Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) is now accepting applications for the 27th year of funding through the Better Roads Grant Program to support projects on municipal roads that improve water quality and result in maintenance cost savings. The grant funds are provided by AOT in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. The Vermont Better Roads Program promotes the use of erosion control and maintenance techniques that save money while protecting and enhancing water quality throughout the state. Applications for funding will be accepted until December 20, 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine Berkshire Bank, a leading community bank with branches in southern Vermont and financial centers in New England and New York, has announced more than $426,000 in Foundation philanthropic investments during the third quarter of 2023. These investments contributed to helping the communities Berkshire Bank serves. Grants awarded cover a wide range of projects that include arts, education, environment, health, housing, seniors, and diversity, equity and inclusion while benefiting individuals throughout the region, particularly underrepresented populations. These investments also support the company’s BEST Community Comeback which includes a planned $15 million in community contributions by the end of 2024.

Vermont Business Magazine The Business of the Year for 2023 was voted by the CVEDC Board of Directors as Kingsbury Companies of Middlesex. Kingsbury Companies was recognized at the CVEDC Annual Meeting October 19 at Sugarbush for its growth and innovation. Director Gunner McCain delivered the award along with a heartfelt speech on his own decades of overlap with Kingsbury. The Directors also noted Kingsbury Companies’ pivots into renewable energy spaces, citing their role in developing the largest anaerobic compost digestor in the Northeast. CVEDC has awarded the Business of the Year over 30 times since 1976.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine State tax revenues finally saw some breathing room in September after several months of sluggish performance. Led by the Personal Income Tax, the General Fund for September 2023, the third month of the fiscal year, exceeded expectations by nearly $15.5 million. The three major funds together, which includes Education and Transportation, surpassed their total target by $8.7 million. The Personal Income Tax alone exceeded expectations by nearly $17 million. The PI is the most important General Fund revenue source. Several other important sources missed their marks, including Corporate Income, Sales and Rooms & Meals.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State University (VTSU) recently announced the percentages of its graduates who passed their National Council Licensure Examinations (NCLEX) on the first attempt. Aspiring nurses must pass the applicable exam to earn licensure and legally practice nursing in the United States. The licensure exams assess a graduate’s critical thinking abilities, knowledge, and skills in nursing content areas studied while in school to ensure that they can make quality nursing clinical judgments and provide safe care. Graduates of practical nursing programs take the NCLEX-PN and become licensed practical nurses (LPNs). 

Vermont Business Magazine A consortium led by the University of Vermont and including GlobalFoundries and the state of Vermont has been designated as one of 31 Tech Hubs by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), unlocking the opportunity for up to $75M in federal grant funding to further research in semiconductor technology. Advancing Gallium Nitride (GaN) Technology in the Greater Burlington Area was selected by the Tech Hubs program from nearly 400 applications. The aim of the program is to “strengthen U.S. economic and national security by catalyzing technology-based regional growth that enables the industries of the future to start, grow, and remain in regions across our country,” according to the EDA’s announcement of the designation, which corresponded with a live event hosted by President Biden on Monday.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark has sued Meta to hold the company accountable for its contribution to the mental health crisis that grips teens in America and Vermont. The lawsuit, which targets Instagram, alleges Meta designed Instagram to cause young people to use the platform compulsively and excessively. Meta did this to maximize the time young users spend on the platform in order to maximize the company’s advertising revenue. In addition to causing compulsive use, Instagram poses other serious mental health risks to youth, which Meta knows and continues to perpetuate. The lawsuit filed by Attorney General Clark is part of a coordinated national enforcement effort, of which Vermont is a leader, involving 42 attorneys general.

Vermont Business Magazine This is the final week for Vermont residents affected by July’s severe storms, flooding, mudslides and landslides to apply for FEMA assistance. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. October 31. If you had storm-related expenses and live or own a business in Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham or Windsor County, you should apply as soon as possible. FEMA assistance can provide grants and U.S. Small Business Administration loans for housing, home repairs and other disaster-related needs.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that the employer, a construction contractor, terminated an employee in March 2023, in retaliation for speaking with the employer and other employees about whether they were receiving the correct pay. In an administrative settlement with the division, Kingsbury Companies LLC has paid the worker $40,000 in punitive damages and $3,901 in back pay for the period during which the employee was looking for a new job after the retaliatory discharge. 

Vermont Business Magazine On October 24, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) led 13 of his Senate colleagues, including Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), in calling on the Department of Commerce and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to expand the accessibility of the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to unconnected regions across the country. The letter urges Secretary of Commerce Raimondo and Assistant Secretary of Commerce Davidson to consider alternatives to the BEAD program’s irrevocable standby Letter of Credit (LOC) requirement, which can prevent Internet Service Providers best positioned to connect unserved and underserved Americans from participating in the BEAD program. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations were down last week, but have edged up in Vermont since the end of summer. There were 6 COVID-related deaths reported last week (same as the previous week) for a pandemic total of 1,038 as of October 14 (this is the most recent update). Fatalities have slowed from prior years but remain steady. Vermont has the second lowest fatality rate in the US (120.2 per 100K; Hawaii 100.1/100K). Mississippi (431.6/100K) and Oklahoma (428.5/100K) have the highest rates. The US average is 287.5/100K (CDC data). 

Vermont Department of Health Prescription Drug Take Back Day is October 28. With over 80 locations statewide, getting rid of unused medication is easy and more convenient than ever. Check the list to find the pharmacy, health care facility and police departments that host free and easy to use kiosks. The list also includes times you can drop of your medication and what type of medication is accepted.