Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A day many years in the making, Mount Snow broke ground today on its new $22 million lodge, as part of its more than $50 million expansion. The new 38,000 square-foot lodge, slated to open for the 2018/19 ski season, will serve as a hub for future development at Mount Snow, which will add slopeside lodging accommodations, improved parking facilities and a range of guest amenities to the Carinthia base area.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger received unanimous approval Monday night from the City Council for his proposed Fiscal Year 2018 budget of $190.1 million, a 1.2 percent ($2.2 million) increase from FY17. His budget includes additional positions for both the police and fire departments, the first such staff increases in 15 years, as well as a new early childhood education investment of $500,000. Added to the budget are $8 million in bonds for sidewalk infrastructure investment and $3.25 million in bonds for water infrastructure investment.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont tax revenue collections for the month of May 2017 were ahead of targets and the year-to-date numbers have nearly caught up with one month left in the fiscal year. The Corporate tax more than made up for another weak showing from the state's two largest General Fund revenue sources: the Personal Income and Sales taxes. General Fund revenues collected for the month of May totaled $85.10 million, $2.62 million ahead of the consensus revenue targets adopted by the Emergency Board on January 19, 2017, according to Secretary of Administration Susanne Young. That better-than-expected performance was driven by $3.57 million in above-target revenues in the Corporate Income Tax, along with modest gains in the Meals and Rooms, Insurance, Estate and Property Transfer taxes.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve has announced its 2017 award recipients for service and support to Vermont’s Guard and Reserve members. At their annual banquet held recently in Montpelier, Vermont ESGR recognized over 30 employers who provided outstanding support over the past year. Guest speaker for the event was retired Major General Will Roy, former Commander of the 86^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), Vermont Army National Guard, and currently Vermont Director, US Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Services. State Treasurer Beth Pearce participated in recognizing employers and providing closing comments. Interim Vermont Deputy Adjutant General Brigadier General Joel Clark also attended the event.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott’s office today issued the following information relating to the governor’s education savings proposal and the ongoing negotiation with the Legislature to realize up to $26 million in education savings a year. Scott vetoed the budget and property tax bills last week and the Legislature will hold a veto session June 21.

Vermont Business Magazine Late Saturday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions backed out of testifying in front of the Senate Appropriations Committeescheduled for Tuesday. This was to have followed up on former FBI director James Comey's testimony last week. US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) was irate that Sessions backed out of his appearance. On Monday, Leahy and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a letter to committee leaders urging them to essentially compel Sessions to testify.

"This is thesecond timein only two months in which Sessions has cancelled a scheduled hearing where my colleagues and I would have had the opportunity to ask him about the false testimony he provided during his confirmation hearings, as well as his half-hearted recusal from the investigation into Trump's ties to Russia.

by Brad Ferland I attended the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel (NDCAP) meeting on Thursday, May 25 in Brattleboro. During and after the meeting, I was too pre-occupied with preparation, speaking, and driving three hours home to St Albans to process much about the meeting. Looking back, though, I see the meeting as extremely valuable.

Vermont Business Magazine NicolasFabien-Ouellet, a Master’s degree student in UVM’s Food Systems Graduate Program, has been all over the news recently, both in his native Canada and in the US. The cause of the media’s feeding frenzy? A savory Quebeçois concoction made of french fries, gravy and cheese curds called poutine, which Fabien-Ouelette says has been the victim of cultural appropriation.

Vermont Business Magazine On Friday a new type of home was delivered to the North Avenue Co-op, a resident-owned manufactured home community in Burlington. An alternative to manufactured housing, this modular home came from the VERMOD factory in Wilder, VT, where it was designed and built for maximum energy efficiency, affordability, durability, and health.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims fell again last week to just over 300, which is low even for the typically low summer-time number. There still could be some volatility coming soon after school lets out. Claims spiked to over 1,100 six weeks ago and then again two weeks ago before falling steeply. Claims are lower than they were the same time last year, which has been the usual case for most weeks in 2017. For the week of May 27, 2017, there were 329 claims, down 60 from the previous week's total and 88 fewer than than they were a year ago.

Altogether 3,933 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 416 from a week ago, and 507 fewer than a year ago.

Claims during the summer usually hold at a relatively low level because of vacation hiring, until the next transition when school resumes in September.

Vermont Business Magazine Known for offering wages and benefits that are higher than the national average for the retail industry, discount supermarket ALDI will host a hiring event for its stores in the southwest Vermont area onSaturday, June 10, it announced in press release. Opportunities within ALDI include Store Associate positions.The hiring event is in support of the ongoing growth of ALDI in the area, offering customers the ALDI brand promise of high-quality grocery items at impossibly low prices.

What: ALDI hiring event for its stores in Rutland and Bennington, VT, as well as Queensbury, NY

When:Saturday, June 10, 2017 8amto 1pm.

Where: ALDI - 263 South Main St., Rutland, VT 05701

Positions:

• Store Associate - $12.75 per hour

Job Requirements:

• Must be 18 years or older to apply

• High school diploma or GED preferred

Vermont Business Magazine Country Home Products, Inchas notified the state it will close its facility in Winooski byDecember 31, 2017, and will lay off 67 employees. Country Home Products manufactures, and direct-sells its own line of DR Power Equipment property-care machines, including mowers, trimmers, log splitters and cordless lawn mowers. It is based in Vergennes where it was formed in 1985and as of August 2015 is asubsidiary of Generac Power Systems, Inc. Generac makes backup power generation products based in Wisconsin. Generac said in a statement that it was consolidating manufacturing at a plant in Wisconsin.

Before the layoffs Country Home has 200 employees. CHP was named a VBM "Best Place to Work"earlier this year. Companies receive this designation based on company benefits and employee feedback.