Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.61 per gallon, down 2.3 cents per gallon from last week's $3.63/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.45/g while the highest was $3.79/g, a difference of 34.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 3.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.58/g today. The national average is down 3.7 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 6.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Community Broadband Board has announced that a summary of Vermont’s Digital Equity Plan is now available to review in 14 languages and American Sign Language on the Digital Equity page of the VCBB website. The Digital Equity Plan was recently approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. It serves as the state’s vision and strategy for digital equity, which means that everyone has access to the internet, as well as the devices and skills to use it meaningfully and safely. VCBB’s goal is digital equity for all Vermonters. To that end, VCBB has worked to ensure the state’s Digital Equity Plan is accessible to everyone. 

Vermont Business Magazine MENTOR Vermont’s DEI Committee has released a Statement of Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for the mentoring field in Vermont. This commitment is joined by 19 mentoring program signatories from across the State that have pledged to lead by example in their dedication and promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion through collective action. Working with mentoring programs, the Vermont Mentoring DEI Committee developed an action plan based on feedback identifying areas in need of support. 

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets is updating the guidelines for the Medium Farm Operations (MFO) General Permit. The public can provide feedback on these updates until June 23rd. Two meetings will be held for discussions, both offered in person and via Microsoft Teams. The first public hearing will be held at the St. Albans City Hall in St. Albans on May 21st from 3:00 PM-6:00 PM and the second hearing will be held at the Isle Public Library in Middlebury on May 23rd from 3:00 PM-6:00 PM. The MFO guidelines must be revised every five years by law, and since the last update was in 2018, it's time for another. These updated rules will be in effect from 2024 to 2029.

Vermont Business Magazine Members of the Saint Michael’s College Class of 2024 were urged by multiple speakers during the College’s 117th Commencement to shine their light on the world around them as they leave campus and navigate what’s next. Approximately 380 students at Saint Michael’s College received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees during the Commencement celebration on Sunday, May 12, 2024. Degree recipients in the undergraduate Class of 2024 represented 23 states and 10 countries, while Master’s graduates represented 10 states and five countries.  

by Will Guisbond, Community News Service As Green Mountain Transit brings back urban bus fares for the first time since 2020, the agency appears buffeted by competing pressures: the need for revenue, the desire to retain riders and a worry that people who stick around will be worse off. Now agency leaders say not only will services likely be cut but fare increases will also continue.  Legislators’ latest bailout, in 2023, came with a caveat: In return for $850,000, GMT needed to bring back fees in 2024 and make up 10% of its revenue in fares. That condition has set the stage for the tumult GMT leaders now face as they look to reinstate fares on May 20 — although even the provider’s own budget doesn’t anticipate meeting 10%, expecting fares to only account for about 8%. 

Vermont Agency of Transportation This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will impact traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont for the week of May 13, 2024. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont (UVM) Grossman School of Business will host the inaugural Rural Entrepreneurship Symposium June 19–21, 2024 in partnership with the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), a national association of entrepreneurship researchers and teachers. This rural entrepreneurship and innovation conference will kick off a series of annual community-building events that will travel the country, with events scheduled for Iowa in 2025, Colorado in 2026, and Texas in 2027. The Rural Entrepreneurship Symposium invites university teachers, researchers, and promoters of entrepreneurship, innovation, and small businesses from around the U.S. to explore why the rural and small-town landscape of Vermont and other rural states produce many innovative organizations that thrive because of their rural character. 

Vermont Business Magazine In honor of National Police Week, United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest recognizes the service and sacrifice of federal, state, county, and local law enforcement officers in Vermont. This year, the week is observed from Sunday, May 12 through Saturday, May 18, 2024. In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. According to preliminary data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), as of December 31, 2023, 136 federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement officers died in the line-of-duty in 2023, including one police officer from Rutland, Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine On Saturday, May 18, more than 200 students will be presented for juris doctor, master of laws and master’s degrees when Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) holds its 48th commencement ceremony. Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) will deliver this year’s commencement speech and will receive an honorary degree from the school. Balint is expected to speak to graduates about fighting cynicism and what makes good leaders.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is reminding customers that they are invited to drop by GMP’s Open House on Tuesday, May 14, from 5:30-6:30 pm at GMP’s service center in White River Junction. Refreshments will be served. As part of GMP’s Multi-Year Regulation Plan, GMP holds two customer Open House gatherings per year, each in a different part of the state. The White River Junction event is a great way for customers to meet the GMP team, ask questions, and share ideas as GMP writes a new Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). Every three years, GMP is required to file an IRP with the Vermont Public Utility Commission (PUC) which regulates Vermont utilities. The IRP will be filed in December 2024, and it is a plan to continue providing reliable, cost-effective power. 

Vermont Business Magazine As expected, Governor Phil Scott will run for a fifth term as governor. He made the announced Saturday evening on a post on X (formerly Twitter), while honoring former Dick Mazza. Mazza (D-Colchester/Grand Isle) retired last month as he battle health issues. Also on Saturday, as with his re-election announcement, he mentioned that there is much more work to do. The Legislature adjourned in the wee hours of Saturday morning. They are expected to return for a "veto session" in June.