Current News

Vermont Business Magazine In response to the President’s announcement that he intends to rollback protections for transgender students, Attorney General Donovan re-affirmed the commitment of his office and the State of Vermont, to protecting the civil rights of all Vermonters. Governor Jim Douglas signed Act 41, in May 2007, which prohibits gender identity discrimination in workplaces, housing, and places of public accommodation, including schools. Vermont students have been entitled to those protections even before the Obama Administration took a position on transgender rights. Those rights survive any decision by the current Administration.

Vermont Business MagazineTo help the public better understand the benefits of cover crops and other environmentally friendly farming practices, three Vermont farmer watershed protection groups have partnered to produce a short video.The video,Protecting the Soil: Cover Crops for Clean Water, was developed by the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition (CVFC), Connecticut River Watershed Farmers Alliance (CRWFA) and Farmer's Watershed Alliance (FWA) in cooperation with University of Vermont (UVM) Extension. Itfeatures Vermont agronomists and farmers discussing strategies for using winter cover crops to help protect Lake Champlain and other state waterways.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation announced today that $600,000 is being awarded to Vermont municipalities for public outdoor recreation projects. The outdoor recreation grants are funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a program of the National Park Service.

LWCF funds are made available to municipalities around the state to conserve lands and develop infrastructure dedicated to outdoor recreation. Since 1964, the LWCF program has granted more than $48 million in projects and provided 27,000 acres of land for outdoor recreation in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Barre-based Northern Power Systems Corp.(TSX: NPS), a next generation renewable energy technology company, today announced that Mr.Kevin Kopczynskihas been appointed to the company's Board of Directors, replacingMarcus Baker, President of the Baker Companies, Inc. Kopczynski is Senior Director of Research and Development at First Solar. He previously served from 2013 to 2016 as President and CEO of Enki Technology, a solar materials company. He successfully guided Enki from the early development stage to the revenue generation stage and as part of that growth, established key customer partnerships in the US and China.This growth culminated with Enki's acquisition by First Solar.

Vermont Business Magazine More than 4,200 megawatts of generating capacity (primarily coal, oil, and nuclear) have retired or announced plans to retire since 2013, and more retirements are likely in the New England region, according to the just-released ISO New England 2017 Regional Electricity Outlook. The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon, which closed at the end of 2014, had produced over 600 megawatts of electricity. ISO also reports that the regional electric demand is going down and is expected to continue on that trend, with Vermont expected to need 0.6 percent less electricity by 2025. ISO also expects the region to add significant solar electric generation.

WalletHub Often perceived as socially drab lawmaking centers, many state capitals actually are thriving hubs of activity and thus some of the most livable places in America. But not all state capitals are created equal. And though 17 of them are the largest cities in their states, the biggest population doesn’t always represent the best quality of life. Montpelier ranked 6th overall and Austin was first. In the sub-categories, Montpelier ranked first in both health and educational attainment.

by Robyn Freedner-Maguire, Let’s Grow Kids Campaign Director The recent closures of child care programs across the state are incredibly alarming. High-quality, affordable child care is foundational to supporting the healthy development of our children and to our state’s economy. Vermont’s children, families and businesses cannot afford to lose more programs when we’re already facing a serious child care shortage.

Some have pointed to Vermont’s updated regulations for child care programs as a reason for programs closing their doors. In many cases, though, the regulations were the final straw for businesses already on the edge. We need regulations to ensure the safe and healthy development of our children, but when child care providers can’t afford to invest in their programs for the sake of our kids, we know the system is seriously challenged.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing has announced that Vicky Tebbetts has been selected as the new chair of the Vermont Travel & Recreation Council (TRC). Tebbetts was elected to the post by a vote of current TRC Board members. The TRC is responsible for advising the Secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development on matters relating to state travel and recreation policy, state travel and recreation promotion programs, and other programs overseen by the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing.

Vicky Tebbetts, newchair of the Vermont Travel & Recreation Council.

Vermont Business MagazineVermont Fish & Wildlife has announced that two fish caught in 2016 have been certified as new state records, marking the 14th and 15th state records that have been set for individual species of fish since 2010. John Konya of Bradford caught a new record bluegill in August while fishing with a nightcrawler and silver spinner on Miller Pond in West Fairlee. The fish weighed 1.98 pounds, measured 12.25 inches long and had a girth of 12.5 inches. Konya's bluegill bested the previous record bluegill which was caught in Lake Champlain in 2008 and weighed 1.93 pounds.

Joseph Whalen Jrlanded the new Vermont record freshwater drum. F&W photo.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont state law requires that ice fishing shanties be removed from the ice before the ice weakens, according the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.The name and address of the owner must be on the ice shanty, and the shanty must be removed before the ice becomes unsafe or loses its ability to support the shanty out of the water, or before the last Sunday in March -- the 26th this year -- whichever comes first. All contents, debris, wood, and supports must also be removed so they do not become a hazard to navigation in the spring.

The fine for leaving your ice fishing shanty on the ice can be $1,000, and shanties may not be left at state fishing access areas.District game wardens are available for questions via the Vermont State Police radio dispatcher.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain United Way was recently awarded a $20,000 grant by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to expand Working Bridges in the Central Vermont and Northeast Kingdom regions. Working Bridges fosters the shared understanding that barriers such as childcare, reliable transportation and acute need for emergency financial assistance get in the way of continuous employment and derail good employees.

Vermont Business MagazineVermont State Treasurer Beth Pearce announced today that Vermonters with disabilities can now start saving and investing in tax-advantaged VermontABLE accounts, making Vermont one of only a handful of states to offer a plan since President Obama signed the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act into law in December 2014.