Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.42 per gallon, down 6 cents per gallon from last week, down 16 cents/g from last month and down 17 cents/g from last year. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.12/g in Rutland, while the highest was $3.89/g in Island Pond. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 1 cent per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.44/g today. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vermont) is joined by Reps. Bush (MO-01), Escobar (TX-16), Scanlon (PA-05) and Watson Coleman (NJ-12) to announce the introduction of the Stop Comstock Act in response to clear Republican intent to misuse the antiquated and unconstitutional statute, the Comstock Act, to prohibit the mailing of medication abortion and other materials used in abortion procedures. The bill would repeal the portions of the Comstock Act that anti-choice extremists intend to misuse to enact a nationwide abortion ban. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn) introduced the Senate companion bill.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network (UVM Health Network) has partnered with InVita Healthcare Technologies (InVita), ConnectLife, and the Center for Donation & Transplant (CDT), the federally designated Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) serving upstate New York and western Vermont, to launch an automated and enhanced organ and tissue donation process. iReferral is healthcare interoperability technology which replaces the prior time-sensitive and manual telephonic donor referral process that automatically identifies potential organ and tissue donors based on established criteria and securely delivers donor referrals to the corresponding OPO's iTransplant System, returning provider and nursing time to the patient bedside while improving compliance to federal requirements and maximizing opportunities for donation and transplantation.

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Accelerator Fund (GMAF), an investment fund dedicated to supporting rural Vermont tech startups, has invested $75,000 in Rutland-based Tacitly, Inc. This is the first investment made by the recently launched GMAF, which is managed by the Center on Rural Innovation, and aims to spark scalable entrepreneurship and tech job creation in rural Vermont by investing in early-stage tech startups. Tacitly, a company with a team of five, specializes in creating augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology for training purposes. Their innovative solution provides immersive training experiences, ideal for situations where hands-on equipment is either costly or easily damaged. Their debut product is an AR training environment designed for nurses to practice using code carts. Recently, they secured their first sale with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

Vermont Business Magazine Wednesday evening, the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC) and Cynosure, Inc held their 70th Annual Meeting at the ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain. Senator Jane Kitchel was awarded the 2024 Robert A. Skiff Community Improvement Award. The award seeks to recognize an outstanding Vermonter who has worked to improve community, educational and economic opportunities for the citizens of Chittenden County and the State of Vermont. Senator Kitchel was selected in recognition of her truly significant contributions and her passionate dedication towards improving community and the economic well-being of the citizens of the State of Vermont. Her hard work and profound dedication to public service in our State is an inspiration to all Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine On October 23, 2024, Common Good Vermont will convene Vermont’s nonprofit community, allies, and partners for the first Vermont Nonprofit Summit at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier. This new event will bring together nonprofit leaders from diverse sectors to share innovative ideas, best practices, and collaborative solutions to address pressing challenges in our state. Through an engaging keynote panel, interactive workshops, facilitated discussions, and networking opportunities, attendees will gain valuable insights and practical tools to enhance their impact in the nonprofit sector. Attendees will learn from experienced leaders in the field and connect with like-minded peers who share their commitment to creating positive change. 

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Electric Department (BED) issued a peak alert for today/Thursday, June 20, as part of its Defeat the Peak program launched during summer 2017, encouraging members of the Burlington community to reduce their energy usage from 5:00-7:00pm today. The purpose of the Defeat the Peak program is to reduce our energy costs by reducing usage during a peak event. Burlingtonians can lend a hand by taking the following steps on what is projected to be an unusually hot summer day.

Pomerleau Real Estate has announced recent commercial real estate transactions. This includes: M&B Properties has sold their 20,000-square-foot warehouse in Essex. Kendra Kenney assisted the sellers, and Duncan Harris of Kingsland Company assisted the buyer, Adam Nilson; and Lake Point Property Management has purchased 51 Center Road in Essex. Rich McClain of Lake Point represented the buyers and Kendra Kenney represented the seller’s, Pomerleau Properties. Lake Point takes over management of the busy 10,500 SF commercial property, with tenants including Heartworks Daycare, Aunt Dot’s Place and Sweet Scoop Ice Cream Shop.

Vermont Business Magazine Investment scams are the costliest cybercrime for Vermont, a new study has found. Data collection experts SOAX analyzed 2023 data from the Internet Crime Complaint Center on the number of victims and victim losses for each cybercrime in Vermont. Each cybercrime was rated based on the cost per victim in the state and ranked from most to least expensive. The average victim in Vermont is scammed out of $19,248, based on 708 separate reports lodged statewide, with a total loss of $13,627,701. Investment scams are the most expensive among victims. On average, victims lose $162,265, more than any other cybercrime. 

by Molly Gray, Anne Miller, Hamed Noorzai, Drukhshan Farhad and Yassin Hashimi Thursday, June 20, 2024, marks World Refugee Day, a day dedicated to honoring the resilience and courage of refugees worldwide. The theme for this year is “Hope Away from Home” which unfortunately rings hollow for many of the more than 500 Afghans now resettled in Vermont. These individuals, who courageously served alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan, face significant challenges and unmet promises. These Afghan allies risked their lives and the safety of their families to support U.S. missions. In return for their invaluable service, the U.S. Government promised them relocation to the United States and the opportunity to reunite with their families here in Vermont. Unfortunately, almost three years later, many of these promises remain unfulfilled.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Welcome back to Field Notes! While the skies above us have been spectacular in recent months, putting Vermonters squarely in the path of totality during April's solar eclipse and allowing us to enjoy the rarely seen Northern Lights, things have been equally busy and exciting on terra firma for the members of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture's Food Safety and Consumer Protection (FSCP) Division. Another Vermont legislative session has concluded, and FSCP Division employees have transitioned into the seasonal animal health, food safety, and business equity regulation, education, and technical support that is beneficial during Vermont's short warm weather growing, shopping, and exhibition season. 

Vermont Business Magazine Yesterday, Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) hosted Acting HUD Secretary Adrianne Todman to highlight the acute housing needs in Vermont. They were joined by US Senator Peter Welch, Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and housing advocates from around the state to tour housing units and discuss the specific housing needs of rural states. Acting Secretary Todman’s visit was a critical opportunity to discuss housing priorities across the state and the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to address them. The visit included a tour of the Richard Kemp Center to learn about addressing racial disparities in Vermont and the Center’s work to end the homeownership gap in the state.