Current News

Vermont Business Magazine As spring turns to summer and the sun’s rays beat down, it’s tempting to relish afternoons splashing in warm waters – comfortable for an afternoon dip, but life threatening for wildlife. The eastern wild brook trout thrives in water up to 65* and can tolerate a few degrees more. 75* kills. Last year some of Vermont’s major waterways hit 79*. Too easily dismissed as an uncontrollable effect of climate change, shockingly warm waters are more so the result of how we all treat the land – the hundreds of dams that trap bathtub-warm water and the riverside lawns, fields, roads, and parking lots that deprive banks of shady trees. 

Vermont Business Magazine At the Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge (NFWR), we welcome people of all backgrounds and abilities to participate in recreational hunting and fishing as priority public uses of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Silvio O. Conte NFWR selected Alternative A with minor modifications for its final 2023 Hunting and Fishing Plan as outlined in the supplemental Environmental Assessment which was released for a 30-day public comment period on April 24, 2023. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express are announcing the 25 historic small restaurants that will each receive $40,000 in grants through the “Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program.” We’re excited to share that local Lyndonville restaurant Freighthouse Market & Café, is being recognized with a grant to support the growth of their business. This marks the third installment of the “Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program,” which awards $1 million in grants, administered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and funded by American Express, to 25 historic small restaurants throughout the country.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association NVDA is the recipient of $2 million for Brownfield Assessments of contaminated properties in the Northeast Kingdom. The award also includes Revolving low-interest Loan Funds to aid local communities or businesses as they clean up sites for redevelopment. NEK Broadband receives more than $17 million from USDA ReConnect Program. On May 22nd, a portion of St Johnsbury's Summerville neighborhood received designation as a Neighborhood Development Area. Designation benefits include Act 250 considerations, tax credits, relief from certain ANR fees, special permit and tax exemptions, and priority consideration for state grants.

Vermont Business Magazine In 2020 Vermont River Conservancy (VRC) received Clean Water Funding from the Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation for a river design project in Bennington. The objective was to analyze river dynamics and develop engineering plans to restore a section of the Roaring Branch along Route 9 in Bennington.  The end goal of this important project is to implement the engineered plans and restore the floodplain to allow the Roaring Branch to move and shift without constraint, which will reduce erosion and flood hazards downstream as well as build flood resiliency to keep communities safe, and improve aquatic and wildlife habitat.  

Vermont Business Magazine Walmart’s Live Better U (LBU) education program is celebrating its fifth anniversary. Over the past five years, the company has saved associates  nearly half a billion in education costs, reflecting the company’s commitment to create a path for  everyone to learn and grow. This year, Walmart will add the University of Arkansas to its  academic partner list and expand LBU to its associates in Canada. To date, more than 104,000  Walmart and Sam’s Club associates have participated in LBU in the United States. In Vermont, 85 Walmart associates took part in the LBU program. Walmart has six retail stores across the Green Mountain State and employs more than 1,200 associates.

Vermont Business Magazine The Saint Michael's community threw a farewell party Thursday afternoon in Dion Family Student Center's Archway Lounge for President Lorraine Sterritt, who is retiring at the end of June after five years at the helm of the College through challenging times including a pandemic. Guests mingled spiritedly starting ta 3:30 p.m. with high-end culinary treats from Cloud Nine caterers and a variety of beverages including wine, beer, cider, seltzer and soft drinks. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Wednesday continued to explain his reasoning behind his veto of the budget and his ongoing concern for taxes and fees in bills on which he has yet to act. On Thursday he then vetoed charter change bills for Brattleboro and Burlington, while allowing a gun bill to become law without his signature because of constitutional questions. The Legislature has scheduled a three-day "veto session" beginning June 21 to review vetoed bills. Several will be voted on and the budget must be resolved. The fiscal year begins July 1.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today announced that Vermont has joined 41 other states in reaching a nationwide settlement of $102.5 million with the maker of Suboxone, Indivior Inc. Vermont will receive about $2 million from the settlement, which resolves allegations that Indivior used illegal means to switch the Suboxone market from tablets to film while attempting to destroy the market for tablets to preserve its drug monopoly. Suboxone is a brand name for buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed into law on Thursday S.137, a bill that gives municipal utility Burlington Electric Department the power to create new incentives to help high-volume gasoline users switch to electric vehicles. This is the first law in the country designed specifically to help low and moderate income drivers using extreme amounts of gasoline – more than 1,000 gallons a year – shift to electric vehicles. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) recently closed out its seventh federal grant aimed at bringing brownfield sites back into productive use and spurring new economic investment. TRORC has sought and been awarded over $2 million of nationally competitive funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the past two decades and has looked at dozens of sites in towns throughout Orange and Windsor counties. TRORC successfully applied for another $500,000 in brownfields assessment grant funding from EPA this year. This new award will provide critical support for revitalization efforts across the region over the next 4 years.  

Vermont Business Magazine The City of Burlington, Charlie Meli, Albin Meli, and Jeremie Meli have reached an agreement to settle the lawsuit arising from events that occurred in September 2018, which involved use-of-force during a police interaction.  The settlement includes a $750,000 payment to the Meli family, which will be made through a $500,000 payment by the City’s insurer Travelers, and a $250,000 payment from the City’s liability insurance reserve fund. The City Council approved the settlement agreement at a Special Meeting on May 30.