Current News

Vermont Business MagazineWeekly unemployment claims rose again last week and faster. Claims had been falling steadily since early July until early October. Claims are still lower than they were the same time last year, which has been the case for most weeks in 2017. This trend should reverse itself when holiday hiring begins shortly. For the week of November 4, 2017, there were 677 claims, 195 more than than they were last week and 56 fewer than they were a year ago.Altogether 3,230 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 346 from a week ago, but 560 fewer than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Buying local just got easier. Local First Vermont recently released the 8^th edition of the Buy Local Coupon Book and Mobile App. With coupons at more than 250 locally-owned, independent Vermont businesses, the resource makes it easier to learn about and support those businesses that routinely reinvest 45 percent back into Vermont’s economy. Print versions of the book are available at more than 50 retailers throughout the state, and the mobile app is available to download through both Google Play and Apple’s The App Store.

Vermont Business Magazine A diverse group of organizations, businesses, and institutions today announced the formation of a new coalition to advocate for a more sustainable, accessible, and affordable transportation system in Vermont. Currently, 47 percent of Vermont’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, and gasoline and diesel represent more than 35 percent of all energy consumed in Vermont. T4VT has proposed replacing inefficient diesel school or transit buses with electric buses proven in cold climates. Diesel transit buses get only 4.5 miles per gallon and emit diesel exhaust that is dangerous for children, drivers, and passersby.

Vermont Business Magazine Housing advocacy organizations from around New England, including the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition, are announcing their opposition to provisions of the tax cut proposal released by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX) last week.“The House tax bill would have devastating impacts on the creation and preservation of affordable housing in Vermont,” saidSarah Carpenter, Executive Director of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency. “Almost 15,000 Vermonters in every region of the state live in safe, stable and affordable rental housing thanks to the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit, which will be significantly weakened through this bill. The bill would also reduce low cost home mortgage and development financing offered by VHFA and the subsidies that come with those programs. Its passage would be a major setback in our efforts to alleviate Vermont’s dire shortage of affordable housing.”

Vermont Business Magazine The US Senate Thursday night unanimously confirmed Christina Nolan to be Vermont’s next US Attorney, following the recommendation of US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt) and Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R). Nolan was nominated less than two months ago by President Trump, and she is one of only two US Attorney nominees to be confirmed in states with Democratic Senators and is also one of only two women to be confirmed as US attorneys in this Congress. Leahy is a leading member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which handled the nomination.

Vermont Business Magazine This Veteran's Day, November 11, Easterseals announced it has received$580,000in grants from CVS Health and the CVS Health Foundation to support local services that ensure access to healthcare and smoking cessation resources for Veterans and military families.As part of the funding, Easterseals has received$70,000for national programming and six Easterseal affiliates who excel in programs that respond to the local needs of Veterans, their family members and caregivers will each receive a$10,000grant.

Beneficiaries include:

Vermont Business Magazine Changing Perspectives is pleased to announce it has received the 2017-2018 Organizational Capacity Grant from the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation. These funds will support programming, staffing, professional development opportunities and the organization’s ability to expand its reach.

Changing Perspectives facilitates proactive strategies to promote social justice by providing schools with disability awareness programming through a combination of curriculum materials and educator coaching. The Changing Perspectives programs aim to reduce bullying and social isolation in schools by teaching about differences and supporting an educator’s work to build inclusive communities within their classrooms.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has added nearly 50 acres of lakeshore property to the Pond Woods Wildlife Management Area in Benson, Vermont. The property was conserved in part using funds from the Habitat Stamp program, a voluntary donation to habitat conservation in Vermont that was launched in 2015. The land was sold to the Fish & Wildlife Department by the Green Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts. As a result, this forested shoreline property is now permanently conserved, and is open to the public for wildlife-based recreation such as bird-watching, hiking, fishing, and hunting.

Sunset Lake is known for its remarkably clear, clean water, holding the record for the greatest water clarity measured in any water body in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Lisa Ventriss, President of Vermont Business Roundtable (VBR) and Jeffrey Carr, President, Economic & Policy Resources (EPR), announced the Q4 2017 outlook results of their joint initiative, the VBR/EPR Business Conditions Survey and Index.The latest survey, which was conducted during the first two weeks of October 2017, achieved a response rate of 68 percent overall and included a 50 percent or greater response rate from 10 of 15 represented sectors within the membership.

Overall Finding

Survey results show that:

• Roughly two-thirds of respondents (63%) shared negative outlooks specifically with ease of hiring for available positions, improved from the previous survey (71%);

by Justin Wheating, President of NRG Systems I recently had the pleasure of attending the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s Catalysts of the Climate Economy National Innovation Summit – CC:Econ – in Burlington. The Summit brought together climate innovators from across the country to tell their success stories. It also highlighted the opportunities that exist here in Vermont to capture a slice of the economic activity presented by a changing climate. Listening to the speakers, from national environmentalist Paul Hawken to local budding climate entrepreneurs like Paul Hines of Packetized Energy, I was struck by the opportunity Vermont has to be an incubator state for innovative climate solutions, which in turn provides opportunities for the state to address economic challenges.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Treasurer’s Office paid Vermonters a record number of unclaimed financial property last year and Treasurer Beth Pearce wants you to check today to see if any of the remaining $80 million waiting to be claimed belongs to you. Vermonters can easily search the State unclaimed property database by visitingMissingMoney.Vermont.govor by calling1-800-642-3191.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Vermont Fish &Wildlife Department says a preliminary count reveals hunters harvested 40 moose in this year's regulated hunting seasons."A preliminary count on October 31 showed that hunters reported 8 moose being taken by 18 hunters in the October 1-7 archery season and 32 moose taken by 70 hunters in the October 21-26 regular season," said Cedric Alexander, Vermont's moose project leader.