Current News

by Mike Donoghue, VermontBiz Correspondent The Woodstock Foundation trustees say a law firm hired for an independent investigation was unable to substantiate complaints about systemic discrimination against females or LGBTQ persons working at the Woodstock Inn and Billings Farm & Museum. The trustees, through both a letter to employees and a separate legal filing last week, downplayed the employee allegations raised in a lawsuit filed against them in January and instead maintained there was misconduct by the three main players that sought to address the employee complaints.

Vermont Business Magazine As of Tuesday, March 7th, 100 Vermont municipalities have adopted a Declaration of Inclusion. The Declaration of Inclusion initiative has been underway since October 2020 and began with the adoption by the Town of Franklin. Adoption efforts are led by Bob Harnish, Al Wakefield, and Norman, all longtime residents of Rutland County. Supporting this initiative are the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, Vermont Interfaith Action, NAACP, and the legislative Social Equity Caucus.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) issued the following statement after Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz agreed to testify before the committee on Wednesday, March 29: “I’m happy to announce that Howard Schultz, the CEO and founder of Starbucks, has finally agreed to testify before the Senate HELP Committee. The HELP Committee was scheduled to vote tomorrow to subpoena him and I want to thank the members of the Committee who, in a bi-partisan way, were prepared to do just that."

by Aubrey Weaver, Community News Service House legislators passed a bill last Friday that would allow victims of “stealthing” — when someone secretly removes or tampers with a condom during sex — to bring a civil case against their assailant. Despite the resounding 121–12 passage in the full chamber, H.40’s final day in committee, February 28, devolved into a heated debate about whether the bill’s protections would favor one sex over another.

Vermont Business Magazine Members of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s (BMH) Board of Directors have unanimously voted to support efforts to fight climate change and strengthen hospital initiatives that promote the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Stemming from these votes, BMH recently signed on to the Health Care Climate Action Pledge—a leadership pledge being made by hospitals; health centers; health, professional and academic organizations; and health systems from around the globe. By signing the pledge, BMH agrees to take part in efforts to reduce its own climate footprint, prepare its infrastructure to withstand extreme weather events, respond effectively to potential changes in the spread of infectious diseases, and encourage policy, development, and investment strategies that move our society away from dependence on fossil fuels.

by Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, Vermont Association of Hospitals & Health Systems Happy Town Meeting Week! You may see your local legislator out in the wild at the grocery store or the transfer station. If you do, feel free to share the VAHHS Advocacy Agenda. Next week will be crossover week, where non-money bills must be voted out of committees or else remain on the wall until next year. The Senate Health and Welfare Committee continues to work on S.36. VAHHS appreciates that the committee amended the bill to increase the criminal threatening penalty when the crime is committed against health care workers. The committee also took the Health Care Advocate’s recommendation of narrowing disorderly conduct to engaging in fighting, violent, tumultuous or threatening behavior.

Vermont Business Magazine Ratchanu “Rae” Everett, FNP, is a nurse practitioner at the Mi’kmaq Nation Family Health Service clinic in Presque Isle, Maine, in a community hit hard by substance use and a state experiencing a record number of opioid overdose deaths. The clinic provides acute, wellness, and prevention services to a primarily tribal population of around 500 patients. A new clinician in a very rural area, Everett has to navigate the often-challenging process of finding treatments for patients dealing with both a substance use disorder and a chronic condition, but has limited expertise. Now, for rural clinicians like Everett seeking consultation with addiction medicine specialists, the ‘doctor is in.’

Vermont Business Magazine There are many reasons why high school students should consider a career in health; greater job security, flexible work hours, continued education and growth, but most importantly, making a difference in the lives of others. Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is offering two sessions of their popular MedQuest Program this summer at Rutland Regional Medical Center, Springfield Hospital, and North Star Health. This exciting hands-on career exploration day camp will take place July 24-26, 2023, at Springfield Hospital & North Star Health, and August 2-4, 2023, at Rutland Regional Medical Center.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement ahead of Vermont’s Town Meeting Day: “Town Meeting Day is one of those traditions that makes Vermont a special place to live, demonstrating our sense of community."

Vermont Business Magazine VMEC has released its annual impact report. Since its inception over 25 years ago, VMEC’s federal partner, NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has used an independent third-party organization to conduct surveys of VMEC clients as well as other MEP Centers across the US and Puerto Rico. As Vermont’s trusted, practical on the ground resource for manufacturing, VMEC generates a significant, positive return on its public investment; highlights of the FY 2022 annual report include: 443 jobs retained; 930 total jobs created; this figure includes direct, indirect and induced jobs; $69,600,000 employer wages & benefits for these jobs; Over $9 million in cost savings; An average annual compensation of $64,000 for Vermont manufacturing employees, close to 9% more than the average Vermont compensation of $56,000

Vermont Business Magazine In celebration of International Women's Day, family-owned premium workwear brand Carhartt today announced the Spring 2023 recipients of its bi-annual "For the Love of Labor" grant program that dedicated this latest round of grants to award critical funding to organizations that work toward placing women in skilled positions. After receiving hundreds of applications earlier this year, Carhartt is honored to award its Spring 2023 round of grants totaling $225,000 to seven US nonprofit organizations that support women in the trades: ANEW, Building Pathways, Chicago Women in Trades, Nontraditional Employment for Women, Oregon Tradeswomen, Tradeswomen, Inc, and Vermont Works for Women. This year's Spring 2023 grants are part of the brand's ongoing commitment to empowering the next generation of America's diverse workforce.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont is down 4 cents per gallon from last week to $3.40 today, according to GasBuddy. This is also down 10 cents/g from last month and down 65 cents/g from the same time last year. The national average price of gasoline has risen 3.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.36/g.