Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Commerce and the Department of Taxes reported Monday that more than $103 million in Vermont Economic Recovery Grants have been awarded to more than 3,500 businesses in 22 different sectors and in all 14 counties in Vermont. There are still funds available. The total amount per business also has been expanded for both new and those who have already received a grant to a maximum of $150,000 each. The Scott Administration will also ask the Legislature to expand eligibility.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has signed onto a bipartisan letter calling on the US Department of Commerce and the US Census Bureau to restore the deadline for the 2020 US Census, which has been moved from October 31 to September 30, 2020. In addition to Governor Scott, the letter was signed by the governors of Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Michigan, Illinois, North Carolina, and New York.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Police has released traffic-stop data from 2019, marking the fifth consecutive year the agency has published its raw numbers to continue the public discussion on how to address racial disparities in discretionary car stops. Takeaways include that racial disparities remain in who is searched and who is issued traffic tickets compared with warnings and the majority of stops and searches of motorists occur on the interstates and involve vehicles with non-Vermont registration plates.

Vermont Business Magazine Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD also said Tuesday that there has been news about colleges and universities in other parts of the country needing to halt their return to school plans because of COVID-19 cases, but Vermont is in a different situation. So far, here in Vermont where students are still in the process of returning, there are four students testing positive at Norwich, one at Vermont Technical College, and six at the University of Vermont. The VDH also reported today that statewide there were three new cases of COVID-19 for a statewide total of 1,530. Since last Friday there have been 29 new cases.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) and the Department of Taxes today announced an increase to the maximum grant award for Economic Recovery Grants for Vermont businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in the maximum grant award is available to businesses in the lodging, retail, hospitality, arts, travel and event affiliated sectors that have continued capacity constraints.

Previously, businesses could receive up to $50,000 in grant funds. Now, businesses in eligible industries can receive up to an additional $100,000 in grant funding, for a total of $150,000 from the program. The increased maximum award is available both to new applicants to the program and to those businesses that have already received a $50,000 grant.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Poultney's Green Mountain College, which closed in 2019, will have a new owner - none other than the founder of Shoreham-based WhistlePig Whiskey, Raj Peter Bhakta. Bhakta’s winning bid today was $4.55 million. With a 10 percent buyer’s premium, the deal is valued at just over $5 million. Bhakta was one of three on-site bidders, with a couple more remote. The bidding began at $3 million, the so-called stalking horse bid that had been received and accepted well in advance of the auction.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan today joined a multistate coalition in filing a federal lawsuit challenging planned operational changes at the US Postal Service. The Postal Service’s sudden and unilateral changes deprived states of their procedural right to comment on such changes before implementation. The coalition argues that cuts at the Postal Service that impact mail service nationwide—eliminating staff overtime, altering operations at state distribution centers, and removing mail sorting equipment—cannot be lawfully implemented without a public notice and comment period.

Vermont Business Magazine Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) Tuesday called on the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to further delay the agency’s scheduled furlough of 13,000 public servants from August 30 to the end of the fiscal year. The action affects 1,109 Vermonters who earlier had received furlough notices effective August 3. ​

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), Representative Peter Welch (D), Governor Phil Scott (R) and officials from the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) announced Tuesday that 14 Vermont organizations will receive more than $4.4 million in federal grants to promote economic development across the Green Mountain State. Funds will help local communities build out fiber optic broadband networks, facilitate new infrastructure development, bolster Vermont’s outdoor recreation and forest economies and invest in the state’s arts and cultural organizations.

​Vermont Business Magazine writer Bruce Edwards queried developer Don Sinex about his plans for Burlington’s CityPlace project. Sinex and his company Devonwood Investors LLC has once again taken control of the project after partner and lead developer Brookfield Properties informed Mayor Weinberger in July that it was pulling out of the project. Sinex spoke about restarting the project with no hotel, less office space, including for the hospital, but with more housing. He also spoke about the involvement with the city and particular Weinberger, who has been critical of the developers.

Vermont Business Magazine In its 30th Annual Lamplighter Awards, The New England Society for Healthcare Communications (NESHCo) honored Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) with a total of three awards for their work in healthcare marketing.

The Lamplighters were established to showcase and honor excellence in healthcare communications throughout the New England region. The 2020 competition totaled 282 entries which were judged by other healthcare marketing societies across the country.

BMH received two Bronze awards for Excellence in Writing and Excellence in Publications for their special Year in Review 2019 edition of the Healthwise Magazine printed by Howard Printing of Brattleboro. “Designing the special edition of our bi-annual magazine allowed us to share a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at how our hospital operates, highlighting the dedication of our staff members in a special way,” noted Maeve Shaughnessy, Marketing & Communications Manager.

Vermont Business Magazine Esri, the California-based global leader in location intelligence, has announced that partner company Axiomatic LLC has been chosen by the Vermont Department of Taxes to develop a new statewide platform for managing property tax administration, equalization, and oversight. The new system is expected to improve awareness and outcomes of property tax processes.