Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College Film and Broadcast student productions have earned high honors at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) New England Chapter.

The chapter announced that Filmmaking and Broadcast Media Production majors in the Division of Communication and Creative Media were selected for the Student Production Awards for Excellence in the categories of Fiction Short Form, Nonfiction Long Form and in Community Service Public Affairs. Several students earned honorable mentions.

Vermont Business Magazine To celebrate Older Americans Month, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) recognized the outstanding work of Vermont’s Meals on Wheels programs. Consistent with this year’s theme, “Engage at Every Age,” Sanders pointed to the hundreds of older Vermonters who volunteer their time to help deliver meals across the state.

Last year, Meals on Wheels delivered more than 1 million freshly cooked and nutritious meals to seniors across Vermont. “There is no question that Meals on Wheels is helping ensure Vermonters have access to adequate nutrition. However, the program does much more than just deliver a nutritious meal,” Sanders said.

Vermont Business Magazine More than $1.2 million in funding commitments are in place and remediation design work is currently under way at the former site of the abandoned and blighted Robertson Paper Mill in Bellows Falls. This high-profile Brownfields Economic Revitalization Alliance (BERA) project is being funded through a combination of federal, state and local sources, including grants from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Cleanup Program ($200,000), programs from the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development(ACCD) including the Brownfields program ($151,137), Community Development’s Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) ($150,000), and the Windham County Economic Development Program (WCEDP) ($300,000). In addition, there is support from the Windham Regional Commission’s Brownfields Assessment and Revolving Loan Fund ($301,061), loans through the Town of Rockingham’s Revolving Loan Fund ($140,000), and a grant for environmental assessment from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation ($10,000).

Surplus should be used to solve recurring problems & provide taxpayer relief

Vermont Business Magazine The state’s fiscal Emergency Board (also known as the E-Board) is chaired by the Governor, and includes the Chairs of Senate and House Appropriations, Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees. The E-Board is scheduled to meet Monday to assess anticipated revenues for the end of Fiscal Year 2018 in June. Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement in advance of the meeting:

“I’m pleased the E-Board will meet this afternoon in order to come to consensus on expected revenue for the remaining two months of the fiscal year, after hearing from both the administration and legislative economists.

To help meet the dual demands for tech talent and job-based skills training, the founders of Burlington Code Academy (BCA) are rolling out the state’s first 12-week immersive coding bootcamp in June. The founding team of Benny Boas, Alex Horner and Alex Chaffee united their skills and experience in tech and teaching to develop a 12-week intensive coding camp specifically designed to train participants in coding for the job.

Norwich University will celebrate commencement and commissioning with ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday, May 12-13, in Shapiro Field House. Both events are free and open to the public.

At a 2 p.m. ceremony on Saturday, May 12, U.S. Navy Admiral (Ret.) and Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University James G. Stavridis will deliver the university’s 2018 Commencement address to over 400 graduating seniors. He will receive an honorary Doctor of Naval Science degree.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House on Friday preliminarily approvedS.260, the Clean Water Bill, on a vote of 94-48. The bill includes a .25 percent increase to the Rooms and Meals tax. The R&m has been the strongest of the broad based taxes, is the third largest and is closely related to tourism activity. “Water quality is a top priority of the House,” said Speaker of the House Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero). “Clean water is imperative to the Vermont way of life--it is important to our ecology, our tourist economy, our drinking water, our property values, and our health and wellness. S.260 doesn’t just work to make our lakes cleaner; it drives the state’s tourism industry, promotes Vermont’s brand and its businesses, keeps our children’s drinking water safe, and maintains the clean, natural landscape that makes this state so special.

by Paul Cillo Public Assets Institute It’s finally spring in Vermont. That means a little lingering snow, the occasional summer-like day, and a last-minute proposal from Governor Scott to slash education spending. In a replay of 2017, just when the Legislature is wrapping up its negotiations on the budget, the education fund and other bills, the governor this week upended the process by releasing a proposal to cut education spending. And like last year, his proposal is light on details or backup information, and he is threatening to veto any bill that doesn’t meet his goals.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims fell last week but remain relatively high, typical for the season. For the week of April 28, 2018, there were 713 claims, 239 fewer than than they were the previous week, and 46 fewer than they were a year ago. Altogether 5,440 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 88 from a week ago, and 519 fewer than a year ago. For most weeks of 2017 and into 2018 claims have been below the year before.

Vermont Business Magazine At his weekly press conference Thursday, Governor Phil Scott highlighted his five-year plan designed to increase the efficiency of Vermont’s education system, which will direct more resources to educational opportunities while also preventing a $58 million property tax increase, reversing the State’s chronic deficits in the Education Fund, and keeping education tax rates level for five years. Scott also warned the Legislature could be kept into June to wrap things up. It was originally scheduled to finish up on May 12.

by Thomas D Anderson, Jennifer Morrison and William Bohnyak Drivers impaired by opioids, cocaine, marijuana and other drugs pose a threat to every Vermonter and visitor that drive our highways. On July 1, Vermont will become the ninth state to legalize recreational marijuana. Even proponents of legalization acknowledge that driving while high on marijuana is unwise and unsafe. There also is universal agreement on the need to protect Vermonters from impaired drivers. Legislators, both pro- and anti-legalization, recognize there is a solemn responsibility to ensure the motoring public is protected from irresponsible individuals who take drugs and then get behind the wheel of a car.

by Eileen Peltier In 2015, we, Downstreet Housing and Community Development, made the conscious decision to invest in an advanced wood heating system for a new housing project in Barre. The investment was made based on both financial and environmental considerations; a decision that continues to benefit us today. Currently, the Vermont legislature is considering a sales tax exemption on these types of systems, and we believe that if you want to support Vermont’s working lands, local tradespeople, and lower energy prices, this is a positive step forward.

Downstreet Housing in Barre. Courtesy photo.