Current News

Vermont Business Magazine On any given day, a walk-through Maple Landmark’s factory is like walking through Santa’s workshop, demonstrating the range of products that are hallmarks of the company. However, a look around will also show how many unique custom-ordered items are being produced for customers near and far.

Vermont Business Magazine Noting Vermont is exactly one month into the school year, state officials at Friday’s press conference thanked the school communities for their hard work in opening schools and expanding in-person learning. The Agency of Education has sent a survey to school districts to gather up-to-date information on their reopening plans. Officials expect to be able to release those results next week.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims were again little changed last week, but remain near their lowest levels now since the first week of March. Ongoing claims continue to fall precipitously and Vermonters fall from the unemployment rolls as benefits are expiring.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) Friday pressed Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) not to proceed with Supreme Court confirmation hearings next week unless stringent COVID-19 testing procedures are implemented immediately. Pointing out that two Judiciary Committee members have tested positive for COVID-19 and others have thus far refused to be tested, the senators told Graham that without testing procedures in place, the hearings could threaten the safety and health of all who attend in person.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) announces grants totaling $299,350 for seven projects to benefit Vermont fruit, vegetable, and value-added producers and increase consumer access to locally produced food. These grants, funded through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), were awarded to six agricultural organizations to undertake a range of research, development, education, business planning, and marketing projects. The grants will leverage an additional $190,026 in matching funds.

Vermont Business Magazine At a meeting on September 16, the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board awarded $1.18 million in state funding and nearly $1.5 million in federal funding to protect 646 acres of farmland in South Burlington, Sheldon and Starksboro, to support a new recreational network in Cambridge, to expand a Wildlife Management Area in Vernon, to restore riparian land and improve water quality in Morgan, and to help restore historic details at the Fairbanks Museum in St Johnsbury.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Public Safety would like to hear from first responders and members of the public as part of the process of enacting a fee structure for dispatch services through Vermont State Police Public Safety Answering Points. Dispatchers most often are the first contact that people have with the Vermont State Police and the 100+ agencies for whom we provide dispatch services. VSP dispatch centers are staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide emergency and non-emergency support to the people of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Treasury Department, today released a simpler loan forgiveness application for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of $50,000 or less. This action streamlines the PPP forgiveness process to provide financial and administrative relief to America’s smallest businesses while also ensuring sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Police next week will be participating in a review by a team of assessors representing the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA) as part of a voluntary program to achieve re-accreditation of its law enforcement programs. The CALEA assessment team will be comprised of former Executive Director Gerald Bailey of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (retired), the team leader; and Director Charis Paulson of the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported 11 new cases of COVID 19. No one is hospitalized statewide and there has not been a death in two months. The VDH also weighed in on the use of gaiters. If you choose to wear a gaiter as a face covering, fold it over so it is two layers. Based on a few experiments in adults, gaiters with one layer trap the least amount of respiratory droplets. Gaiters with two layers trap more droplets than gaiters with one layer. Gaiters folded over into two layers have a similar effectiveness at trapping respiratory droplets as two layers of cotton T-shirt material.

Middlebury College The following is a letter from Middlebury College President Laurie Patton to the college community explaining next steps for the J-Term (winter) and next spring. The J-term will be conducted remotely for all students with the exception of some research projects. The spring semester will not begin until March 1 and run without a break until May 21. All of this is to minimize the risk posed by COVID-19.

LETTER

This is a comprehensive letter with many details—we want you to have all of this information at once so you know what the remainder of the academic year will look like.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor announced Thursday, October 1, 2020 an increase to the State’s minimum wage. Beginning January 1, 2021, the State’s minimum wage will increase $0.79, from $10.96 to $11.75 per hour. The calculation for this increase is in accordance with Act 86 of the 2019 Vermont General Assembly.

This adjustment also impacts the minimum wage of “tipped employees.” The Basic Tipped Wage Rate for service or tipped employees equals 50% of the full minimum wage or $5.88 per hour starting January 1, 2021.

The minimum wage is set to increase to $12.55 per hour in 2022 as determined by current state statute. After 2022, the minimum wage will resume increasing annually with inflation as calculated by the Department of Labor.

For more information about the Vermont Department of Labor, visit: www.labor.vermont.gov.