Current News

by Michelle Monroe, Vermont Business Magazine By just about any measure St Albans City’s economic development strategy has been a success. In a decade, the city has added $75 million to its tax base, a roughly 60 percent increase, without increasing taxes, according to city manager Dominic Cloud. The key to that success has been public private partnerships and a tax increment financing (TIF) district.

​by Michelle Monroe, Vermont Business Magazine Census data from Vermont’s fourth most populous county reflects ongoing population trends in Vermont and around the world – people leaving rural areas for more urbanized ones. Communities on the western side of Franklin County, which benefit from proximity to Chittenden County, home to the state’s largest city and Vermont’s economic powerhouse, gained population. Those on the more rural eastern side lost.

Vermont Business Magazine “At Last!” exclaimed Saint Michael’s College President Lorraine Sterritt as she welcomed 206 members from the Class of 2020 and their families to their long-awaited “In-Person Celebration of the 113th Commencement” on Saturday morning, September 18, 2021, outdoors on the Durick Library steps and lawn.

Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront The third and final phase of the Burlington Greenway has kicked off, with BPRW contracting with VHB, a South Burlington engineering firm that has provided design services for phases 1 and 2 previously. Phase 3 begins at the City’s southern border (Queen City Park Road), parallels the Champlain Parkway alignment, connecting to Oakledge Park via Austin Drive, through the Lakeside neighborhood, behind the former Blodgett Oven factory, then passing through Roundhouse Park and Perkins Pier.

Vermont Agency of Transportation This weekly report for the week of September 20, 2021, is a list of planned construction activities that will have traffic impacts on state highways throughout Vermont. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported 210 new cases of COVID-19 (187 Saturday). The VDH also reported on Saturday two more deaths, which now stand at 298 statewide. There are 41 people hospitalized (down one from yesterday) and 12 in the ICU (down two). Hospitalizations have remained relatively steady. The IT glitch discovered Thursday has been resolved. The glitch caused a delay in reporting of cases since September 9, with cases too low and then seeming to spike. But the recent surge in cases and deaths attributed to the Delta variant remain high. The Delta surge was expected to plateau by now in Vermont, as it has in other countries.

Vermont State Police On Friday 09/17/2021, at approximately 1812 hours, Vermont State Police responded along with 45 Parallel EMS and Colebrook NH Fire Department to a report of a motorcycle crash on VT RT 102 in the Town of Lemington, VT. Upon arrival the operator of the motorcycle was identified as Andre Dostie. Dostie succumbed to his injuries on scene.

Vermont Business Magazine Northfield Savings Bank (NSB) has announced the opening of a new temporary branch office in Richmond Vermont at 53 Railroad Street. The new location opened its doors to the public on July 1. The temporary branch is equipped to accommodates three NSB bankers and an equivalent number of customers at one time.

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Human Services and the Agency of Digital Services determined on Friday that an outside vendor’s IT issue delayed the delivery of test results, artificially inflating Thursday’s report of 314 new cases of COVID-19 by 109. The IT glitch has been resolved and the state has identified the number of cases affected. State officials, however, emphasized that although the glitch impacted the one-day total, the cumulative number of cases over these days is accurate.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported 219 new cases of COVID-19. The VDH is also reporting today two more deaths, which now stand at 296 statewide. There are 41 people hospitalized (down one from yesterday) and 12 in the ICU (up two). Hospitalizations have remained relatively steady. The number of cases yesterday was the highest single day report since the beginning of the pandemic and may have been impacted by an outside vendor’s IT glitch that delayed the delivery of test results.

Vermont Business Magazine The state’s General Fund, Transportation Fund, and Education Fund receipts were a combined $13.25 million, or 6.97 percent above monthly consensus expectations from the July 30, 2021 updated consensus revenue forecast. General Fund revenues for the month totaled $122.25 million, or $11.5 million above the monthly consensus revenue target, as the personal income tax bounced back from July.

Public Assets Institute In 2020 the typical Vermont household income dropped $8,000 from the previous year, to $66,902—below the US median for the first time since 2007. But the state’s official poverty rate stayed steady at around 9 percent. The economic impact of COVID-19 would have been worse were it not for substantial help from the federal government.