Current News

by US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) It is no secret that many seniors in Vermont and throughout the United States are having trouble making ends meet. In the United States, 7.2 million seniors live in poverty and nearly 9 million face the threat of hunger. Every day, seniors struggle with the high cost of prescription drugs, food, heating or housing. Others deal with loneliness and isolation, a real problem in Vermont’s more rural communities.  
 
It should go without saying, but no senior citizen in the richest country in history should ever have to decide between buying groceries or the medications they need to stay healthy.  No senior should worry about keeping a roof over their head.  Unfortunately, this is the reality today for far too many older Americans – and it is both unacceptable and immoral.
 

by ANR Secretary Julie Moore Last month, I had the opportunity to help volunteers and staff from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, TimberHomes, and students from the nearby Community College of Vermont, plant more than 100 trees along the North Branch of the Winooski River in Montpelier. The project was spearheaded by the Friends of the Winooski River and will help to slow snowmelt and stormwater runoff as it flows over the land, in turn maintaining stable streambanks and reducing erosion. This protects the land and is critical to improving water quality in streams, rivers and lakes, as well as providing valuable habitat for wildlife and birds.

Vermont Business Magazine The Bennington Regional Chamber of Commerce has replaced Dr. David Evans, who was voted as the board of director’s president in January of 2019 at the chamber’s annual membership meeting, with first vice president Brian Maggiotto effective immediately. Evans, who was the president of the now-closed Southern Vermont College, was recently appointed interim president of the American University of Bulgaria.  Evans stepped down as president of Southern Vermont College May 24th.

Maggiotto was elected as first vice president at the January meeting and will finish out Evan’s 2-year term ending January 2021 with an option to run for another 2-year presidential term before serving as past president on the chamber’s executive board.

Vermont Adult Learning These days when computers for most people are not only an essential everyday work tool but also an almost essential part of everyday life, it is easy to forget there are many people that for various reasons are not computer skilled. Many of these did not have or did not take up opportunities to learn computer skills while at school, or they are New Americans who did not have the opportunity to learn these skills in their home countries.

Vermont Business Magazine The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) has launched a free Farm Lease Builder as part of their Farmland Access Legal Toolkit. The Farm Lease Builder creates a free customized lease draft for farmers based on their specific needs, significantly reducing the cost of legal services.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont ranks among the Northeast’s “Best Colleges for LGBTQ Students,” according to a new ranking from Campus Pride. Campus Pride, in partnership with BestColleges.com, ranked “the most LGBTQ-friendly college in each state,” placing UVM first among Vermont schools. The Campus Pride Index is the premier national benchmarking tool that self-assesses LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs and practices.

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: CWST), a regional vertically integrated solid waste, recycling and resource management services company based in Rutland, announced today that it has signed an Asset Purchase Agreement to purchase select solid waste assets in Albany, NY, and Cheshire, MA, from certain subsidiaries of Republic Services, Inc. The target assets to be acquired generate approximately $30 million of annualized revenues. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the appointment of Xusana Davis as the state’s first executive director of racial equity. Davis will work with state government agencies and departments to identify and address systemic racial disparities and support the state’s efforts to expand and bring diversity to Vermont’s overall population.  

“Xusana’s leadership and experience are a perfect fit for this position, and she will be a valuable addition to our team,” said Governor Scott. “In this role, she will be critical to our work to ensure state government is demonstrating a full commitment to equal opportunity and treatment for all Vermonters, our visitors and our employees. This is an important step forward in our efforts to improve state government and strengthen our communities, both socially and economically, through real equality that values diversity.”

Case Resulted in Historic Vermont Supreme Court Ruling in January

Vermont Business Magazine ACLU of Vermont client Gregory Zullo has settled his racial profiling lawsuit against the State of Vermont. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the State acknowledged that the 2014 stop and seizure of Mr. Zullo were unreasonable and will pay Mr. Zullo $50,000 plus mediation costs to resolve the case.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Wednesday signed H533, a workforce development bill that formally establishes the goal that 70 percent of working age Vermonters will hold a “credential of value” such as an apprenticeship, certificate, or degree, by 2025. Today less than 50 percent of Vermont workers have completed a credential beyond a high school diploma. In order to achieve the goal, approximately 68,000 more Vermont residents will need to possess a postsecondary credential by 2025.

“The prosperity of Vermont’s people and its communities is directly tied to the extent to which every person in Vermont can access, afford, and attain education and training after high school,” said Tom Cheney, director of Advance Vermont. “This goal sets an ambitious target to spur action both in and out of government.”

Vermont Business Magazine All three key indicators showed positive results as the state's jobless rate again fell to a new historic low. The Vermont Department of Labor released data on the Vermont economy for the time period covering May 2019. According to household data, the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for May was 2.1 percent. This reflects a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised April rate. The current seasonally-adjusted estimate of the number of unemployed Vermonters (7,328) as well as the statewide seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate are both once again new lows since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics online historical series started in 1976.