Current News

Vermont Business Magazine NBC5-TV Anchor Stewart Ledbetter, WLVB-FM Program Director & Morning Show Host Roland Lajoie and former WSYB/WZRT Program Director and WJJR Owner Dick Noble, will all be inducted in the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame during the 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet Saturday, December 7, 2019 at the Hilton Hotel in Burlington.

Vermont Business Magazine Renewable Energy Vermont (REV) announced that it will join Representative Peter Welch and 165 other Members of Congress in calling for an extension of the investment tax credit for renewable energy investments, including energy storage. The Renewable Energy Extension Act will extend the current tax credit for investments in renewable energy and expand it to include energy storage.

The Investment Tax Credit has been a key driver in the growth of Vermont’s solar economy. All over the state, Vermonters have been able to switch to renewable energy because the ITC provides a 30% tax credit for the cost of a solar system. Increased demand for solar has, in turn, created thousands of local jobs for Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment numbers fell last week but remained over 600 after a long period of very low numbers. They are also breaking a trend by being well above claims from the same time last year. Initial claims for the week of November 9, 2019, were 636, down 27 from last week but 126 more than they were at this time last year.

Vermont Business Magazine VGS announced today an ambitious and comprehensive strategy to transform the company and eliminate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. The company outlined three key strategies to achieve the near-term goal of a 30% greenhouse gas reduction in customers’ homes and businesses by 2030: doubling energy efficiency savings with a $20 million upfront investment; significantly expanding renewable natural gas for customers; and strengthening partnerships to advance projects such as district energy in Burlington and Middlebury, and a net zero home pilot program. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Kids looking at colleges this fall received welcome news today from the University of Vermont: Tuition at all levels from undergraduate to graduate and for in-state and out-of-state students will not increase next year. As part of his commitment to making UVM more accessible and affordable, President Suresh Garimella announced this morning that tuition for the academic year beginning in fall 2020 would not increase over 2019 levels.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced over $1 million in state funding awarded to five groups for innovative technologies to separate and extract phosphorus from various waste streams as part of Stage Three of the Vermont Phosphorus Innovation Challenge (VPIC). VPIC was announced in February 2018 as an X-Prize style competition to harness creative solutions to address phosphorus pollution in Vermont. VPIC complements ongoing, essential work to install conservation measures and best management practices to reduce phosphorus losses from farms and in stormwater runoff from developed lands. These new technologies aim to make existing protections even more effective.

by Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore Garbage. Trash. Waste. Rubbish. For many, these words trigger images of cans and baskets lined with oversized plastic bags filled to the brim with – as Templeton the Rat from Charlotte’s Web would say – a veritable smorgasbord of who-knows-what. The “stuff” that comprises trash is easy to forget because it is no longer wanted or needed, but have you ever truly thought about what’s inside those garbage bags?

Vermont Business Magazine The first phase of a unified electronic health record system (EHR) across all affiliates of the University of Vermont Health Network rolled out over the weekend, a significant step that will enhance the delivery of high quality care in the region by providing instant access to a patient’s most up-to-date medical information. Hospitals participating in the first phase of the project include the University of Vermont Medical Center, Central Vermont Medical Center, Porter Medical Center and Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital. It’s expected that the UVM Health Network’s other affiliates – Alice Hyde Medical Center, Elizabethtown Community Hospital and Home Health & Hospice – will move to Epic in the coming years.

Vermont Business Magazine Wednesday afternoon, affordable housing owners and developers, Springfield Housing Authority (SHA) and Housing Vermont (HVT) joined local elected officials, funders, and project participants to celebrate the start of redevelopment of the Woolson Block building. Renovations will return this historic property to its prominent origins and contribute to the economic vitality of downtown Springfield.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and others on Wednesday led all 47 Democratic senators in introducing the Senate companion to the House-passed Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act.  They called on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to bring VAWA renewal legislation to the Senate Floor. The bill, whose chief sponsor is Feinstein, would reauthorize VAWA through 2024, preserves advancements made in previous reauthorizations and includes a number of additional improvements to the current law.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) announced today the launch of the Vermont Brewshed Alliance. The initiative will engage craft breweries in protecting clean water. VNRC announced the news at Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield, a founding member of the Brewshed. In part, the organization brings together many partners to protect clean water for drinking, swimming, paddling, fishing, wildlife habitat, and to improve flood resiliency in a changing climate.

Vermont Business Magazine was proud to honor the winners of its Rising Stars Class of 2019 at the Delta Hotel in South Burlington Thursday evening, November 7^th. Honored were 40 winners under the age of 40. Award recipients were selected by a panel of judges for their commitment to business growth, professional excellence and involvement in their communities. Governor Phil Scott was there to present the awards.