Current News

VermontBiz Attorney General Charity Clark today announced she has been appointed co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General’s (NAAG’s) “Tobacco Committee.” The primary mission of the Tobacco Committee is to lead a coalition of 52 state and territory attorneys general in their efforts to enforce, defend, administer, and improve the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). Importantly, the Tobacco Committee also provides leadership for all members on tobacco matters not directly related to the MSA, including vaping. Attorney General Clark will be joined in co-chairing this bipartisan group of attorneys general with Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill.

VermontBiz The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will be instituting two significant changes later this year due to legislative action taken during the past session: All vehicle registrations with ownership changes will receive a Vermont title regardless of the vehicle model year, and owners of electric vehicles registered in Vermont will pay an annual user fee. 

VermontBiz Reliable, balanced, and accessible local news is essential to sustaining connected communities and a vibrant democracy. As a central component of a multi-year initiative around democracy and civic engagement, the Vermont Community Foundation is proud to announce the launch of Press Forward Vermont. With this local chapter, the Community Foundation partners with Press Forward, a national coalition investing more than $500 million to strengthen communities by reimagining local news.

VermontBiz Vermont employers have been steadily filling unfilled jobs. It’s been a challenge because of Vermont’s low unemployment rate. At times, there were as many as three job openings for each person looking for work.

Nevertheless, employers have succeeded in finding workers to fill the vacancies. In January 2023, employers had just over 332,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, 7 percent of them unfilled. In April of this year, there were almost 330,000 nonfarm jobs, and the share that were unfilled had dropped to 4.5 percent.

VermontBiz Dismas of Vermont, founded in Burlington in 1986, has proudly been selected as part of the 2024 Lowe’s Hometowns program, a five-year, $100 million commitment to rebuild and revitalize community spaces nationwide. Since launching in 2022, the signature grant program has renovated 149 community centers, affordable housing facilities, shelters and food pantries; refurbished 15 first responder and veteran/military family facilities; and built and improved 54 community gardens, parks and playgrounds – among many other projects.

VermontBiz Agri-Mark, Inc./Cabot Creamery Cooperative announced today that it will transition to a 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) packaging for its flagship 8-ounce cheese bars later this year. This decision follows the completion of a comprehensive sustainable packaging study initiated in 2022 and will result in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and fuel requirements by up to 25%, alongside significant water savings during manufacturing of their 8-oz bar line. Study findings will be made available industry-wide with hopes of broadening the positive impact of the grant research.

VermontBiz U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) this week joined local leaders, participants of Derby’s Senior Summer Day Camp, and members of the community to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Derby Park project, which will convert acres of unused land into a new community outdoor park. Sen. Welch nominated and secured federal funding for the project through the FY22 Community Project Funding (CPF) process during his last year in the House. 

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies Waterbury-based NOMAD Transportable Power Systems, Inc. (NOMAD) is one of the nation’s most promising energy storage system (ESS) companies. Founded in 2019, NOMAD offers transportable battery systems designed for rapid deployment and operation. These systems alleviate grid constraints, modernize disaster response efforts, and provide electric vehicle (EV) charging at events and in remote locations. Most importantly, these solutions can be powered by renewable sources like wind and solar.

Vermont Business Magazine Registration is now open for popular tours of Kingdom Community Wind in Lowell, Vt. to learn more about wind power. Each summer, experts from Green Mountain Power (GMP) host dozens of visitors at the site. This summer’s tours will be at 10:00 a.m. on July 10th and July 17th. Each tour takes about 90 minutes. Tickets are free. Space is limited, so make sure to pre-register. You can sign up for free tickets on GMP’s website.

VermontBiz Today, the White River Junction community celebrated the official grand opening of 42 new affordable apartments downtown with a ribbon cutting and an apartment tour. The apartments, named Riverwalk Apartments, were developed by DEW Braverman with an agreement to sell the building to Twin Pines Housing and Evernorth. The apartments will remain affordable forever.

VermontBiz Today the City of Burlington's Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (REIB) Office held an unveiling of Embrace and Belonging, a monumental public art installation dedicated to the city's commitment to racial equity, located in Dewey Park. 

The monument project was a cross-department collaborative effort with input and staff support from Burlington City Arts and Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront. 

VermontBiz The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Norwich University a grant in excess of $5,300,000 for cybersecurity research, education, and training. This generous funding, allocated over the next five years, enables Norwich to offer scholarships to students that will enhance learning and research opportunities into cybersecurity threats, artificial intelligence, and machine learning through an integrated B.S./M.S. program.