England for the same period. The estimated value of the capacity market in 2024-2025 will be about $1.36 billion.

by John Pelletier All Vermont public school students are supposed to be taught personal finance, but I would bet that many parents would have a hard time finding a young person who has learned about credit scores, investing or compound interest. And there probably are even fewer students learning about personal finance during the pandemic, as teachers rightfully focus on core subjects.

Leonine Public Affairs Vermont US Representative Peter Welch said the bill currently includes over $900 million in federal aid for Vermont state and local government. Around $600 million would go to state government and around $300 million would go directly to municipalities. The funding would support the dissemination of the COVID-19 vaccine, contact tracing, efforts to reopen schools, unemployment benefits and rental assistance among other things. In addition to the funding for state and local government CARES 3 includes stimulus checks that would go directly to eligible Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine Representative Peter Welch supported the House passed $1.9 trillion ‘American Rescue Plan’ COVID relief bill late Friday night. The bold bill is a top priority of both Rep. Welch and President Joe Biden and will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, extend federal unemployment insurance, deliver immediate financial relief to families, support small businesses and vaccinate more people throughout the country against the coronavirus.