Current News

VermontBiz The National Park Service awarded $2 million in maritime heritage grants to assist twelve projects in nine states. Vermont was granted $30,000 for the documentation of the canal boat history of Lake Champlain. The grants are provided in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s maritime Administration (MARAD) for education programs and projects that preserve sites and objects related to our nation’s maritime history. The program does not use federal tax dollars and instead is funded by recycling vessels from the MARAD’s National Defense Reserve Fleet.

VermontBiz Average gasoline prices in Burlington have risen 1.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.84/g today, according to GasBuddy's survey of 100 stations in Burlington. Prices in Burlington are 2.7 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 3.0 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 0.9 cents in the last week and stands at $4.426 per gallon.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Burlington was priced at $3.69/g yesterday while the most expensive was $3.89/g, a difference of 20.0 cents per gallon. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.59/g while the highest was $3.99/g, a difference of 40.0 cents per gallon.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets The first round of Working Lands Enterprise Initiative applications for fiscal year 2024 is open! The Working Lands Enterprise Board has released two requests for applications (RFAs) for Vermont working lands service provider organizations and producer associations to invest in projects focused on governance and leadership and building workforce development and executive business skills. Please read the RFAs to learn about the application process and review the application questions. The application portal is open from September 6th through October 16th.  

VermontBiz Billed as a wonderful spot for outdoor adventurists, Franklin County sits on the northwestern tip of the state. It borders Quebec and is less than an hour from New York state. The county has a long history of agriculture. It still produces a great deal of milk and maple syrup, but has several other industries too.

One of these is tourism. Another is manufacturing. Small retailers and specialty food establishments along with health care round out the area’s business landscape. 

The largest employer is the county’s hospital, Northwestern Medical Center, followed by pharmaceutical manufacturer Viatris, Ben & Jerry’s, chocolate producer Barry Callebaut, and men’s and boys’ clothing manufacturer Peerless Clothing. All reside in the county seat, St. Albans. 

Vermont Business Magazine You might say Amanda Farrell and Peter Shangraw are all leathered up and ready to go. The co-owners of Bergamot + Amor, a high-end leather goods company based in Williamstown, have rocketed to success faster than even they could have imagined. The idea for the company, which produces made-in-Vermont bags and gear using U.S.-sourced boot leather, was conceived shortly after Farrell was laid off from her marketing job in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

VermiontBiz The Vermont State Police responded to a crash with property damage on Twitchell Hill Road in the Town of Shaftsbury. Investigation revealed a motor vehicle had failed to maintain lanes for travel, where the vehicle collided with two mailboxes, continued through people’s front yards, and left the scene. The operator of the motor vehicle failed to stop and report the incident to the State Police.

VermontBiz The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of a man who had been jailed at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans. The man, a 35-year-old resident of Vermont, became unresponsive in the booking area at the facility at about 6:32 a.m. Sunday, September 10, 2023. Corrections staff provided emergency medical care and called first responders to the prison. Lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful, and the inmate was pronounced dead at Northwest State at 6:49 a.m. Sunday.

Vermont Business Magazine USAA has released data on distracted driving trends in the United States during the first half of 2023. The data, compiled from USAA's SafePilot telematics app, offers valuable insights into the states where drivers are most and least prone to distractions behind the wheel. The data comes at a time when more drivers have returned to the roads as more Americans are working from offices. Mississippi (17.8%), Louisiana and South Carolina had the highest rates of distracted driving and Vermont (6.8%), Oregon and Minnesota had the lowest. According to the most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving claimed 3,522 lives in 2021, which is a 13% increase over pre-pandemic figures from 2019. Distracted driving is particularly dangerous because it diverts a driver's attention away from the road, increasing the risk of accidents. 

VermontBiz AARP Vermont invites local eligible organizations and communities across the state to apply for the 2023 AARP Vermont Winter Placemakinggrant program, now through October 16 at 5:00 p.m. The grants fund quick-action projects that initiate winter placemaking demonstrations focused on creating or reinventing public spaces to improve safety, accessibility, and overall appeal. Now in its fourth year, the program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live for all residents, especially those age 50 and older.

VermontBiz Vermont Tourism’s flood recovery visitation campaign launched Labor Day weekend with billboards in Vermont’s key drive markets, from metro DC to north of Boston. Thanks to the support of our vendors, Vermont’s ‘very much open’ messaging will appear in over 325 locations in our major markets, including New York, New Jersey, and southern New England, at a fraction of the typical cost. Additional components of the campaign include national and regional public radio underwriting, digital display advertising, and a series of social media stories that will profile businesses and communities coming back from the flood. Vermont has also secured sponsorship of the weekly fall foliage reports broadcast on WCVB in Boston, giving us the opportunity to reach a very wide audience in a key market. Along with everyone in the industry, we are looking forward to a hopefully very robust fall foliage season.

by Michael K. Smith, Interim President, Vermont State University There are certainly complex challenges in higher education and significant forces at play that a university like ours doesn’t control—our aging demographic, uncertainty about the value of higher education, and designing a delivery model that reaches and encompasses the rural nature of our state. In the face of these challenges, Vermont stepped up. Led by Governor Scott, lawmakers, and the Chancellor, Vermont has made more than a $200 million investment in the Vermont State College System, which paved the way for the unification and creation of Vermont State University. This decision is about far more than money. It represents a commitment to equity, inclusion, and opportunity for the students we serve; many are first-generation college students, adult learners, single parents, and those of low or moderate incomes.