News
by Elizabeth Hewitt vtdigger.org The budget bill won preliminary approval from the House Thursday with a vote of 96 in favor and 46 opposed. The roll call vote came hours after an accompanying bill that raises $35 million in new income taxes passed the House by a slim margin.
Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims fell for the third week, which continues a steady decline over the last month. For the week of March 21, 2015, there were 557 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont. This is a decrease of 125 from the previous week's total, and 61 fewer than they were a year ago.
Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation (GMEDC) has hired Robert (Bob) Haynes to be its new executive director, replacing Joan Goldstein, who is leaving GMEDC to become Vermont’s commissioner of economic development in late April. Goldstein served six years as executive director of GMEDC.
Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce announced the ranking of the top thirty Best Places to Work in Vermont 2015 Thursday evening at an awards ceremony at the Echo Lake Aquarium and Science Center before over 270 attendees. The companies represented all have the honor of saying they are a Best Place to Work in Vermont.
Vermont Business Magazine While the new jobless rate numbers were driven mostly by significant decreases in the labor force and in the number of unemployed, there was also an increase in the number of people employed. The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for February was 3.9 percent.
Vermont lawyer Michael Wool became chair of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) at the board's annual spring meeting. A native Vermonter, Wool has practiced law in Burlington since 1972. He provides tax and strategic advice in contexts ranging from family business matters to complex interstate and multinational transactions.
This afternoon, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation that resolves a long standing dispute over the reimbursement of physicians participating in the Medicare program. Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) voted for the legislation which included two Welch-authored rural health care provisions of critical importance to Vermont.
Governor Peter Shumlin, House Speaker Shap Smith, Representative Jill Krowinski, the president of the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), and other supporters today called for the creation of child savings accounts to give every child born in Vermont a head start on saving for higher education and boost the number of Vermont kids who move beyond high school.
For most traveling into Vermont from the south or west, Bennington is the first town they pass through of a significant size. It is considered the hub of business, culture and community in the southwestern portion of the state, and is known for its deep-rooted history as the first chartered community in the state of Vermont.
Governor Peter Shumlin today announced that his Chief of Staff Liz Miller will leave state government at the end of the legislative session. The governor has tapped Darren Springer, currently the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Public Service (DPS), to serve as his next Chief of Staff.
As the spring thaw gives way to potential flooding of Vermont rivers and streams, heating fuel providers throughout the state are participating in a tank safety education campaign. Propane and fuel oil tanks can shift during floods, breaking fuel lines and even dislodging tanks.