Current News

by Representative Seth Bongartz, et al A recent commentary by Representatives Rebecca Holcombe of Norwich, Erin Brady of Williston and Monique Priestley of Bradford, while making a few fair points about the rising cost of education, unfortunately ended with inflammatory rhetoric about independent schools and the Vermont style of school choice that has provided amazing opportunities for generations of students in rural Vermont. The thrust of this argument is that students from rural parts of Vermont are driving up taxes because they attend independent schools. These three representatives then assert that our students are served by an “uncontrolled, poorly regulated” voucher system. We are compelled to set the record straight. First, Vermont does not have an education voucher system.

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies From an Xbox handle to a cutting-edge trust-marketing platform, the word “Widewail” has played a pivotal role in shaping Matt Murray's journey. Hear Matt's inspiring story as he shares how his visionary company is revolutionizing the landscape of customer reviews, creating a new era of impactful feedback.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor has announced an increase to the State’s minimum wage. Beginning January 1, 2024, the State’s minimum wage will become $13.67 per hour. This is an increase of $0.49 from the current minimum wage of $13.18. This annual adjustment also impacts the minimum wage for tipped employees. The Basic Tipped Wage Rate for service, or “tipped employees,” equals 50% of the full minimum wage. On January 1, 2024, the tipped minimum wage will increase from $6.59 to $6.84 per hour. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Emergency Eats (VEE) program distributed over 49,000 meals made by local restaurants to flood-impacted Vermonters in need between August 7 and November 4, 2023. Based on the successful “three-pillar” VEE model, Vermont Emergency Eats meals were made by thirty local restaurants using an average of 25% Vermont ingredients and received by Vermonters whose food security was negatively impacted by the summer flooding. The initial $700,000 invested in the program by the state catalyzed an additional $1,120,000 recirculated by restaurants and farmers into local spending on labor and ingredients, along with a further $88,000 in private dollars invested in Vermont-owned farms and restaurants on flood recovery, business infrastructure, and equipment. 

Vermont Business Magazine NEK Broadband has announced that it has added its fiber optic internet service to parts of Danville, Kirby, Lyndon, St. Johnsbury, Walden and Wheelock. More than 700 new addresses are part of this latest expansion to underserved communities in the Northeast Kingdom, bringing the total addresses with service to over 2,100. New service has already begun in some towns and will continue to expand over the next few weeks. Local residents can find out if they are part of this expansion by going to https://get.nekbroadband.org/. Residents who do not have access can also pre-order service there. High-speed internet via NEK Broadband is carried through fiber optic cable with speed levels from 50Mbps to a Gigabyte. There are no data caps and uploading is as fast as downloading.

Vermont Business Magazine Starting January 1, 2024, Green Mountain Power (GMP) will continue its popular rebate programs to help customers save when they switch from fossil fuels to clean electricity for driving, heating and cooling, yard care and more. All GMP’s programs are designed to help cut costs for all GMP customers while also cutting carbon emissions. Also starting in January, GMP is updating its heat pump program to expand access to the super-efficient heating and cooling technology by more than doubling its enhanced, post-purchase heat pump rebate for income-eligible customers to $2,000. It had been $600. To qualify, customers must have a household income at or below 80% of area median income (AMI). 

Vermont State Police An autopsy was performed Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. The deceased man is identified as 58-year-old Donald Coull, a resident of the home at 107 Lawson Rd. where this incident occurred. The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death was a stab wound of the chest. A ruling on the manner of death is pending further investigation and toxicology testing, which can take from several weeks to several months. The injured man is identified as Trevor Stone, 39, a resident of a camper on the property. He was treated at North Country Hospital for a laceration/stab wound and subsequently released.

Vermont Business Magazine For years, Diane Imrie and a group of sustainability-minded professionals and clinicians across the University of Vermont Medical Center have worked to find spaces in health care for concepts like “sustainability” and “climate-friendly.” Now, the organization is routinely honored as a health care leader for embracing the connection between patient care, health, and conscientious environmental stewardship. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Business Magazine Gasbuddy is projecting that national average gasoline prices are expected to decline in 2024, after a long slow decline already this past fall. Meanwhile, average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.29 per gallon, down 3 cents per gallon from last week. Vermont gas prices are down 15 cents/g from last month and down 7 cents/g from the same time last year. The national average price of gasoline is unchanged in the last week, averaging $3.11/g today.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets A new report is illuminating the health of the honeybee population in Vermont, with a significant increase in bees since 2016 emphasizing the care, cultivation and collaboration of beekeepers and officials in the Green Mountain State. The Apiary Program within the Division of Public Health and Agricultural Resource Management of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) registers, inspects, and provides education and training to Vermont’s beekeepers. Beekeepers are required to register their apiary locations and report the number of colonies (hives) they maintain. For the 2023 registration, they reported the highest number of colonies on record, 17,145. In 2016, for comparison, Vermont’s number of registered colonies was 9,715, representing a 43% increase over the seven-year period. 

Greater Burlington YMCA Board of Directors The Board of Directors was informed by our President & CEO Kyle Dodson that he will be stepping down from his role at the end of January to pursue other professional opportunities. Kyle has played a pivotal role in our organization's 157-year history, notably leading a successful $25mm fundraising campaign and overseeing the construction of a new, debt-free facility—a significant milestone for our community. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Board of Directors of the Community of Vermont Elders (COVE), voted unanimously for Dissolution of the non-profit agency. This vote was taken December 22, 2023 and goes into effect immediately. COVE has been a trusted and valued advocate for Vermont Elders for over 41 years, however, ongoing financial challenges and limited resources have led to the decision to cease operations.