Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Bernie will run for president; Vermont Gas wants to cut rates; PUC gives new Burlington Telecom CPG, but opponents vow to appeal to Supreme Court; Knight to lead Vermont Guard; Chittenden County sees 50% decline in opioid-related overdose fatalities; January tax revenues beat expectations; Cassie Polhemus named as VEDA's new CEO, and more...

Vermont Business Magazine Union Bank has been selected to participate in the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Equity Builder Program, which assists local homebuyers with down-payment and closing costs as well as homebuyer counseling and rehabilitation assistance. The $3.6 million program provides grants to financial institutions to assist households at or below 80 percent of the area median income. Borrowers are eligible to receive up to $15,000 in assistance on a first come first serve basis. Buyers must also complete a homebuyer counseling program.

“Homeownership is not easily attainable for many households, so we are pleased to offer this assistance to help individuals and families purchase a home. Homeownership helps build wealth and create financial stability, and programs that assist homebuyers can be effective in adding to the vibrancy of our communities,” said David Silverman, President and CEO of Union Bank.

Vermont Business Magazine In celebration of its 60^th Anniversary, Sugarbush is bringing back a number of old historic events from the “March Madness” days of the resort.

UVM Center for Research Only one in three Americans (36 percent) can pass a citizenship test, according to a recent survey conducted by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation—and Vermont was the only state that was able to pass as a group. Just 27 percent of those surveyed under 45 were capable of demonstrating a basic understanding of US history. The poll emphasizes that the memorization-based teaching methods that are common throughout the country have not been effective in producing informed and engaged citizens.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims rose last week after they have been mostly down this year. For the week of February 23, 2019, there were 656 claims, 177 more than they were the previous week, but 86 fewer than they were a year ago. Altogether 5,839 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 24 from a week ago, and 243 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 Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) announced today that Rebecca Ellis of Waterbury Center will join his staff on March 25th as state director. She replaces George Twigg, who relocated to Colorado in January. Ellis currently serves as deputy commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. She represented Waterbury in the state legislature from 2011-2015 and served on Waterbury’s select board, as member and then chair, from 2006-2014. Ellis led Waterbury’s recovery from devastating flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene. From 1997-2011, she served as an assistant Vermont attorney general.

Rebecca Ellis. Courtesy photo.

Vermont Business Magazine A new study found Vermont ranks No. 41 for  break-ins of any state in America with 297.3 per 100,000 people. Vermont's neighboring states were even lower. The highest rates were found in states in the South and Southwest. SafeHome.org, a leading resource for reviewing home security systems, has released The States With The Most Break-Ins using the latest annual data released by the FBI. Overall, the number of break-ins has been declining in recent years in Vermont and across the nation.

by Brandon Arcari, Vermont Business Magazine Opponents of the Burlington Telecom sale plan to ask the Vermont Supreme Court to side with the citizens of Burlington in opposing the sale of Burlington Telecom (BT) to Schurz Communications, a broadband media group based in Indiana. Opponents were expected to appeal the award of the Certificate of Public Good to the Supreme Court.

The opponents say that despite the $17 million debt that it owes to taxpayers, it has become profitable and could repay taxpayers over time. They lay the blame for the sale at the feet of Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, who they say will hand over BT to a private company for a fraction of what it is worth.

Online-retailer Amazon has announced plans to begin hiring several dozen Vermonters later this year for new part-time positions in Virtual Customer Service, a program that offers flexible work-from-home arrangements for customer service agents.

Vermont Business Magazine Thomas D Anderson, Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), and Nancy P. Sheahan, Chairwoman of the State Police Advisory Commission, have issued the following joint statement summarizing the work of SPAC and the Internal Affairs Office within the Department of Public Safety during 2018. 

This marks the first time that DPS has released a public summary of the commission’s work.

Vermont Business Magazine For the first time, medical cannabis patients in Vermont now have the convenience of using a drive-through window to purchase products for pain relief and other ailments. Southern Vermont Wellness (SVW) is now approved to dispense its full range of medical cannabis products at its new home at 942 Putney Road in Brattleboro.

by Brandon Arcari, Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power has partnered with Renewable Energy Vermont on a new Bring-Your-Own-Device pilot program that will allow about 600 GMP customers to offset the costs of new energy-saving devices in their homes with incentives. The partnership, announced at the home of GMP customer Carole McCay in Hinesburg, was unveiled alongside the installation of a Tesla Powerwall battery sold by SunCommon for McCay to use as part of the program.