Current News
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Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announced to staff in a livestream video call this morning that he is ending his presidential campaign. He will support Joe Biden. He said he will not take his name off the primary ballots and will continue to accumulate delegates in order to move his progressive agenda forward.
"I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful, and so today I am announcing the suspension of my campaign," he said.
Taking a breath, he made the announcement from Burlington on Twitch.TV. Along with the campaign announcement, he thanked, his staff, supporters and the thousands of donors to his campaign. He also emailed his thanks to supporters in an email Wednesday (see below).
By ending his active campaign Sanders is all but ensuring that former Vice President Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee in November against President Donald Trump.
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Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott, Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, and HHS Secretary Mike Smith arrived at this morning press briefing wearing cloth face masks. The state is advising that everyone in Vermont wear a cloth mask when they leave their home. Wearing a mask will not prevent you from getting the disease known as COVID-19. They said social distancing and washing hands are vital to containing the disease. As for how Vermont is doing in that regard, Scott said he will announce on Friday an extension of his "Stay Home, Stay Safe" order from two weeks ago. The Friday announcement will provide more data and modeling that will detail the expected course of COVID-19 in Vermont, how long he will extend the "Stay Home" order, and what new conditions he would include in the amended executive order.
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Vermont Business Magazine In an opinion piece published today in The Guardian, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) laid out the “core principles” which he believes must guide Congress’s next legislative package to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
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by Chris Carrigan, Vice President of Business Development for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce Vermont, along with the rest of the world, is dealing with an unprecedented public health emergency. The toll on our communities and businesses has been significant.
As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts supply chains and reveals shortages of emergency health care supplies needed by hospitals, Vermont’s manufacturing community is stepping up with innovation, commitment to community, and action.
To support the fight against COVID-19, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, partnering with state and federal government agencies, is engaging manufacturers to quickly locate urgently needed medical supplies and to identify manufacturers who can retrofit and adapt their operations to manufacture essential personal protective equipment (PPE), medical devices, and life-saving medicines.
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Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Health Department recommends that all Vermonters wear cloth face coverings when outside of the home to help slow the spread of COVID-19. This advice is based on new data about how COVID-19 can spread before a person has any symptoms. A mask helps protect others around you if you are infected and don’t know it. The VDH offered this recommendation today.
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Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) led all Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee – the Senate committee with jurisdiction over immigration laws, humanitarian protection laws, and constitutional oversight – in demanding answers about the Department of Homeland Security exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic by claiming new, sweeping powers to summarily expel large, unknown numbers of individuals arriving at our border in clear contravention of existing federal laws. The Judiciary Committee Democrats reiterated that in our democracy, no crisis – however great – gives the Executive Branch unilateral authority to ignore or defy duly enacted laws.
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by Lissa Harris, Strolling of the Heifers Executive Director The staff at the Strolling of the Heifers has been closely following the impact of COVID-19 to our food and farm related businesses. We are heartbroken by the number of food businesses having to shutter their doors, unsure if they will ever re-open. And we are witnessing first hand, in our own hometown of Brattleboro, what this unprecedented event is doing to our downtown businesses and our community. It’s clear that we will not be able to move forward with the Stroll Weekend events planned for June 4th through the 7th. For some events we have a clear plan forward in place already and for others we are still researching the best options.
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Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting an increase of 32 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) since Monday's report, but no new deaths, which remain at 23. There are a total of 575 cases in Vermont. For the first time, a resident of Grand Isle County has tested positive. There are still no cases in Essex County. Chittenden County has by far the most cases with 308.
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by MVP Health Care President and Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Del Vecchio Now more than ever, our members must have access to services that can help them manage their health in a personal way. As a health insurance company, it is our duty to do everything we can to support our members, our frontline providers, and our communities as they navigate this difficult situation. We want our membership to know that we are here for them during this crisis, and we remain committed as ever to providing the best care possible during and after COVID-19. As a result, we have implemented the following changes for our 700,000 members across New York and Vermont.
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Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Treasurer Beth Pearce and the Vermont Pension Investment Committee (VPIC) have joined more than 251 institutional investors to urge the business community to take measures to protect their workforce, community, and markets as they confront the COVID-19 crisis.
“In Vermont, we stand together and support one another through times of hardship,” said Treasurer Pearce. “It is important that our investments reflect these values. COVID-19 is an unprecedented crisis. We believe that the companies we invest in have an obligation to support their employees, especially during this public health emergency. That means retaining as much of the workforce as possible, while prioritizing worker safety with adequate health care and paid leave.”
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Vermont Business Magazine Commissioner Michael Pieciak today announced the approval of a plan submitted by Allstate and its affiliate insurance companies to reduce their auto insurance premiums for Vermont policyholders by approximately 15% due to reduced driving during the COVID-19 pandemic. This plan will amount to over $500,000 in savings for Vermonters. As Vermonters do their part to stay home to protect their families, friends, colleagues, and others from the virus, and to comply with the Governor’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order, the frequency of auto accidents has declined significantly.
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Vermont Business Magazine To help the increasing number of people filing for unemployment insurance benefits, the Vermont Department of Labor has added claimant-focused sessions to its schedule of Virtual Town Hall events. The first event will take place on Wednesday, April 8, from 8:30am-9:15am. Participants will be provided program updates and hear directly from Department staff.