Current News

Vermont Agency of Transportation This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will have traffic impacts on state highways throughout Vermont for the week of September 12. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.

Vermont Business Magazine Farm, food, and forest businesses can apply now for Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Business Enhancement Grants. The Working Lands Enterprise Board (WLEB) is releasing a request for applications (RFA) totaling $450,000 that will allow Vermont farm, food, and forest businesses to invest in business enhancement initiatives, such as market, infrastructure, and workforce development. Please read the RFA (link below) to learn about eligible projects, the application process, and review the application questions. The application will open for submission September 23, 2022.  The application deadline is October 28, 2022.  

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), the statewide, nonprofit business association with a mission to leverage the power of business for positive social and environmental impact, has announced the 2022 recipients for three awards that encourage and showcase the growth and impact of socially responsible business activity in Vermont. Registration for the 21st Annual VBSR Awards Ceremony, Tuesday, October 4, 5:00-8:30 pm, at Basin Harbor, Vergennes, has also opened.

Vermont Business Magazine For the first time ever and just in time for fall, Lawson’s Finest Liquids is introducing a Black IPA across the Northeast. Big Hoppy, a 7.5% ABV Black IPA boasting a bold flavor profile, is now available for the first time across the brewery’s nine-state distribution area in the Northeast. Made with huge additions of five hop varieties and seven malts, Big Hoppy is a dark and decadent brew reflecting a resinous, sticky fusion and intense bitterness for the most devoted hopheads. With its potent aromas and bold taste, the beer leads with a roasted flavor profile complemented by its signature bitterness resulting from a potent blend of hops.

Vermont Business Magazine The work to mitigate hunger issues was aided recently by a $38,977 grant from Shaw’s and Star Market’s Foundation Nourishing Neighbors Program that aims to help connect qualified individuals with existing federal meal programs such as SNAP, WIC, P-EBT, and free or reduced school nutrition programs. This funding will allow Hunger Free Vermont (HFVT) to help more kids in Vermont access healthy food. HFVT trains and assists schools and daycares in increasing their average daily participation in the federal school, childcare, afterschool, and summer meals programs as well as empowering their staff to provide information about SNAP and WIC to the families they serve. HFVT’s partner agencies serving older Vermonters will also receive training on the benefits of participation in SNAP and be better prepared to help their clients apply.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont National Guard is hosting an Open House at the 158th Fighter Wing Air Base on September 11, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This free event will feature military and civilian aircraft, military vehicles and equipment, flight and driving simulators, demonstrations, and interactive displays from both the Army and Air National Guard.

Vermont Business Magazine Rootstock Publishing, a Vermont-based publisher announces the September 20th release of Uncertain Fruit: A Memoir of Infertility, Loss, and Love by Rebecca and Sallyann Majoya, of Rutland County. In this memoir, lesbian couple Rebecca and Sallyann dream of having a baby together. They try everything from foster care to fertility trials, and after nearly ten years of failed attempts, find an opportunity to participate in a local, private adoption with a teenage mom. Rebecca and Sallyann are overjoyed the first time they hold their newborn son in their arms. They take him home from the hospital and welcome him into their family. But outside forces intervene and the birth mother reclaims the baby, sending the couple into a tailspin.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported September 7 that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations both decreased and are still considered "Low." Total cases for the week decreased by 51 to 494. Hospitalizations fell from 58 to 35 but are still slightly higher than two weeks ago (30). The plurality of cases is of people in their 20s and the highest rate is those 80+. The BA.5 variant has become the predominant variant of COVID-19. There were 19 COVID-related fatalities in August and none so far in September, for a pandemic total of 715.

Vermont Business Magazine The Energy Co-op of Vermont, a fuel oil and home efficiency services cooperative with headquarters in Colchester, Vermont, announced today that Brian Gray will retire as General Manager following the selection of a new General Manager. The Energy Co-op’s Board of Directors has launched a search for a new General Manager. To assure a smooth transition, Brian will remain in his position until a replacement is hired.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced that Champlain Housing Trust (CHT) will manage and operate the Elmwood Emergency Shelter Community. The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity will provide services for the guests. The Shelter, projected to open in November, will play an essential role in addressing homelessness in Burlington. The Elmwood Emergency Shelter Community is comprised of 30 climate-controlled modular shelters; 25 shelters for individuals and five shelters which will accommodate two people.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Public Service (PSD) today announces an extension to the deadline for written public input from stakeholders and ratepayers on the objectives and metrics by which the state should distribute federal funding provided under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The IIJA creates funding opportunities open to Vermont to facilitate electric grid modernization for the purpose of preventing outages and enhancing the resilience of the electric grid. Section 40101(d) of the IIJA allows for states and Indian tribes to receive grants over a five-year period in an amount consistent with a pre-determined formula—approximately $3 million per year for Vermont—for uses that meet certain criteria.