Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Council, Boy Scouts of America kicked off its state wide youth and parent membership recruitment effort to invite boys to join Scouting. The campaign will run primarily through the months of September and October. Any boy in kindergarten through 5th grade is invited to join a local Cub Scout pack in their community. Boys 11 to 17 years old are invited to join a Boy Scout troop. Keep an eye out for yards signs, information flyers, posters and other media promotion that will be distributed throughout the communities.

Last year, the Green Mountain Council introduced a pilot program to add kindergarten age boys to the Scouting family. The results were an outstanding success, so much so that the program will continue this year as well.

Vermont Business Magazine July 2017 marked the 40^th anniversary of Jamieson Insurance, owned and operated by Jon Jamieson of Waitsfield. The agency was founded by Jon’s father, Dick Jamieson, in 1977. The Jamieson family’s involvement with insurance goes back even farther. Jon’s grandfather, Mahlon Jamieson, wrote the first insurance policies for Sugarbush Resort when it opened in 1958. Documents exist which show that Jamiesons were selling insurance as far back as 1865. And Jon’s family came to the Mad River Valley even earlier, settling in Waitsfield in 1798.

Burlington and New Moran, Inc cease former electric plant redevelopment effort

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Weinberger today announced that the City of Burlington and New Moran, Inc (NMI) have agreed to cease discussions regarding a redevelopment of the Moran Plant, as the two sides have been unable to reach agreement on a term sheet that would have defined the City’s granting of TIF funds and a long-term lease of the building and site to NMI.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the appointment of Chris Mattos as Representative for the Chittenden-10 district serving the Town of Milton. Mattos will serve alongside House Minority Leader Don Turner. Mattos, a resident of Milton, was appointed to fill the seat vacated by former Representative Ron Hubert (R), who recently stepped down from his seat in the Vermont Legislature.

“Chris is a life-long Vermont and Milton resident and will represent his community well in the legislature,” Scott said.“As a graduate of UVM with a background in financial services and business planning, Chris will bring good perspective and experience to the legislature as we work together to grow the Vermont economy.”

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont has received approval from the US Department of Education for its Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plan, Secretary Rebecca Holcombe announced today after being notified by Betsy DeVos, secretary of the US Department of Education. States are required to outline their plans for spending federal funds, for measuring the skills students learn, and for supporting students in making academic progress. The plan must meet regulatory and statutory requirements, and provide parents and educators with quality, transparent information about how the plan will be implemented.

“Vermont’s state plan reflects the goals of Vermont’s Education Quality Standards by including measures to assess students’ readiness for post-secondary outcomes and their success in achieving those outcomes,” said Secretary Holcombe.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) announced Thursday he will speak during Labor Day rallies in White River Junction and Middlebury on Monday. Sanders will address the importance of workers’ rights, a $15 an hour minimum wage, Medicare-for-All, single-payer health care and creating good jobs through infrastructure investments.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced the appointment of Beth Anderson as the interim Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). Anderson has served as Burlington’s Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) since May 2015. Weinberger has asked the City Council to approve the appointment at its September 18, 2017 meeting, with Anderson serving as acting CAO until that time. If confirmed, Anderson is expected to serve as interim CAO through the Fiscal Year 2019 Budget process, which will conclude by June 30, 2018. The City expects to resume its search for a permanent CAO later in the current fiscal year.

Chief Administrative Officer Bob Rusten announced in March he would be leaving the CAO position on September 1.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced a donation to the Vermont Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association (VCVMA), the first of several donations to be awarded with proceeds from his inaugural gala in January. Joined by members of the VCVMA at a press conference Thursday, Governor Scott announced the gala raised nearly $200,000 through Vermonters United to Help, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization of which he is a board member. Proceeds will benefit veterans and military causes.

“Honoring and supporting veterans and active military servicemembers is a cause very close to my heart as the son of a World War II veteran who passed away when I was 11,” said Gov. Scott. “I am grateful to all those who attended my inaugural gala, helping raise funds to support these causes and our servicemen and women.”

Vermont Business Magazine The region continues to hold a lower unemployment rate than the US average, but the rest of the country has closed the gap, after a long-slog recovery following the Great Recession of 2008-2009. The New England unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1 percent in July, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Deborah A Brown noted that New England’s jobless rate was essentially unchanged from a year ago when it was 4.0 percent. The national jobless rate was little changed from June at 4.4 percent and was 0.6 percentage point lower than in July 2016.

New England, and Vermont, has tracked lower than the US since the recession and was much lower last winter, but the region has seen total unemployment rise slightly over the first half of the year.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Housing Finance Agency Executive Director Sarah Carpenter announced Governor Phil Scott has appointed Thomas SLeavitt of Waterbury Center to VHFA's Board of Commissioners.Leavitt, has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Northfield Savings Bank since 2014. Prior to Northfield Savings Bank, Leavitt was President and CEO of MountainOne Financial in North Adams, MA, and before that he was on the senior management team of Merchants Bank in Vermont for 16 years.

He serves on the Boards of Norwich University Applied Research Institutes, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, and the Flynn Center. He is an active member of the Vermont Financial Literacy Commission.

Vermont Business Magazine A Vermont swift water rescue team is deploying to Texas to assist in the response to Hurricane Harvey. Vermont Task Force 1 Swift Water Rescue Team will perform evacuations and rescues in flooded areas. The deployment is through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) at the request of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The mission will last 12 days, including two days to drive each way between Vermont and Texas and eight days on ground in the hurricane zone.

Governor Scott recognizes members of VT Task Force #1 Swift Water Rescue Team in Colchester as they prepare to help those in Texas impacted by Hurricane Harvey. State photo.