Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Leahy: Today’s decisive and bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives to impeach President Trump was nothing less than a vote to preserve our democracy. President Trump has not simply failed to uphold his oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, which itself would be sufficient to warrant his impeachment and removal. He has emerged as the greatest threat to the Constitution and to American democracy in a generation.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 118 new cases of COVID-19 statewide and, for the first time in several days, no deaths. The VDH is warning that the post-holiday period could push cases up to 300 a day by the beginning of February. VDH is urging that while we wait for vaccine to become more widely available to Vermonters, we must keep up our prevention practices, including physical distancing, mask-wearing, handwashing and staying home when we’re sick. This is still the best protection from getting and spreading COVID-19.

Vermont Business Magazine Legislation led in the Senate by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Senator Steve Daines (R-Montana) that promotes lower health insurance costs to consumers by increasing transparency and enhancing consumer protections in the health insurance industry was signed into law Wednesday by the President. The “Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act” will ensure that health insurance issuers are subject to the same federal antitrust laws prohibiting unfair trade practices, such as price fixing and collusion, as virtually every other industry in our economy.

Vermont Business Magazine Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) spoke on the House floor Wednesday ahead of the unprecedented second House impeachment vote of President Donald Trump. Welch has cosponsored the impeachment resolution and will vote in favor of it today.

Department of Public Safety Late last evening, prior to the anticipated conclusion of the investigation into his conduct related to the Capitol insurrection, Lucas Hall resigned his position. His unconditional resignation was immediately accepted. The details of the investigation will be forwarded to the Vermont Criminal Justice Council pursuant to Act 56 for consideration of sanctions, including decertification.

Vermont Business Magazine Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel raised $5,120 for the Vermont Foodbank and JCEO Plattsburgh Foodshelf through a clever fundraising event this holiday season. For the fourth year in a row, Lenny’s teamed up with Darn Tough Vermont to create a limited-edition sock design. Lenny’s also teamed up with Skida Headwear to create custom Vermont-made hats, headbands, and neck warmers.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is alerting customers about a surge in scam calls this morning. The scammers claim to be from GMP, demand immediate payment and threaten to cut off power if not paid right away. GMP says it would never do that, and you hang up - it is a scam. GMP customers started alerting the company this morning about the calls.

Vermont Business Magazine Jon Pizzagalli, Board Chair of The Stern Center for Language and Learning, has announced that Laurie Quinn, PhD, will become the educational institution’s second president. Dr Quinn, the recent interim president and previous provost and senior vice president at Champlain College, was selected as the organization’s next leader after a nationwide search. The Williston-based non-profit’s visionary founder and President Blanche Podhajski is retiring after a pioneering 50-year career

by Professor Meaghan Emery UVM is proposing to cut several majors and minors in the Arts & Sciences because of low number so students graduating in those majors. The number of students enrolled in majors and minors is not the same as the number of students enrolled in these courses. Course enrollments in these programs go into the hundreds, and, therefore, the number of students majoring or minoring in these disciplines cannot possibly measure both their academic and their financial impact.Those who have chosen to major in these fields have gone on to make a real difference in our country and world.

by Deb Billado It has come to my attention through various vague media reports that there is a rumor of some kind of protest planned at the capitol building in Montpelier this weekend. While we support everyone’s right to peaceably assemble, just like the thousands of VTers gathered in pink hats four years ago to protest a new administration, I must in the strongest terms possible caution anyone who is considering involvement.

Vermont Business Magazine On December 27, 2020, the $900 billion “Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act” (Economic Aid Act) was signed into law along with a $1.4 trillion federal omnibus FY 21 appropriations bill. Community-based lenders were allowed to start processing application Monday and all other lenders may open up applications for new or continuing PPP loans starting Wednesday. This is the update to the $2.1 trillion CARES Act passed in March 2020.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 176 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths for a statewide total of 158. National and regional infection rates remain at their highest levels since the beginning of the pandemic and Vermont's weekly total is also at its highest level. Still Vermont ranks in the top three of states in nearly every metric and has the total fewest deaths and fewest cases. The mortality rate in Vermont has also subsided somewhat from the late fall/early winter surge. Vermont also ranks among the highest in vaccinations, even though the national rollout has been slower than expected here and nearly everywhere. Nearly 25,000 Vermonters have been vaccinated.