Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Sugarbush Resort raised $20,000 for the Mad River Valley Community Fund (MRVCF) from its recent July 4^th fireworks celebration. The MRVCF is a local non-profit designed to assist local Mad River Valley residents and has been extremely involved in helping the community amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, helping 200 households with nearly $150,000 since March.

“We are grateful to Win and Sugarbush for this awesome donation, it will go a long way to replenishing the fund for future emergencies," said Ashley Woods, MRVCF Chair. "Thanks also to all the volunteers and folks who came out to enjoy the show!”

Vermont Business Magazine This is a weekly report of planned construction activities that will have traffic impacts on state highways, as provided by the Vermont Agency of Transportation.

Leonine Public Affairs The Vermont Legislature recessed late in the evening on Friday, June 26. They will reconvene on August 25 to start the process of developing and passing a budget for the remainder of FY21. The state is facing a revenue shortfall of well over $300 million between the General, Education and Transportation funds for FY21 which combined with the continued uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic creates a daunting task when lawmakers return.

Vermont Business Magazine Throughout the pandemic, the Rian Fried Center for Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems at Sterling College––home to the campus farm––has been busy, growing and expanding its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program while observing COVID-specific health and safety procedures.

Vermont Business Magazine Dealer.com has announced two major deals for its Website products. It has been selected as a premier partner in the FordDirect Advantage Digital Advertising Program and as a choice Honda website and digital advertising provider through the Honda Digital Customer Experience.

Vermont Business Magazine BioTek Instruments of Winooski announces the availability of variable bandwidth monochromators on their modular and versatile Synergy H1 Hybrid Multi-Mode Reader. This allows researchers to achieve even greater levels of assay sensitivity and specificity compared to fixed bandwidth systems.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Auditor of Accounts Doug Hoffer released this week the first part of series of audit reports on OneCare Vermont. OneCare is a collaboration of the University of Vermont Medical Center and Dartmouth-Hitchcock, the state and the federal government. The concept is to pay health care providers a lump sum to provide preventative care, which in the long run will save the entire health care system a lot of money.

There is a leap of faith, of course, that in paying OneCare, which is based in Colchester, upwards of $20 million, that it will both actually save the system more than it costs and that, importantly to the auditor, you can prove it.

Hoffer also questions whether benchmarks are set appropriately and wonders how outcomes can be measured against what appears to be dated quality goals. Several of the goals have already been reached.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger has issued the following statement: Like so much, since the pandemic began, Independence Day this year is very different and presents unique risks. This holiday weekend I urge Burlingtonians and our neighbors to stay vigilant in our efforts to keep the virus in check by minimizing exposure to the “Three Cs” — crowds, close contact settings, and closed in spaces.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine After a steep decline as the economy began to reopen in April, initial unemployment claims for the last several weeks have flattened and are holding in the 2,000 per week range. They hit their peak in early April. As the governor has continued to open up the economy, the weekly unemployment insurance claims fell rapidly until early June. The last few weeks has seen them bouncing up and down.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Scott continues to urge Vermonters to complete the US Census form. Millions of dollars in federal funding is at stake. Vermont has one of the worst response rates in the nation. If Vermont is under-counted, then the state could lose some of that funding, which would just go to some other state. The easiest way to complete it is online at https://2020census.gov/. You can also do it by calling 844-330-2020.

Vermont Business Magazine Amid a national concern for identity theft and a subsequent threat of fraudulent unemployment insurance claims increasing, the State of Vermont and Department of Labor have taken steps to increase monitoring and awareness for unemployment insurance fraud. Cases of fraudulent unemployment claims associated with identity theft occur when an individual’s identity has been stolen and a claim has been opened in their name. This is also known as “imposter fraud.” While the theft of the identity likely occurred in the months and years prior to COVID-19 as part of national and global data breaches, the Department of Labor wants individuals to be aware of steps it is taking to monitor fraud, and how to prevent theft from occurring in the first place.

Vermont Business Magazine The Division for Historic Preservation has announced the Vermont State Historic Sites opened on a limited basis the week of July 1. The President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth Notch and the Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell opened Wed., July 1. On Fri., July 3, the Bennington Battle Monument in Bennington, Hubbardton Battlefield in Hubbardton, Chimney Point in Addison, and Senator Justin Morrill Homestead in Strafford opened. The President Chester A. Arthur Historic Site, Kents Corner Historic Site, and Eureka Schoolhouse Historic Site will remain closed for the 2020 season.

Bennington Battle Monument, courtesy Tourism Deptartment.