Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Kick off your shoes and let the good times roll at Cajun Zydeco Fest 2022 at Kampfires Campground, Inn, & Entertainment, on August 27 from 1:00 – 7:00 pm. MANGO JAM headlines the 5th annual single-day festival, set on the grounds’ natural tree-lined outdoor open-air amphitheater. Burlington-based Mango Jam is a six-piece dance band playing straight-up Zydeco as well as New Orleans inspired funk, Reggae and Ska.

Vermont Business Magazine Vergennes Day kicks off its 40th year on Friday, August 26th and continues Saturday August 27th. The weekend’s activities are hosted by the Addison County Chamber of Commerce, the City of Vergennes and presented by Vermont Gas Systems and sponsored by multiple area businesses. Vergennes Day is a celebration of the city and community to be enjoyed by all ages.

Vermont Business Magazine Today Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos announced that the results and winners of statewide and federal races in the August Primary Election were certified as official at the meeting of the canvassing committee on Monday, August 22. Secretary Condos, along with Chairs or their designees from the three major parties (Democratic, Republican and Progressive) certified vote totals and winners for all federal and statewide offices. The results and canvass report can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.

Vermont Business Magazine As part of their preparations for their proposed merger, VSECU and NEFCU have completed an evaluation of their individual brand identities. The financial institutions announced today that they will create a new brand identity and name for the merged credit union, pending the merger’s approval by the membership. The new name would take effect after they are operating as one credit union, potentially in late 2023.

Public Assets Institute Nationally, the big news is that employers have added back more jobs than were lost in the pandemic. That’s not the case in all states, though, including Vermont. If employers here could find workers for their open positions, jobs would be at an all-time high, bringing the state above the 319,000 filled jobs it had at its peak in March 2019. This is a tall order, because job openings in Vermont outnumber job seekers. In June there were more than three openings for each person looking for work. In contrast, at the end of the Great Recession, in June 2009, there were three workers for each available job.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department responded to a bear attack in Strafford on August 20. Ms. Susan Lee, 61, of Strafford, was treated at Gifford Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries from the attack. She called 911 while being transported to the hospital by her neighbor. Game Warden Sergeant Jeffrey Whipple and Game Warden Kyle Isherwood responded. Ms. Lee reported that she and her two dogs, a Jack Russell terrier and labradoodle, were walking trails on her Strafford property at the time of the attack. She stated that she had just recalled her dogs which had moved out of sight, when she heard a loud noise and realized a bear was charging her. Ms. Lee stated that she tripped on a stone wall as the bear charged her. She then felt pain on her upper left leg and realized the bear was on top of her and had bitten her.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) today announced that it has received two new grants through the Federal Transportation Agency (FTA) totaling $12.5 million. These awards will bring nine new e-buses to Vermont and allow for a new building and facility improvements to the Marble Valley Regional Transit District. The first grant award of $9.2 million is through the FTA’s Low and No Emissions Bus and Bus Facility Grant program and will bring nine new e-buses to Marble Valley Regional Transit District (MVRTD) and Green Mountain Transit (GMT). Five of these buses will be medium-sized transit vehicles from a new manufacturer, Letenda, located in Longueuil, Quebec.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington School District (BSD) is proud to announce a BHS/BTC 2025 Fundraising Partnership with Burlington Students Foundation (BSF). The partnership with the 501(c)3 will allow the District to solicit private, tax-deductible donations from the public. The partnership will also help the District apply for grants and funding awards that may not have been previously available to the school district. On August 15, Burlington City Council unanimously voted to place a $165 million bond on the November ballot to support the construction of a new high school and technical center. Superintendent Flanagan said he hopes to raise more than $200,000 in private donations through the partnership and through avenues such as naming rights.

Vermont Business Magazine Gifford’s new GE SPECT/CT camera is installed and ready for patients. The Nuclear Medicine Department at Gifford performs exams that range from heart, gallbladder and bone, to gastrointestinal bleeds and pulmonary embolisms. Randolph-based Gifford also recently started performing a procedure that helps diagnose Parkinsonian Syndrome vs. Essential Tremor. These tests will benefit the most from Gifford’s upgrade to the new SPECT/CT as the combined scan provides precise information about how the body is working and more clearly identify problems. The camera provides better images for Gifford’s Radiologists, which leads to more accurate interpretations. Also with this new camera, Gifford can image patients weighing up to 500 pounds, reducing the number of patient transfers.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging (SVCOA) today announced that it has awarded more than $66,000 in supportive grants to 12 different aging services community organizations throughout Bennington and Rutland counties recently made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. To be eligible for ARPA funding, proposed projects and activities needed to meet Older American Act requirements that funds be used to support: low-income older individuals; low-income minority older individuals; older individuals with limited English proficiency; older individuals residing in rural areas; focused development of resources to help build greater service capacity and advance the development and implementation of comprehensive, coordinated systems of service to older adults; and initiatives that are able to provide quality, data-based outcomes in correlation with grant investment.

Vermont Business Magazine United Way of Northwest Vermont, an organization dedicated to improving lives in Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, is grateful for support from Vermont National Guard’s Counterdrug Program to help reduce substance misuse among youth and young adults in Vermont. Technical Sergeant Mahat Abdullahi, an Airman of the Vermont Air National Guard, recently joined UWNWVT staff to support the Northwest Vermont Regional Prevention Network. The aim of the Prevention Network is to unify the region with a holistic and comprehensive approach to preventing substance misuse and promoting wellbeing among youth and young adults.