Vermont Business Magazine Burlington House Buyers has announced the launching of a new home buying service that provides a safe alternative to listing a home in Burlington, Vermont and the surrounding area. Dan Beaulieu started Burlington House Buyers to help homeowners in Burlington and the surrounding area sell their homes without the hassle of listing it on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).
Vermont Business Magazine Human Services Secretary Mike Smith said at Governor Scott's press briefing today that more news should be coming Tuesday on the next phase of the vaccine rollout. This could include "Part A and Part B" groups for what is generally referred to as Phase 5, or the high-risk chronic conditions phase. He said they are also considering school staff and teachers as part of this phase. Splitting the phase into two groups could happen because of the large number of people, which Smith said was about 75,000 Vermonters. As for today's data, the VDH reported one more death for a statewide total of 204 with 121 new cases of COVID-19. The state has now fully vaccinated over 51,000 Vermonters.
Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House today passed H315, a bill that would provide over $79 million in pandemic relief to individuals and small businesses in Vermont. The funding ranges from $700,000 for New Americans to $1,376,000 for the Vermont Food Bank to $10 million to the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to a $20 million allocation to help pay down the state's pension obligation.
Vermont Business Magazine In order to reach the smallest businesses, SBA is solely offering Paycheck Protection Program loans to businesses with fewer than 20 employees and sole proprietors from February 24 to March 10. Already, between the 2020 and 2021 PPP financing, almost 17,000 Vermont businesses have received nearly $1.6 billion in loans and grants. The Paycheck Protection Program provides forgivable loans to help businesses keep their workforce employed during the COVID-19 crisis, including the owner which can be an employer with employees or a self-employed business owner without employees.
Vermont Business Magazine United States Attorneys James P. Kennedy, Jr, of the Western District of New York, and Christina E. Nolan, of the District of Vermont, announced today that Lisa Miller, 52, formerly of Virginia, has been returned to the United States from Nicaragua and will be arraigned in the Western District of New York on charges of conspiracy and international parental kidnapping.
Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is making it easy for you to save money and reduce your carbon footprint and get excited this spring with a whole lot more rebate options that will get you outside. GMP customers can get ready for the green grass and open roads by saving on electric motorcycles and residential yard care equipment like hedge trimmers, chainsaws, leaf blowers and garden tractors.
Vermont Business Magazine This week, Moody’s Investors Service released a rating action that affirms Burlington International Airport’s “Baa2” credit rating with a stable outlook. The rating action is particularly notable as airports around the country are grappling with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. In its credit report, Moody’s states that the Burlington International Airport (BTV) is “well-positioned to address challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic,” and notes that BTV’s core financial metrics are sound, including its stable liquidity and debt service coverage, strengthened cost recovery framework, minimum of 200 days of cash on hand, relatively low debt burden, and manageable planned capital investment program.
by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Regular weekly unemployment claims last week fell by 222, and are down to 777. Numbers also fell nationally, but remain at a relatively higher level. Economists suggest 2021 is off to a sluggish start.
by Representative Pattie McCoy How often does an education reform bill pass on a voice vote in the Vermont Legislature? From experience, I can tell you it is about as rare as the same type of legislation passing unanimously. That is, very rare indeed. Yet, when the Vermont Legislature contemplated a statewide commission to determine the arrangements of public school employee health benefits, it passed the House on a voice vote and the Senate unanimously. In short, the measure was quite popular, and for good reason.
Vermont Business Magazine Representative Peter Welch on Thursday reintroduced legislation that would provide federal funding to revitalize forests being destroyed by invasive species and help stem the future infestations of invasive pests. “Invasive species are devastating to forests which are a central part of Vermont’s economy and our way of life,” said Welch. “This bill will fund efforts to revitalize damaged forests and highlight the need for making this a priority within the federal government.”
University of Vermont Beginning March 1, all students who are required to test will now be required to complete a COVID-19 test two times per week with three days between each test. The testing center is expanding operations (offering additional testing slots and Saturday hours) to accommodate you. More frequent testing will enable us to identify positive cases and close contacts earlier—and that will help everyone.
Vermont Business Magazine The Health Department announced that Vermonters age 65 and older can make an appointment at Walgreens to get their COVID-19 vaccination starting today, in advance of the statewide clinics for this age group that begin on March 1. There were early delays in Walgreens updating its systems to accommodate the new age group, but those issues have now been resolved. The Vermont Department of Health also is reporting two more deaths from COVID-19 for a statewide total of 203. They reported 66 new cases.