Current News

Leonine Public Affairs Policy committees in the House spent the week finalizing their budget recommendations for FY2022. Each policy committee submits their recommendations to the House Appropriations Committee for the area of the budget over which they have jurisdiction. The House Appropriations Committee will spend the next three weeks considering the recommendations and crafting the FY2022 budget. The policy committees and House Appropriations Committee heard testimony this week from various state agencies and departments as well as other stakeholders from the private sector and the public. The budget memos all focus heavily on COVID-19 recovery and response and make recommendations on how to appropriate funds.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Friday announced a welcomed update to the state’s travel quarantine policy. This change represents an important turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective Tuesday, February 23rd, people who are fully vaccinated and at least 14 days out from their final vaccine dose can travel to and from Vermont without quarantine restrictions. In addition, a fully-vaccinated person who comes in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 will not be required to quarantine.

​Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Foundation and its Samara Fund are delighted to recognize Alison Hannan for her generosity in naming both organizations as primary beneficiaries of her estate. Alison and her husband Tom were residents of Guilford since 1969. The Foundation received $350,000 in total, half of which will be credited to the Samara Fund’s Our Work is Not Done campaign to grow the endowment and annual grantmaking.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Jump$tart Coalition is pleased to partner with the Vermont Access Network, the State Treasurer’s office, and Front Porch Forum to announce an original video contest for youth, with the goal to help them better understand the importance of managing money responsibly. This year’s theme: “Save for a Rainy Day” is a follow-up to last year’s contest theme “Making Money Means Making Decisions.”

Vermont Business Magazine The owner of Sugarbush and Stratton Mountain resorts in Vermont has a new technical gear partner. Dakine has announced a new four-year partnership, naming Dakine the official glove and bag partner of Alterra Mountain Company’s 15 North American mountain destinations. This partnership will be activated year-round to support all winter and summer on-mountain activities at each Alterra Mountain Company destination.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 97 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths, which are holding at 193. Governor Scott announced at his weekly press briefing Friday that those who have been vaccinated with both doses may travel in and out of the state without quarantining after two weeks past the second dose. They also do not need to quarantine if they've come into contact with someone who is positive. This new guidance still requires those people to follow all the other health guidance, including not gathering with anyone outside your household and wearing a mask in public places. Also, long-term care facilities that have no COVID-19 outbreaks will be encouraged to use full vaccination status as a factor in planning for things such as eating together and participating in other group activities within guidelines. The guidance will also include considerations for safe physical contact and indoor visits.

Vermont Business Magazine Evernorth closed its second multi-investor fund - Housing New England, Fund II – on January 29, 2021. This fund will provide equity to finance affordable housing in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
19 investors committed a total of $60.7 million in equity making Housing New England, Fund II (HNE Fund II) a significant financial resource for the region’s critical affordable housing needs. HNE Fund II’s investors include community, regional and national banks as well as a one of the nation’s largest mortgage banking organizations.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan today filed a civil lawsuit and motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to stop a Newport business from operating in violation of Governor Scott’s executive order and addenda. The State of Vermont alleges that HNR Desautels LLC, doing business as the UPS Store, and its owner, Andre “Mark” Desautels, are in violation of Governor Scott’s orders by working in the presence of others without wearing required cloth face coverings. The state alleges that by refusing to follow the mandatory health and safety requirements around employee mask use, the Defendants placed both employees and members of the public at risk due to the spread of COVID-19.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today joined a bipartisan group governors in the US Climate Alliance to applaud the decision to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, while highlighting the work Vermont is doing to combat climate change. In May 2017, Governor Phil Scott and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker wrote a letter to the US secretary of energy urging the Administration to keep the country in the Agreement. After the US announced its intention to withdraw, Governor Scott joined a bipartisan coalition of governors in the US Climate Alliance, a group committed to combating climate change.

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company, today reported its financial results for the three- and 12-month periods ended December 31, 2020. The Company also provided guidance for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021. Revenues were $774.6 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020, up $31.3 million, or up 4.2%, from the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. Net income was $91.1 million for fiscal year 2020, up $59.5 million from fiscal year 2019.

Vermont Business Magazine Greater Burlington YMCA Interim CEO Marsha Faryniarz announced today that NorthCountry Federal Credit Union has made a generous gift of $50,000. This gift, like each made by NorthCountry over the past ten years to the YMCA, is to support youth programs. NorthCountry’s support now totals more than $950,000.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has issued an executive order creating the Governor’s Commission on the Future of Vermont Agriculture to study and strategize how best to grow agriculture in the Green Mountain State. The Commission’s charge will focus on ensuring the viability and adaptability of this sector, including recommendations for more cross-sector collaboration, increasing production and promotion, reducing barriers to entry and increasing diversity within the sector, and continued progress on environmental issues.