Current News

Vermont Business Magazine USAA has released data on distracted driving trends in the United States during the first half of 2023. The data, compiled from USAA's SafePilot telematics app, offers valuable insights into the states where drivers are most and least prone to distractions behind the wheel. The data comes at a time when more drivers have returned to the roads as more Americans are working from offices. Mississippi (17.8%), Louisiana and South Carolina had the highest rates of distracted driving and Vermont (6.8%), Oregon and Minnesota had the lowest. According to the most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving claimed 3,522 lives in 2021, which is a 13% increase over pre-pandemic figures from 2019. Distracted driving is particularly dangerous because it diverts a driver's attention away from the road, increasing the risk of accidents. 

VermontBiz AARP Vermont invites local eligible organizations and communities across the state to apply for the 2023 AARP Vermont Winter Placemakinggrant program, now through October 16 at 5:00 p.m. The grants fund quick-action projects that initiate winter placemaking demonstrations focused on creating or reinventing public spaces to improve safety, accessibility, and overall appeal. Now in its fourth year, the program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live for all residents, especially those age 50 and older.

VermontBiz Vermont Tourism’s flood recovery visitation campaign launched Labor Day weekend with billboards in Vermont’s key drive markets, from metro DC to north of Boston. Thanks to the support of our vendors, Vermont’s ‘very much open’ messaging will appear in over 325 locations in our major markets, including New York, New Jersey, and southern New England, at a fraction of the typical cost. Additional components of the campaign include national and regional public radio underwriting, digital display advertising, and a series of social media stories that will profile businesses and communities coming back from the flood. Vermont has also secured sponsorship of the weekly fall foliage reports broadcast on WCVB in Boston, giving us the opportunity to reach a very wide audience in a key market. Along with everyone in the industry, we are looking forward to a hopefully very robust fall foliage season.

by Michael K. Smith, Interim President, Vermont State University There are certainly complex challenges in higher education and significant forces at play that a university like ours doesn’t control—our aging demographic, uncertainty about the value of higher education, and designing a delivery model that reaches and encompasses the rural nature of our state. In the face of these challenges, Vermont stepped up. Led by Governor Scott, lawmakers, and the Chancellor, Vermont has made more than a $200 million investment in the Vermont State College System, which paved the way for the unification and creation of Vermont State University. This decision is about far more than money. It represents a commitment to equity, inclusion, and opportunity for the students we serve; many are first-generation college students, adult learners, single parents, and those of low or moderate incomes.

Vermont Business Magazine In 2021 Vermont River Conservancy (VRC) received Clean Water Funding from the Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation to develop a river corridor and wetland conservation easement in Manchester along the Battenkill River. The purpose of a river corridor conservation easement is to allow our rivers space to move and shift and access their floodplains during flood events. VRC initiated conversations in and negotiated a purchase and sale agreement with the Trustees of Cecelia Johnson Agricultural Land Trust to protect and enhance over 42 acres of riparian and wetland areas within the Battenkill River Watershed. 

Vermont Business Magazine I Heart Mac & Cheese (www.iheartmacandcheese.com) is pleased to announce today that its first St. Albans location will open on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, at 133 Main Street, St. Albans, VT 05478 next store to Feldman’s Bagels at 11 AM. The first 25 paying customers will win Free Mac & Cheese Bowl for a year! 

VermontBiz Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Friday issued the following statement after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a change in the department’s contract with Regeneron to guarantee that the company’s COVID-19 treatment must be reasonably priced: 

I welcome the Biden Administration’s announcement today that if Regeneron, through a $326 million contract recently signed with HHS, successfully develops a next generation monoclonal antibody for COVID-19 prevention, the list price of this drug must be equal to or lower than the price in other major countries.

VermontBiz The Vermont Kindness Project, with support from the Vermont Department of Health and Mosaic Vermont, is hosting five free public wellness events entitled, “Returning Home to Ourselves,” in September and October. The events are hosted by Kimberly Pierce, a trauma-trained medical provider who has been translating the neuroscience of trauma and resilience into accessible care for more than a decade. These events aim to support community understanding of how addressing childhood trauma and creating environments that encourage Radical Love can offer us a different way of being. 

VermontBiz The Agency of Education (AOE) updated the Annual Snapshot today. The snapshot is an online tool that shows quantitative data about Vermont schools and helps foster collaboration between school systems and their local communities. The Annual Snapshot reports a school’s current performance, improvement over the past year and success in achieving an equitable education for all students. The Annual Snapshot can be found at schoolsnapshot.vermont.gov. 

VermontBiz The need for specialized legal services is both urgent and essential for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. These services provide interventions, such as securing restraining or protective orders, that are crucial for survivor safety. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont is proud to announce that the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded $1,350,000 to Vermont organizations that provide legal services and improve the effective coordination of justice systems impacting survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. 

VermontBiz The Vermont Department of Labor began issuing Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) payments to eligible individuals on Thursday, September 7, 2023.  

As of Thursday, September 7, 128 DUA applications had been filed, and payments were being processed for individuals who had submitted the required program documentation and certified with the Department that their employment had been impacted due to the July flooding, as required by federal regulation.