Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Province of Québec on Monday announced an aggressive plan to further electrify the economy and thus reduce greenhouse gases. The goals are to reduce GHG emissions by 37.5 percent of 1990 levels by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2050. Like Québec, Vermont has struggled to meet its own GHG reduction goals, but Québec is starting from a stronger position. PQ right now has the lowest GHG emissions of any province or US state. Quebec also is a major supplier of electricity, via Hydro-Quebec contracts, and sole supplier of natural gas, via Énergir and its subsidiary Vermont Gas Systems, to the state of Vermont.

​Vermont Business Magazine The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Boston Regional Office is excited to work with the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP) which will receive up to $500,000 annually to conduct pesticide safety training across the country over the next five years. With EPA funding, AFOP will administer this grant to provide occupational health and safety trainings to migrant and seasonal farmworkers in more than 25 states including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The Paramount Theatre in Rutland announced Wednesday that with the support of Same Sun of Vermont, they are selling raffle tickets for a $20,000 custom designed solar array. Should the winner of the raffle opt instead for a cash grand prize, their winning ticket will earn them $10,000. In addition to the grand-prize (solar array or $10,000 cash – winner’s choice) the second and third place drawings are worth $1,000 each. Tickets are now available exclusively online at ParamountVT.org for $100 or 5 for $399.

Vermont Business Magazine When the State of Vermont converted the Mount Mansfield Electric Railway to a road for cars in 1932, they left behind some of the infrastructure that supported the elevated tram as it crossed Graves Brook in Waterbury. Massive stone piers punctuated the landscape behind what is now Billing’s Mobil station, and they served as a reminder of the electric railway for nearly a century.

Vermont Business Magazine iSun Energy, innovators in the world of smart, solar-powered furnishings, announces the launch of its new iSun Oasis Smart Solar Bench, available starting in early 2021. iSun Energy is the company behind the leading-edge iSun Energy & Mobility Hub, a smart solar-powered canopy and EV charging investment. The new bench joins the company’s fleet of transformative hardware, software, and services.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting that another Vermonter has died of COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 60. It's the first death in the state from the novel coronavirus in nearly two weeks. The death occurred in Rutland County. The last death from COVID came November 7 in Orleans County. Altogether, the VDH reported 51 cases statewide today, which is a decrease from the recent spike of record-breaking numbers, which have been close to or over 100. There are 17 people hospitalized with two people in the ICU.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard destination in Eastern North America, will kick off the 2020-21 winter season at 9 am on Friday, November 20, 2020, becoming the first Eastern resort to open for skiing and snowboarding. The first turns of the season, on Friday, November 20 through Sunday, November 22, will be reserved exclusively for Killington Season Pass, Beast 365 and Ikon pass holders — all of whom have met Vermont quarantine requirements. The resort will open to the general public on Monday, November 23, 2020 at 9 am.

Vermont Business Magazine ECFiber, Vermont's first Communications Union District (CUD), recently announced plans to expand its network in eight newly-admitted towns. The first step in network design is to collect information about utility poles -- amazingly this is not information that is kept by utility companies in sufficient detail for designing broadband networks. In the past this has been a tedious and time consuming process requiring individuals to visit each pole. ECFiber is pioneering a new, high-tech approach.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing (VDTM), in partnership with the Vermont Comedy Club, is proud to present “Little State, Big Laughs: A Vermont Comedy Club Live Stream Event,” on Saturday, November 21, at 7 pm via Vermont Tourism YouTube and Facebook channels.

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday, November 17th President Donald Trump fired Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (DHS CISA) Director Chris Krebs because he repudiated the baseless claims, misinformation, and conspiracy theories made by the President and others about the integrity of the 2020 General Election.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan announced today that Apple, Inc will pay $1.16M to the State of Vermont as part of a $113M settlement with a coalition of over 30 attorneys general. The settlement announced today stems from Apple’s 2016 decision to throttle consumers’ iPhone speeds—artificially slowing them down—to address unexpected shutdowns in iPhones 6 and 7. The coalition alleges that Apple’s concealment of the battery issues and decision to throttle the performance of consumers’ iPhones led to Apple profiting from selling additional iPhones to consumers whose phone performance had been slowed.

Vermont Business Magazine Commissioner Michael Pieciak announced today that the Department of Financial Regulation issued an order suspending the insurance producer license of Benjamin Scherer, NAIC License Number 3210356, of Newport Center, Vermont, effective November 3, 2020, following the discovery of a series of allegedly improper practices in his handling of client files.