Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), through the Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Forests, Parks and Recreation, is developing a new long-range management plan for the Castleton Management Unit, that is comprised of Birdseye and Blueberry Hill Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and is conducting public scoping, including a public meeting September 29, to better understand how Vermonters use and value these lands.

Vermont Woodlands Explore the 2500-acre Trapp Family Lodge property through the eyes of Licensed Foresters. Come to the Vermont Woodlands Association’s Annual Meeting and More on Saturday, October 9, and kick off your day on a guided Woods Walk around the property. Trapp Family Lodge conducts sustainable forest management during annual summer harvests to fill their 300-cord woodshed. They balance forest management activities with a long list of objectives, including resort amenities, renowned skiing and biking opportunities and beer made from water sourced within the managed forests.

Vermont Business Magazine The unemployment insurance provisions that were put in place to expand eligibility for individuals directly impacted by COVID-19 are set to expire Friday, October 1, 2021. With such expansions set to expire, Vermonters will only qualify for UI benefits under the traditional eligibility criteria, such as being laid off or terminated without cause. Individuals who have been filing under one of the COVID provisions, will now be required to conduct a weekly work search.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that President Joseph Biden has signed a Major Disaster declaration for public infrastructure damage caused by severe storms and flooding from July 29-30, 2021. The declaration will provide federal assistance for repairs to public infrastructure in Bennington and Windham counties. Vermont officials have identified more than $5 million in damages to public infrastructure as a result of the storm in those two counties.

Vermont Business Magazine State leaders joined Cathedral Square and the non-profit Champlain Islanders Developing Essential Resources (C.I.D.E.R.) for a groundbreaking ceremony for Bayview Crossing, an affordable housing community for older adults in South Hero, on Wednesday, September 22. ReArch Company serves as the construction manager on this 38,000-square-foot, 30-unit affordable housing community targeting adults aged 55+. The project’s construction will last 11.5 months, with an occupancy target of next September 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region (CEDRR) and Castleton University have launched the CEDRR Intern Hub, an innovative space located in Downtown Rutland, which will provide Castleton students with greater access and opportunities for experiential learning with employers throughout the region and beyond.

Vermont Business Magazine Pandemic-related disruptions in school and child care; inequitable divisions of household labor; increases in depression, anxiety, and substance use; and economic concerns greatly impacted Vermonters in the last year, according to a just-released survey about the impacts of COVID-19 on American households. Survey respondents had clear recommendations for policies and resources that would improve their overall well-being: economic relief via stimulus payments, extended unemployment benefits, increased access to child care; increased access to mental health supports; and greater access to technology.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported 104 cases of COVID-19 (up 22 from Tuesday), and four more deaths, for 317 statewide. There are 44 people hospitalized and 12 in the ICU. In his weekly briefing yesterday, DFR Commissioner Michael Pieciak said that while total COVID cases are slowly decreasing in Vermont and the Northeast (and more rapidly in other parts of the US after a Delta variant surge) fatalities and hospitalizations are a trailing indicator. The rollout of the Pfizer booster shots will expand greatly on Friday. Then, basically everyone who has had both Pfizer doses at least six months ago and is older than 17 can get a third dose.

Vermont Business Magazine VGS today announced that it is increasing financial rebates to help more low- and moderate-income Vermonters weatherize their homes. Starting January 1, 2022, VGS will offer qualifying single-family homeowners an incentive to cover 75 percent of comprehensive weatherization project costs up to $5,000, providing an affordable option to reduce energy expenses, improve comfort, and lower their carbon footprint. Weatherization is a proven strategy to combat climate change and a cornerstone strategy of VGS’s Climate Plan.

Vermont Business Magazine THINKMD, a Burlington-based healthcare technology company, has appointed Chris Powell as Chief Executive Officer to lead the company in its next phase of growth. Previously Powell was CEO of Burlington testing lab Aspenti Health, until its acquisition by Virginia-based AverHealth last May.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s pediatricians support a "Test to Stay" (TTS) program for asymptomatic, unvaccinated children exposed to COVID-19 at school. Vermont pediatricians and pediatric infectious diseases specialists are collaborating with state agencies in the design and implementation of TTS based on the program currently in place in Massachusetts. A recently published randomized controlled trial in the U.K. demonstrated that schools using a TTS strategy had as little school transmission as schools quarantining students after in school exposure.

Vermont Business Magazine A multi-institutional research team led by UVM’s Sabrina Greenwood has been awarded $2.9 million to explore the potential animal health, environmental and economic benefits of seaweed as a feed alternative for organic dairy cows. The grant is one of USDA’s newly funded Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative projects to help improve yields, milk quality and profitability for organic farmers and producers.