Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Donovan announced today that he joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief asking the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to affirm a lower court’s finding about a Kentucky abortion law. The lower court found that the regulating abortion services is unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. The brief argues that the availability of abortion services in neighboring states does not excuse a state from the Constitution’s prohibition on unduly burdening a woman’s ability to access abortion services in her home state. Additionally, the brief urges the Court to ensure that regulations imposed on abortion services actually promote women’s health without erecting substantial obstacles to the availability of these services.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) awards $60,000 to 13 Vermont produce growers making on-farm improvements that prevent or reduce produce safety risks. VAAFM’s Produce Program issued a third round of Vermont Produce Safety Improvement Grant (VPSIG) funding to help Vermont producers continue to grow food safely, efficiently and economically.

Grants were awarded through a competitive process in this round to help Vermont produce growers implement on-farm food safety practices, transition to compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, and meet market demands for on-farm food safety.

To date, the Vermont Produce Safety Improvement Grant program has awarded $208,000 in grants to 30 Vermont farms. Each round saw an impressive range of applications and, due to high demand, not everyone who applied was able to receive funding.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Donovan, as part of a coalition of 20 states led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, today filed a motion to block the Trump Administration’s attempt to unlawfully divert $1.6 billion in federal funds to build a border wall. The motion was filed in the Northern District of California as part of the coalition’s ongoing lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unconstitutional action to divert funding and resources meant for law enforcement, drug interdiction, and military construction projects. The coalition requests the court immediately stop the Trump Administration from diverting $1.6 billion in funding that Congress intended for state and local law enforcement agencies.

Vermont Business Magazine A $500,000 gift has been pledged by Trey & Dominique Pecor to the Old North End Community Center Campaign, campaign committee Chair Peter Clavelle announced last night. “This is a very significant pledge of support – the largest in the campaign. This generosity will support generations of people from Burlington and beyond gain access to programs that build community and support our basic needs,” said Clavelle, a volunteer leading the campaign.

The Champlain Housing Trust purchased the former St. Joseph School on Allen Street in Burlington to create Old North End Community Center in July, 2017. The organization has secured funding to make initial improvements to the building – such as adding an elevator to make it accessible, the installation of a new commercial kitchen and expanded parking – while seeking permanent financing and capital campaign contributions to make more significant renovations to the Center.

Vermont Business Magazine Over 270 climate justice activists today began a five-day walk of more than  60 miles from Middlebury to the State House in Montpelier, where they will call for rapid action on climate change. Organizers from 350Vermont are calling the event ‘Next Steps: A Climate Solutions Walk’. Over the next five days, walkers will highlight the climate consequences of the buildout of the Vermont Gas pipeline; celebrate and promote examples of climate solutions; and bring local and state attention to the climate crisis.

Since the United Nations IPCC report last year, grassroots activists have been building momentum across the country for what they say is essential action to match the scale of the threat. As governments across the United States and the world are starting to take more meaningful steps to slow climate change, 350Vermont activists say that Vermont needs to follow suit.

Vermont Business Magazine The OneCare Vermont (OneCare) Board of Managers has appointed six new members—Dan Bennett, President and Chief Executive Officer, Gifford Health Care; Thomas Dee, President and CEO, Southwestern Vermont Health Care; Dr. Joseph Haddock, Independent Primary Care Physician, Thomas Chittenden Health Center; Tomasz Jankowski, President and CEO, Northeast Kingdom Human Services; Dr. Sally Kraft, Vice President of Population Health, Dartmouth-Hitchcock; and Grant Whitmer, Executive Director, Community Health Centers of the Rutland Region. The OneCare Board has responsibility for oversight and strategic direction of OneCare and provides guidance to OneCare’s management team on the accountable care organization’s day-to-day activities.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (VAAFM) hosted the Northern Tier Dairy Summit April 1-2, 2019 at Jay Peak Resort. The Dairy Summit, which focused on actionable next steps to help a dairy industry impacted by a fifth year of record low prices, a volatile export market, and oversupply of milk, attracted more than 240 attendees, 115 of them dairy farmers. Attendees came from Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut, representing farms, technical service providers, government, lenders, nonprofits, and a diverse array of other dairy stakeholders.

Vermont Business Magazine More than 70 Vermont students who completed the 2018 Good Citizen Challenge gathered at the Statehouse in Montpelier on March 27 to be recognized for their accomplishment. The Challenge invited K-12 students to earn points by doing a variety of activities related to civics, history, advocacy and media literacy — all crucial elements of being an informed citizen. These activities included attending city council meetings, picking up litter, reading local news articles, writing a letter to an elected official and naming the five freedoms specified in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont House of Representatives gave preliminary approval to H.107, the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance bill, on a vote of 92-52. Governor Phil Scott opposes the mandatory aspect of the plan and along with Governor Sununu of New Hampshire has proposed a plan that's voluntary and presumably less expensive. The legislative plan did not receive the 100-vote veto proof majority, though Scott has not said whether he would veto the bill or not if it reaches his desk as is, which is probable. The legislative plan will cost at least $95 million and workers will pay a 0.55-percent payroll tax. It would provide 90 percent wage replacement on the first $27,000 of wages and 50 percent on rest up to $116,538.

Vermont Business Magazine The 2019 Best of Business Awards (BOB Awards) winners have been announced by Vermont Business Magazine. This awards program celebrates the best Vermont companies in more than 100 business-to-business categories. VBM readers choose the winners! Starting on January 1, 2019 and closing on March 1st, VBM surveyed its magazine and digital subscribers. We asked our readers – the business leaders of Vermont – who they trust to provide their services in over 100 different categories. After nearly 13,000 votes, we compiled the go-to list in the state for everything from Best Bank and Best Public Relations Firm to Best College for an Online Degree. Some of the questions and answers were based on a regional perspective while most of the categories were looking for statewide winners.

Vermont Business Magazine It is unfortunate that the Senate reached an impasse on the emergency disaster supplemental appropriations bills.  For months, I repeatedly urged Senate Republican leadership to take up and pass the House bill, H.R. 268, and for nearly 3 months they did nothing.  During those three months, American communities suffered, and new disasters struck the Midwest and Southeast.  The new criticism from Republican leadership became that Democrats pushing for more comprehensive aid to Puerto Rico in H.R. 268 must not care about these American communities affected by more recent disasters.

by Brandon Arcari The Vermont Senate has passed a proposal, Prop. 5, which would amend the Vermont constitution to guarantee "personal reproductive liberty" to Vermonters.

The proposal, in conjunction with a House bill already passed this year, would protect abortion in the state both legislatively and constitutionally, making removing those protections much more difficult. Both the bill and the amendment are in reaction to the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, due to concerns over his stance on Roe v. Wade case that protected abortion nationally.