Current News

Make-A-Wish Vermont and the Vermont Lake Monsters are teaming up for Make-A-Wish Family Night sponsored by Precyse at historic Centennial Field in Burlington on Monday, July 13 as the Lake Monsters take on the West Virginia Black Bears.

“At Precyse, we are committed to connecting with our colleagues and the community. We are proud to be a sponsor of the ballpark event,” said Chris Powell, CEO, Precyse. “I am looking forward to attending with our colleagues and our families. It’s going to be a fun night and a great way to support the Make-A-Wish foundation here in Vermont.”

The Lake Monsters and beloved mascot CHAMP have long supported Vermont Wish Kids and families. Most recently, CHAMP helped host a big “wish reveal” when 12-year-old Milton resident Zack found out his wish to meet Tom Brady was coming true. CHAMP was the first one to share the special news at a surprise party at the Upper Deck Pub in South Burlington.

Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC), based in Johnson, is encouraging its members to conserve energy for today, July 13 between the hours of noon and 5 pm when demand for electricity is expected to spike as a result of high temperatures throughout New England.

Here is what Coop memebers can do to help beat the peak:

On Monday between 12 pm and 5 pm

• Turn off all unnecessary lights.
• Try not to use major appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, and clothes dryers.
• Raise your thermostat or air conditioner by 3 degrees.

VEC implements the Beat the Peak program to promote conservation during peak energy events. According to CEO Dave Hallquist, “If VEC members can collectively beat the peak by conserving electricity during peak energy times, this helps to control costs that impact electric rates. “In a cooperative, when one member conserves, we all save.” explained Hallquist.

Vermont Business Magazine Representatives from the Vermont State Colleges, the University of Vermont, and the Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs have announced a new education benefit for veterans and military-connected students. As of July 1, all veterans qualify for in-state tuition rates regardless of their residency status. This benefit will remove a barrier to higher education for veterans.

Jeb Spaulding, Chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges, praised the new policy Monday at the Montpelier campus of the Community College of Vermont. "We are indebted to our nation’s veterans and are pleased to offer in-state tuition rates to all who come to the Vermont State Colleges to further their education."

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont — one of the most prolific universities producing Peace Corps volunteers after graduation — has deepened its connection to the Peace Corps and to global service by becoming an official Peace Corps Prep institution. The University of Vermont recently ranked Number 7 among top volunteer-producing colleges and universities across the country, with 25 alumni currently serving worldwide. Since the agency’s founding in 1961, 857 UVM alumni have served in the Peace Corps.

by Governor Peter Shumlin As we work to make sure Vermont’s economy works for every Vermonter, our focus has to be on growing jobs and opportunity statewide, especially in more rural parts of the state that were hit hardest by the Great Recession. That’s why I was so proud this week to stand with the leadership of Vermed, a medical device manufacturer in Bellows Falls, to announce a state economic growth award that will help the company add additional jobs and ensure they remain committed to growing their manufacturing business in rural Vermont.

by Erin Mansfield vtdigger.org An oversupply of milk is bringing down prices in the Northeast and driving large dairy cooperatives to dump their product in manure pits, experts say. Although low prices for milk products can be a short-term positive for consumers, the low prices are causing a hard time for farmers who otherwise enjoyed the benefits of record high milk prices for the past five years.

That’s according to Doug Dimento, a spokesperson for the Agri-Mark dairy cooperative based in Massachusetts. The cooperative includes milk-processing plants in Middlebury and St Albans and has been forced to dump skim milk at its processing plant in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Vermont Business Magazine After 15 years of offering Vermont’s most romantic getaway, the Lilac Inn Bed and Breakfast of Brandon has been awarded the prestigious Hall of Fame Award of Distinction by the travel website Trip Advisor. Owners and innkeepers Doug and Shelly Sawyer were especially pleased that the award was based on visitor feedback.

“Over the years, we always kept a diary in each room for guests to leave comments about their stay,” said Shelly. “Now Trip Advisor allows everyone to see what guests say about our property—and we could not be happier. This award is wonderful recognition for our inn, and a great way to get the word out about our destination weddings.”

Vermont Business Magazine At the upcoming national Retail Summit in Washington, four Vermonters will be awarded for excellence. Andrew Brewer of Onion River Sports in Montpelier, Marc Sherman of Stowe Mercantile in Stowe, Trudy Trombley of Truly Trudy's Boutique also in Stowe and Todd Keyworth of Harborside Harvest Market in North Hero have been recognized as “America’s Retail Champions” by the National Retail Federation – the world’s largest retail trade association.

This notable recognition was extended for their advocacy and engagement on behalf of the retail industry, an industry that supports one in four American jobs.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Attorney General William H Sorrell announced today that Bank of America will pay the State $1.25 million to resolve the state’s claim that the bank failed to honor the terms of settlement agreements it entered into with homeowners in foreclosure actions.

“Homeowners faced with foreclosure need to know that when their bank makes a deal to settle the foreclosure action, the deal will be honored,” said Attorney General Sorrell. “When banks fail to live up to promises they make to Vermont homeowners, there will be consequences.”

Vermont Business Magazine Department for Children and Families (DCF) Commissioner Ken Schatz reported today that Vermont's official payment error rate for 3SquaresVT -- a federally-funded program that provides food assistance to approximately 84,000 Vermonters -- was 2.76 percent in Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2014. This puts DCF below the national average of 3.66 percent for FFY 2014 and represents a significant improvement over FFY 2013 when the rate stood at 9.66 percent. Vermont was among the states with the most improved payment error rates in FY 2014 -- with a 6.90 percentage point improvement in payment accuracy over FFY 2013. This performance earned Vermont a federal high-performance bonus of approximately $293,000.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and three colleagues today asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate “ridiculous prices” for cable and broadband services. The letter asks the FCC to collect information on what Americans pay for broadband and cable services by location, provider and the fees these companies charge. Currently, America ranks 25^th worldwide for broadband speed, and pays more for poorer quality broadband than customers in Slovakia, Estonia, South Korea, and the UK.