Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Quiros to pay back $81 million, give up resorts; VEC CEO Christine Hallquist resigns, to run for governor; Amtrak could suspend Vermont service; $15 minimum wage; Vermont Gas rate decrease would save customers $270 a year; Maine power line picked over Vermont options for Mass RFP; Woodchuck Cider ends relationship with Pabst; ​Scott, lawmakers put gun control bills on fast track; and more.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Ski + Ride Magazine was named one of the top three specialty publications in New England at the New England Newspaper and Press Association’s annual awards dinner on February 24 in Boston. The quarterly magazine was third in General Excellence, the highest honor category, for specialty publications.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott’s Communications Director Rebecca Kelley today issued the following statement on H911, a bill that would combine the Governor’s Working Family Taxpayer Protection Act and his social security tax relief proposals with the House Ways & Means proposal to raise income taxes to fund education.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine If the skies seem a bit quieter around Burlington International Airport these days, it’s because the Vermont Air National Guard’s F-16s have been flying fewer sorties. And it will keep getting quieter for about the next 18 months, which will include, starting next March, about six months of no F-16 activity. But for the next few days, the political noise will get louder, and who knows when that might quiet down.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor announced Friday, March 2, 2018, three potential changes to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program, that will ultimately reduce tax rates for employers beginning July 1, 2018. These anticipated changes will also reduce the taxable wage base amount that employers currently pay on unemployment taxes by $2,000, beginning January 1, 2019, and on the benefits side, claimants are expected to see an increase in the maximum benefit amount effective July 1, 2018. Unemployment claims have been falling in Vermont the last few years. The Great Recession (2008-2009) led to Vermont falling into deficit in its unemployment trust fund. The state then had to borrow money from the federal government. The fund has since recovered allowing for a cutting of rates to employers and an increase in benefits to laid off workers.

Vermont Business Magazine Just as Vermont is getting bombed with heavy snow, Killington Resort has announced that it will invest $16 million in a number of significant upgrades ahead of the 2018-19 season. The upgrades will optimize the guest experience and make the mountain more accessible to all guests. Enhancements will include a new 6-person high speed bubble chairlift, new lift service at South Ridge, significant upgrades to the K-1 Express Gondola, additional availability of intermediate trails, improvements to existing intermediate runs, and resort-wide infrastructure upgrades including the addition of hands-free lift access validation with RFID technology at both Killington and Pico.

by Jack Hoffman Public Assets Institute While it includes some useful changes, the House bill to reform education funding fails in its stated objective, which was to “simplify the funding process” and “strengthen the connection between voters and the cost of supporting local schools.”

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims hit a modest spike last week, but remain lower than they were the same time last year. For the week of February 24, 2018, there were 742 claims, 330 more than than they were the previous week and 44 fewer than they were a year ago. Altogether 6,082 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 145 from a week ago, and 933 fewer than a year ago. For most weeks of 2017 and into 2018 claims have registered below the year before.

Vermont Business Magazine As part of a four-year partnership to revitalize community centers with strategic transportation investments, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) are pleased to announce the Better Connections (BC) Grant Program has funded three projects to increase local transportation options and the vitality of Vermont's village centers.

Grant Winners:

* The Town of Danville will develop an action plan to improve safety and accessibility along Route 2 and strengthen the connection between the village and the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. (Alison Low, Northeastern Vermont Development Association,[email protected])

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power has deployed its line crews from around the state into southern Vermont to ensure a strong response to outages caused by the wet, heavy snow that has already begun to fall. Forecasts indicate that heavy snow might continue, or the temperatures could rise slightly turning to rain, which would lessen outage impact.

​Vermont Business Magazine The state's second largest health care facility has selected an in-state candidate as its new leader. John Casella, Chair of the Board at Rutland Regional Medical Center, announced today the board’s unanimous selection of Claudio D Fort as the next president and CEO of Rutland Regional Medical Center, Vermont’s largest community hospital. Fort will succeed current President and CEO, Tom Huebner, who is retiring at the end of March after a 28-year tenure at the hospital. Fort has been in executive healthcare leadership in both the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors for nearly 30 years. Fort will take over this spring.

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc (NASDAQ:CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company based in Rutland, today reported its financial results for the three and twelve month periods ended December 31, 2017. Casella also provided guidance for the next fiscal year ending December 31, 2018. Revenues were up over 5 percent for the quarter and the year and net income was up for the quarter, but the net loss for the year increased versus 2016. Casella shares are trading at just over $25 and down slightly in after-hours performance and are on the high side of its 52-week range: $12.21 - $27.38.

Highlights for the Three and Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2017: