Current News

Vermont Business Magazine ACLU of Vermont client Brian Croteau Sr has reached a settlement with the City of Burlington in his federal lawsuit challenging the City’s policy of confiscating and destroying the property of homeless residents in violation of their constitutional rights. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Burlington agreed to policy changes that require it to advise individuals of the specific reason their sheltering site is being considered for removal, provide an opportunity to object to that removal, give adequate notice before taking property from sheltering sites, and store that property for at least 30 days. In addition, Burlington agreed to pay Croteau $25,000 and mediation costs to resolve the case.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont-based Runamok Maple, the makers of infused maple syrups that take the ultimate breakfast topping to a new level. These syrups are a Sunday morning pancake breakfast must but also a great cocktail ingredient, baking sweetener and can even be used as part of a meat marinade, the possibilities are endless.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan will moderate a public panel discussion on the topic of a regulated, commercial cannabis market at Contois Auditorium in Burlington on Thursday, December 5 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The purpose of the panel is to discuss the opportunities and challenges faced by our neighbors in Massachusetts and Maine as they prepared for regulated markets for commercial cannabis in their states, and the lessons Vermont can learn as we prepare for the upcoming legislative session in January.

“Vermont has created a legal limbo by legalizing possession of cannabis but remaining silent on how Vermonters obtain it,” said Attorney General Donovan. “This lack of clarity has raised issues for law enforcement, public health, and consumer protection. Vermont can learn from other states’ experiences and make informed decisions on how best to create a regulated market this upcoming legislative session.”

Vermont Business Magazine Elizabeth Novotny, Esq, of Chittenden County became President of the Vermont Bar Association during the Vermont Bar Association's annual meeting on September 27, 2019. In Novotny's remarks to the membership, she praised the deep commitment of Vermont lawyers to public service and underrepresented communities, citing a recent American Bar Association Survey and Report on the Pro Bono Work of America's Lawyers that determined, among the states participating in the survey:

Vermont Business Magazine Acting Commissioner of Taxes Craig Bolio has released the statutorily required education tax rate letter which forecasts the education tax yields for resident homeowners and the nonhomestead tax rate (formerly called “nonresidential”) for the upcoming fiscal year (FY) 2021.

Using statutorily prescribed calculations, the Agency of Education, Department of Taxes, Department of Finance and Management, and Joint Fiscal Office collaborate to establish the yields and rate.

The forecasted FY21 homestead property yield is $10,883 compared to $10,648 for FY20 (the current property tax year). The forecasted FY21 income yield is $13,396 compared to $13,081 for FY20 and impacts credit claims submitted in the spring of 2021. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) announced a $1.8 million settlement with Companion Life Insurance Company, of South Carolina, for selling unapproved and inadequate student health insurance policies to students at 10 Vermont higher education institutions. The penalty component of the settlement is the largest ever ordered by DFR against an insurance company. 

Vermont Business Magazine After serving as the Executive Director for Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) for 14 years, Jane Campbell will be resigning her position to embark on the next chapter of her career. Campbell served as Executive Director of VBSR from 1992 - 2002, then returned to lead the organization in February of 2016 (during the period of 2002-2015, Campbell was the Executive Director of Copley Hospital Foundation and Development Director of the Vermont Historical Society). She will continue to work closely with the staff and Executive Committee of VBSR to plan for a smooth leadership transition.

Vermont Business Magazine As Vermonters participate in Giving Tuesday and share their generosity, they should be mindful of charity scams. With the increase in donation requests this time of year, consumers should take the time they need to research a charity before they generously give. The Vermont Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program can help Vermonters avoid common charity scams by offering tips to help consumers before they answer the phone, mail a check, or submit an online gift. 

“Giving Tuesday is a great day to give, but given the prevalence of scams I want Vermonters to make sure they don’t get ripped off,” said Attorney General Donovan. “If you get a call, letter, or email pressuring you to donate, make sure you are asking questions about how your donation will be used. When in doubt, contact the Consumer Assistance Program for more information.”

by Charlotte Albright/Dartmouth Traditionally, when students are tested on a subject, they use paper and pencil, or perhaps a computer, to demonstrate what they have learned. But what if brain scans could show them in the act of acquiring knowledge and then applying it to questions and problems? That's the question driving research being done by David Kraemer, assistant professor of education and a graduate adviser in psychological brain sciences, with his team of graduate and undergraduate students at the Dartmouth Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning Laboratory in the Department of Education. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Norwich University Department of Mathematics presents “Breaking the Secret ENIGMA Codes: The Real Story of the ‘Imitation Game’,” a presentation by Tom Perara, a retired professor of neuroscience who specialized in research on the coding of information in the human brain and nervous system, on Wednesday, December 4 at 7 pm in the Cabot Auditorium U085.

Public Assets Institute Since June the number of Vermonters looking for work has risen by nearly 470. At the same time, the number of people working has fallen for three straight months. Still, overall, joblessness has stayed extraordinarily low, reaching its lowest point on record—7,246 people—in June. The unemployment rate also has been setting records: only 2.1 percent from May through August, edging up to 2.2 percent in September and October, with Vermont’s rate the lowest in the country.

Vermont Business Magazine On August 1, 2020, the Point to Point, powered by VSECU, will attract hundreds of cyclers and runners to the Capital City. This will be the first year in Montpelier for this fundraising event, which has been held in Southern Vermont since 2002 in support of the Vermont Foodbank. The start and finish lines for Point to Point rides and runs, as well as the party featuring live music, family fun, food trucks, and beer from Harpoon Brewery, will be in front of the Vermont State House.