Current News

by Anson Tebbetts This year Vermont legislators made record investments in our rural communities, agriculture, and the environment. Based upon Governor Phil Scott’s proposals, legislators allocated dollars to farmers, producers and those making their living off the land. The Governor’s Future of Agriculture Commission offered new policy and program recommendations, and legislators listened. This winter the Commission proposed investing in food related businesses so they could grow and feed people in Vermont and beyond. A $40 million dollar Community Recovery and Revitalization program led by the Agency of Commerce and Community Development will issue grants to businesses to invest in new infrastructure, such as storage, distribution, waste management and meat processing for Vermont companies.

Vermont Business Magazine Winooski residents will soon be able to enjoy ‘Sweat, Flex & Chill’ thanks to a recently launched crowdfunding campaign. The campaign is sponsored by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development’s Better Places program and led by the Fight for Kids Foundation.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Foundation and the Vermont Department of Health have announced that Track Two, the second round of the recently announced Health Equity grant program, is now open. The Health Equity grant program is for community-based organizations that are working to address health disparities in Vermont. Track Two is designed primarily for organizations building internal capacity. Organizations applying for Track Two can request different kinds of technical assistance that will strengthen their organization and/or communities.

by Jeff Tieman, CEO, Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems Last week, our nation’s gun violence epidemic spread to a Tulsa, Oklahoma, hospital where an aggrieved patient shot and killed four innocent people including another patient, two doctors and a receptionist. Hospitals and health care settings are places of healing and hope. Together we must do everything possible to ensure they are not sites of death and destruction. More broadly, it is vital that our nation and state work to understand the tragic problem of mass shootings and summon the courage to address it.

by Susan Green, Dartmouth On Saturday morning, May 28, the Geisel School of Medicine’s 99 graduates joyously gathered with family and friends outdoors on Dartmouth’s Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center lawn to celebrate the close of their academic studies and the beginning of their careers as physicians.

Vermont Business Magazine Berkshire Bank, a leading socially responsible community bank with office locations in New England and New York, will host Xtraordinary Day (X-Day) on Wednesday, June 8. All branches and offices across five states – MA, NY, VT, CT, and RI will close from 12pm - 4pm for concurrent day of service events. Closing the entire Company for the afternoon will harness the collective power of over 1,000 Berkshire employees to make a positive impact and strengthen the communities where we live, work, and raise families.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health & Hospice has announced that Cindy Bruzzese, MPA, MSB, and Allan Ramsay, MD, are the recipients of the Madison-Deane award for Excellence in End-of-Life Care for 2020 and 2021, respectively. The Excellence in End-of-Life Care award was established in 2017 and is presented annually to a Vermont individual, group, or organization that exemplifies the vision of Dr. James Madison and Dr. Robert Deane, who sought to transform end-of-life care in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Community Bank will support local food pantries and food banks in honor of National Hunger Awareness month by collecting non-perishable food items and donations. Community Bank holds food donations annually to support local food banks and food pantries in its four-state footprint which includes New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Locally, Vermont region branches will be donating and contributing to local food pantries, food banks, and food shelves of their choice

​Vermont State Police Members of the Vermont State Police in conjunction with the Springfield Police Department are investigating a suspicious death reported Monday afternoon, June 6, 2022, in Springfield. The investigation began when Springfield police received a call at 12:18 pm. Monday from a resident who lives in the area of Greeley Road reporting that what appeared to be the body of a deceased adult man was found alongside the road, in the area of 99 Greeley Road. Springfield police requested assistance from the Vermont State Police at about 1:10 p.m. Monday.

Vermont Business Magazine A gathering today of grantees and program officials helped recognize an historic investment in the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative this fiscal year and the historic and future impacts of the program. Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Legislature committed $5.2 million dollars to the program this fiscal year, facilitating grants to 59 Vermont businesses. This marks the most significant investment in the 10 years of the program, with a total investment of over 12 million since 2012. Today’s gathering included a number of grantees since 2020 to highlight the programs important reach and impact despite the effects of the pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine The winners of the 2022 Vermont Writers’ Prize are Ann Cooper of Middlebury for her poem ‘The Cusp,’ and Gail Elizabeth Wind of Newark for her essay ‘Twenty-Eight & Counting.’ The Vermont Writers’ Prize recognizes the work of an author focused on an aspect of Vermont. Winners receive $1,250 and their works appear in the summer issue of Vermont Magazine, which is available now.

Vermont Business Magazine The Chittenden Solid Waste District has been awarded a grant worth $106,849 by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to help cover costs for providing facilities and education for the proper disposal of hazardous waste generated by residents and qualifying businesses. The grant is part of a solid waste assistance fund provided by the state to help towns and solid waste planning entities implement their solid waste plans, as required by state law. The grant is awarded annually by the DEC, an arm of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.