Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation have awarded 28 grants, totaling $376,988. The grants were presented to municipalities, non-profit organizations, and owners of historic agricultural buildings in ten Vermont counties. These grants, leveraging roughly $1 million in restoration and rehabilitation efforts, ensure proper stewardship of our agricultural landmarks, increasing the livability and workability of Vermont places. Grants awarded this year will assist projects from Cornwall to Fletcher, and Newbury to Rockingham. Projects include drainage improvements, foundation repairs, structural work, and failing roofs to ensure continued use.

Vermont Business Magazine The 28th Annual Special Olympics Vermont Penguin Plunge went remote due to anticipated extreme weather conditions on Saturday, February 4th. Nevertheless, hundreds of plungers raised funds and created their own chilly activities in support of programs that enrich the lives of a community of over 5,000 Vermonters. The Penguin Plunge is the largest fundraising event for Special Olympics Vermont (SOVT), and this year over $525,000 was raised by over 1,000 participants between the Burlington, Cool Schools, and Southern Vermont plunges to support SOVT initiatives and programming.

Vermont Business Magazine Colonel Matthew T Birmingham, director of the Vermont State Police, today issued the following statement regarding criminal charges being brought against a former state trooper: "The charges against former state trooper Giancarlo DiGenova as outlined in court documents represent an extraordinary betrayal of the public’s trust, his oath as a sworn police officer, and his colleagues in law enforcement who serve the state honorably every day. I know all Vermonters are angered and disappointed. So am I. Your outrage is appropriate. But I also want you to know that the system worked as well as it can when someone is determined to commit crimes by abusing their power and trust. The former trooper’s actions were uncovered by his peers, who reported him to supervisors. We launched an intensive, lengthy and comprehensive investigation that led to the filing of serious criminal charges. And we have reviewed our policies and procedures, making changes where necessary and increasing the oversight already in place.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.40 per gallon, down 4 cents per gallon from last week, down 6 cents/g from last month and down 79 cents/g from the same period last year, according to GasBuddy. The lowest price in Vermont today is $2.99/g in Middlebury and the highest price is $3.69 in Killington. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 5 cents per gallon in the last week, to also average $3.40/g today. The national average is up 4 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 83 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 5.6 cents in the last week and stands at $4.25 per gallon.

by Devon Green, Vice President of Government Relations, VAHHS We’re officially in the second half of the session. Anything that didn’t get passed out of its committee of jurisdiction is dead… unless it’s a money bill; or dispensation is requested; or it is turned into a committee bill; or it gets tacked on to a different bill. Nothing is ever truly dead until the gavel falls for adjournment. Key bills include: Workforce: A lot of movement on workforce this week with the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee passing out a workforce bill; The House Health Care committee is passing out the interstate counseling compact, the physical therapy licensure compact, the audiology and speech-language pathology compact and a psychology interjurisdictional compact; Adult Protective Services Bill: The House Human Services Committee advanced H.171, an update to the vulnerable adult abuse and neglect statute; Cybersecurity: This was the equivalent of a March Madness Cinderella basketball team—H.291 passed out of committee in a flash.

Vermont Business Magazine On the heels of one of Vermont’s largest snowfalls of the season, while skiers and snowboarders from neighboring states revel in fresh powder, Vermont will be celebrating Tourism Day at the State House on March 22, 2023. Throughout the day, industry leaders will engage with legislators and the governor to raise awareness to the collective contributions of the outdoor and visitor economy. Whether it’s hiking the Long Trail, biking in the Kingdom, camping at Gifford Woods State Park, skiing at Smuggler’s Notch Resort, or sailing on Lake Champlain, visitors and future Vermonters come to our state to enjoy the world class outdoor recreation landscape, which is at the center of Vermont’s visitor economy.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets As spring approaches, farmers are cultivating seedlings while the Legislature starts to wrap up their work in Montpelier. There will be a flurry of activity; some proposals will grow into law, but many will not. As these bills unfold, the agriculture community continues to advocate for a major initiative in the Governor’s budget that would make significant investments in produce, meat, and maple. We have presented this proposal to lawmakers as they deliberate the budget. This one-time $10 million dollar appropriation will allocate funding to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets to provide competitively awarded grants.

Vermont Business Magazine Hundreds of UVM students, faculty, and staff danced the night away on March 4th to raise funds and awareness for the UVM Children’s Hospital. RALLYTHON, UVM’s Miracle Network Dance Marathon, raised over $102,034.09 by the end of the evening. The total raised continues to grow post-event, and on Tuesday, April 4th, RALLYTHON’s student leadership team will present a check to UVM Children’s Hospital’s Chief of Pediatrics Lewis First, MD. RALLYTHON is planned and executed by a committee of 33 students from across campus.

by Mike Donoghue, Correspondent, Vermont Business Magazine A Bristol businessman, who authorities said defrauded more than 100 customers out of $165,000 for custom wood products he never delivered over the past year, has been arrested on federal wire fraud charges. David A. Conrad, 42, pleaded not guilty to the 5-count indictment when he appeared in US District Court in Burlington late Friday afternoon. Federal Magistrate Kevin Doyle agreed to release Conrad despite heavy objection by the prosecution, which noted the defendant had no stable place to live and may have serious mental health issues. Conrad has been living in his truck in Burlington in recent days and it appeared he would continue to live there if released.

Vermont State Police On 03/17/2023 at approximately 1955 hrs., the Vermont State Police along with the Waterbury Fire Department and Waterbury Ambulance Service were called to a report of a person who had been struck by a northbound Amtrak passenger train on the railroad tracks adjacent to the Waterbury - Stowe Amtrak Station. The victim was found to be deceased and was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine Nature and Cause of Death. No passengers or Amtrak employees on the train were injured during the incident.

Vermont Business Magazine As Vermonters patiently wait for spring temperatures to arrive, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites the public to report when Vermont’s lakes and ponds lose their ice cover. Also known as the “ice-out date,” this date marks when lakes or ponds become ice-free from shore to shore. Tracking ice-out dates helps DEC scientists decide when to begin seasonal water quality sampling efforts. When ice covers lakes, the water below separates into layers based on temperature and density. When the surface ice fully melts in the spring, the heavy cold water sinks and the water column fully mixes. Water samples collected at this time of mixing show the baseline amount of phosphorus a lake will have available to fuel algae and aquatic plant growth during the spring and summer.

Vermont Business Magazine Scott Administration officials will be visiting Lamoille County on Monday to continue their county tour to hear from community leaders about their unique infrastructure needs and to discuss the many funding opportunities available to them via federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. Officials will offer guidance on how communities can apply for assistance with tangible economic development, housing, water and sewer, climate change mitigation measures, and broadband projects. While Officials will be using the day for various one-on-one support meetings in Lamoille County, a list of events open to the media and public are sorted by Agency or Department below.