Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The State of Vermont today launched an incentive program for the purchase or lease of new plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), which include all-electric vehicles and plug in hybrid electric vehicles, with a total of $1.1 million in funding to help Vermonters go electric. The incentives are available to individuals with an annual household income of $92,000 or less applying for a new PEV with a base price of $40,000 or less. More than 20 PEV models are eligible with $1,500 incentives for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and $2,500 incentives for all-electric vehicles. Larger incentives of $4,000 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and $5,000 for all-electric vehicles are available for individuals whose households qualify for Vermont’s Weatherization Program. The statewide incentive may be used in combination with additional PEV incentives offered by the state’s electric utilities and federal tax credits for greater savings.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that 69 public, private and independent schools across Vermont have been awarded funds to make safety improvements to school infrastructure. The $1.4 million school safety grant program will allow the schools to complete a total of 150 projects to better secure facilities.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo resigned today. This follows revelations that he had set up a fake Twitter account last summer and then lied about it to a Seven Days reporter. Seven Days broke the story last week. Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, who hired the chief in 2015, issued a lengthy statement on Friday explaining why he had not fired del Pozo when the chief first came to him to admit that he had set up the account and then lied about it.

Vermont Business Magazine To most people, last summer’s breach of Capital One, which exposed the financial records of nearly 106 million of the San Francisco-based bank’s customers, was more of the same: the latest in a numbing string of hacks that seem to threaten personal security more every year. But in an important way, it was different – and more alarming – than past hacks, like the Equifax breach of 2017.

Vermont Business Magazine In fall 2019, overall postsecondary enrollments decreased 1.3 percent or more than 231,000 students from the previous fall to 17.9 million students, according to the Fall 2019 Current Term Enrollment Estimates report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. For the first time in the decade, the nation's fall unduplicated enrollments fell below 18 million students and declined by more than 2 million students. Vermont ranked fifth in percentage drop with 4.4 percent decline in enrollment.

Vermont Business Magazine Consolidated Communications (NASDAQ: CNSL) today announced CCiTV is now available throughout Northern New England. The telecom is introducing its next-generation TV service to consumers in Vermont, as well as making the service available to additional locations in Maine and New Hampshire. CCiTV was already available in southern Maine and in the Lakes Region, central and southern New Hampshire.

Vermont Business Magazine Following a six-month process to gather input from more than 30 customers, partners, and stakeholders, Efficiency Vermont recently proposed to its regulators a six-year plan for delivering energy efficiency to Vermonters. The proposed Demand Resources Plan (DRP) includes new performance targets that would focus more of the energy efficiency utility’s resources toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding weatherization support, and partnering with electric utilities to optimize grid efficiency.

Vermont Business Magazine The Scott Administration will head to Chittenden County on Tuesday, December 17 for its Capitol for a Day initiative, a 14-county tour launched by the Governor in 2018. After launching the second round this summer, the administration is revisiting each county over the next several months. Capitol for a Day gives local constituents, municipal government leaders and other partners the opportunity to connect directly with state leadership and staff.

“This initiative has been tremendously rewarding and productive,” said Governor Scott. “It’s been great to get back to each county, with the opportunity to see new local programs and projects, as well as hear from Vermonters about the challenges they face and the impact of the work we’re doing in Montpelier.”

Follow along on social media using the #VTCapitol4aDay hashtag.

WHEN:                Tuesday, December 17

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine In 1848, during the first American gold rush, random people became obscenely rich, others died violent deaths or were left begging by the side of the road and more than 750,000 pounds of gold were taken from the California hills. Somehow, this has become a good metaphor for what’s happening with hemp in 2019. The Cannabis sativa plant — from which comes hemp and marijuana — has been around forever; there’s a reason it’s nicknamed “weed.” The Chinese used it 1,000 years ago. They cultivated some for textiles, some for its curative properties and some for its euphoric ones. In recent decades, the plant — or maybe euphoria itself — has been illegal in America.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger Friday responded to news stories regarding Chief of Police Brandon del Pozo’s fake Twitter account with the following statement:

“On the evening of Sunday, July 28, Chief del Pozo self-reported to me that he had posted tweets from an anonymous Twitter account and that he had not been forthright with a reporter about those tweets. (See Story)

Vermont Business Magazine Darn Tough Vermont, the fastest growing American manufacturer of premium performance outdoor and lifestyle socks, announces the grand opening of the company’s expanded footprint in their hometown of Northfield. The new 66,000 square foot location is now home to Darn Tough’s sock finishing processes – washing, drying, boarding and packaging – and over 100 employees. Perhaps even more impressive, the company added the square footage without breaking ground, driving a multimillion dollar renovation of an existing 100-year-old building, the Nantanna Mill. The new Nantanna location is an extension of the brand’s original office and mill space, also in Northfield.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Public Safety has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a woman who was the victim of a kidnapping and sexual assault involving suspect Everett Simpson earlier this year. The settlement was reached following mediation in August 2019 and finalized with a stipulation of dismissal that was filed December 5 and approved by a judge Thursday, December 12. Under terms of the agreement, the victim will receive $300,000, and her son will receive $100,000.