Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims fell for the week ending June 15, 2024, as new claims have fallen to their usual summer lows. The Service industry accounts for the vast majority of claims with 55%. For the week, there were 256 claims, down 22 for the week and 50 fewer than this time last year. Meanwhile, the state unemployment rate remains near historic low levels as employment and the labor force have increased (2.1 percent in April 2024). Vermont has the third lowest rate in the nation, behind North and South (2.0%) Dakota. California (5.3%) has the highest rate. The comparable United States rate in April was 3.9 percent, an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised March estimate.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont maple syrup production was up for 2024. Vermont leads the country in production with 3.1 million gallons. Production was up 19% from 2023's 2.6 million gallons and just below 2022's 3.3 million. Vermont produces 53% of all the maple in the United States from 8.4 million taps. New York is by far the second largest producer of maple syrup at 846,000 gallons and Maine is third at 701,000 for a United States total of 5.9 million gallons.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont has announced that Maryann Manning, 63, of Wolcott, Vermont, pleaded guilty yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington to fraudulently converting tens of thousands of dollars in Social Security benefit payments. Chief U.S. District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford released Manning on conditions pending sentencing, which will be scheduled at a later date. On May 13, 2024, the U.S. Attorney filed a one-count information charging Manning with receiving stolen government money. Manning made her initial appearance in federal court today and pleaded guilty to that charge. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) today announced that it is now accepting grant applications for the SFY 2025 Municipal Park and Ride Grant Program, which provides funding for improvements of small park and ride facilities in Vermont communities. These facilities will assist in the effort to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles on the roadway, which in turn helps to reduce vehicle pollutants and traffic congestion. A total of $150,000 is available for this program for the 2025 state fiscal year. Applications are due via e-mail by August 20, 2024. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday considered the nomination of Mary Kay Lanthier, of Orwell, Vermont, to be the next District Court judge for the District of Vermont. Lanthier was recently nominated by President Joe Biden at the joint recommendation of Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Peter Welch (D-Vermont). Sanders joined the hearing Thursday to introduce Lanthier and welcome her family to the United States Senate. Welch, who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, presided over the hearing.

by Jacob Miller-Arsenault, Community News Service The Vermont Green soccer team has delighted scores of frenzied fans with slick passing under the lustrous lights of Virtue Field since its inaugural season in 2022. Fans will have even more to cheer for when the Green fields its debut women’s team June 22, coached by former World Cup champion and newly made Vermonter Sam Mewis. The gals in green will face off in a friendly match against Quebec’s FC Laval at 6 p.m. Saturday. In donning the jersey, they have a chance to inspire girls and generations of fans with a high-level showcase of the women’s game.  The game came together in a frenetic few days, according to Green cofounder Sam Glickman. 

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Semiconductor, a design house involved in AI-related circuit design since 2014 and specializing in Custom Analog, Digital, and Mixed Signal Design with a focus on Memory (DRAM, SRAM, and Emerging NVM), has been awarded an additional Phase I contract by NASA. Green Mountain Semiconductor has been focusing on the development of ultra-low power in-memory processing circuits for AI. Under this new NASA agreement, an RRAM-based radiation-tolerant neuromorphic architecture will implement an unsupervised spiking neural network model. This architecture leverages RRAM's unique properties to enhance the efficiency and robustness of AI systems in space environments. RRAM's radiation tolerance enables the uninterrupted operation of AI systems in space missions, addressing a critical challenge where traditional approaches fall short.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) will host nine Vermont specialty foods businesses to showcase their products at the Vermont Pavilion at the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City, from Sunday, June 23rd through Tuesday, June 25th.  These nine Vermont businesses answered a VAAFM invitation made earlier this year to join the Vermont Pavilion. The Summer Fancy Food Show is one of the premier business-to-business trade shows for specialty food products, attracting buyers, distributors, and wholesalers from across the globe each year. 

Vermont Business Magazine Wondering what’s floating in Vermont’s natural waters? Though the spring brought heavy pollen accumulation on some bodies of water, now is the time to be on the lookout for cyanobacteria, especially as you are looking to escape the heat. With the official start of summer and warm weather, blooms of cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) have begun to appear, and health officials want you to know what these potentially hazardous blooms look like so you can avoid them. Cyanobacteria are tiny microorganisms that are a natural part of freshwater ecosystems. Under certain conditions, cyanobacteria can multiply quickly, create blooms on the water’s surface and wash up along shorelines. They can produce toxins harmful to humans and animals.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Harold Breer, 67, of East Montpelier, Vermont, was sentenced today in Vermont Superior Court, Washington Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to one felony count of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. The Court, Judge John Pacht presiding, sentenced the defendant by agreement to a 10-year term of probation with conditions that he complete sex offender programming and that restrict his access to the internet and contact with minors. If Mr. Breer violates the terms of his probation, he faces up to 5 years in jail. Breer is also required to register as a sex offender for life.

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.