Current News
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Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) continues a series of webinars connecting businesses dealing with the impacts of the novel coronavirus to resources and best practices relating to legal issues, crisis communication and resilience, guidance on SBA loans and VBSR member’s triple-bottom-line response. These webinars are free for VBSR members, and $20 for non-members.
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Vermont Business Magazine Vermont's Congressional delegation announced Thursday that the state's 11 federally qualified health centers received a total of $8.7 million for COVID-19 relief. This federal funding was provided to community health centers as a result of the CARES Act, the federal stimulus enacted last month to provide economic support to individuals, organizations, and businesses harmed by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders will hold a telephone town hall with Vermonters Thursday evening. He will be joined by Governor Phil Scott, Senator Patrick Leahy, and Representative Peter Welch. The telephone town hall will begin at 5 pm on Thursday.
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Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont has given nursing students the option of early graduation so they can enter the nursing workforce and provide support to overstressed healthcare workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. All 95 members of the class opted to graduate on May 1 rather than in the third week of the month when other students at the university will earn their degrees. UVM is among the first colleges in the country to allow nurses to graduate early.
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Vermont Business Magazine As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, The University of Vermont Health Network is directing all employees in its facilities in Vermont and Northern New York to wear masks, aligning with the most recent best practices to protect staff and patients across the Network.
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Vermont Business Magazine Vermont unemployment insurance claims again increased last week as layoffs and business closures resulted in a rush of new claims. Entering the third week of Governor Scott's "Stay Home, Stay Safe" order, the claims were not the exponential increase as witnessed the previous week. The total number of initial claims received to date since March 15, 2020: ≈ 71,667 (as of 4/7/20). At February's Labor Force level, 71,667 claims equates to a 21.1% unemployment rate.
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Vermont Business Magazine The Catamount Community Forest Committee is seeking comments on a new Forest Management Plan for the Catamount Community Forest, a 393-acre conserved property owned by the town of Williston. The property, a beautiful and important piece of forested land with unique forest types and wildlife habitat, is now protected with a conservation easement held by the Vermont Land Trust and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board.
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Vermont Business Magazine The Issues Committee of the Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel (VT NDCAP) will hold a Special Meeting on Monday afternoon, April 13, 2020 from 12 noon to 1 PM. In accordance with changes to the Vermont Open Meeting Law in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting will be conducted via teleconference.
The Special Meeting is open to the public. Those wishing to join the meeting may do so using the following conference call line:
Phone number: (802) 552-8456
Conference Room Number: 616 800 146 (followed by the “#” sign)
Questions regarding the meeting may be directed to Tony Leshinskie, State Nuclear Engineer, at 802-272-1714, or [email protected].
Source: PSD 4.8.2020
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Vermont Business Magazine The Public Service Department has announced the winners of the second round of grant funding through the State’s Broadband Innovation Grant Program. The grants will support two feasibility studies and subsequent business plans for the deployment of broadband in rural, unserved, and underserved areas of Vermont.
The second round of funding, per Act 79 of 2019, will fund studies produced by two electric utilities. The Department will award grant funding to two grant recipients:
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Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement regarding the passing of former Vermont State Representative Bernie Juskiewicz. “Although this terrible new disease took Bernie from us, the impact of his service will live on..."
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Vermont Business Magazine The annual hearings will be held with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and Board. The meetings will be held electronically due to COVID-19 and social distancing. The electronic meetings will be April 13, April 15 and April 16. Prior to the meeting, the department strongly encourages members of the public to review information that will be discussed.
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Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott’s request for federal disaster funds to assist the state of Vermont in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been approved by President Donald Trump. The president approved the state’s request for federal Public Assistance (PA) funds for the state and all towns for costs incurred in the response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Vermont Department of Finance and Management has advised that the state has already expended well over $20 million in response costs.