Current News

by Jim Condos, Vermont Secretary of State Recent unsupported allegations and sensationalized reporting are sowing seeds of doubt about our democratic process. This undermines voter confidence and calls into question whether all voices will be heard on November 8. As Vermont’s Secretary of State and chief elections officer, former State Senator, former City Councilor, and lifelong voter, I’ve been following our elections my entire adult life.  I am frustrated by the careless way in which these stories attack our very democracy. They show a real lack of understanding of the true risks.

I’d like to set the record straight.

Vermont Business Magazine According to a new study, the University of Vermont created $1.33 billion in economic value for the state of Vermont in 2014-15. The university also supported 11,287 jobs throughout the state and generated $78.8 million in state and local taxes. The University of Vermont (UVM) is a powerhouse for economic and community activity across the State of Vermont,” concludes the study, which was conducted by Tripp Umbach, a Pittsburgh-based research firm that specializes in economic impact analysis.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont’s Sustainable Entrepreneurship MBA (SEMBA) program in the Grossman School of Business continues to bolster its growing reputation as one of the nation's most innovative business programs by climbing to the No. 2 spot on The Princeton Review's “Best Green MBA” list, and claiming two other major awards in October. SEMBA moved past the Yale School of Management and the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business to ascend to the second position in the Princeton Review rankings, trailing only the University of Oregon’s Charles H. Lundquist College of Business. The “Best Green MBA” rankings are based on students’ assessments of how well their school is preparing them in environmental/sustainability and social responsibility issues, and for a career in a green job market.

Vermont Business Magazine The City of South Burlington officially announced today the siting of a solar array on city property on the site of its closed and capped landfill. The site is across the street from the end of the Burlington International Airport runway and backs up to the existing transfer station. It will be the largest such solar array on a landfill in the state. The South Burlington Landfill Solar Project recently received a Certificate of Public Good from the Public Service Board. The 2.15 MWdc (1.55 MWac) project has been developed by Encore Renewable Energy, a local clean energy company, and will be funded and owned by Connecticut-based Altus Power America, Inc. The closed landfill has lain fallow for nearly 25 years, as it still contains environmental risks for most forms of use or development, with limited opportunity for revenue generation or public use.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) issued the following statement Tuesday after the Social Security Administration announced a 0.3 percent increase, between $2 and $6, for Americans who receive Social Security benefits.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) and the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) are teaming up to tackle economic development in southern Vermont. The public and members of both organizations are invited to attend a candidate showcase and networking event at the American Legion in Brattleboro on October 24^th from 5:30 to 8:00 PM. Confirmed participants include gubernatorial candidates former Transportation Secretary Sue Minter and Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, as well as candidates for attorney general, Deborah Bucknam and TJ Donovan.

Sue Minter and Phil Scott

Vermont Business Magazine The Small Business Administration Vermont District Office is accepting nominations for its 2017 small business awards. Previous Vermont winners include Ben and Jerry’s, Switchback Brewing Company and the 2016 Small Business Person of the Year winner, Tom Stearns, High Mowing Organic Seeds. Since 1963, the SBA has recognized the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions to their local communities, and to the nation’s economy.

The award categories are:

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington School Board committed six unfair labor practices – including multiple attempts to thwart a settlement – in its rush to walk away from contract talks with the city’s teachers, according to an unfair labor practice charge filed by the teachers union Friday with the Vermont Labor Relations Board. The Burlington Education Association asserts that what started out as an attempt to reach a quick, one-year deal for the current school year turned into protracted roadblocks to a settlement that ultimately ended when the board walked away from the table and imposed an employment policy before it was legally allowed to do so.

by Bill McKibben I've been in Pennsylvania and Ohio the last few weeks, following Bernie’s advice by giving speeches and registering young voters in an effort to beat Donald Trump. Thinking about national politics all day has been toxic—by now it’s clear that America is not actually having a political campaign where we think about issues. Instead we’re just doing all that we can to keep a man who wants to jail his opponent (and who dreams about dating fourth graders “in ten years”) from somehow winning the presidency.

It’s a pleasure, therefore, to be back in the Green Mountains. First of all, because of maple leaves and second because elections here still center around the great issues of the day, the things left entirely undiscussed in the national debates that have become such gruesome spectacles. But even here in Vermont there are some disturbing signs.

Vermont Business Magazine The Chittenden County Opioid Alliance (CCOA) announced today that Samuel Francis-Fath has been hired as data manager. CCOA is a new collaborative partnership of local non-profit agencies, business leaders, community members, state government, the City of Burlington and the University of Vermont Medical Center. CCOA is dedicated to reducing the opioid crisis and the burden it places on our communities. 

Samuel Francis-Fath

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington-based Howard Center released the following media statement Monday afternoon related to the tragic deaths of the five Vermont teens on Interstate 89 in a late-night incident October 8 in Williston. The alleged driver in the wrong-way crash is 36-year-old Steven Bourgoin of Williston. He was arraigned on five counts of second-degree murder last Friday at the University of Vermont Medical Center, where he is a patient. Published reports indicate that he had entered the emergency department at the hospital earlier Saturday.

Vermont Business Magazine Most Vermonters have expressed concern about utility costs and stress the need for better ratepayer representation in regulating power companies and setting rates, according to survey data released today by AARP Vermont. The responses also revealed that many ratepayers would vote for a candidate that supports implementation of an independent ratepayer advocacy office. The findings were part of opinion surveys conducted by AARP of Vermonters over age 35 as well as an AARP member survey. AARP has been a vocal opponent of Vermont Gas System's Addison pipeline project because of the potential rate impact to existing customers.

Following is a summary of key findings: