Current News

The Vermont State Police is searching for Jason Frye, 38, of Winooski, who escaped from custody Friday night, March 24, 2023, while at the University of Vermont Medical Center. State troopers encountered Frye at about 7:45 p.m. Friday following a single-car crash on Interstate 89 southbound near Exit 12 in Williston. When police arrived on the scene of the crash, medical personnel were treating Frye, the driver of the vehicle, and preparing to transport him by ambulance to UVMMC. Troopers learned that Frye was wanted on a return on mittimus warrant from the Department of Corrections related to a burglary citation he received from the Winooski Police Department on Thursday arising from a break-in at a convenience store. His underlying charge was assault and robbery with a weapon.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the House gave final approval to H.165, the Universal School Meals bill, permanently enacting the universal meal program that provides free breakfast and lunch for students in all public schools and is available in independent schools. This bill also supports local communities and farms across the state by connecting farmers with schools and creating a partnership that benefits all involved. The Joint Fiscal Office issued a report in February estimating that the cost of universal meals in FY 2023 is projected to be approximately $27.2 million, and if the current USM program continued in its same structure in FY 2024, JFO estimated the cost would range from $26 million to $31 million.

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont Senate gave final approval to S.27, a bill that would prohibit the use of cash bail for nonviolent misdemeanor offenses. This year, the Vermont Department of Corrections reported that nearly 200 people were being held in custody pre-trial because they didn’t post bail. Several states and jurisdictions that have eliminated cash bail or have greatly limited its allowable use have seen higher rates of appearance in court. This bill would prohibit the imposition of cash bail in cases where the defendant has been charged with a misdemeanor and to require criminal justice stakeholders to develop recommendations to eliminate cash bail. It would also require the Department of Corrections (DOC) to report racial data on pretrial detainees, and require the Judiciary to establish and implement a system to notify those charged with a criminal offense of upcoming court hearings.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network will remain in-network for UnitedHealthcare commercial insurance plans through the end of the 2023 calendar year as part of a recent agreement between the non-profit health system and one of the nation’s largest insurance carriers. UnitedHealthcare announced in February that it would let the UVMHN contract expire April 1. Their policy holders would then have to get treatment as out-of-network patients and pay higher rates or go to a different provider. UVMHN said it will take a financial hit because of the deal and it doubts that an agreement will be reached for 2024.

Vermont Business Magazine A week ago, a super majority of Goddard College staff unanimously took a vote of no confidence in President Dan Hocoy’s leadership and a separate vote to authorize a strike. Staff from across the campus – from kitchen workers to financial advisors – participated in person and via Zoom to take part in this historic vote. At issue is the very mission of Goddard College, which is to enable “imaginative and responsible action in the world.” Faculty have included visionaries such as Murray Bookchin, who advocated for systems that were non-hierarchical and democratically controlled by all stakeholders. The College was founded in the 1930s to explicitly fight fascism and authoritarianism.

Vermont Business Magazine The House on Thursday evening gave preliminary approval to H.66, a bill that gives Vermonters up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave insurance with 90% pay and employment protection. The legislation provides leave for a variety of health conditions for both employees and their family, including but not limited to miscarriage, residential treatment for substance use disorder, childbirth, and child bonding. The House gave final approval Friday and sent it to the Senate. Governor Scott has put forth a voluntary family leave plan and voiced his opposition to H.66 as currently constructed. The second reading roll call vote, with several lawmakers absent, was 99-32, one vote shy of what would be needed for a veto override. Lawmakers passed a similar bill in January 2020, but ultimately failed to override Scott's subsequent veto.

Vermont Business Magazine The House on Thursday passed the suicide prevention bill, H. 230. The legislation addresses the alarming increase in suicide rates in Vermont by creating mechanisms to provide a period of time and space from firearms for individuals experiencing suicidal impulses. The bill requires locked gun storage to prevent firearms from being accessed by children, creates a 72-hour purchase waiting period, and allows family and household members to petition the court for temporary gun removal under our state’s “red flag” laws. Following today’s vote, the bill will move to the Senate for further consideration. If enacted, Vermont will join a growing number of states that have implemented comprehensive suicide prevention plans.

The Vermont State Police was informed on Thursday March 23, 2023, that the Operator of Vehicle #1, Peter Nichols, 77, of New Haven, Vermont, succumbed at the University of Vermont Medical Center. The investigation into this crash is ongoing. On Thursday afternoon, Troopers with the Vermont State Police assigned to the New Haven barracks were advised of a two car motor vehicle crash on VT RT 125 in the Town of Ripton, Vermont. Upon arrival, Troopers observed two vehicles with heavy damage at a position of uncontrolled rest in the east and west bound lanes of travel on VT RT 125. Initial investigation revealed that Vehicle One (V1) which was operated by Peter Nichols (77) was traveling eastbound, and Vehicle Two which was operated by Bruce Perlow (46) was traveling westbound. As Vehicle One was traveling eastbound, it had crossed the centerline, striking vehicle Two head one.

The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of a man at the Bennington Police Department after he was arrested Thursday afternoon, March 23, 2023. Through preliminary investigation by VSP, there is no indication that Bennington police used physical force on the subject. He was one of three people taken into custody at about 3:50 pm as Bennington officers carried out a court-ordered search warrant related to a drug investigation at the Apple Valley Inn on US Route 7. The subject was taken to the Bennington Police Department and placed in a holding cell, where he was discovered unresponsive at about 4:40 pm. Members of the police department provided emergency medical care and called first responders, but lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful, and the man was pronounced dead at 5:19 pm at the police station.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House of Representatives voted 108-36 Thursday to advance H.126, an act related to community resilience and biodiversity protection. The bill passed on a third reading Friday and now heads to the Senate for consideration. According to the US Forest Service, Vermont is losing approximately 12,000 acres of forestland per year to development, causing significant impacts to ecosystem health, habitat for wildlife species, the ecological viability of natural lands, and our working lands economy. H.126, referred to as the “30 x 30” bill, would elevate land conservation as a necessary strategy to promote healthy forests, habitat connectivity, biodiversity protection, outdoor recreation, sustainable forestry, public health and climate resilient communities.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) today held a roundtable discussion on health care challenges in Vermont’s rural communities and announced new funding to support health care facilities in St Johnsbury and Waterbury. United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small and USDA Rural Development State Director Sarah Waring joined Welch to announce $28.4 million in USDA grants to Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) and Copley Hospital. The investments are expected to save more than 400 jobs and benefit more than 9,500 rural Vermonters.