Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on May 13, 2024, Steven Mack, 49, of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania was sentenced by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III to a one-year term of probation and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine and perform community service. Mack previously pleaded guilty to attempting to obstruct a federal grand jury’s investigation into an illegal kickback that Purdue Pharma L.P. paid to Mack’s former employer, Practice Fusion, an electronic medical records company. According to court records, while working at Practice Fusion, Mack contributed to his employer’s successful efforts to persuade Purdue Pharma L.P. to pay Practice Fusion almost $1 million in exchange for Practice Fusion altering its physician-facing user interface to generate more opioid prescriptions. 

Vermont Business Magazine An autopsy was completed Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The victim is identified as Matthew Lomasney, 47, of St. Johnsbury. The medical examiner determined the cause of his death was gunshot wounds to the torso, and the manner of death is a homicide. The Vermont State Police investigation is continuing. No arrests have been made. Preliminary information gathered by detectives indicates this shooting was drug-related, and the apartment in question was targeted. 

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont will hold its 223rd commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 19—and for most of the UVM Class of 2024, it will be a long overdue first graduation ceremony. That’s because UVM’s undergraduate Class of 2024 completed high school at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Most had their high school graduation ceremonies canceled—or moved online—as health officials restricted large gatherings to limit the disease’s spread. UVM will confer degrees on an estimated 3,412 graduates from 33 countries and 46 U.S. states. This includes approximately 2,638 bachelors, 493 masters, 133 doctoral, and 122 medical degree recipients. The graduating class includes roughly 969 Vermonters and 464 students of color. 

Vermont Business Magazine Stowe Country Club (SCC), the scenic golf course in the heart of Stowe, broke ground on an extensive renovation project on May 2, 2024. Directed by Beau Welling Design (BWD), the project will feature noteworthy renovations to both the 18-hole course as well as other amenities which will result in an elevated playing experience for the club's membership. While the footprint of the golf course will largely remain the same, the improvements will elevate all facets of the course—from new and improved tees to new and differently shaped green complexes. The goal of the redesign is to create a more consistent and playable course while offering more challenges for advanced players. 

Vermont Business Magazine Scenic VT-108 (Smugglers Notch or The Notch Road) is OPEN for the 2024 season as of 12:00 PM on May 14, 2024. Crews are opening the gates on either side of the mountain and message signs have been illuminated indicating the reopening. Vehicles over 40-feet and combination vehicles over 45-feet in length are NOT permitted through this section of roadway per 23 VSA § 1006b.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and Chief Administrative Officer Katherine Schad held a press conference today to outline the Burlington’s progress in creating a balanced budget. The administration has successfully closed the $13 million budget gap, which was announced on April 24. Most of the budget gap has been filled by increasing taxes and fees and by using one-time funds, largely from unspent ARPA monies. Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak shared the following statement on Tuesday morning: “We set out with the goal of creating a budget that prioritized affordability for residents and sustainability of City operations. We did this fairly, asking both residential taxpayers and the business community to contribute to closing the gap and undertaking a comprehensive review of general fund expenses to identify areas for right-sizing."

Vermont Business Magazine TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, with branches across Vermont, today announced it awarded a total of $7 million to 37 non-profits across the bank's Maine to Florida footprint and in Michigan through the 18th annual Housing for Everyone grant program. Grants ranging from $150,000 to $250,000 will support independent living for marginalized community members, especially those who experience homelessness and face conditions that make it difficult to maintain a stable home without additional help. Dismas of Vermont received $250,000. Dismas of Vermont homes provide shelter and support to men and women making the difficult transition from incarceration to new lives. 

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today thanked the Legislature for explicitly codifying the crime of nonconsensual “deepfake” pornography. The change, contained in bill H.878, was added to Vermont’s Revenge Porn Statute and will be making its way to the Governor’s desk. Deepfakes use artificial intelligence to alter photos, videos, or audio to make it look like someone is doing something they are not. Sometimes, so-called “nudification” apps are used to create deepfakes. Reportedly, over 90% of deepfakes are pornography, of which 90% use the faces of women or girls. 

Vermont Business Magazine Newly published study results from the VA Disrupted Care National Project (DCNP) reveal that the number of surgical procedures fell more during later waves of the COVID-19 pandemic than they had during the early waves, leading researchers to believe that instead of health systems learning to manage surgical needs over the course of the pandemic, they increasingly struggled to support patients’ surgical needs as the pandemic progressed. A multi-institutional team of researchers led by the White River Junction VA and including the West Haven and Palo Alto VA analyzed over 1.8 million surgical procedures using Medicare claims activity from 2016 to 2021. The analysis yielded important insight by identifying two periods of marked decline in surgeries. 

Vermont Business Magazine In a significant step towards enhancing support for caregivers, the Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging (SVCOA) is excited to announce a new partnership with Trualta, a leader in online caregiver education. This collaboration is set to revolutionize the resources available to individuals caring for older loved ones, offering them unparalleled access to tailored training and support services, free of charge. Trualta's platform is uniquely designed to address the challenges faced by family caregivers. It provides practical, skill-based learning solutions that help manage the complexities of caring for a loved one, from handling routine daily activities to addressing more challenging behaviors and health issues associated with aging.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine As of April 30, 2024, hospitals are no longer required to report COVID-19 Hospital data. CDC strongly encourages hospitals to continue reporting these data, but following the May 1st COVID-19 Surveillance Report, the Vermont Department of Health will no longer be providing updated Hospitalization Levels with their weekly report. The average hospitalization has fallen under one per day, while the Seven-Day Rolling Average of people coming to emergency departments of the state's hospitals with a COVID diagnosis is under 5. Meanwhile, total reported cases statewide were 33 and there have been no associated deaths in two weeks.

Vermont Business Magazine RunVermont announces the 35th running of the M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay on Sunday, May 26, the hallmark Memorial Day Weekend event in the Queen City. In total, over 4,600 racers will participate in the individual race and 2-person and 3-5 person relay events. The marathon and relay serves as the largest sporting event in the state.