Current News

AccuWeather Global HeadquartersAccuWeather reportsseveral storm systems will impact the central and eastern United States during the days leading up to Christmas and will determine who will and will not experience a white Christmas. In addition to bringing the chance of a white Christmas to some areas, travel may be hindered by the storms. A white Christmas in the USis defined as having an inch or more of snow on the ground on the morning ofDecember25.

"The greatest chance of a white Christmas will be across the Midwest, Great Lakes, northern New England and the Rockies," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said.

Vermont Business MagazineVermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) has earned high-level health and safety recognition from the Vermont Department of Labor after a rigorous review of company operations and management. The certification comes through the Green Mountain Voluntary Protection Program, which is administered by the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA). The program is the state version of the federal Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

by Don Rendall, CEO, Vermont Gas Systems The Holiday Season is a time to say thank you, to reflect on the year ending and to look forward to the promise of the New Year to come. At Vermont Gas, we want to thank our 51,000 customers for your loyalty and trust. To our new communities, Middlebury and Vergennes, and the nearly 1,000 new Vermont families and businesses who chose Vermont Gas in 2017, thank you for welcoming us this year. We’re excited about the future and more committed than ever to delivering a superior customer experience. What that means for you is safe, reliable, affordable and clean energy, easy and convenient service, and efficient ways to save money and reduce emissions.

Vermont Gas customers have chosen the most affordable energy service around. Apples-to-apples, customers who choose Vermont Gas service are paying 20% less than their neighbors using heating oil prices, and 50% less than those heating with propane.

Vermont Business MagazinePaul Fleckenstein, Energy Co-op of Vermont's Efficiency Program Manager, has been awarded Healthy Homes Evaluator (HHE) certification from theBuilding Performance Institute.A Healthy Home Evaluator assesses home-based environmental health and safety hazards and provides a prioritized list of recommendations to address those hazards. Since 2014, Paul has done 300 in-home energy audits and has supervised 120 energy upgrades that resulted from energy audit recommendations.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today joined local, state and federal partners Wednesday to announce over $3.5 million in community development grants to eight communities. Brownfield clean-up in Rockingham, downtown redevelopment in Springfield and funding for home repair programs statewide are among the projects receiving more than $3.5 million in grants from the Vermont Community Development Program.

The Town of Springfield and its partners, Housing Vermont and Springfield Housing Authority, will leverage a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant to restore the iconic Woolson Block property on Main Street, building affordable apartments on the upper floors and new commercial space on the ground floor.

Vermont Business MagazineAttorney General TJDonovan today announced that he and 50 other Attorneys General have reached a $13.5 millionsettlementwith Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc(BIPI) regarding deceptive statements BIPI made regarding four of its prescription drugs: Micardis, Aggrenox, Atrovent, and Combivent. Vermont will receive over $130,000 under the settlement. The settlement resolves allegations made in the State’sComplaintthat BIPI violated Vermont’s Consumer Protection act when it misrepresented the drugs’ benefits and/or promoted the drugs as superior to other drugs for the treatment of the same condition.

Vermont Business Magazine Hospitalized patients who need lifesaving care available only at another hospital in the region will benefit from a new collaboration between the University of Vermont Health Network and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. As part of an ongoing commitment to provide access to high-quality care for patients through stronger connections between the region’s hospitals, UVM Health Network has signed a contract to staff a helicopter provided by the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team (DHART)’s air ambulance program.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger, accompanied by City officials and community leaders, officially reopened the entire northern section of the Burlington Bike Path at Leddy Park this morning. Over three miles of the beloved Bike Path, from North Beach to the Winooski River Bridge, underwent major rehabilitation during the 2017 construction season. The entire Bike Path is now open for winter use. Because of the new pavement in the northern section of the Burlington Bike Path, this winter, for the first time, the Department of Parks, Recreation & Waterfront has updated its plowing policy and will be plowing the northern sections.

Vermont Business Magazine City Market in Burlington has donated the proceeds from its 20^thAnnual Tree Sale to the Committee on Temporary Shelter, also known as COTS. This year it presented COTS with a check totaling $10,500. The annual Tree Sale to benefit COTS has brought in a total of over $136,000. This year, City Market once again sold fresh balsams from Moffatt’s Tree Farm in Craftsbury. The Co-op sold 660 trees from Wednesday, November 29 through Friday, December 8. City Market staff, Co-op Members, and community volunteers assisted customers with trees throughout the sale.

Vermont Business MagazineFreshTracks Capital has made a new investment in a rapidly growing Vermont distillery, Caledonia Spirits, maker of Barr Hill Gin, Tom Cat Gin, and Barr Hill Vodka.This is the fifth Vermont company that FreshTracks has invested in during 2017. Terms were not disclosed. The Vermont-based distillery has received numerous national and international awards and accolades, including “Gin of the Year” at the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition, “Double Gold” at the New York International Spirits Competition, and “Best in Class” at the American Distilling Institute’s Judging of Craft Spirits.

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington Police Officers’ Association (BPOA) today endorsed Mayor Miro Weinberger in support of his upcoming reelection effort on Town Meeting Day,March 6, 2018. Weinberger faces independents Carina Driscoll, the daughter of Jane Sanders and stepdaughter or Senator Bernie Sanders, and Infinite Culcleasure. Driscoll has already received the endorsement of the Burlington Progressive Party. Weinberger already has been elected to two, three-year terms.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Treasurer Beth Pearce is part of a coalition of state and local public finance officials who have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halt repeal of the Clean Power Plan, an EPA regulation developed to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.“Environmental and social stewardship is critically important for Vermont’s continued economic prosperity,” said Treasurer Pearce. “We call on the EPA to maintain policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the health of our planet, and ensure the long-term profitability of our investments.”