Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Isham Family Farm is a 5th generation farm owned by Michael Isham and Helen Weston who are a combined 19 generational Vermonters. Mike converted the Williston farm from a dairy operation to now include PYO berries, pumpkins, corn maze, Christmas trees and in 2010 restored a late 1700’s barn into an event space. In 2020 Mike and Helen made the decision to put the farm back into the Farmers Market by hosting a Farmers Market behind their renovated late 1700’s antique barn.

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) announces its decision regarding Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont’s (BCBSVT) and MVP Health Care’s (MVP) requested rate increases for insurance plans offered through Vermont Health Connect (VHC) in 2021. After a complete review, the Board decided to reduce BCBSVT’s rate request to 4.2% and MVP’s rate request to 2.7%, resulting in a total premium reduction of approximately $18.9 million. The Board denied administrative increases for both companies, while allowing small increases (0.5%) to reserves due to the current uncertainty and increases tied to medical and drug spending.

Vermont Business Magazine Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, on Friday spoke about the return of students to college campuses. He noted that a few students have already tested positive. And at least one positive result (a UVM student) came back before the student even left their home state. Levine said that one positive result will not count as a Vermont case, but any out-of-state student who tests positive while in Vermont will count as a positive case in Vermont. As for the relatively high case count reported today (17), Levine said in looking at the data he could not see a relationship between college students beginning to return to Vermont and today's number. Vermont's daily count is around six cases. Vermont has the lowest case count and the fewest cases per capita in the nation.

Vermont Business Magazine Human rights group Migrant Justice has disbursed nearly $200,000 in direct aid to immigrant farmworkers around Vermont. The funds – distributed through the Vermont-based organization’s “Covid Solidarity Fund” – were directed primarily to dairy workers throughout the state who have been excluded from federal stimulus payments and other government support programs. Over 400 immigrant farmworkers and family members received aid payments of $420 each. Migrant Justice created the solidarity fund following the federal government’s issuance this summer of “Economic Impact Payments” – better known as stimulus funds – of $1,200 to most Americans. The program excluded individuals without social security numbers, as well as their spouses and children.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Electric Department yesterday was awarded a $550,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant by the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the US Department of Commerce. The grant will be used to capitalize and administer a new revolving loan fund (RLF) that will complement an existing RLF to provide loans to coronavirus-impacted businesses in Burlington to help them make building ventilation and energy efficiency improvements.

Vermont Business Magazine Republican gubernatorial candidate John Klar from Brookfield has withdrawn his Independent filing to run for Governor in 2020. He said in a statement today that his focus will now be to support the many qualified Republican candidates for office in November, especially those who have stood up with him to focus attention on Vermont’s looming economic problems, particularly its underfunded state pensions system and unsustainably expensive schools.

Klar ran against Governor Phil Scott in the Republican primary and received nearly 13,000 votes or 22.2 percent. Just prior to the primary he said he also would run in the General Election as an Independent.

by Mike Donoghue, Correspondent, Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office announced that today Ariel Quiros, 64, of Key Biscayne, Florida, pleaded guilty before Chief Judge Geoffrey W Crawford in United States District Court in Burlington to three felony charges in connection with his involvement in the Jay Peak Biomedical Research Park EB-5 investment project, also called the AnC Vermont project. Quiros pleaded guilty to conspiring with co-defendants William Kelly, Jong Weon (Alex) Choi, and William Stenger in a multi-year wire fraud scheme to defraud immigrant investors seeking green cards through the EB-5 program.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today at his press briefing extended his State of Emergency another month to September 15. It was set to expire Saturday. He also is allowing, as part of the amended executive order, any local municipality to set their own limits on gathering sizes and also allowing them to limit alcohol sales and set a curfew based on hours for those sales. Scott in particular is responding to concerns in Burlington as college students return. The governor also mentioned that around the nation, spikes in new cases have come from large parties often associated with groups larger than those allowed. The governor also said that Vermont now has the lowest per capita number of COVID-19 cases as well as the fewest total cases.

by Secretary of State Jim Condos Today Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos issued a statement in response to the President’s remarks that he would block critical funding for the United States Postal Service (USPS) in an effort to suppress mail voting.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) today announced that long-time State Parks Director Craig Whipple is retiring. During his 14 years as Director of State Parks, Whipple was instrumental in creating many programs that have increased access to the parks, including the First Day Hikes series of free, guided New Year’s Day hikes at parks across the state; the Parks prescription program that provides free state parks day-use passes prescribed by physicians; and the Venture Vermont outdoor challenge that encourages families to explore the outdoors and receive a free state parks pass for their adventures.

Vermont Business Magazine The City of South Burlington has selected Marathon Health, a provider of onsite health centers that enable employer organizations to optimize the health of their workforce, to offer employees and their families primary care, health assessments, lifestyle coaching, and chronic condition management. Employees from Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), an organization dedicated to helping students of all ages achieve their educational goals, Hickok & Boardman HR Intelligence, a human resources and employee benefits consulting firm in Burlington, and Twincraft Skincare, a natural skincare product manufacturer in Winooski and Essex, are joining the City of South Burlington to offer access to the health center. A nurse practitioner and medical assistant staff the health center, which opened July 8, 2020.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Representative Peter Welch (D) Friday welcomed the award of $2.1 million in federal CARES Act funds to capitalize and administer Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) that will provide critical gap financing to small businesses and entrepreneurs adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic across Vermont. The grants are administered by the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA).