Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims are continuing their slow descent. After a steep decline as the economy began to reopen in April, initial unemployment claims for the last several weeks flattened and then rose in June. They've been falling at a modest rate in July.

Vermont Business Magazine ACLU of Vermont Executive Director James Lyall issued this statement Friday morning: “We learned yesterday that six incarcerated Vermonters returning from Mississippi have tested positive for COVID-19, and that one person still imprisoned in Mississippi tested positive earlier this week. This latest news from Vermont’s Department of Corrections is disturbing, but also predictable.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has signed a Directive officially setting Tuesday, September 8 as the universal reopening date for Vermont schools. Originally announced on Tuesday, the directive requires all public and independent schools to open for in-person or remote instruction on September 8, with an exception for schools primarily serving students with disabilities, which can restart operations prior to September 8. The Secretary of Education will have oversight and authority in the implementation of the order and local school officials and governing bodies are required to consult with, and abide by, the direction of the Secretary of Education.

Vermont Business Magazine Saint Michael’s College announced this week that it will be limiting public access to its campus beginning Saturday: Dear Community Members: To help ensure the safety of our students, faculty, and staff, as well as that of our greater community, Saint Michael's College has made the difficult decision to restrict access to campus only to students, employees, contractors, and those with prior approval. Starting August 1st, the Saint Michael’s campus is not open to visitors, walkers, joggers, bikers, etc.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported an additional death associated with COVID-19. This is the first Vermont death in 43 days. Vermont has the fewest number of COVID-19 cases of any state and the lowest positivity rate. There was one new case reported today for a statewide total of 1,407 and one person hospitalized.

by Governor Phil Scott Earlier this summer, my team set a goal for our state: If our positive health trends continue, let’s return to in-person instruction for our kids in the fall. Our core principle has been to help school districts safely provide every child with an education that is as good or better than before the pandemic. So, we’ve been listening to the experts and following the science – working with our Health Department, and Agency of Education, groups representing school administrators and teachers, and – most importantly – pediatric and infectious disease experts. And what we continue to hear from public health and pediatric medical professionals is a strong call for in-person instruction in areas with low positivity rates, especially for kids 10 and under.

Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD It is with sadness that I report an additional death associated with COVID-19. This is the first Vermont death in 43 days, and we at the Health Department express our deepest condolences to the patients’ loved ones, friends and family. To protect the individual’s privacy, we will not be providing information about the person or the circumstances of their passing. Anyone who may be affected by their illness will have been contacted and given appropriate guidance for their health and safety.

Vermont Business Magazine Northern New England Housing Investment Fund (NNEHIF) and Housing Vermont (HV) announced they were uniting as a single entity to serve the low and moderate income people of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont with affordable housing and community investments. The new regional organization, now named Evernorth, will build on the track record of its two nonprofit organizations by bringing together experienced professional staff to raise capital, invest in and build affordable housing, and improve our environment through energy efficiency.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont-NEA is proposing a return to in-person instruction in four phases, in combination with distance and hybrid learning models, expanded social and mental health services, local safety-and-health committees, instructional planning to address racial and social inequities, expanded staffing to provide essential services, facility preparations, and more guidance and assistance to special educators.

by James Maroney The new model was really a no-brainer and for early adopters, conventional farming was delivering as advertised. But predictably the model was also bringing a few unwanted side effects, chief among them over production, which would depress farm prices, which would in turn drive farm attrition, which would then drive rural economic decay. These conditions were beginning to hurt even the early adopters, known as ‘progressive’ farmers, driving them to expand and consolidate their neighbors, to acquire more land and machinery on which to apply the model. And if these side effects weren’t bad enough, the application of more toxic fertilizers and the stocking of more cows on increasingly fewer, increasingly larger farms would drive lake pollution, which the federal government was urging Vermont to control.

Vermont Business Magazine The Clean Air Act, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is responsible for reducing air pollution in much of the nation and saving hundreds of thousands of lives each year. Despite this public health success, climate change poses new challenges to protecting the nation’s air quality because it makes air pollution worse, placing the health of Vermont residents at risk. Through the Stand Up For Clean Air initiative, the Lung Association asks Vermont residents to pledge to take action on climate change and air pollution, including raising awareness about the need for clean air. Today, the Lung Association is announcing a new effort to encourage everyone to share why clean air matters to them through the #MyCleanAirStory social media campaign.

Vermont Business Magazine Although the COVID-19 pandemic is the immediate crisis unfolding at the moment, mitigating climate change is also an urgent issue. Solar PV installation is one way to help reduce greenhouse gases from fossil fuels. Solar Power World has recognized the efforts of solar contractors across the United States in its 2020 Top Solar Contractors list, where local Vermont company Green Lantern Solar was highlighted as one of the nation’s top 20 solar developers, achieving a national rank of 17, and a top commercial solar contractor achieving a national rank of 42.