Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A national firm has ranked Vermont 22nd among the best states to live on a middle-class income. Iowa andSouth Dakotaare the best, according to a new study by personal finance website GOBankingRates. Hawaii and Massachusetts were worst, as the ranking more or less followed how expensive states were to live in. Vermont was also one of only two states to see median household income rise between 1999 and 2014. Vermont was also the second highest ranked state in New England, behind Maine (15).

Hawaii,MassachusettsandCaliforniaare the worst states for middle-class families due to high costs of homeownership and costs of living.

Vermont Business MagazineTheContemporary Design Group, a retail buying, networking and performance group, has announced the finalists for the2017 Edward Haimsohn Design Award.Now in its 4thyear, the award recognizes manufacturers producing outstanding and original furniture designs. Lyndon Furniture of Vermont is among the finalists with its "Unity Table."

by Kate McCarthy, VNRC What if we could improve our children’s health and our communities’ bottom lines while increasing access to transportation options that are affordable and better for our environment? A proposed solution to those issues is just what Transportation for Vermonters, a recently launched coalition of diverse organizations, brought to the Governor’s Climate Action Commission during the November 8 Vermont Climate and Energy Summit. Transportation for Vermonters is not a collaboration of the usual suspects – because transportation isn’t merely about getting from point A to point B.

Our transportation system is about how we connect people with the places that matter in their daily lives. The transportation choices we have – or don’t have – directly impact our quality of life, access to jobs and health care, and household budgets.

Vermont Business Magazine The Special Needs Support Center (SNSC) in Lebanon, NH, has received a$4,000 grant from the Granite United Way. These funds will support SNSC’s Parent Educational Support and Advocacy Program.Since 1979, SNSC’s programs have provided support for families and individuals with special needs to become empowered through learning, sharing and collaborating with each other.

The Parent Educational Support and Advocacy Program provides support for parents as they navigate the complex federal and state regulations involved in meeting their child’s special needs. Their Volunteer Team receives training in special education regulations applicable in both New Hampshire and Vermont regarding IEPs (Individualized Education Program) as well as Section 504 Plans (a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973). SNSC has years of successful work with parents and with school districts throughout the Upper Valley on both sides of the Connecticut River.

Vermont Business MagazineIn honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, Governor Phil Scott joins the Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets in offering thanks to our farmers, local businesses and food producers for providing all Vermonters with high quality food.

Senator Patrick LeahyOver the past 10 months, the Attorney General has testified before the Senate on three occasions about his knowledge of and contacts with Russian operatives.He also answered written questions and provided additional supplemental testimony.But he still has not gotten his story straight. On numerous occasions, new disclosures of his communications involving Russia have raised serious doubts about his testimony.And not one of these disclosures has come from the Attorney General; all have come from the press or unsealed court records.That is a problem.

Vermont Business MagazineCommissioner of Finance & Management, Adam Greshin, has announced a public forum for comment on FY 2019 State budget development.Pursuant to 32 VSA§306(d) the governor is required to develop a process for public participation in the development of goals and a general prioritization of spending and revenue initiatives.

Vermont Business MagazineVermont Attorney General TJDonovan today announced that Westminster Meats, LLC and its owner Daniel Mandich, agreed to pay the State $86,250 in civil penalties for environmental violations at their meat packing and processing facility located in Westminster, Vermont. In 2014-2015, the facility had several failures of its wastewater treatment system. The most serious violation occurred in August 2014, when a state inspector observed a garden hose being used to empty an overflowing tank of animal wastewater (including blood) into a small stream next to the facility’s driveway.

The State filed an enforcement action in Windham Superior Court. On November 6, 2017, the Court approved a stipulated judgment order.

The judgment order allows Defendants the opportunity to reduce a portion of the penalty based on financial disclosures showing inability to pay.

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Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) issued the following statement after President Donald Trump nominated Alex Azar to be the secretary of Health and Human Services. Azar is the former head of pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly’s US division.

Vermont Business Magazine On October 1, 2017, Castleton University received a Ronald EMcNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program grant, which will exceed $1 million over five years. The program’s goal is to increase the number of Castleton students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds or underrepresented groups, who attain doctoral degrees.

Castleton’s McNair Scholars program will serve at least 25 students, sophomore through seniors, each academic year. At least 2/3 of the cohort will be low-income, first-generation college students. The remaining students will be from groups underrepresented in higher education, including African Americans, Alaskan Natives, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders. Castleton faculty will help McNair program staff identify strong candidates for the program and graduate study.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermonters who were deceived into sending payments to scammers using Western Union's wire transfer service may now apply for compensation from a 586 million dollar fund administered by the Department of Justice's Victim Asset Recovery Program. This fund is related to a multi-statesettlementwith Vermont Attorney General TJDonovan and 49 other states, the District of Columbia, and Western Union that was first announced in January. Vermonters may be eligible to receive compensation if they were a victim of a fraud-induced transfer using Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017.

Vermont Business Magazine Okemo Mountain Resort opened for the 2017/2018 winter season on Saturday, November 11. Okemo opened with top-to-bottom skiing and snowboarding on five trails with two lifts operating, including the Resort’s Sunburst Six high-speed bubble chair with retractable orange domes and heated seats for six passengers at a time.

“This was our earliest opening in five years,” said Okemo Vice President and General Manager Bruce Schmidt. “We opened on November 8 in 2012. In November 2002, opening day was November 2, and in 1997, opening day was November 1.As luck would have it that year, we ended up closing until mid-November!”