Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Fully vaccinated people who travel to and from Vermont will no longer need to quarantine, effective tomorrow (February 23). Fully vaccinated means it’s been at least two weeks since your final dose. Travelers must be able to prove they have been fully vaccinated, Governor Phil Scott said at Friday’s press conference. He encouraged people to carry the federally-issued card they receive when they are vaccinated with them and be prepared to show it when asked. Vermont is currently vaccinating people age 70 and older. But even if you are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, you can get a head start on the process now by creating your account in our online system. That way, it'll be smooth sailing when it’s your turn to make an appointment for your first dose. The VDH is reporting 102 more cases of COVID-19 and another death for 198 statewide. The US surpassed 500,000 deaths today.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger announced today that he and the Developer of CityPlace Burlington have negotiated an amendment to the proposed Amended and Restated (A&R) Development Agreement, which secures further benefits for the workers who will construct the project. In response to this amendment, the Vermont Building and Construction Trades Council has announced its support for the proposed settlement agreement and the project. Now, after the City Council voted to table its approval of these agreements, Mayor Weinberger has called a Special Meeting of the City Council for February 23, and he urges the Council to approve the agreements at this meeting.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont State College System Board of Trustees voted to move forward with the proposal outlined by the state’s Select Committee on the Future of Public Higher Education in Vermont. The proposal will unify the three residential colleges, Castleton University, Northern Vermont University, and Vermont Technical College, under a common accreditation in Academic Year 2023-2024 while maintaining the Community College of Vermont as a separate institution. Additionally, the system will streamline services across the institutions through significant administrative consolidation. The board said it is committed to maintaining the current campus locations.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger and Senator Patrick Leahy announced that the Burlington International Airport (BTV) has received a $14.5 million federal grant to expand the Airport’s terminal building and consolidate the two existing security checkpoints into one, which will significantly improve the Airport’s efficiency and traveler experience. The grant comes from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Supplemental Airport Improvement Program, and will cover 90 percent of the cost for engineering, design, and construction. The remaining 10 percent local match will be funded through the Airport’s passenger facility charges. Construction is anticipated to begin by July 2021 and continue for 12-18 months.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that 11 new plug-in electric vehicle (EV) fast-charge stations are scheduled to be installed across Vermont over the next two years. The charge stations will be located in Newport, Enosburgh, St Johnsbury, Johnson, South Hero, Springfield, Fair Haven, Wilmington, Ludlow, Randolph and Rutland. The chargers will be a part of the Blink Network and available to all EV drivers. When these new stations are completed, nearly every Vermonter will be within 30 miles of a fast-charge station. They will cost $1.7 million and will be paid for from the Volkswagen settlement. Vermont has the greatest number of EV stations in the nation per capita, with 114 public EV chargers per 100,000 people, and the number of registered EVs in Vermont has risen by 321 percent since 2015.

Vermont Business Magazine Registration is now open for the Fourth Annual Southern Vermont Economy Summit at www.sovermontzone.com/summit. This three-day virtual event will be held May 12th, 13th, and 14th. The 2021 summit theme is “Reconnect”. It’s a chance to reconnect with one another, and with new ideas. The summit features workshops, networking, panel sessions, and special speakers focused on small business development, reimagining wealth-building for our communities, small scale changes to strengthen communities, and a 3-part New-to-Vermont lunch series.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Regular weekly unemployment claims last week fell by 157, and were under 1,000 for the first time this year and the first time since last fall. Numbers increased nationally, which was not expected. Economists suggest 2021 is off to a sluggish start.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health on Sunday is reporting 129 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 14,493 and one more death for a statewide total of 197. On Saturday they reported 109 new cases and three deaths. VDH is also reminding Vermonters that they can create an account to get vaccinated even if they are not eligible yet to receive one. VDH expects to open up the next vaccination for those 65 or older about March 1.

by Jill Mazza Olson, Executive Director, VNAs of Vermont Home health and hospice agencies have played a critical role in pandemic response since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, providing health care and personal care at home—including COVID-19 care—keeping patients safer and reducing the pressures on hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Now home health agencies and hospice agencies have a new role—making sure homebound Vermonters eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations can get them. They began by screening the Vermonters they serve to identify anyone who cannot safely get to a vaccination clinic.

On February 5, teams of home health and hospice agency nurses and emergency medical services (EMS) providers began vaccinating homebound Vermonters—and eligible family members—at home.

by Suresh V Garimella I’ve heard this criticism of higher education inside Vermont and out: University leaders are using the pandemic as an excuse to implement large budget cuts they were planning to make anyway. I don’t agree, at least in the case of the University of Vermont, but perhaps not for the reasons you might think.

Vermont Business Magazine The University System of New Hampshire (USNH) Board of Trustees, which includes the University of New Hampshire, said in a statement last week that it strongly supports Governor Chris Sununu’s visionary and timely plan to create one system of higher education in New Hampshire. The Board believes that joining USNH with the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) is the best possible approach to securing, for the long term, the state’s capacity to offer all its residents affordable, accessible, and diverse pathways to a high quality education, from technical certificates to advanced graduate degrees to programs for lifelong learning and professional growth.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University’s John and Mary Frances Patton Peace & War Center will host the second Peace and War Summit, which will address the escalating US-China rivalry in 11 virtual sessions held over seven weeks from March 3 to April 21. The summit will highlight military/security, economic, cyber and technological challenges and follows Norwich’s tradition of hosting leading scholars and policy experts to examine significant international issues.