Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The state of Vermont will be opening State Flood Recovery Centers in Barre, Hinesburg, Lyndonville, and Plainfield. While the state is still awaiting a determination on whether any counties are eligible for FEMA public assistance or individual assistance, these centers will help those impacted by this month’s floods navigate the recovery process. These centers are open to all residents from throughout the state. The first center will open in Plainfield on Wednesday, July 24. Flood Recovery Centers serve as a one-stop shop location where public and private organizations come together to provide state-level assistance to those affected by disaster. 

Vermont Business Magazine Nurses employed by University of Vermont Medical Center who are part of the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (VFNHP) voted to ratify a new three-year contract for nursing staff this past weekend. The contract includes a 23% wage increase for nurses over the next three years. The successful contract agreement also averted a five-day strike that would have carried substantial additional costs for UVM Medical Center’s people, patients and community. 

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) today released the following statement ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint meeting of Congress this week: "As I stated last month, I will not be attending the address of Benjamin Netanyahu to Congress on Wednesday. I agree with both the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations independent commission that both Benjamin Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar are war criminals. Hamas, under Sinwar’s leadership, began this war with a horrific attack against Israel, which killed 1,200 innocent men, women, and children, and took over 240 captives. In response, Netanyahu and his right-wing, extremist government have waged total war against the Palestinian people, killing at least 39,000 Palestinians and injuring 89,000 – sixty percent of whom are women, children, or elderly people."

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is partnering with the Northeast Regional Food Business Center to announce the launch of the first round of funding for technical assistance providers, aimed at bolstering the capacity and economic potential of local and regional food systems across Vermont and the Northeast. Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, the Northeast Regional Food Business Center is part of a nationwide initiative to strengthen food supply chains while supporting historically underinvested producers and food business owners.

Vermont Business Magazine 1979 saw the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, and the election of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in Vermont the first modern snowboard was going on sale, and in Lincoln, Vermont, Maple Landmark Woodcraft was founded by Mike Rainville. Rainville came by his attraction to create things out of wood naturally, as he often helped when his grandparents were building houses or sheds.  Their keen minds, Yankee Ingenuity, and frugality taught Mike the importance of focusing on local resources. While the last 45 years have brought an abundance of changes, the importance of local resources is even stronger than ever.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division’s Northern New England District Office found Tito’s Taqueria, a counter service restaurant in Brattleboro, Greenfield, MA, and Keene, NH, illegally required employees at three locations to share a portion of their tips with managers and failed to pay workers time and one-half their regular rates of pay for hours over 40 in a workweek. The Fair Labor Standards Act forbids owners and managers from keeping any portion of an employee’s tips for any purpose. 

Vermont State Police During the ongoing search for Roberta Martin, the Vermont State Police located human remains at about 11 a.m. Sunday in a wooded area off Sand Hill Road in Enosburg. The area, which is close to Ms. Martin’s home, has been secured, and members of the Crime Scene Search Team responded to process the location. The human remains are believed to be those of Ms. Martin. The remains will be sent to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. No one is currently in custody. This investigation remains active and ongoing, and the Vermont State Police would like to speak to anyone who has information that could assist detectives. 

Vermont Business Magazine When the owners and founders at Rovers North in Westford started considering their succession strategies over a decade ago, they weren’t enthused about the options until learning of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan, the most common broad-based employee ownership business model in the United States. The company’s founders Mark and Andrea Letorney were not interested in selling to an outside buyer, fearing the likelihood they would close the Vermont facility and consolidate, putting their loyal employees out of work. 

Associated General Contractors of Vermont The Power of Associations Summit Awards recognizes outstanding associations that work beyond their missions to benefit America, its workforce and the world. AGC/VT was recognized for Vermont's Employee Wellness Partnership, comprised of Jenna's Promise, Reid Wobby, AGC/VT Overdose Prevention Program.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.44 per gallon, down 2.0 cents per gallon from last week's $3.46/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.09/g while the highest was $3.59/g, a difference of 50.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 1.9 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.47/g today.

Vermont Agency of Transportation VT Route 121 in Westminster at the I-91 overpass will be closed to all traffic beginning at 5:00 PM on Monday, July 22, 2024. The roadway is expected to remain closed until 7:00 AM on Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The purpose of this planned closure is to facilitate the pouring of the I-91 northbound bridge deck.