Current News

The Vermont State Police is aware of ongoing bomb threats to various critical infrastructure and key resource sectors in the State of Vermont. The threats are received via email and report, “The bombs will blow up in a few hours. Many people will die.”  These emails are sent from various accounts originating from @skiff.com.  Affected groups are encouraged to report these incidents to local law enforcement in their area. No suspicious items or authentic threats have been discovered at this time.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont congressional delegation on Saturday voted to keep the government funded and replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund with $16 billion. The House voted by a 335-91 margin Saturday afternoon and the Senate followed with a vote of 88-9. President Biden then signed the measure Saturday, which provides 45 days of stop-gap funding.

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont was a very different place before the midsummer rain came — and  with it, unrelenting floodwaters,  the likes of which have not been seen in the area for several decades. Suddenly and without warning, a go-go period for the construction industry was stopped in its tracks as the state began the task of cleaning up and dealing with the devestation. “It’s kind of funny," said Richard Wobby Jr., executive vice president and director of safety training and member services at the Associated General Contractors of Vermont. “Two months ago, everything was planned. We knew everything that was coming down the pike, and we knew what we had to do. “Now, two months later, you have seen a major catastrophe affect roughly 50% of the state.”

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine More than six weeks after historic rainstorms pelted Vermont and other areas of the Northeast, state officials were still dealing with the damage to state roadways and transportation infrastructure. Michael Booth, district transportation administrator at the Agency of Transportation, said calculating the miles of damaged roads is difficult to determine. “We had a total of 1,130 damage sites, including our railroad infrastructure."

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s construction professionals are retiring faster than new workers are joining the industry, according to many experts in the field. Demographics are part of the issue. The outgoing age cohort is bigger than the ones replacing it. For the past two years, AGC/VT has partnered with career centers to attract more young people to the industry. The organization is also helping other companies develop internal training programs. Kingsbury Companies, a general contractor in Middlesex, for example, is four years into an in-house internship program.

Vermont Business Magazine Girls on the Run Vermont will host its annual fall benefit, The Sneaker Soirée, on Saturday, October 14th at Burlington Beer Company from 6-9pm. A fundraiser like no other, it will surely be the most comfortable cocktail party in town. Suggested attire is semi-formal and of course… your favorite sneakers!  The event will be held in BBCO’s brand new event space.  This event benefits GOTRVT’s participants and will raise critical funds to support the program in the 2024 season so that all girls can participate regardless of financial barriers.

Vermont Business Magazine Following the close of a two-week collective effort, Attorney General Charity Clark, the Vermont Bar Association (VBA), the Vermont Paralegal Organization (VPO), and the Vermont Foodbank announced the positive outcome of the Vermont Legal Community Fighting Hunger Food Drive. For the past seven years, legal professionals across the state have come together to run the food drive during Hunger Action Month in September. Vermonters have faced many challenges over the last three years including a COVID-19 pandemic, economic hardships such as inflation, and recent flooding events. For many, these challenges have made it difficult to keep food on the table. This year, Attorney General Clark expanded the scope of the drive to include diapers, as there is no government subsidy for families experiencing diaper need in Vermont. In the two weeks of this year’s food drive, professionals across the Vermont legal community together raised $12,194, which will supply more than $50,483 worth of food to Vermonters. 

by Matthew Durkee, New England President, Community Bank For many of us, one of our first memories is going to a store with our parents and seeing a toy that we just had to have. Oftentimes, our parents would tell us that “If we save our money” that someday we could buy the toy.  Our parents then used that moment to tell help us understand how saving is an important part of obtaining our needs and wants.  Yet many young adults have either not been taught how to save or, unfortunately, they learn by trial and error. As with most phases of development, parents play an important role in teaching their children about money, including how to budget and spend wisely. What we learn as children can have a major impact on what we value as we get older. 

Vermont Business Magazine Do you ever wonder why our global economy produces an enormous range of goods and services yet fails to meet even the most basic needs of 45% of the people of earth? Do you worry that climate change has advanced so far that we are undermining the planet’s capacity to provide the resources and process the wastes on which life depends?  Are you troubled that anti-democratic forces seem to be on the rise, with explosions of political violence and insurgent racism? The Center for the Advancement of Public Action (CAPA) at Bennington College is pleased to invite members of the community to examine these questions during a two-day class called “Rethinking Capitalism.” 

Vermont Business Magazine AskFora Co, based in Norwich, Vermont, has announced AskFora Teams, a new SaaS offering that helps organizations save time and money on recruiting, optimize employee development, and tackle workforce planning. Built on AskFora’s AI-driven skills search platform, AskFora Teams automatically maps workers’ skills to open roles using public and internal data. Executives, managers, and HR professionals can quickly match employees and candidates to open positions, identify training programs for new projects, and focus on closing critical skills gaps.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark, along with Washington County State’s Attorney Michelle Donnelly, will host a free expungement clinic on Friday, October 27, 2023, with appointments available from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Expungements wipe from your record specific convictions and dismissed charges after a certain period of time has passed. Under Vermont law, many misdemeanors, 14 different felony offenses, and all dismissed charges can be expunged or sealed. The free clinic will focus on expunging and sealing criminal charges and convictions from Washington County and will be open to the public by appointment.  

Vermont Business Magazine Newbriefs for August 2023 include: BEGAP grants issued to support flood-impacted businesses; GMCB lowers health insurance rate hikes to 13.3% for Blue Cross and 11.5% for MVP; Vermont’s unemployment rate decreased to 1.8% in July, the lowest rate on record; Tax revenues fall short in July; VCBB submits state's BEAD 5-Year Action Plan to federal government; Hospitals urged regulators to increase budgets; SBA physical disaster loans can help fund mitigation measures; Funding now available to support farmers impacted by storms and flooding; UVM plans public-private partnership for new apartment complex; and more.