Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Bank of Bennington is proud to have been able to serve its community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most notably, the bank worked quickly with local businesses to provide more than 360 Payroll Protection Program (PPP) Loans to local businesses in a four-week period of time. The bank's lending team working seven days a week put more than $27 million dollars into the local economy to assist businesses with the ability to retain their employees during this unprecedented time.

Vermont Department of Health As more of us are outside, being active, seeing family and friends, gathering in groups at events like barbecues or on the lake, health officials are reminding Vermonters the risk of transmission does increase. Please enjoy these summer activities, but make sure you understand the level of risk for you.

Vermont Business Magazine The Future Forest Economy Initiative awarded three grants that will drive a $1.7-million investment in the region’s forest economy, seeking to diversify markets for wood and wood products from the Northern Forest region. The Burlington Electric Department will receive $97,840 for design and pre-engineering to advance a wood-fired district heating system to serve the University of Vermont Medical Center.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, ahead of the Senate’s consideration of a proposed $740.5 billion military budget authorization, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) took to the Senate floor to call for a 10 percent cut in annual Pentagon spending to invest in education, health care and poverty reduction in America’s most marginalized communities.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Pico Mountain and Killington Resort, the largest mountain resort in Eastern North America, today announced a new In Season COVID-19 Coverage as part of its Passholder Promise. The Passholder Promise launched earlier to address the impact of COVID-19 on the 2019/20 season and provide assurances for the 2020/21 season. The Passholder Promise’s new In Season COVID-19 Coverage will provide assurance for passholders’ investment in the 2020/21 season with a pro-rata voucher for future use on a season or multi-day pass should there be a COVID-19-related prolonged closure.

Vermont Business Magazine In 2019, investigating vaping and improving substance abuse prevention for young people were top priorities for Vermont health researchers. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, altering behavior in both areas. Armed with data from their 2019 pilot study of young Vermonters, a team of University of Vermont (UVM) and Vermont Department of Health behavioral and public health scientists are poised to take the pulse of this population in the environment of the “new normal.”

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Mutual Insurance Group, headquartered in Montpelier, has announced that they will contribute $1 million in charitable donations to assist with COVID-19 relief efforts in Vermont. Two organizations, the Vermont Foodbank and the Vermont Community Foundation have already been named as the first recipients, with $500,000 total being designated for the two institutions.

Vermont Business Magazine The state’s independent non-partisan Vermont Commission on Women just released a new data dashboard report focusing on the ways the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately and uniquely impacted women. For those who work in child care and for those that rely on child care to work, the loss of jobs and access have real and potentially lasting economic impacts for women. June 1st marked the first date child care programs could reopen, but with limitations on numbers of children and challenging new health protocols. Some programs are closing, further limiting availability. Before COVID-19, over 70% of Vermont children 6 and under had all available parents in the labor force – the need for more quality affordable care is now likely greater than ever.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Initial unemployment claims fell last week after two weeks of increase. The hit their peak in early April. At that point, Governor Scott's "Stay Home" order resulted in the closing of schools, restaurants, construction and more, while many other industries cut back operations. As the governor has continued to open up the economy, the weekly unemployment insurance claims fell rapidly until three weeks ago when they took a turn for the worse.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) customers can now enroll in Share With Vermont Green, a pioneering pilot program empowering solar net metering customers to share their credits with other customers. The shared energy credits will go to small businesses and nonprofits in Vermont recovering after the COVID-19 shutdown. Solar net metering customers, who are not already in a group share, can download an app to set the maximum amount of energy credit they’d like to share on a daily basis, and small businesses and nonprofits can sign up online to receive those credits on their monthly energy statements.

Vermont Business Magazine This summer Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) will be returning patronage capital to members a month earlier than usual in an effort to provide some financial support to members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We know some of our members have been facing financial challenges over the past few months, so the Board of Directors took this unusual step to get these credits out sooner rather than later,” said Rebecca Towne, VEC’s chief executive officer. “We hope this step, as modest as it may be, can help reduce the strain on members and their families.”

VEC line worker works on a pole in the Champlain Islands. Photo courtesy VEC.