Current News

Senator Patrick Leahy Today, Congress must heed the clear warnings of our Intelligence Community and take an important step – a meaningful step -- toward defending our democracy. If we do nothing, we leave our elections vulnerable to an aggressive foreign adversary fully intent on destabilizing our country. To this Vermonter, and many of the Senators in this chamber, this is a simple choice, and a solemn responsibility.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation has reported new wastewater incidents in Rutland, Burlington and St Albans following rain Wednesday. The largest was in Rutland over over 600,000 gallons. Large discharges have been reported recently in Rutland of over 9 million gallons (July 23) and in Burlington of about 3 million gallons (July 10).

NEWLY REPORTED OVERFLOWS. These overflows are pending review from DEC Wastewater staff

Vermont Business Magazine Representatives of Ben & Jerry's and farm worker rights organization Migrant Justice joined Wednesday to celebrate profound changes underway in the region's dairy industry. The implementation of the worker-driven human rights program Milk with Dignity in the ice cream company's Northeast supply chain is a story of progress and positive transformation at a time of falling milk prices and rising economic tensions.

Ben & Jerry's entered the Milk with Dignity program last October, becoming the first dairy business to do so. The company pays a premium to its participating farmers, who in turn agree to adhere to labor and housing standards in the program's worker-developed Code of Conduct. Farms commit to come into compliance with Vermont's minimum wage, offer five paid sick days and five paid vacation days a year, provide one day off per week, and meet a variety of housing, health and safety, and other labor standards.

Vermont Business Magazine The Land O'Lakes, Inc Board of Directors announced today its selection of Beth Ford as President and CEO of one of the nation's largest food and agricultural cooperatives and #216 on the Fortune 500. Ford assumes leadership of the company following the retirement of Chris Policinski. Ford will assume the role of President and CEO effective August 1. Land O'Lakes owns Vermont Creamery in Websterville, which it bought in March 2017 for an undisclosed sum. Vermont Creamery produces goat cheese and butter.

Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty The number of properties sold in the first half of 2018, across all categories including single family, condos, multi-family, land and luxury properties, in northwest Vermont increased over the 1st half of 2017. This positive trend reflects strong buyer demand and is a welcomed sign after a moderate, but long-term decline in unit sales. The median and average sale prices continued to rise for single family, multi-family and land sales. Single-family unit sales were up 2.1% over 2017 in the first half. Newly listed properties declined by 6.7%. While inventory levels are still at near record lows, the 2nd quarter showed some moderate improvement.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Technical College announced Wednesday that their paramedicine program has received official accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). Initial full national accreditation was granted to the new Paramedicine certificate program. The CAAHEP is responsible for the specialized accreditation of paramedicine education programs. The program is the first fully accredited paramedicine program in the state.

Vermont Business Magazine Efficiency Vermont and Sense have launched a pilot program with more than 200 Vermont households to assess how an innovative smart home technology can inspire people to use less energy and make their homes more efficient. Sense offers a home energy and awareness monitor that, combined with Efficiency Vermont programs and services, can transform how customers understand their own energy use and continuously encourage them to beat their "personal best" in saving energy.

Vermont Business Magazine Dynapower, the South Burlington-based technology leader in power electronics for energy storage, has received the prestigious 2018 Electrical Energy Storage (ees) Innovation Award for its DPS-375 DC-DC converter. The innovative DPS line of DC-DC converters significantly reduces the cost to couple battery energy storage with utility-scale solar plants. Dynapower’s DPS technology increases energy production and revenue of utility-scale solar projects.

Vermont Business Magazine Bill Orleans, president of PP&D Brochure Distribution has reached agreement with Maxham Warehousing’s president John Morse to acquire the Maxham company’s assets, including their warehouse located in Worcester, Vermont. Maxham Warehousing has provided warehousing and distribution of brochures and magazines to Vermont’s nineteen State Welcome and Information Centers for the last seventeen years. This includes delivery of over two million pieces a year.

PP&D, founded in 1981, will continue to be headquartered on Pine Street in Burlington and utilize the Worcester location for the Vermont State Welcome and Information Centers distribution program.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) introduced legislation Wednesday to end money bail, which would prevent people from being locked up before trial solely because they cannot afford their bail. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) has introduced a companion bill in the House. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and nearly a quarter of all people imprisoned on any given day, disproportionately black, Latinx, and Native American, are “unconvicted”—meaning they are sitting in jail waiting for a trial, plea bargain or conclusion to their case. Hundreds of thousands of the “unconvicted” population are in jail simply because they could not afford their bail.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Unions representing Consolidated Communications workers in Northern New England say an overwhelming majority of members have authorized leaders to call a strike if negotiations do not lead to an acceptable outcome. Negotiations began in April on a contract that expires August 4. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) System Council T-9 and Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1400, together now represent more than 1,000 workers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. They held meetings in the three states over the last 10 days where union members heard from the bargaining committee and then voted on whether to authorize a strike.

Vermont Business Magazine The Main Street Alliance of Vermont (MSA-VT) announced today that Ashley Moore has been named State Director. MSA-VT was founded in 2014 to elevate the voices of small business owners on important public policy issues in Vermont. Moore has been with MSA-VT since its founding, and during that time was responsible for managing the organization’s policy initiatives and conducting outreach to the small business community statewide. She has been serving as the organization’s Interim State Director since March.

Moore succeeds MSA-VT founder and former State Director, Lindsay DesLauriers, who stepped down from the position to take a leadership role at her family's business, Bolton Valley Resort.

Ashley Moore. MSA photo.