Current News

Vermont Business Magazine CCV United Faculty opened negotiations with the Community College of Vermont Administration for their first contract on Wednesday after organizing more than 500 faculty into their union. Members of the CCV United Faculty Bargaining Committee met at the Vermont Statehouse before the first meeting with the Administration to share their goals for their contract and for advocacy this year in the Legislature.

by John Brumsted, MD, UVMHN During Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign for president, a sign in the campaign headquarters famously read: "Change vs. more of the same. The economy, stupid. Don't forget health care.” This was the central theme of the campaign and the sign was meant to keep everyone focused on the issues and themes that mattered most to Americans.

Vermont Business Magazine Farmers and agricultural leaders from New Hampshire and Vermont gathered on January 17th to review their goals and commitment to environmental sustainability as part of the annual meeting of the Connecticut River Watershed Farmers’ Alliance (CRWFA) “We reviewed our successes, discussed challenges and shared ideas to preserve the quality of our watershed,” Paul Doton, CRWFA board chair and dairy farmer of Doton Farms, said.

Vermont Business Magazine For the 14th year in a row, Norwich University has earned a $20,000 grant from the Olmsted Foundation to support the Peace and War Center’s Overseas Cultural Immersion Trip to Israel for students to study the Israeli-Palestinian conflict firsthand. The grant allows seven Norwich students who are on a commissioning track as active duty officers in the United States military to travel abroad to speak to the people and visit the places in person who comprise a relevant international conflict, free of any charge to the student.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine There’s little questions that farmers, especially dairy farmers, in the Northeastern part of Vermont have been painted as the “bad guy” regarding phosphorus pollution in Lake Carmi, Lake Champlain and many points in-between. Governor Phil Scott has tried to both mollify some of the hysteria involving farmer responsibility while also trying to find a solution to what is a clear problem fouling the state’s waterways.

Vermont Business Magazine Fat Toad Farm in Brookfield has received a 2018 Good Food Award for their Original Goat’s Milk Caramel Sauce! The nation’s leading food producers, grocers, chefs, journalists and activists united in San Francisco on Friday, January 19th to honor the 199 Good Food Award winners. An annual awards ceremony now in its eighth year, the Good Food Awards recognizes American food and drink craters who demonstrate a commitment to creating tasty, authentic and responsibly made products and in doing so, better the nation’s food system. The 2018 winners are not only commended for their creativity but also for their sustainable production methods that showcase the highest social and environmental standards. These producers protect the land, continue to push the bounds of their craft, and respect their peers, all the while redefining the breadth of the American table.

Vermont Business Magazine Ariel Quiros is no longer the owner of Jay Peak Resort and all told is liable for nearly $82.5 million resulting from the EB-5 fraud on immigrant investors. The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that the Miami-based businessman behind an alleged scheme involving investments in the Vermont-based ski resort has agreed to pay back more than $81 million of investor money that he used illegally. According to an SEC complaint filed in 2016 in federal court in Miami, Quiros allegedly misused more than $50 million in investor funds to purchase a different ski resort and to fund personal expenses such as income taxes and two luxury New York City condominium purchases. Investors were told their money would specifically be used for construction projects at the Jay Peak Resort and a nearby proposed biomedical research facility.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims rose modestly for the first time since December. For the week of January 27, 2018, there were 589 claims, 78 more than than they were the previous week and 14 more than they were a year ago. Altogether 6,200 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 103 from a week ago, and 548 fewer than a year ago. For most weeks of 2017, including the last several months, claims have registered below the year before.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott issued the following statement late last night regarding, what he called, attempts by legislators to deny Vermont’s demographic crisis. The last two calendar years have shown a net gain in the Labor Force after a steep decline from 2009. Vermont suffered a delayed reaction to the Great Recession of 2008-2009. For 61 consecutive months, from December 2011 to January 2016, Vermont did not gain a single worker. In its worst year since the recession, 2012, Vermont's Labor Force lost 3,950 workers. The last two years have been a rollercoaster, but there has been a net gain in both: 2016, 950 workers; 2017, 650.

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center recently received a $20,000 grant from the Marion E. Kenworthy – Sarah H Swift Foundation for its Intensive Family Based Services Program. The primary goal of the program is to preserve the family unit and to reunify families when placement has occurred. As the only program of its kind in Chittenden County, the Intensive Family Based Services Program is an important part of a countywide effort to keep children out of state custody, foster care, group care, and residential mental health placements. Last year, 112 clients and families received support, and 94% of children served were able to remain in their home following IFBS services.

Vermont Business Magazine Leading a coalition of 11 attorneys general, Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan opposed the elimination of $3 million in funding for woodstove upgrades from a proposed settlement between the federal government and Harley-Davidson. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (WA) joined the attorneys general in the brief.

Vermont Business Magazine Berkshire Bank, with branches in Vermont, announced today that its Foundation awarded a total of $1,995,462 in grants to non-profit organizations operating in the bank’s footprint in 2017. The grants supported a variety of important education and community development initiatives as well as health, human service and cultural programs. In all 556 organizations benefited from the funding.

“Our grants impacted more than 5.8 million individuals in 2017 helping to enhance economic opportunities and improve the quality of life for members of our community,” said Lori Gazzillo, Senior Vice President, Foundation Director. “We believe that by investing in what can be, we can transform possibilities into a brighter reality for the people and places we serve” Gazzillo added.