Current News

Vermont Business Magazine USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand today highlighted the department’s investments in 2020 that are building prosperity and strengthening the nation’s rural businesses and communities.

by Kevin Ellis At 300,000 deaths and a crippled economy, we are now on the verge of another stimulus bill from Congress to keep the country afloat. Unemployment checks are running out along with paycheck protection and renter forgiveness. Lacking a stimulus bill, we will see even worse income inequality and hardship for hard-working people on the edge - evictions and hunger while the stock-holding class watches their unearned income hit record highs. But there is another issue we need to tackle: who gets the stimulus money? Corporations or people? For months, corporations have been lining up at the federal trough via their lobbyists and lawyers and political contributions for a bite at the next COVID bailout apple.

Vermont Business Magazine Manufacturing Solutions Inc (MSI) of Morrisville commits to an environmentally and fiscally sustainable future by installing a large solar panel array on their warehouse facility that is projected to offset 50 percent of the annual electric consumption of MSI's operations. The new roof-mounted American-assembled solar array is made up of 1,361 individual 395 watt Hanwha Q.Cell modules that feed five 100kw SolarEdge Inverters. In total, the system generates 538kw of solar energy. With Vermont's net metering program, the energy produced will offset an estimated 50 percent of the electrical needs of MSI's facility. The solar array stimulated local business in construction and installation through the use of local SustainableVT's expert involvement.

Vermont Business Magazine A new nature preserve will be established by the Town of Cambridge, the Vermont Land Trust announced today. The town acquired the land from Sally Laughlin, who worked together with the Vermont Land Trust and the Cambridge Conservation Commission to create the new community resource. The 51-acre Peter A. Krusch Nature Preserve, named after Laughlin’s late husband, will include forest, meadows, streams and ravines, and will be open to all. It will also improve access to the adjoining Cambridge Pines State Forest, one of Vermont’s few examples of old forest.

Vermont Business Magazine A new analysis by Rewiring America shows that transitioning to 100% clean energy through electrification would save Vermont as much as $973 Million in energy costs each year while dramatically reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions. The Rewiring America Report, “No Place Like Home: Vermont. Saving money and creating jobs by electrifying America’s households,” finds that savings would mean up to $3,603 ​per year​ in savings to each Vermont household’s energy bills.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott is seeking applicants for appointment to the new three-member Cannabis Control Board. All members will be appointed by the Governor after being vetted by the Cannabis Control Board Nominating Committee.

Vermont Business Magazine Despite the Vermont Department of Health reporting that statewide cases fell below 100 for the second straight day, the VDH reported that Vermont has exceeded more than 6,000 total cases. More importantly, there were five more deaths for a total of 105. The last two weeks have been the deadliest in Vermont since the beginning of the pandemic. Chittenden and Franklin counties have been particularly hard hit.

Vermont Department of Health Health Commissioner Mark Levine, M.D. said at last Friday’s press conference that it’s now been about two weeks since Thanksgiving, but so far, we have not seen a “surge on a surge” of COVID-19 cases. “None of our recent contact tracing efforts have revealed clusters of cases coming from this holiday,” Dr. Levine said. “We hope this means that Vermonters either avoided Thanksgiving gatherings or kept them small … and we truly appreciate that.” However, said Dr. Levine, “These numbers are not something we should develop a new comfort level around.”

Vermont Business Magazine In an emergency meeting of the Department of English at the University of Vermont on Tuesday, faculty endorsed the following statement and called for it to be released to the press and public: “The Department of English by unanimous vote has no confidence in the University of Vermont administration for its budget decisions that are gutting the College of Arts and Sciences. We call on Dean Bill Falls to resign as dean rather than continue to oversee cuts, layoffs, and closures.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) is reminding all farm operations that the annual winter manure spreading ban is underway. Beginning at 12:01 am today, December 16, and running until April 1, 2021, no manure or other agricultural wastes (including: compost and spoiled feed) may be spread on agricultural fields throughout Vermont. This annual ban is required by the Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs), which is a part of VAAFM’s overall strategy to protect water quality, the working landscape, and natural resources.

University of Vermont Medical Center The University of Vermont Medical Center sent a letter today to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reaffirming its compliance with federal laws that provide hospital employees the ability to reasonably opt-out of participating in medical procedures they oppose on religious or personal beliefs, which include reproductive care, sterilizations, blood transfusions, and others.

by Don Turner Consider this: Let’s say you live in the small town of Cambridge, VT, in rural Lamoille County. In Cambridge, you have one elected State Representative the voters send to the Vermont House of Representatives, and one elected State Senator to represent the county in the Vermont Senate. So, in total, Cambridge residents have two lawmakers representing them in Montpelier. But right across the town border is Underhill, in Chittenden County. In Underhill, residents have two elected State Representatives, and six elected State Senators. That’s a total of eight lawmakers representing Underhill.