Current News

Vermont Business Magazine It was announced today that the Northeastern Vermont Development Association (NVDA) has secured a Venture Challenge grant via the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) Build to Scale program. NVDA worked with Do North Coworking, an entity of Vermont State University, and the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) to apply for this grant as part of CORI’s 2023 Rural Innovation Initiative, a technical assistance program empowering rural communities to develop inclusive tech economies that support scalable entrepreneurship and tech job creation. With the $1,501,427 million provided by the Venture Challenge Build grant and matching funds, NVDA and Do North Coworking plan to launch the InnovateNEK initiative.

Vermont Business Magazine The National Life Group Board of Directors has approved an estimated payment of approximately $25.5 million in dividends to eligible participating policyholders in 2024. This payment represents National Life’s ongoing commitment to its policyholders and continues the proud heritage of having paid a dividend every year since 1855.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services (BGS), have notified the Addison County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC) that they were awarded $59,322 for seven Addison County businesses through the Building Communities Grant Program for projects in Bristol, Goshen, Middlebury, Ripton, and Vergennes. Thanks to annual appropriations by the Vermont General Assembly, the Building Communities program annually awards $900,000 in matching grants statewide to municipalities and nonprofit organizations for capital costs associated with capital investments in the following categories: human services, health care and education, recreation, and economic development. Organizations in Addison County were awarded a total of $99,213 in all four categories for the fiscal year 2024 funding round.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College Online on Thursday reported the results of a new survey exploring how perceptions of online higher education have changed over the last five years. More than 2,000 U.S. adults ages 18-55 were polled about their attitudes and opinions on the value and application of online higher education. The collective results from the 10-question survey show that online degrees are perceived as more credible and more broadly accepted than in the pre-pandemic period, with 84% of adults thinking employers are more accepting of online degrees today than pre-pandemic and 72% of adults believing online education is a more reputable way to get a degree than it was five years ago. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, the University of Vermont and Vermont Public launched a joint search for a new faculty position to oversee student opportunities in all aspects of public media. The new role marks the expansion of a successful partnership between the two organizations, which began in 2022 with a mission to provide students immersive opportunities in local news and to expand the range of voices on Vermont Public airwaves. The new faculty position will be part of the English Department in the UVM College of Arts & Sciences. A committee of UVM faculty, staff, and Vermont Public professionals will collaborate on the hiring process. The anticipated start date is July 2024.

Vermont Business Magazine Springfield Regional Development Corporation (SRDC) continues to offer the Springfield Area Revolving Loan Fund, which is a source of debt financing for small and medium-size companies in Southern Windsor County, as well as those looking to start a business. The Springfield Area Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) utilizes funds from the Economic Development Administration to complement other funding sources in helping area companies to create and retain jobs as well as stimulate the creation and relocation of new businesses. 

Vermont Business Magazine With growing reports of horrific anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and racism occurring on college campuses and in schools across the U.S. since October 7, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on Wednesday released the following statement: Given the horrific war taking place in the Middle East, we are seeing a significant increase in bigotry and in hate crimes here in the United States. This is unacceptable, not what this country is about, and all of us have a responsibility to end this growing crisis.

Vermont Business Magazine The October 31 deadline to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance has passed, but that does not mean FEMA is leaving. FEMA will continue working with Vermont Emergency Management to help survivors and communities recover. If you applied for FEMA assistance due to damage from the July 7-21 storms, FEMA encourages you to keep in touch. By staying in touch, you can track the progress of your case, notify the agency of changes to your mailing or email addresses or phone numbers, and report insurance settlements or additional damage you may have discovered since your home inspection.

Vermont Business Magazine On November 8, Senators Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) introduced the Emergency Medical Services Reimbursement for On-scene Care and Support (EMS ROCS) Act. Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) introduced companion legislation in the House. Currently, Medicare does not reimburse Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers unless the patient is transported to a hospital. However, EMS providers regularly deliver vital services on-scene when responding to 911 calls. In rural communities, the demand for EMS services for medical emergencies continues to increase—especially for Medicare beneficiaries, who make up about 40% of patients treated by EMS. This bill would provide Medicare reimbursement for care provided by EMS on-scene, when transportation to the hospital is not needed. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State University announced that Associate Professor Ross Lieblappen will lead students in a ground-breaking study about microbes in the Arctic through a nearly $3.3 million dollar contract from a collection of federal funding sources, including the US Army Corps of Engineering. Lieblappen submitted a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) proposal to fund, among other things, the purchase of x-ray imaging equipment that will allow him to study the effects of climate change on microbial environments and further U.S. leadership in knowledge of Arctic terrain.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Ian Quinlan, 50, of Montpelier, Vermont, was arraigned today on five felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. The charges brought against Mr. Quinlan are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of residential and online date search warrants conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), including personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Montpelier Police Department, and Burlington Police Department. The investigation was initiated when VT-ICAC received several CyberTipline reports that an individual was suspected of possession of images of child sexual abuse material on an electronic device, which was reported by Microsoft after the child sexual abuse materials were uploaded into their Bing web search engine.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.56 per gallon, down 3 cents per gallon from last week, down 6 cents/g from last month and down 42 cents from the same time last year. The lowest price in the state is $3.09/g in Brattleboro, while the highest is $3.99/g in Wolcott and Orleans. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.39/g today. The national average is down 27 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 41 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. The national average price of diesel has fallen 6.6 cents in the last week and stands at $4.38 per gallon.