Vermont labor officials say hundreds of people could lose their unemployment benefits if Congress fails to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. The federal unemployment insurance program that has been providing additional weeks of benefits to the long-term unemployed is set to expire.

The U.S. Labor Secretary was in Vermont Tuesday to highlight an education and training program designed to prepare people for the farm jobs of the future. As she toured the farm at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center Labor Secretary Hilda Solis heard about breeding heifers and managing herds.

Vermont's unemployment rate has climbed again. The state Department of Labor says the rate for July was 5.7 percent. That's up two-tenths of a percentage point from July.

The Vermont Department of Labor is investigating whether a New Hampshire construction company has improperly avoided payroll taxes by classifying its workers as independent contractors. The issue has come to a head at the Stowe Mountain Resort, where workers have staged periodic protests.