Current News

Agency of Commerce & Community Development ACCD released the Vermont Ski Resort COVID-19 Winter Operations Guidance for the 20/21 season Tuesday. This guidance aims to provide skiers and riders a safe skiing and riding experience, ensure the health and safety of the thousands of Vermonters who work in the industry, and protect the health and safety of the communities that host these resorts. Additionally, the deadline to submit applications for the Vermont Ski Area Recreation Safety Grants has been extended to Friday, November 6th.

by John McClaughry The exhausting national election is now over, other than counting misplaced ballots and resolving lawsuits. Now is a good time for Vermonters to let partisan animosities subside, and take a serious look at what the governor and the next legislature are likely to face. Here’s a concise list.

Fiscal Worries: In September a Republican governor and Democratic legislature commendably produced a balanced budget for FY21, with no tax increases. This achievement was made possible by the windfall of $1.25 billion from the CARES pandemic relief act, and an unexpected $21 million in personal income tax revenues from boom year 2019. Remarkably, the lawmakers did this without depleting the Budget Stabilization and Rainy Day Reserve Funds (totaling $112 million).

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting 19 new cases of COVID-19 in Vermont. Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, said at Tuesday’s press conference, that as cases of COVID-19 surge nationally and encroach on our region, Vermonters should consider avoiding travel this year if they can. ANR Secretary Julie Moore today laid out new rules for winter high school sports. The most notable of these is that there will be no wrestling and no indoor track. Nor will any spectators be allowed, not even parents.

Vermont Business Magazine Agency of Commerce & Community Development today announced its Vermont Ski Resort COVID-19 Winter Operations Guidance. This guidance aims to provide skiers and riders a safe skiing and riding experience, ensure the health and safety of the thousands of Vermonters who work in the industry, and protect the health and safety of the communities that host these resorts.

Community News Service Starting at 7 am Tuesday morning, the Community News Service is dispatching student reporters to polling places across Vermont. The reporters are students at the University of Vermont, as well as at Castleton University, St. Michael’s College and the Community College of Vermont. They’ll be asking voters about this historic election, where for the first time every Vermont voter was mailed a ballot.

Vermont Chamber of Commerce President Betsy Bishop sent a letter Monday to Governor Phil Scott and the Joint Fiscal Committee advocating for the disbursement of unallocated Coronavirus Relief Fund resources to businesses with unmet need through supplemental relief grants that augment previously awarded grants.

Vermont Business Magazine In the spirit of both gratitude for service and compassion for suffering, Heady Vermont will be hosting our third annual Veteran’s Day Cannabis Giveaway this year. Due to the Schedule 1 status of cannabis, health providers with Veteran Affairs (VA) cannot prescribe medical cannabis to patients, and the VA’s website simply refers to cannabis use among veterans as “an issue of growing concern.”

Vermont Business Magazine There’s new life at a 60- year old former industrial building in the heart of Rutland County these days. Kalow Technologies, a highly integrated contract manufacturer, recently completed an extensive renovation to over 85,000 square feet of space at 155 Seward Road, first constructed in 1961. Kalow is a rare success story of steady growth in good paying jobs as it has diversified and acquired key processes such as metal fabrication and most recently powder coating, to complement its long-time engineering and manufacturing strengths.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Medical Society Education & Research Foundation (VMSERF) has announced the 2020/2021 cohort of the Physician Executive Leadership Institute Foundational Course, which will commence this November. The leadership course, offered in partnership with the Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership and Lumunos, and supported by funding from the Physicians Foundation, is designed to equip physicians and PAs stepping into or already in leadership positions with the necessary knowledge and skills to be successful in their leadership roles.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is now hosting classes for new parents online. New parents are invited to register for the classes at svhealthcare.org/Classes-Events. The new format allows families to get the information they need from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting 23 new cases of COVID-19 today. There have been 64 since Friday. Three people are currently in the ICU. With the holidays approaching, for college students returning to Vermont homes, and a growing list of people who are “close contacts” of people with COVID-19, it’s important to know what to do if someone in your home is under quarantine. If you have out-of-state visitors in your home who come from a red or yellow county, they need to quarantine for 14 days (or the duration of their stay).

Vermont Business Magazine People's United Bank, NA a subsidiary of People's United Financial, Inc (NASDAQ: PBCT) based in Bridgeport, CT, announced today that it has completed the sale of People's United Insurance Agency to Florida-based AssuredPartners. The transaction was announced on September 22, 2020. Under the terms of the agreement, the purchase price is $120 million in cash, reflecting a 3.7x multiple of LTM revenue.