Current News

by Secretary of State Jim Condos On Tuesday, March 5^th, Vermonters elected their local government officials on Town Meeting Day. In November 2018, Vermonters chose their statewide officers and legislative representatives. In November 2016, Vermonters voted for the highest elected office in the United States. Regardless of the difference in responsibilities of their positions, from local select boards to the Governor to the President of the United States, and even me as Vermont’s Secretary of State, we all share one thing: a responsibility to uphold the public’s trust by being transparent and accountable in everything we do.

March 10 - 16 is Sunshine Week, a national celebration of access to public information and government transparency.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims rose last week again after they have been mostly down this year. For the week of March 2, 2019, there were 845 claims, 189 more than they were the previous week, but 44 fewer than they were a year ago.

Altogether 6,196 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 357 from a week ago, but 260 fewer than a year ago. For most weeks of 2017 and 2018 claims were lower than the year before, but have been up and down in 2019. Vermont, like the nation as a whole, is locked into a historically low period of unemployment and a tight labor market.

Vermont Business Magazine Karen Korematsu, founder and executive director of the Fred T Korematsu Institute and daughter of the late Fred Korematsu, will be the Commencement speaker at Saint Michael’s College on May 12 at 10 am in the Ross Sports Center. Korematsu is a civil rights advocate, public speaker, and public educator whose civil liberties work is motivated by the experiences of her father in a World-War-II-era incarceration camp for Japanese Americans and his subsequent civil rights activism.

At its January meeting the Board of Trustees approved the choice of Korematsu as Commencement speaker and Honorary Degree recipient.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Pico Mountain announced today it will make major upgrades to its snowmaking system, which means starting in the 2019-20 season guests will experience a better, more consistent and more reliable snow surface. Pending permit approval, the $2.1 million investment will be the largest since Killington took ownership of Pico more than 20 years ago. Pico and Killington are part of the POWDR adventure lifestyle company.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont has won a Governor’s Excellence in Workplace Wellness Gold Award from the Vermont Department of Health. The Workplace Wellness Award program recognizes Vermont organizations that have demonstrated an established wellness strategy promoting healthy environments and supporting the well-being of their employees. The department has offered Workplace Wellness Awards in the past, which UVM has won, but this is the first year it is offering awards at the Rising Star, Bronze, Silver and Gold levels.

Vermont Business Magazine In 2011, Tropical Storm Irene devastated Vermont, with $153 million in damages as homes were washed away and bridges and roads were decimated. Looking to the future, climate change is predicted to bring more intense storms to the Northeast and in response, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) is working to make Agency land more flood resilient. ANR is implementing several projects to restore rivers across the state, including a preliminary engineering design for a floodplain restoration project in Camel’s Hump State Park near the outlet of Preston Brook.

Vermont Business Magazine The legislation would overturn a 2017 anti-consumer move by the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that gutted net neutrality protections enacted by the Obama Administration.

Vermont Business Magazine Two new programs at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) are decreasing the need to prescribe opioids to patients receiving obstetrical and gynecologic care. Nitrous oxide is now available as an alternative to opioids for pain management during childbirth. In addition, fewer opioids are needed among hysterectomy patients as a result of the introduction of a new enhanced recovery program for the procedure.

“Like all medical providers, we are looking for ways to maintain quality care and manage pain for patients while decreasing the use of opioids,” said Malcolm Paine, MD, chair of OB/GYN at SVMC. “We are really proud of both of these programs for accomplishing these aims.”

Vermont Business Magazine Named an environmental ‘hero’ by Time Magazine and winner of the Right Livelihood Award, the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” Dr. Shiva is recognized as a leader in the international movement for biodiversity & farmers’ rights.

Vermont Business Magazine During the 2017-2018 school year, dairy farmers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont provided a little over $85,000 in funding to eligible schools who also participate in the National School Meals program to implement or enhance their breakfast programs.

Vermont Business Magazine Late Tuesday, the US House of Representatives unanimously approved bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) to help schools become more energy efficient in Vermont and across the country. The Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act (H.R. 762) establishes a coordinating structure to help schools better navigate federal energy efficiency programs and financing options. It designates the Department of Energy as the lead agency in coordinating a cross-departmental efforts to initiate, develop, and finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and retrofitting projects for schools.

by Brian Gray, General Manager of the Energy Co-op of Vermont I am a fuel dealer who wants to sell you less and less fossil fuel. That’s better for you, Vermont’s economy, and our planet. Let me explain: At the Energy Co-op of Vermont, a member-owned energy company that serves northwest and central Vermont, we work with homeowners every day to reduce their energy use and help them shift away from fossil fuels to more efficient and renewable home heating options. More and more forward-looking energy providers understand the value of helping their customers make this transition.