Current News

Vermont Business Magazine On February 3, Five Below will celebrate the opening of its new store in Berlin, VT – its first retail store in the state. Five Below is the trend-right, extreme-value brand for tweens, teens and beyond. Located at 282 Berlin Mall Rd., the new store is 10,000 square feet in size, and will offer customers the opportunity to shop the Company’s array of extreme value products spanning eight awesome Five Below worlds – Style, Room, Sports, Tech, Create, Party, Candy and New & Now. While most products will range from $1-5, customers can shop for even more exciting finds for just a little bit more in the store’s ever-growing Five Beyond section.

Vermont Business Magazine Aviation Soldiers from Company C, 3-126 Army Aviation, 86th Troop Command, Garrison Support Command, Vermont Army National Guard, will conduct air ambulance missions across their area of responsibility. The units have been preparing for their deployment to US Central Command for over a year, which has its own set of requirements and missions. This unit previously deployed in 2018. There will be a send-off ceremony at the Army Aviation Support Facility in South Burlington on Saturday. This unit will deploy for up to one year.

Vermont Business Magazine Spring is close, but February often brings unpredictable winter weather that can cause blood drive cancellations and make it difficult for donors to make it to their appointments safely. As the American Red Cross continues to monitor seasonal challenges that could impact the blood supply, donors are urged to make and keep appointments to help prevent a shortage in the weeks to come. Donors of all blood types – particularly type O blood donors, the most needed blood group by hospitals – and platelet donors are needed daily to meet demand. In thanks for helping keep hospital shelves stocked, all who come to give in February will get a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card by email, thanks to Amazon. Those who come to donate this month will also automatically be entered to win a trip for two to Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont fell 3 cents in the last week to $3.50 per gallon, as prices here peaked on January 25 and are now edging closer to the national average. Vermont prices are up 15 cents/g in the last month and are 6 cents higher than a year ago. The national average price of gasoline was unchanged in the last week, averaging $3.48/g today.

by Ellie Scott & Basil Waugh, University of Vermont A new Vermont Pollinator Working Group will protect bees and other pollinators by targeting harmful pesticide use, while helping Vermont farmers to get to know the pollinators buzzing around their crops. The new group is launching with $20,000 from the Apis Fund, a UVM Gund Institute of Environment biannual competition supporting research and conservation of at-risk bees and other pollinators. The effort has also received $20,000 in matching funds from an anonymous donor. The Vermont Pollinator Working Group, led by UVM bee experts Samantha Alger (CALS), Laura Johnson (Extension), and Spencer Hardy of Vermont Center for Ecostudies, will work with researchers, conservationists, farmers, and beekeepers to tackle urgent threats to bees and other pollinators in Vermont and the Northeast.

Vermont Business Magazine A new competition for producers of value-added dairy products is now open for applications. The Northeastern Dairy Product Innovation Competition supports food innovators in launching products made from dairy ingredients produced in the Northeast and gives dairy entrepreneurs, including those making products on organic and small farms, access to entrepreneurial and technical support. With a total of $365,000 in awards, both finalists and winners will receive funding and technical support to bring their value-added products to market. This initiative fast tracks innovative products reaching the market while increasing the utilization of milk produced in the Northeast.

Vermont Business Magazine The Community Health Centers (CHC) and the members of Community Health United (CHU), AFT Vermont have ratified a new union contract. This new agreement builds upon the existing contract with professional staff, and now includes168 support staff. It will: Raise the minimum start rate to $20/hour in August of 2023; Increase paid time off (including 15 days of paid parental leave); Increase staff input to improve orientation, training, health and safety.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) has announced that the pilot winter recreation program in the Perry Hill Block within CC Putnam State Forest in Waterbury will continue through winter 2023. The program aims to reduce negative impacts from winter trail use to an important deer wintering area while providing an enjoyable and popular winter recreational experience for the public. The pilot program, begun in 2021 in partnership with the town of Waterbury and the Waterbury Area Trails Alliance (WATA), establishes two use zones at Perry Hill: a designated winter recreation zone and a designated deer wintering zone. Groomed fat biking, snow shoeing, and cross-country skiing are allowed on select trails in the winter recreation zone, with particular attention given to providing favorable trail conditions for all uses. Trail use is not allowed in the deer wintering zone, although dispersed pedestrian recreation is not restricted.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont-based Bullrock Renewables, having already developed more than 130 megawatts of solar projects, announced the formation of a joint venture with Missouri-based NXTGenREA and New York-based Delaware River Solar to construct, own and operate 250 megawatts of solar projects throughout New York State by 2025. The three companies will develop, construct and own one of the largest community solar portfolios in the US.

Lake Champlain Committee The $37.8 billion Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 was passed overwhelmingly by the House and Senate and signed into law by President Biden in December. WRDA is biennial legislation that authorizes flood control, navigation, and ecosystem restoration projects for the US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE). With a $37.8 billion budget, the 2022 version is the largest WRDA in history. In addition to providing authorization for the ACOE to undertake water resources infrastructure projects to address flooding, water transportation, and ecosystem restoration, the bill includes provisions to support underserved communities and address climate change. WRDA aims to strengthen water restoration, waterway resiliency, invasive species management, and emergency flood protection by channeling more funds and resources to the ACOE for risk management studies and new projects. Key provisions that will help Lake Champlain are outlined below.

Vermont Business Magazine The National Weather Service is warning of extremely cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills on Friday and Saturday (February 3-4). These temperatures have the potential to pose a danger to health and property. A Wind Chill Watch is in effect from late Thursday night to Saturday evening. Wind chill values could reach as low as 30 to 45 degrees (F) below zero. Burlington has already announced that it will open warm shelters Thursday to Saturday. The Vermont Agency of Human Services, community organizations and municipalities are working to expand daytime and overnight shelter options for people experiencing homelessness during the coldest hours this weekend. Vermonters in need of heating assistance or shelter can call 2-1-1.

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington Electric Department (BED) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 300 made a statement in response to a legislative proposal supported by Renewable Energy Vermont and announced today at a press conference organized by REV in Montpelier: "The REV proposal attempts to phase out the eligibility of the McNeil Generating Station wood chip plant to count toward Vermont’s renewable energy targets. On behalf of BED and the members of the IBEW unionized workforce at McNeil, we oppose the REV proposal in the strongest possible terms."