Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vail Resorts’ Northeast resorts are looking ahead to winter with capital investments, new technologies and a robust lineup of new and returning events. Guests planning to visit this winter – whether one day or all season long – are encouraged to purchase their lift access online in advance to save big. The Epic Local Pass, which is only $689 before September 4, allows for Northeast guests to ski or ride all season long at nearly all the company’s resorts across the East Coast, and take a trip out West with unlimited access at Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte, plus 10 days at Vail, Beaver Creek or Whistler Blackcomb. An Epic Local Child’s Pass is just $359. 

Vermont Business Magazine A new study reveals that Wyoming is the state where residents are most likely be involved in a fatal vehicle crash involving a mobile phone. Vermont ranks in fifth place (at more than twice the national average), after North Dakota, Kansas, and Minnesota in second, third, and fourth respectively. Personal injury law firm Zinda Law Group analyzed all 50 states to determine the total number of fatal vehicle crashes between 2017 - 2021 and the number of occupants involved in fatal vehicle crashes caused by mobile phones over the same period. These findings were converted into a percentage for each state to show the extent to which mobile phones contributed to total fatal crashes. Factors included the driver in each crash being distracted by listening, talking, or manipulating their mobile phone, and other relevant incidents involving passengers in each vehicle using similar devices. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermonters are urged to take steps to protect themselves against mosquito bites, as mosquitoes in Grand Isle and Franklin Counties have tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) — a serious and potentially fatal mosquito-transmitted infection. These are the first detections of EEE in mosquitoes in Vermont since 2015. So far this season more than 824 mosquito pools have been sampled. The positive EEE samples were collected on August 8 from pools in Alburgh and Swanton. Earlier this month West Nile virus was detected among mosquitoes in Alburgh and Vergennes.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest four-season resort in Eastern North America and a POWDR company, looks forward to a fall stacked with mountain biking, golf and other fun events for the whole family.  Take a scenic gondola ride to the peak through October 15 to witness Vermont’s spectacular foliage from 4241’ and explore our network of hiking and biking trails all autumn long. The Golf Course remains open for rounds 7 days a week through October 15, and there’s even more to discover resort-wide, including world-class dining options at Preston’s Restaurant in the Killington Grand Hotel and the new K-1 Lodge.  

Vermont Business Magazine Shelburne Museum extends a warm welcome to college students as they return to school with free admission on Saturdays throughout the month of September. Kicking it off Student Saturdays on Labor Day weekend (Saturday, September 2), the museum will offer a unique opportunity for students to engage with art, culture, and community. Whether reuniting with friends or exploring local heritage, students are invited to enjoy some fun while learning about the museum’s collections.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife If you or someone you know would like to go hunting this fall but have never taken a hunter education course, this is the time to act. Vermont’s volunteer hunter education instructors are now holding a limited number of courses throughout the state. 

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) customers will have greater access to seamless, cost-effective home battery backup power following an order by the Vermont Public Utility Commission late Thursday. In April, after the third devastating storm in less than twelve months, GMP filed a request to lift the enrollment caps on its popular Powerwall and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) home battery programs. Removing the cap allows more customers access to the program as Vermont sees increasingly severe weather due to climate change. The Commission agreed, citing growing customer demand for home batteries, the likelihood of more extreme weather in the future, and that the home battery programs benefit all GMP customers.

Vermont Business Magazine The dedication, compassion and bravery of health care workers is on display every day at UVM Medical Center – and now the region’s only tertiary care and academic medical center is home to a Vermont artist’s tribute to their selfless work during the COVID-19 pandemic. UVM Medical Center recently unveiled “Hearts and Hands – A Tribute to Health Care Workers” – a sculpture by Randolph native and renowned artist Jim Sardonis which depicts two figures, cast in bronze, sitting on a marble bench with their outstretched hands joining to form the shape of a heart. Sardonis, whose “Reverence” sculpture along Interstate 89 near South Burlington has garnered national interest and acclaim, said he was guided by his admiration of the health care workers’ heroic efforts throughout the pandemic, and a desire to recognize their bravery during a protracted period of uncertainty and fear.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 1.8 percent in July. This is the lowest rate ever recorded in the state. The comparable United States rate in July was 3.5 percent, a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised June estimate. The seasonally adjusted Vermont data for July show the Vermont civilian labor force increased by 728 from the prior month’s revised estimate. The number of employed persons increased by 1,157 and the number of unemployed persons decreased by 429. The changes to the number of employed persons, the number of unemployed persons and the unemployment rate were statistically significant in the seasonally adjusted series. The civilian labor force participation rate was 63.9 percent in July, an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. Vermont is tied for the second lowest rate in the nation. 

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Department of Labor has extended the application deadline for the Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) Program to ensure that Vermonters affected by the recent flooding can access these important benefits. Individuals within all affected counties now have until September 29, 2023, to file their initial claims. The following counties are eligible for DUA: Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Chamber of Commerce has sent a letter to Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Peter Welch, and Representative Becca Balint with an urgent request for their support to establish a Natural Disaster Paycheck Protection Program. A Natural Disaster Paycheck Protection Program would provide crucial support to businesses in the wake of climate-induced disasters.

Vermont Business Magazine Since its installation at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, the MedSafe collection box has facilitated retrieval of 2,600 pounds of unwanted and expired medications. The very first collection was conducted on August 16, 2017. SVMC is the first non-law enforcement 24-hour disposal location in the state of Vermont. The box features a one-way medicine drop and can be used to dispose of unused or expired controlled substances, non-controlled substances, and even over-the-counter medications.