Current News

Vermont Business Magazine With the pandemic straining access to mental health services and substance misuse at an all-time high, Vermont Blue Advantage announces a new partnership with the Brattleboro Retreat and Vermont Collaborative Care to build support for Medicare-eligible Vermonters that integrates the management of substance use disorder and mental health with physical health care. According to the Vermont Department of Health, between 15,000 and 20,000 Vermonters with opioid use disorder are in need of treatment. A recent presentation to the Green Mountain Care Board noted that 58% of emergency department patients have a mental health diagnosis, yet only half of those referred with mental health problems receive follow up care.

Statement From The Office Of Senator Patrick Leahy Senator Leahy has continued to make progress in his rehabilitation after surgery on June 30 to repair and replace a fractured hip that he suffered from a fall at his house in McLean, Virginia. On Tuesday, Senator Leahy’s surgical team found it necessary to perform an additional surgery to help advance his recovery. Senator Leahy was back in his rehabilitation room by Tuesday evening and is once again working diligently with the physical therapists to return home as soon as possible.

Vermont Business Magazine With a stroke of the pen, the Vermont National Guard and Republic of Austria’s Letter of Intent under the State Partnership is official. On July 19, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Gregory Knight, Vermont’s Adjutant General, U.S. Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, Chief of National Guard Bureau, Klaudia Tanner, Federal Minister of Defense of the Republic of Austria, and Lt. Gen. Erich Csitkovits, Training Director and Commandant, National Defence Academy, performed a signing ceremony in Vienna to recognize and formalize the relationship between the Republic of Austria and Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Berkshire Bank, a leading socially responsible community-dedicated bank with branch locations in southern Vermont, New England and New York, has announced over $1.1 million in philanthropic investments from its Foundation during the second quarter of 2022. The grants awarded cover a wide range of projects that help foster upward economic mobility, support overall well-being, and enhance opportunities for individual success in the communities the Bank serves. The Vermont recipients include The Dorset Equine Rescue; Vermont Women's Fund; and VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region).

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Public Safety and the State Police Advisory Commission today are releasing the fourth semiannual detailed summary of internal investigations involving members of the Vermont State Police. The release of these detailed synopses began in January 2021 and is designed to provide greater transparency, public awareness, and oversight to the activities of the Vermont State Police, while balancing rules regarding internal investigations and the need to have internal investigations completed before public dissemination.

Vermont Business Magazine Music to Life, a national nonprofit founded by Noel Paul Stookey of the folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary, has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to fund its signature Accelerator programs for social justice musicians. This grant enables Music to Life, based in Wilder, to create up to four national Accelerator Academies over the next three years, tapping musicians across all geographies, genres and generations to engage in an eight-month intensive incubator program. Participants will receive business skills training in strategic planning, organizing, management and fundraising to develop and execute their music and social-justice driven concepts.

Vermont Business Magazine As of July 1, 2022, Allison Hooper will serve as chair of the Sterling College Board of Trustees, following Peter Chehayl who has held the position since 2017. Allison was first elected to the board in 2014 and has served as both an at-large member and vice chair. Allison made her mark as one of the first artisan cheesemakers in the country, co-founding Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. (now Vermont Creamery) in 1984, and, over the years, winning more than 100 awards and bringing French-style cheeses, butter, and other everyday delicacies to the American table. As president of the American Cheese Society from 2005 to 2008 and the founding president of the Vermont Cheese Council, Allison has been a voice for and mentor to U.S. cheesemakers. In 2015, she was named by Food & Wine, Forbes, and Fortune magazines as one of the “most innovative women in food and drink.” In 2018 she was named to the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) Commissioner Nicholas Deml issued a statement following the arrest of Northeast Correctional Complex (NECC) Correctional Officer I Michael Baker Monday on charges of First Degree Aggravated Domestic Assault; Aggravated Sexual Assault; Interference with Access to Emergency Services; and Offense Committed within the Presence of a Child.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Arts Council Executive Director Karen Mittelman has announced she will depart at the end of October. Since joining the Council in 2017, Mittelman has enhanced the Council’s visibility and impact throughout the state, forging new strategic partnerships as well as important alliances with Vermont Humanities and the Vermont Community Foundation. Additionally, the Council’s investment in Vermont artists and cultural organizations has substantially increased during Mittelman’s tenure, more than doubling the number and amount of grants awarded to artists annually and increasing the scope and size of awards to organizations.

Vermont Business Magazine The investigation into this morning’s discovery of a body in Brattleboro remains in its early stages. The Vermont State Police has been able to preliminarily identify the victim as Mary Anderson, a 23-year-old woman from the town of Harvard, Massachusetts, who had been reported missing over the weekend. Brattleboro police located her body inside her truck, which had been sought as part of the missing-persons investigation. Police are looking to locate and speak with Matthew Davis, 34, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, who may have information relevant to this ongoing investigation.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) today announced the second wave of approved grant applications to support community recovery and revitalization through the Capital Investment Program (CIP). The program aims to strengthen communities by reversing the harm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through assistance with capital investments that will help businesses to recover, retain existing jobs and spur economic growth. This second round of 12 approved applicants, following a multi-step evaluation and approval process, grants $3.5 million to projects in six counties across multiple sectors including education, outdoor recreation, childcare, healthcare, arts and culture, and housing.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Electric Department (BED) issued a peak alert for Wednesday, July 20 from 5:00-8:00pm as part of its Defeat the Peak program), encouraging members of the Burlington community to reduce their energy usage. Burlingtonians can lend a hand by taking the following steps on what is projected to be an unusually hot summer day: Raise thermostat temperatures or turn off air conditioners between the hours of 5:00 and 8:00pm before returning air conditioners to cooler settings; Wait until after 8:00pm or later to use washing machines, clothing dryers, dishwashers, and other appliances; Turn off non-essential lights until 8:00pm or later; Avoid charging electric vehicles until after 8:00pm (or until 10:00pm if you are on BED’s special off-peak charging rate); and Delay other discretionary electric consumption until after 8:00pm.