Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims in Vermont fell slightly last week, and remain at their typically low summer totals. There were 347 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont, a decrease of 17 from the previous week's total and 29 fewer than they were a year ago. Generally, claims have been running below last year's totals. Claims were down slightly in nearly all regions of the state and in most industry categories, except manufacturing, which more than doubled.

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Education has announced the 16 supervisory unions and districts that have volunteered to be a part of shaping the course of the Education Quality Review process by piloting the Integrated Field Review during the 2015-2016 School Year. "These participating educators will contribute to drafting the protocols and procedures that define Vermont's commitment to educational equity and quality for years to come," said Amy Fowler, Deputy Secretary at the Agency of Education.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health has received a $4 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent overdose deaths related to prescription opioids, Gov. Peter Shumlin and Health Commissioner Harry Chen announced today. The funding is part of the Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention for States program. Vermont will be one of 16 states to receive yearly funds of up to $1 million over the next four years to improve safe prescribing practices to better prevent opioid drug misuse, dependence, diversion and overdose.

The Health Department will partner with the Department of Vermont Health Access, Vermont’s Blueprint for Health, the University of Vermont Office of Primary Care, and an advisory group of stakeholders.

The funding, which is allocated through CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, will support:

Vermont Business Magazine Idaho is the best state for drivers, according to new research from Bankrate.com (NYSE: RATE). Vermont is ranked second. The worst state for drivers is Louisiana. Bankrate.com ranked all 50 states according to several factors such as fatal crashes, car thefts, average commute times, gasoline spending, repair costs and insurance premiums. Idaho topped the list due to its low gas and insurance expenses, below-average thefts and short commute times. Vermont was particularly low in insurance premiums and car thefts. Wyoming, Wisconsin and Minnesota rounded out the five best states for drivers.

Louisiana placed last on the list in large part because of the nation's highest car insurance costs and an above-average fatal crash rate. California, Texas, Maryland and New Jersey comprise the rest of the bottom five.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) has received a grant from the Working Lands Enterprise Board that will be used to help significantly underwrite the costs for hosting and local companies to attend a special “Innovation Engineering Experience” event. The Innovation Engineering Experience is a concentrated learning experience in how to create a culture of never-ending innovation, with increased speed to market and decreased risk. Because of the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative grant, up to 150 participants from 25 or more working lands agricultural, food production, forest products and wood products businesses will be able to participate in this high energy, fast-paced, learn-and-apply experience at a reduced cost.

Vermont Business Magazine Officials from the US Department of Labor and the Vermont Department of Labor have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding intended to protect employees’ rights by preventing their misclassification as independent contractors or other non-employee statuses. Under the agreement, both agencies may share information and coordinate law enforcement. Vermont Auditor Doug Hoffer issued a report earlier this week indicating that Vermont agencies, including the Vermont DOL, was not doing enough to properly classify workers as employees rather than as contractors.

Vermont Business Magazine The IRS has ruled that an owner of solar panels in a community-shared array is eligible for the 30 percent federal residential income tax credit known as the "residential ITC." The IRS ruling applies only to a specific solar panel owner in Vermont, but it is a positive development for community-shared solar participants and project developers. Community-shared solar allows electric customers to buy an interest in an offsite solar array and to receive credit on their electricity bills for their ownership interest. While the IRS’s ruling is only legally applicable to the individual taxpayer in question — a solar panel owner in Boardman Hill Solar Farm, a member-managed 150 kW off-site solar array in Vermont — the ruling may open up project opportunities for direct ownership of community-shared solar systems by multiple individuals.

Vermont Business Magazine Ben & Jerry’s has joined other Vermont businesses and consumer groups in defending Vermont’s new labeling requirements for genetically engineered (GE or GMO) foods – one of the first such labeling laws in the country – against a federal court challenge brought by the food industry. The groups submitted a brief yesterday supporting the disclosure of GE ingredients so people have more information about the health, safety and environmental impacts of the foods they consume. “We’re joining this fight because we believe strongly that consumers have a right to know what’s in the food they eat.”

by Mike Faher The Commons It’s safe to say there’s no love lost between the state of Vermont and Entergy, owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. But when the time came to weigh in on Entergy’s attempts to build a second spent fuel storage facility at the Vernon property, it wasn’t the state raising the most ruckus — it was the local planning commission. The Windham Regional Commission (WRC) last week aired detailed concerns about how the company chose the proposed site for long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel. Planners also say the site location could affect the cost and schedule for the decommissioning of the nuclear power plant.

Vermont Business Magazine Americans hitting the road this weekend stand to see the cheapest Labor Day prices at the pump in over a decade, leading to huge savings - $1.4 billion - over the four-day weekend. Vermont gasoline prices are 4 cents lower than the national average and more than a dollar lower than they were a year ago ($2.399 vs $3.563). The lowest prices in Vermont are found in the Rutland area, down to $2.21. “August gasoline prices plummeted by 18 cents per gallon, the greatest decrease since 2008, and as a result we have a national average that’s 99 cents lower than a year ago ($2.44 vs $3.43). I’m sure motorists will have plenty of company on the nation’s thoroughfares this weekend,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) Thursday announced two federal grants totaling more than $8.3 million to make critical improvements to Newport State Airport as it expands to accommodate a continued increase of economic growth in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: “These grants are an investment in the economic growth of the Northeast Kingdom. By making these improvements to the Newport State Airport, we are facilitating the growing tourism industry, bringing new business and encouraging job growth in the region that is filled with promise.”

Vermont Business Magazine As headlines across the country declare that “small colleges are in trouble” and highlight dire predictions for small, private higher education institutions, Sterling College in Craftsbury Common is once again setting records for enrollment and fundraising. Enrollment for the environmental stewardship college will be 128 students when the fall semester starts, the college’s largest student body in its history, and up nearly 25 percent from three years ago. “We believe, and have for more than a half century, that small institutions hold an important place in the landscape of higher education—particularly colleges that have a critical mission for the 21st century,” said President Matthew Derr.