There will be a nationwide test of the emergency alert system and the wireless emergency alert system later today.

The tests are scheduled to begin at 2:20 p.m. and will go out to televisions, radios, and consumer cell phones. Cell towers will broadcast the test for 30 minutes. – Journal-Opinion newsletter.

Car loan payments hit all-time high – The average monthly loan payment on new vehicles is now $736, an all-time high, according to research cited by Axios yesterday/

Axios said the pandemic-related parts shortage and the Biden administration’s anti-inflation measures have increased both the cost of the vehicle and the interest rate on car loans. The average new-vehicle owner borrowed $40,000, Axios said.

Sec State appoints former State House employee to lead corporations division – David Hall has been named the new Director of Corporations in the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office. After serving in the Office of Legislative Counsel for 15 years, providing legal counsel to 180 members of the Vermont General Assembly, Hall will now oversee the Business Services Division.

The Business Services division handles filings for all business types – corporations, non-profits, LLCs, cooperatives, etc. – and manages over 225,000 entities in its database. Between new business registrations and the filing of annual (or biannual) reports, in addition to other filings, the division does over 100,000 business transactions a year. All registrations are searchable in an online database maintained by the Corporations team, which includes valuable historical data useful in keeping consumers protected and business owners in good standing with the state of Vermont.

Hall has lived in Vermont since 2003, attended Vermont Law School, is a small business owner in the state, has served as an Adjunct Professor of Legislation at Vermont Law School, and lives in Montpelier with his wife and three children.