Current News

Vermont Business Magazine AO Glass, and several other locally owned Vermont companies such as Brio Coffee, Nu Chocolate, and Barr Hill are represented in New York City over Small Business Saturday thanks to the VT retail platform Local Maverick. The even takes place at the Oculus, home to 12 subway lines, the World Trade Center PATH station, and dozens of retailers, serving over a million people every week. Tove Ohlander, Co-Founder of AO Glass in Burlington, said, "The Local Maverick Vermont initiative at the Oculus at the World Trade Center opens up for opportunities to connect with a NY audience at a central shopping location in a unique way. We look forward to introduce our handblown glass collection this weekend's event and to continue being represented in the City at this authentic VT Pop-up store."

Vermont Republican Party After the November election the size of the Republican Senate caucus has nearly doubled. On Tuesday, all members met and chose Senator-Elect Scott Beck as the new Republican Senate caucus leader for the upcoming legislative session. Senator Brian Collamore was re-elected as Assistant Republican Leader. House Republicans met previously on November 9th and re-elected Rep. Pattie McCoy as House Republican leader, along with Rep. Casey Toof and Rep. Mark Higley as part of the leadership team. With Senator Beck's election, Republican leadership is finalized and ready to move forward into the new legislative session.

Vermont Business Magazine Two initiatives undertaken by Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak, Council President Traverse, and other City officials will support Burlington’s residents, visitors, and small businesses this holiday season. Department of Public Works Director Chapin Spencer announced late last week that motorists will have normal access from I-89 down Main Street to South Winooski Avenue for the duration of the upcoming holiday season. The City’s Great Streets Main Street project is ongoing, but will maintain vehicle traffic down Main Street to South Winooski Ave where motorists will be able to turn both right and left to access downtown public parking.

Vermont Business Magazine Nowhere on Earth is free from plastic pollution these days, from the highest mountaintops to the deepest ocean canyons. The problem gets worse each year and seems to peak during the holiday season when household trash rates in the U.S. increase by 25 percent or more. Much of that trash is plastic waste that will be around for centuries since plastic doesn’t break down naturally in the environment. The report, titled, “’Tis the Season for Less Plastic” provides examples of problem plastics, from throwaway cameras to individually wrapped potatoes, and black plastic kitchen utensils contaminated with dangerous flame retardants to track pants made with at least 14 different chemicals and compounds on the Vermont Health Department’s list of Chemicals of High Concern to Children. 

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont (UVM) has reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement with its full-time faculty union, United Academics. The agreement is subject to approval by the UVM Board of Trustees and ratification by the union’s membership. Specific terms of the tentative four-year agreement will be released after the approval and ratification process is completed.

Vermont Business Magazine More than 300 Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream workers at the St. Albans and Waterbury production facilities, who are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 371, ratified their first union contract by an overwhelming majority vote. Most notably, the three-year contract allows workers to enter into the union’s health insurance plan, which includes medical, prescription, dental, and optical coverage and a cost savings of up to $8,000 a year in weekly premiums alone. The contract also guarantees 14 percent wage increases over the next three years, with a 16 percent pay raise between now and April 27, and a move towards a hybrid eight and 12 hour shift pattern, giving members more flexibility to balance the needs of their families with the needs of the plant.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas released the second November Vermont 2024 Candidates and Campaign Finance. This report continues the Secretary of State’s ongoing efforts to improve transparency for campaign finance reporting during the 2024 campaign season. This report reflects candidate filings as of the most recent filing deadline on November 19. 

Vermont Business Magazine After a successful first round of funding, OneCare Vermont has introduced eleven new waivers, building on the six projects funded earlier this year. Following the receipt of additional strong applications, OneCare decided to extend funding to these eleven new initiatives. In total, OneCare allocated $343,000 in 2024 to support delivery system projects designed to advance quality improvement goals. These waivers are focused on enhancing access to mental health care, reducing hospital readmissions, increasing preventive care, and improving overall healthcare accessibility for Vermonters. OneCare, as an accountable care organization participating in Vermont’s All-Payer Model, has been provided waivers to make it easier for the health care providers who work with OneCare to deliver high quality care to Vermonters.   

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) led a bipartisan group of 39 Senators in calling on Senate leaders to protect access to Medicare services by ensuring health care providers who treat Medicare patients are adequately compensated for the care they deliver. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing a rule to cut payments to Medicare-serving physicians by 2.8% in 2025. This would represent the fifth consecutive year that reimbursement rates were reduced.   

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new proposal that would expand coverage of anti-obesity medications for Americans with Medicare and Medicaid: “The good news is that HHS recognizes that vitally important anti-obesity medicines like Wegovy and Zepbound should be made available to all Americans, regardless of income. The bad news is that unless Medicare demands that Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly substantially reduce the prices for these anti-obesity drugs, Medicare premiums for all seniors would skyrocket. If this proposal is to be financially responsible for seniors and taxpayers, Medicare and Medicaid cannot pay up to 10-15 times more for these drugs than they cost in Europe and other major countries. We cannot allow Medicare and Medicaid to simply be a cash cow for Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.”

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced his appointment of Zoie Saunders to serve as permanent education secretary after serving as interim secretary since April 30, 2024. Saunders, in her six months as interim secretary, has traveled around the state with her team as part of the Agency’s “Listen and Learn” tour, to understand educational needs at the local level. These listening sessions are designed to inform the Agency of Education’s efforts to support the short-term and long-term educational needs to improve student outcomes. At his press conference two weeks ago, Scott acknowledged that he would again appoint Saunders and that he was "confident" that the Senate this time would confirm her.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Medical Society released a statement today emphasizing the importance of confirming qualified experts to positions that provide oversight of the nation’s most important health care-related agencies cannot be overstated. "We must utilize established science and champion medical and scientific advancement, refute disproven and dangerous conspiracy theories, and stop the spread of misinformation. The Vermont Medical Society, American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter, American College of Physicians Vermont Chapter, Vermont Academy of Family Physicians, Vermont Ophthalmological Society, Vermont Psychiatric Association, Vermont Society of Anesthesiologists have a singular goal of improving the health and wellbeing of all patients. Using our collective voice we urge that all appointees support the basic tenants of humanity, backed by decades of science."