Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont Secretary of State’s office announced the postponing of the canvassing of the 2022 State Senate and County Office Primary Election results due to technology issues as a result of Legislative redistricting. The canvassing was scheduled for 10 a.m. this morning and a rescheduled time will be announced later today. The Election Management System software contractor continues to work on a solution to be able to produce reports based on the official return of votes submitted by the Clerks.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) is pleased to announce that the Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the USDA has awarded $412,550 to the State of Vermont as a part of the Organic Certification Cost Share Program. The application is now open for certified operations to apply for these funds. Application deadline is November 1, 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine The annual Southern Vermont Summer Homebrew Festival brought the heat this past weekend to Bennington, Vermont! The festival was held on the field in front of the Bennington Sports Center, formerly the Catamount School. Hot temperatures reaching over 90 degrees couldn’t scare away the crowds as over 350 patrons enjoyed 100 craft home brews from over 24 homebrewers. From noon to 4pm ticket holders enjoyed unlimited samples of home-brewed beer, wine, mead, cider and more from the area's best homebrewers.

Vermont Business Magazine Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees recently presented nearly $12,000 in donations from the Bank’s employee-driven charitable giving program, Casual for A Cause, to six nonprofit organizations in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The recipients of the donations, all of which were collected in Q2 2022, are: Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County, Island Health & Wellness Foundation, People Plus, and Trekkers (Maine); Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice (New Hampshire); and Changing Perspectives Inc. (Vermont).

“Our employees are passionate about helping our neighbors, whether that’s through supporting initiatives to expand health care services or by empowering young people to become positive agents of change,” said Jack Frost, VP Director of Community Giving at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. “Every dollar donated through Casual for a Cause is a testament to our employees’ commitment to creating stronger communities for all.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (VAHHS) urged the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) to approve their budgets as submitted as they prepare for hospital-by-hospital hearings with the regulatory body beginning next week. Hospitals are calling their fiscal year 2023 budget request “stabilization budgets,” as continued staffing shortages and high demand for care and historic inflation stress the system almost to a breaking point.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported August 3 that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are still considered "Low." Total cases for the week increased slightly, but this could be a reporting anomaly, while hospitalizations decreased. As of August 10, there have been 3 COVID-related fatalities in August in Vermont. There were 12 deaths from COVID in Vermont in July for a pandemic total of 699 (the VDH report could be updated as more data becomes available). There were 12 deaths in June attributed to COVID after 32 in May. May saw an increase in fatalities from April and March. June and July had the fewest COVID fatalities since July 2021 (2). The Delta variant then took off in August.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has announced up to $650,000 in available funding to support statewide municipal bylaw modernization grants for Vermont’s cities and towns. Municipalities can use this new and innovative funding to hire regional planning commission or consulting staff to collaborate with local stakeholders and prepare bylaw updates that expand opportunities for new homes, confront the State’s housing crisis, and ready communities for unprecedented investments in housing and infrastructure.

Vermont Business Magazine When an emergency happens in Vermont, whether it be a car accident or a natural disaster, there are a lot of questions that need to get answered as quickly as possible. Vermont first responders arrive on the scene and assess rapidly before taking action, but when the situation is in a hard-to-reach location, or an unprecedented disaster has occurred, it can be difficult to act fast. Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS or drones) are enhancing the way first responders and emergency personnel assess and react to emergencies and extreme weather events. A FEMA-funded program hosted by the UVM Spatial Analysis Lab brought drone training to fifteen emergency-response roles across Vermont this week.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont's congressional delegation today applauded the Biden Administration’s announcement that it removed barriers to states and localities investing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars in new housing. The new guidance will make it easier to build affordable housing by allowing states and local governments to make long-term housing loans with ARPA funds. This change opens up access to Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, a key source of funding for affordable housing production. The change reflects the intent of the bi-partisan, bi-cameral LIFELINE Act introduced by Senators Leahy and Sanders in the Senate and cosponsored by Representative Welch in the House.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont gasoline prices continued to fall this week and are down another 11 cents in the last seven days, to an average of $4.34 per gallon today, according to GasBuddy. Prices have fallen 40 cents in the last month but are $1.26/g higher than one year ago. Prices are falling faster nationally than in Vermont.