Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont today announced the appointment of Fitzroy B “Roy” Beckford, PhD, as associate dean and director of UVM Extension in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). Beckford spent over a decade with the University of Florida Extension as a county Extension director managing work in the areas of agriculture, natural resources, horticultural sciences, marine and aquatic environments, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, food systems, small farms initiatives, and environmental sustainability.

Vermont State Police Members of the Vermont State Police are investigating the death of a man who was found with extensive injuries lying by the side of a road Friday morning, March 19, 2021, in the town of Fletcher, Vermont. The victim’s identity was initially unknown, but through investigation, state police have been able to identify the victim as a 60-year-old resident of Fletcher. His name is being withheld at this time while relatives are notified.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today laid out the projected timeline for all remaining age bands, which will govern the state’s vaccination distribution process moving forward. By April 19, according to the schedule, all Vermonters aged 16 and older will be able to sign up for a vaccination. Based on the supply assurances from the federal government, the state aims to have all Vermonters who can be vaccinated to be fully immunized by the end of June.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont announced today that twice weekly testing will continue through April 3, at which time it will be revisited. This testing pattern is being continued because off-campus student positive case numbers have grown. Since Monday, March 8 UVM has had 64 new positive cases off campus, of which 44 positives off-campus have occurred just this week since Monday, March 15. This is especially alarming.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Schools Initiative offers funding and technical assistance to help public schools and state colleges meet the Three-Acre General Permit stormwater regulation. The new Three-Acre General Permit requires sites with three or more acres of paved or developed surfaces, including roofs and parking lots, to treat polluted stormwater before it flows into Lake Champlain. This permit is an essential part of Lake Champlain’s restoration plan.

Vermont Business Magazine Projects in six counties in western Maine, northern New Hampshire, and northeast Vermont can take advantage of grant funds from the Northern Forest Destination Development Initiative to respond to the increased demand for outdoor recreation due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Vermont Business Magazine iSun, Inc (NASDAQ: ISUN), a leading solar energy and clean mobility infrastructure company with 50 years of construction experience for solar, electrical and data services, today announced that it has made a $1.5 million strategic investment in Gemini Electric Mobility Co and a $1 million investment in Nad Grid Corp.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) held a virtual town meeting Monday evening to discuss how students have experienced the social, emotional, and mental health challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 500 Vermont students joined Sanders for the town meeting, which was held via video.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Creamery, the mission-driven makers of consciously crafted dairy, has released its 2020 Mission Report, sharing key stories and metrics from the past year that highlight their commitment to sustainable business and systemic change. The Certified B Corporation and heritage crafters of the #1 selling goat cheese in America celebrated their 36th year in business by delivering on a promise to create an increasingly positive impact while achieving conscious business growth nationwide.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health has confirmed that genomic sequencing of COVID-19 specimens has now identified two of the variants of concern circulating in the U.S. In addition to results earlier this month of the B.1.1.7 variant that originated in the UK, recent lab results now show the B.1.429 strain, first identified in California, is also in Vermont. The VDH is also reporting today 139 new total cases, which is an increase from recent days. However deaths are holding at 217 statewide. Total Vermonters who have received at least one dose of vaccine now exceed 160,000.

Vermont Business Magazine The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, a new report released today, March 18, 2021, by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), finds a national shortage of nearly seven million affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income (ELI) renter households, those with incomes at or below the poverty level or 30 percent of their Area Median Income (AMI). Nationally, there are just 37 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 ELI renter households, and 70 percent of the poorest renter households are severely cost burdened, spending more than half of their income on housing expenses, with little left over for other basic necessities.

No state or metropolitan area in the nation has an adequate supply of affordable and available rental homes for the lowest-income families.

Vermont Research News Rural areas are especially prone to both Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and intimate partner violence (IPV). New research examines these issues through interviews with 33 rural Vermont women experiencing both IPV and opioid use. Findings grouped into several categories, including; geographic isolation and transportation difficulties, inaccessibility of existing substance use treatment and domestic violence services and social isolation and stigma in rural areas.