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by Mike Smith Jack Squires was a coal miner’s son, a mother’s favorite and a husband to a then 24-year-old wife and father to a 4-year old daughter.  He was a Navy SEAL who had survived harrowing missions in the Vietnam War. Jack earned a Bronze Star for his bravery and a Presidential Citation for his heroics.  He was my friend and a teammate. 

Vermont Business Magazine Thousands of friends and family members gathered on a glorious Sunday morning, May 29, to celebrate the awarding of bachelor’s degrees to the 517 members of the Middlebury College Class of 2016. On a sunny day in the Champlain Valley that felt more like midsummer than springtime, the graduates endured temperatures in the high-80s and heard an inspiring 16-minute address from Van Jones, the noted environmentalist and activist for social justice who served in the Obama Administration as a special advisor and currently is a CNN commentator.

Middlebury College celebrated commencement under summer skies on Sunday. Photos by Brett Simison.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims pushed over 700 last week after several weeks in the 500s. For the week of May 21, 2016, there were 777 claims, up 221 from the previous week's total and 283 more than they were a year ago. By industry, claims were down in every industry except Services, which were up dramatically and garner by far the most with 80 percent of all claims. 

Altogether 5,129 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 206 from a week ago, and 129 more than a year ago.

The Department processed 0 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08).

by Barbara Crippen, Campaign for Vermont, Policy Coordinator As the June deadline for Act 46 school district merger votes approaches voters in choice towns should be extremely wary of the tactics being used to promote mergers. One common tactic is the use of Articles of Agreement to bribe voters in choice towns. They include provisions to “grandfather“ in choice for limited time periods in exchange for a merger eliminating choice altogether. This is a duplicitous tactic since the Agency of Education (AOE) is insisting that it is “likely unconstitutional” for merging school districts to offer school choice and operate schools for the same grades. What AOE is actually saying is, “it’s unconstitutional but we can make it legal for a while if you do what we want.” In reality there is no provision in Act 46 or related statutes authorizing this grandfathering tactic. AOE has acknowledged this (in writing) while claiming that’s because “it’s up to the voters.” Really?

Vermont Business Magazine Farrell Distributing is once again teaming up with the Vermont Lake Monsters for the "Here's to the Heroes" campaign, a promotion based on the existing Anheuser-Busch "Here's to the Heroes" program, benefiting the families of fallen soldiers. For the entire season, Farrell Distributing will donate $10 to the Folds of Honor Scholarship Program for every run scored by the Lake Monsters at home. The Lake Monsters will also host a "Stars and Stripes" Jersey auction with the proceeds benefiting the Scholarship Program. Through these programs and other initiatives, Farrell Distributing will be funding three (3) $5,000 scholarships to eligible applicants.

Vermont Business Magazine College graduation season is always a happy time. But many students are even more buoyant than usual this year, thanks to a job market for new college graduates that’s finally lifting off after years of recession. Jobs are “surging for new college graduates” National Public Radio proclaimed in a recent story. “Best Job Market Yet for Millennials,” an Economist story was headlined.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington radio station WIZN-FM and Colchester advertising agency Mt Mansfield Media won Best in Show awards May 25 at the Commercial of the Year Awards luncheon at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. The competition is organized by the Vermont Association of Broadcasters and the awards were announced during the organization’s 61^st annual convention in Montpelier. Featured speaker at this year’s convention was Former U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, President and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters.

Vermont Business Magazine Unemployment Insurance checks were issued by the Vermont Department of Labor yesterday that did not include bank routing numbers. This error affected approximately 1,000 checks dated May 25, 2016. UI Claimants are asked to follow the instructions below to ensure payment.

Vermont Business Magazine The National Retail Federation announced that Congressman Peter Welch, D-Vt., is one of the retail advocate’s Legislator of the Year honorees. SenatorTim Scott, R-South Carolina, was honored with the Legislator of the Year distinction in the Senate. The award was presented on Tuesday during the Retail Advocates Summit, NRF’s annual congressional fly-in.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont National Guard is preparing to go to bid on a major construction project for apron replacement and taxiway upgrade at the Air National Guard Base located at the Burlington International Airport. The project is slated to start late this fall and continue through to fall of 2017. The project is estimated at greater than $25 million.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce today announced PC Construction Company as the winner of the prestigious and highly anticipated Deane C Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award. Presented by Governor Shumlin at the opening ceremonies of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce Business and Industry EXPO, this annual award honors a Vermont business that shows an outstanding history of sustained growth while displaying an acute awareness of what makes Vermont unique. The award, named for the former governor of Vermont, was created 26 years ago by Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce to recognize and honor the state’s best companies.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday approved an annual spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and with it key provisions authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to increase national security and facilitate travel and commerce between the United States and Canada. Preclearance arrangements are especially important to Vermont, which hopes to restore “Montrealer” passenger train service linking Vermont to Canada in the coming years, and to secure flight service from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Burlington International Airport.