Current News

Vermont State Police The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of a man whose body was found Tuesday evening, March 21, 2023, in the town of Jay. The victim in this incident is identified as Byron M Camber, 27, of North Troy. An autopsy was performed Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The cause and manner of death remain pending toxicology testing, which can take several weeks to several months. The investigation into this death is active and ongoing. State police will release additional details as the investigation proceeds.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Thursday introduced legislation to block bank executives like Silicon Valley Bank’s Gregory Becker from serving on regional Federal Reserve boards that regulate the banks they run. Today, two-thirds of the directors of the 12 regional Federal Reserve boards are hand-picked by the same bankers that the Federal Reserve charged with regulating. Moreover, five CEOs of financial institutions with over $150 billion in assets currently serve as directors of Federal Reserve banks. For example, the CEO of State Street, which has nearly $300 billion in assets, currently serves as a director of the Boston Federal Reserve.

Vermont Business Magazine Addressing the challenge regarding the next generation’s captive workforce, several rising captive professionals have partnered with the Vermont Captive Insurance Association (VCIA) to formalize the Vermont Captive Insurance Emerging Leaders (VCIEL), a group that will be a platform not only to recruit students to the industry, but also to cultivate the emerging talent already working in captives. VCIEL holds regular meetings and welcomes more captive professionals to bolster its group. It will provide student outreach and networking opportunities, as well as build out a roster of talented speakers to infuse the captive conference circuit with fresh energy. A launch party occurs on April 12th from 5:30-7:30pm at Pizza44 in Burlington, and the broader captive community is invited to support this initiative.

Vermont Business Magazine A new state-funded program, the Vermont Farmer Ecosystem Stewardship Program, will assist Vermont farmers to achieve high levels of stewardship on their land by supporting them to enroll in the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The largest conservation program in the United States, CSP is a federal program that helps land managers enhance natural resources and improve their business operations. CSP requires producers to meet certain environmental objectives and commit to 5 years of enhanced conservation on their land. In return, producers receive an annual conservation payment.

Vermont Business Magazine Energize Vermont, a non-profit energy education and advocacy organization, today (3/22/23) announced a grant award to the Craftsbury Energy Committee to support the town’s WindowDressers program. Over the last several years, Energize Vermont has granted thousands of dollars to WindowDressers communities. At WindowDressers workshops, community volunteers collaborate to assemble custom-fit plastic film inserts stretched over wooden frames for use in area homes. The Energize Vermont grant is intended to support participation in WindowDressers workshops by lower-income households.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) today announced over $860,000 in funding supporting rehabilitation and revitalization projects throughout Vermont’s designated downtown and village centers. These six project awards will help generate over $20 million in building improvements and around the state. In addition to these awards, a new round of funding for later this year will be announced in April, with tax credits available to projects in state-designated Downtowns, Village Centers, and Neighborhood Development Areas. Projects are located in: Bennington, Brattleboro, Enosburg, Jeffersonville, Rutland and White River Junction.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Newport businessman Bill Stenger, the former president of Jay Peak resort, was released from prison today, according to a Facebook post by his son Andrew. The post from Wednesday morning reads: "Just under 7 years ago a long, complicated journey started for my father and our family. I’m extremely grateful to report the journey is finally over. Next stop- large fries at Mc’Ds drive through. Bringing the big man home today." The post shows father and son, but when the photo was taken was not clarified nor was the time of release. Stenger began an 18-month federal prison sentence at Fort Devens, MA, on June 7.

Vermont Business Magazine Following a pandemic hiatus, Tourism Day at the State House returned for the first time since 2020. Over 150 tourism and hospitality industry leaders were present throughout the day to engage with legislators and raise awareness of the collective contributions of these industries to the Vermont economy. The day was centered on the Vermont visitor economy and destination stewardship and management. Business and policy leaders connected throughout the day during a coffee hour with Governor Scott, a joint hearing on the visitor economy with the House Commerce and Economic Development and the Senate Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs Committee, and an evening reception.

Vermont Business Magazine Yesterday, the Vermont House of Representatives passed H470 which would make cocktails-to-go permanent. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration. Currently, cocktails to-go are set to expire on July 1, 2023. H470 removes the sunset date and allows on-premise licensees to sell cocktails to-go for carryout with a food order. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 18 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws to permanently allow cocktails to-go, and 14 others have enacted laws that allow cocktails to-go on a temporary basis. Numerous states are still considering cocktails to-go legislation.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) is conducting internal administrative and medical reviews following the death of an incarcerated individual on Wednesday. Romeo Reome, 53, of Brattleboro, VT, was found unresponsive in his cell at SSCF in Springfield early Wednesday morning. Vermont DOC and medical staff immediately began life-saving measures and called for emergency medical services (EMS). Life-saving efforts were unsuccessful. The official cause of death will be determined by the Vermont State Medical Examiner but is not considered suspicious at this time.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Department of Labor has requested that a federal court in Vermont allow the department to intervene and seek the court’s dismissal of a counterclaim that Bimbo Bakeries USA Inc. – one of the nation’s largest baking companies – has asserted against its own workers who are seeking the overtime compensation that they are allegedly owed. In October 2022, bakery distributor drivers who work for Bimbo Bakeries USA Inc. and Bimbo Foods Bakeries Distribution LLC filed a private lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Vermont alleging they were misclassified as independent contractors, rather than employees as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act. They claimed that, as employees, the companies owe them overtime back wages.

Vermont Business Magazine Earlier this week, Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) returned from a congressional delegation (CODEL) to Mexico to meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his cabinet to discuss maintaining the strong partnership between the United States and Mexico. “The United and Mexico face many of the same challenges—drug and arms trafficking, irregular migration, and an increasingly competitive Chinese government,” said Welch. “We can’t address these issues in isolation. This trip was a meaningful step to maintain and strengthen our relationship with the Mexican government and develop effective, collaborative solutions for the problems impacting Mexicans and Americans alike.”