Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A grassroots effort led by the Berlin Pond Watershed Association (BPWA), in coordination with the City of Montpelier and Town of Berlin, has succeeded in protecting 33 acres of wetlands and forested land next to Berlin Pond, which is the sole source of drinking water for Montpelier and a portion of Berlin, the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) announced today.  The land was placed on the market in 2021. In response, community members formed the BPWA to help protect the parcel.  

Vermont Business Magazine GasBuddy on Wednesday released its annual Labor Day travel forecast, predicting the average price of gas in the US on Labor Day weekend will fall gently to $3.75 per gallon, virtually identical to what motorists experienced for Labor Day weekend last year. Gasoline demand may also rise to 9.2 million barrels for the week ahead of Labor Day as motorists begin pre-filling their tanks, making it potentially the weekend with the strongest demand of the summer driving season, behind that of July 4th. For Vermont, average gasoline prices today are $3.78 per gallon, down 2 cents per gallon from last week, up 3 cents/g from a month ago and down 26 cents/g from a year ago. The national average price of gasoline is unchanged from last week, averaging $3.80/g today. 

Vermont Business Magazine Houses of Worship and other nonprofit organizations may be eligible for FEMA assistance to reimburse their costs for emergency protective measures, debris removal and restoration of facilities damaged by the July severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides. Under the Public Assistance program, FEMA may be able to provide financial reimbursement to certain private, nonprofit organizations – including Houses of Worship – for emergency protective measures, debris removal and to restore facilities damaged or destroyed by the disaster.

Vermont Business Magazine All FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers across Vermont will be closed Monday, Sept. 4, 2023, in observance of Labor Day. They will reopen at 8 am, Tuesday, September 5, and continue regular hours of 8 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced $3,333,333 in awards to rural communities in Vermont to support key strategies to respond to the overdose risk from fentanyl and other opioids. These awards help advance President Biden’s commitment to beat the opioid epidemic as part of his Unity Agenda for the nation. Across the country, more than 100,000 people die each year from overdose.  Individuals who call rural communities home and who are experiencing opioid use disorder – including from fentanyl, heroin or other opioids – can face challenges in accessing treatment and recovery services.  

Vermont Business Magazine New research has revealed the best states for business growth, with Georgia taking the top spot. Top of the list is Georgia, with a business growth rate of 13.50%. In December 2022, there were 397,515 business establishments compared to 350,189 in December 2021. Corporate income tax is set at a reasonable rate of 5.75% in Georgia, with the state also offering job tax credit to reduce corporate tax liability for eligible businesses. Montana and Vermont are in joint fourth place, with both states seeing a business growth rate of 10.20%; Vermont citizens can take advantage of several business incentives, such as flexible profit distribution, which allows companies registered as LLCs to choose various ways to distribute profits. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont search interest in small businesses has spiked more than any other state since 2019. Across the nation, small business support has increased by 267% in that same period. How exactly are residents supporting small businesses at a local and state level? Using Google Trends data from 2019 to 2022, Skynova's comparative analysis examines small business support in the 50 states across several variables. 

by Bruce Baroffio, President of the Vermont Trappers Association We have all experienced nuisance animals such as hearing about skunks under porches, raccoons in the attic, foxes killing chickens, fisher preying on cats, coyotes attacking dogs and livestock, and volumes could be written about beaver complaints. But: Have you ever wondered why?  Why do these animals cause us trouble instead of living out in the woods where they belong? One big reason is lack of habitat. All animals need habitat that suits their particular needs.  A beaver's habit can be as small as the pond he has built while a coyote's habitat is measured in square miles. All animals need enough territory in their habitat to find food, shelter and a safe place to raise their young.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Fish and Wildlife is reminding hunters to wear fluorescent hunter orange. “Hunting is one of the safest outdoor activities, thanks to advances in education as well as science,” said Vermont Hunter Education Program Coordinator Nicole Meier.  “Our volunteer hunter education instructors stress that wearing orange during hunting season is important, and studies prove that wearing fluorescent hunter orange keeps hunters visible to other people in the woods, but it keeps them relatively invisible to deer.”

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Scott and ACCD Secretary Lindsay Kurrle provided an update Wednesday on the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP) and urged more flooded organizations to apply. To date, almost 600 applications have been formerly submitted and 392 are fully complete, up around 50 from last week: 66% are currently being reviewed or in the queue to be reviewed; 34% are completed and approved for a BEGAP grant; A total of $1.8 million in funding has been approved with an average award of around $13,000.

by Joshua Defibaugh, UVM In a time of unprecedented rainfall and flooding throughout Vermont in July 2023, the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Office of Research in collaboration the Gund Institute for Environment issued a call for proposals for rapid deployment of UVM researchers to engage in flood-related research activities that would contribute to understanding the impacts of the flooding crisis across the state and assist in response and recovery. The call was answered and UVM has announced that six awards were given to researchers in the fields of geophysical processes, agriculture, public health, and community resilience to evaluate and recover from this year’s catastrophic flooding as well as planning for future climate events.

Vermont Business Magazine South Burlington Schools, Highland, and Green Mountain Power (GMP) celebrated one-year of successful clean electric bus transportation for students across the district at the local High School where state and city leaders marked the occasion with the community and with a free ride along on the electric buses. The district’s four electric busses completed more than 30,000 miles of clean driving last year, offsetting more than 100,000 pounds of carbon emissions, and are ready to get rolling when students head back to school August 30. Through a GMP program, four bi-directional EV chargers installed last year allow the District to share energy stored in the buses’ batteries during peak energy use times, such as heatwaves, which cuts costs for all GMP customers in Vermont.