Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today is the beginning of Hunger Action Month in Vermont. The COVID-19 pandemic caused food insecurity to reach record-high levels in Vermont, and with recent inflation, Vermonters continue to struggle to keep food on the table. In recognition of September as Hunger Action Month, the Attorney General’s Office, Vermont Bar Association, and Vermont Paralegal Organization have partnered with the Vermont Foodbank to hold the sixth annual Vermont Legal Community Fighting Hunger Food Drive. This two-week fundraiser will begin on Friday, September 2, 2022, and end on Friday, September 16, 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont has expanded eligibility for the hMPXV (human monkeypox virus) JYNNEOS vaccine to certain groups at higher risk of contracting the virus and has increased vaccination opportunities, but officials caution that vaccine supply is still limited at this time. hMPXV can spread to anyone through close and often skin-to-skin contact with someone who is infected. At this time, gay, bisexual, and other men or trans people who have sex with men make up a high number of early cases and might be at higher risk of coming into contact with the virus. Vermonters who identify as gay, bisexual, and other men or trans people who have sex with men, who had or expect to have more than one sexual partner are eligible for vaccination. Anyone who has had an exposure to hMPXV or possible exposure should also get vaccinated. Vermont currently has three confirmed cases of hMPXV. There are more than 18,000 cases in the United States.

Vermont State Police On August 24, correctional officers working at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, VT, observed an inmate climbing a fence/gate within the facility, and slipping between the top of the gate and the razor wire. This inmate was identified as Dustin Deberville and he was taken into custody by staff members moments after staff first observed his actions. When taken into custody, Deberville was still on facility grounds with 2 more fences that he would have needed to pass in order to completely exit the facility grounds.

Vermont Business Magazine Common Good Vermont announces the launch of a government grant & contracting survey for Vermont nonprofits to better understand the experience of nonprofits who contract with or receive grants from the state or federal government. The survey will be open September 1st through September 23rd and is open to all 501(c)(3) organizations in Vermont. In Vermont, and across the country, nonprofit organizations have been increasingly called upon to provide what have been traditionally government services. In fact, nonprofits employ 1 in 7 Vermont workers, making the nonprofit sector the largest industry in the state after the government.

by Matt Dunne, Founder and Executive Director, CORI A bit of news last month left me beaming with excitement and pride. So, you’re wondering, what’s this story? It’s the first round of funding announcements from the U.S. Treasury’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), which will distribute $10 billion to states to expand access to capital for small businesses around the country. Reauthorized as part of the American Rescue Plan Act pandemic relief package, SSBCI aims to generate a further $10 in private investment for every $1 in initial funding.

Vermont Business Magazine Bennington College is now accepting submissions from high school students around the world for its 2022-2023 Young Writers Awards. This annual competition, which accepts entries in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, is free to enter and open to all high school students in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. A first-, second-, and third-place winner is selected in each of the categories, with cash prizes up to $1,000 awarded. Young Writers Award finalists and winners are also eligible for undergraduate scholarships at Bennington. YWA finalists who enroll at Bennington will receive a $10,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $40,000. YWA winners who enroll at Bennington will receive a $15,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $60,000.

Vermont State Police Continued investigation into the fatal motor vehicle crash which transpired on August 27, 2022, at approximately 2217 hours, has revealed the operator of the motor vehicle crash, Benjamin Chambers (22) of Lowell, VT was traveling at a speed well in excess of the posted 50 MPH speed zone. A passenger of the motor vehicle, later identified as Shane Copp (24) of Newport, VT was ejected and subsequently declared deceased by responding rescue personnel.

Vermont Business Magazine Following its investigation, the Vermont Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU) today announced a settlement with Our House Residential Care Homes. It is alleged that Our House, operator of four residential care homes in Rutland, Vermont, failed to properly train staff and adequately document and monitor the delivery of resident care services, resulting in abuse and neglect of residents. The settlement requires Our House to implement new training and compliance practices, including designating an internal compliance monitor that will evaluate Our House’s performance. Additionally, if Our House fails to meet certain standards at any point in the next three years, it will be required to pay $40,000 in damages and penalties.

Vermont Business Magazine At meetings in May and June, the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board awarded funding to create and rehabilitate 283 new homes in 12 communities statewide. One fifth of these homes will serve households that have experienced homelessness. A total of $38,130,642 in state and federal funding commitments will result in new construction 249 rental homes, rehabilitation of 34 existing apartments and shelter beds, and accessibility modifications to homes statewide. VHCB awarded $2,315,331 in state funding, which will leverage $35,815,311 in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, the HOME Program, and the National Housing Trust Fund.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski and Senate President Pro Tem Becca Balint issued a joint statement today in regard to changes announced by the Vermont State Housing Authority for Vermont’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (VERAP). The pandemic-era program supported by federal funding has paid out nearly $132.2 million and served 14,749 participants as of August 31. The rental program will stop taking new applications October 1 and funding will decrease until November 30 when they will cease. Utility-related assistance will continue until December 31, 2022, and then cease.

Vermont Business Magazine BHAKTA Spirits, a portfolio of luxury brands founded by entrepreneur and spirits mogul Raj Peter Bhakta, announced today that Sean O’Rourke has been appointed as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. O’Rourke will assume day-to-day leadership of the company and its operations across Vermont, France, and Florida. Additionally, he will oversee development of BHAKTA’s experiential spirits hospitality destination, Griswold, as its inaugural location on the former campus of Green Mountain College in Vermont advances into its launch phase.

by Dr Stephen Leffler, President and Chief Operating Officer, UVM Medical Center Vermont’s largest insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBSVT), recently submitted a letter to the Green Mountain Care Board questioning the value of The University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC), Vermont’s only academic medical center. BCBSVT said that the care we provide has too many “bells and whistles.” I am not aware of many “bells and whistles” we provide at UVMMC. We try to provide good food to patients and their families, and adequate parking and a clean facility. But mostly we are focused on excellent patient care that patients need, often to save their lives. I understand that our insurers can be far removed from the health care setting, and so the inherent value of high quality, close-to-home care might be lost on them.