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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.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Department of Corrections (Vermont DOC) is reporting a Covid-19 outbreak at Northern State Correctional Facility (NSCF) in Newport after one staff member and 21 incarcerated individuals tested positive for the virus. The 22 total cases were detected in testing conducted February 23, 2021.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington House Buyers has announced the launching of a new home buying service that provides a safe alternative to listing a home in Burlington, Vermont and the surrounding area. Dan Beaulieu started Burlington House Buyers to help homeowners in Burlington and the surrounding area sell their homes without the hassle of listing it on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Once a ship captain, Beaulieu has taken his experience in leadership to land as a real estate investor, renovation specialist, licensed agent, lender, and property manager.

“I wanted to provide an alternative way to sell your house without the long, drawn-out process, expensive repairs, or multiple showings,” Beaulieu said.

Vermont Business Magazine Human Services Secretary Mike Smith said at Governor Scott's press briefing today that more news should be coming Tuesday on the next phase of the vaccine rollout. This could include "Part A and Part B" groups for what is generally referred to as Phase 5, or the high-risk chronic conditions phase. He said they are also considering school staff and teachers as part of this phase. Splitting the phase into two groups could happen because of the large number of people, which Smith said was about 75,000 Vermonters. As for today's data, the VDH reported one more death for a statewide total of 204 with 121 new cases of COVID-19. The state has now fully vaccinated over 51,000 Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House today passed H315, a bill that would provide over $79 million in pandemic relief to individuals and small businesses in Vermont. The funding ranges from $700,000 for New Americans to $1,376,000 for the Vermont Food Bank to $10 million to the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to a $20 million allocation to help pay down the state's pension obligation.

Vermont Business Magazine In order to reach the smallest businesses, SBA is solely offering Paycheck Protection Program loans to businesses with fewer than 20 employees and sole proprietors from February 24 to March 10. Already, between the 2020 and 2021 PPP financing, almost 17,000 Vermont businesses have received nearly $1.6 billion in loans and grants. The Paycheck Protection Program provides forgivable loans to help businesses keep their workforce employed during the COVID-19 crisis, including the owner which can be an employer with employees or a self-employed business owner without employees.

Vermont Business Magazine United States Attorneys James P. Kennedy, Jr, of the Western District of New York, and Christina E. Nolan, of the District of Vermont, announced today that Lisa Miller, 52, formerly of Virginia, has been returned to the United States from Nicaragua and will be arraigned in the Western District of New York on charges of conspiracy and international parental kidnapping.

​Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is making it easy for you to save money and reduce your carbon footprint and get excited this spring with a whole lot more rebate options that will get you outside. GMP customers can get ready for the green grass and open roads by saving on electric motorcycles and residential yard care equipment like hedge trimmers, chainsaws, leaf blowers and garden tractors.

Vermont Business Magazine This week, Moody’s Investors Service released a rating action that affirms Burlington International Airport’s “Baa2” credit rating with a stable outlook. The rating action is particularly notable as airports around the country are grappling with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. In its credit report, Moody’s states that the Burlington International Airport (BTV) is “well-positioned to address challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic,” and notes that BTV’s core financial metrics are sound, including its stable liquidity and debt service coverage, strengthened cost recovery framework, minimum of 200 days of cash on hand, relatively low debt burden, and manageable planned capital investment program.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Regular weekly unemployment claims last week fell by 222, and are down to 777. Numbers also fell nationally, but remain at a relatively higher level. Economists suggest 2021 is off to a sluggish start.