Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Shelburne Museum presents the work of renowned British artist Paul Scott in the exhibition Confected, Borrowed & Blue: Transferware by Paul Scott that includes provocative reinterpretations of 19th-century transferware from Shelburne Museum’s permanent collection along with a work commissioned for the exhibition.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has requested that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issue a disaster designation for the State of Vermont in response to severe July flooding. A Secretarial Disaster Designation would open the availability of financial assistance, including low-interest USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans for eligible producers in the approved counties.

by Joan Goldstein I can’t believe we are back here again. After a year of dedication and hard work to get your establishments back open, many of you are dealing with the aftermath of another wave of water. Please know we are thinking of you. After successfully implementing the $20 million Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP) following last July’s flood, we are gearing up to distribute another $5 million in BEGAP grants allocated by the legislature. We will update you on that effort when plans are finalized. In the meantime, if you have suffered damage to your business or your home, please take a few minutes to alert Vermont 211. There are online forms for Business Damage and Residential Damage. 

Vermont State Police Police have arrested a suspect following a shooting in Richmond that left a woman with non-life-threatening injuries Friday, July 19, 2024. Dylan Davis, 23, of Richmond was arrested at about 2:15 p.m. following a standoff that had lasted several hours at the home on Meadow Lane where the shooting occurred. He is facing charges of aggravated domestic assault with a deadly weapon, domestic assault and reckless endangerment. The victim is a 60-year-old woman who is a relative of Davis. She was transported to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington for treatment. The Vermont State Police does not release the names of victims of domestic violence.

Agency of Commerce and Community Development FEMA is in Vermont this week conducting assessments to determine if Vermont qualifies for a Public Assistance Disaster Declaration in the following counties: Addison; Orleans; Washington; Caledonia; Chittenden; Lamoille; Orange; Essex; Those public disaster assessments are expected to be completed by Monday, July 22. After the public disaster assessments are done, FEMA will assess personal property damage in Washington and Caledonia Counties to determine if Vermont qualifies for an Individual Assistance Disaster Declaration. Other counties can be added if enough damage is reported. See below to learn how to report your damage to 211.

Vermont Business Magazine Last week, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) in writing to JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon, criticizing his company’s about-face on nearly two decades of climate and environmental commitments and raising questions about whether JPM has been misleading investors and the public. Over nearly two decades, JPM made several “binding commitments” on climate and environmental issues. In 2006, the company joined the Equator Principles, a set of bare minimum industry standards that help financial institutions address environmental, social, and governance risks in their work. JPM also committed to meeting the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement and the Climate Action 100+. 

Vermont Business Magazine NPR is joining Vermont Public and the other members of the New England News Collaborative to establish a regional newsroom that boosts their joint ability to deliver multimedia journalism that helps people engage more meaningfully in their communities. The move builds on the success of the NENC, founded in 2015 with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and NPR’s four existing regional newsrooms. The regional newsroom model allows groups of stations to plan coverage together, share resources and dig into the most important stories in their regions – in close partnership with NPR. The NENC becomes the fifth regional newsroom, joining those in Texas, California, the Gulf States and the Midwest. The NENC is composed of 10 stations in six states from Connecticut to Maine, including Vermont Public. 

Northeastern Vermont Development Association  Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) is making it easier for municipalities to participate in the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for property buyouts and there is an unprecedented amount of funding available. Municipalities should fill out the simple, non-binding pre-application form by August 16, 2024 in order to ensure properties are appraised based upon their pre-flood value. Properties that apply later, under future funding rounds, will be appraised based on post-flood value.

Vermont Business Magazine On July 18th, 2024, at approximately 1731 hours, Troopers from the St. Albans Barracks were dispatched to a reported single vehicle crash in the area of 2352 Morey Road in the town of Highgate. Troopers responded to the scene and located a 2003 Subaru Outback with substantial damage due to rolling over multiple times. Preliminary investigation determined that the operator was Savannah Lambert, age 31, of St Albans. Lambert succumbed to the injuries sustained from the crash. Lambert was not wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash. There were two juveniles in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Both were restrained in child safety seats and suffered no injuries. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor today reported that the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for June was 2.1%. This reflects no change from the prior month’s revised estimate. Vermont is tied for the second lowest rate in the nation with North Dakota. South Dakota has the lowest rate (2.0%), while Nevada and California have the highest rates (5.2%). The comparable United States rate in June was 4.1%, an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised May estimate. The civilian labor force participation rate was 65.7% in June, an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. Due to a global technology outage, there will be a delay in updating the VTLMI.info website. Information will be updated once available.

Vermont Business Magazine On Monday night, workers at the Starbucks coffee shop in Essex voted 16 to 6 to join Starbucks Workers United. The Essex partners join a growing nationwide movement of 10,500 baristas at 460+ stores working together to bring collective bargaining to the workplace, including protections for core issues like partner equity, living wages, fair scheduling practices, and employee expectations. The organizing campaign has won election after election in stores nationwide.  

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims rose slightly last week. For the week ending July 13, 2024, new claims were 305, mostly back to their usual summer lows. Service claims remain somewhat elevated, but Manufacturing claims are at their typically low level after a spike in June. The Vermont Department of Labor said because of the timing of the report, these claims are not affected by the July 10 floods that hit central and northeast Vermont.