Current News

by John McClaughry For the past three years Governor Phil Scott and others have expressed a concern about Vermont’s stagnant population. Last year the legislature even created a New Worker Relocation Program to pay people to move to Vermont, conduct their businesses on line, help revitalize small communities, and of course pay Vermont taxes.

Vermont Business Magazine At a media briefing on Monday, Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, said the Health Department is investigating a new outbreak of COVID-19 at a farm in Addison County. The Health Department learned last week that a worker at Champlain Orchards had tested positive for COVID-19. There are currently 26 cases associated with the outbreak, and contact tracing is underway.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor has announced that the state is set to trigger off of the High Extended Benefits program, as of October 10, 2020. This determination by the US Department of Labor follows the recent announcement of Vermont’s unemployment rate decreasing from 8.3% in July to 4.8% in August. A state’s unemployment rate is what drives its extended benefits program, and depending on how extreme the unemployment rate becomes, states can trigger on or off of what is called “State Extended Benefits” (State EB), which offers an additional 13 weeks of benefits, or “High Extended Benefits” (High EB), where the original 13 weeks are expanded to 20 weeks.

Vermont Business Magazine Over 200 members of the Energy Action Network (EAN) convened for a virtual summit on October 1st and 2nd. Summit attendees heard remarks about Vermont’s energy future from Governor Phil Scott, Speaker of the House Mitzi Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Becca Balint, and Public Utility Commission Chairman Anthony Roisman.

David Carle, Spokesman for Senator Patrick Leahy Senator Leahy was tested for COVID-19 earlier today since he attended the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, where it is now known that two senators were present who have tested positive for the virus.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Jayveon Caballero was sentenced to serve 25 years to life for the murder of Markus Austin in Montpelier, Vermont. Caballero was convicted of Murder in the Second Degree after a jury trial in November 2019. The case was heard by Judge Mary Morrissey in Washington Superior Court, Criminal Division.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan and Secretary of State Jim Condos today released guidance outlining the state and federal laws that prohibit voter intimidation and harassment. In the guidance, Attorney General Donovan reminds Vermonters that voter intimidation and harassment are illegal and that his office stands ready to protect our democracy.

Vermont Business Magazine Open Road Ski Company marked the end of their successful campaign in partnership with James Niehues and Mad River Glen over the weekend, releasing a first look at the hand-painted trail map and raising a total of $121,327, surpassing their initial goal by over 1,500 percent. The campaign ran for one month with an initial goal of $7,500, which was surpassed within the first hours after launch. All profits will benefit the Stark Mountain Foundation.

Vermont Business Magazine For the third year in a row, Smugglers’ Notch Distillery has been chosen by fans across the country in the USA Today 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards as one of the top ten vodka distilleries in the USA.

Vermont Business Magazine is proud to announce the winners of its Rising Stars recognition award. The list is composed of 40 winners under the age of 40. Award recipients were selected by a panel of judges for their commitment to business growth, professional excellence and involvement in their communities.

Vermont Business Magazine The Building Homes Together Campaign, formed in 2016 to encourage production of housing in Chittenden County, released its annual progress report that showed continued overall success in new housing being created, but a persistent lack of affordable homes. The campaign, supported by over a hundred local and state officials, nonprofits, businesses, and individuals, set a five year goal of 3,500 new homes in Chittenden County with 20% of them permanently affordable. This amounts to an annual target of 700 overall homes with 140 affordable; the average over the first four years is 787 homes, and only 112 of them affordable.

Vermont Business Magazine Penske Truck Leasing moves to a new facility and will now offer its consumer and commercial truck rental customers full-service truck leasing and contract truck fleet maintenance services. Penske's new facility located at 40 Kellogg Road in Essex Junction is also outfitted with the company's proprietary fully digital and voice-directed truck fleet preventive maintenance process and connected fleet solutions, a value-added resource to help customers address issues and options related to onboard technology systems (ELDs, telematics, onboard cameras, etc).