Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The City of Burlington calls on Vermont lawmakers to prioritize long-term public investment in Vermont’s child care system in 2023 to better support children, families, businesses, and early childhood educators statewide. The City Council passed a resolution Monday night that the Mayor will sign, which urges action from the Legislature to advance legislation that would make child care more accessible and affordable.

The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of a man who had been jailed at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield. Alexander Kelley, 34, of Putney was found unresponsive in his cell by prison staff during a routine check at 1:08 a.m. Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Prison staff provided emergency medical care and called first responders to the prison. Lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful, and Kelley was pronounced dead at 1:42 a.m. Following standard procedure, the Department of Corrections notified the Vermont State Police of Kelley’s death, and a detective responded to Southern State to perform a death investigation. An autopsy will be performed at the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington to determine the cause and manner of death. Preliminary information obtained by VSP indicates Kelley’s health was being monitored by prison staff, and he was alone in a cell.

Vermont State Police On 03/14/23 at 0744, Troopers from the Vermont State Police – Williston Barracks responded to a two-motor vehicle crash located between Cochran Road & Cochran Way in the Town of Richmond. Upon arrival, Troopers located the first vehicle at a position of uncontrolled rest facing east on Cochran Road and the second vehicle at a position of controlled rest on Cochran Road facing west. Further investigation revealed that Operator 1, Macauley Bernier was traveling east on Cochran Road and lost traction while on the slight curve and sideswiped Operator 2, Cris Cote who was driving the school bus traveling west on Cochran Road. As a result, all drivers and students aboard the bus sustained no injuries and none of the drivers provided any signs of impairment.

Vermont Business Magazine Walker & Dunlop, Inc announced Monday that it closed a $46 million 232/223(f) refinancing of Terrace Portfolio, a group of four assisted living facilities located in Vermont and New Hampshire, including Woodstock Terrace and Valley Terrace in White River Junction. Walker & Dunlop's Frank Cassidy led the Senior Housing Finance team in refinancing a bridge loan that the Walker & Dunlop team previously arranged in December 2020 to facilitate a partner buyout and re-leverage the portfolio. The bridge loan was structured as eligible debt in anticipation of the HUD takeout.

Vermont Business Magazine The Rutland Area Medical Community Scholarship committee will extend the 2023 application deadline from March 15 to April 1, 2023. The 2023 Rutland Area Medical Community Scholarship application is currently available for qualified candidates who are interested in pursuing or furthering their career in healthcare. Eligible candidates include high school seniors, local college students or Rutland area medical community employees. The Rutland area medical community established the scholarship program in 2016. Since that time, twenty-eight scholarships have been awarded to local recipients.

Vermont Business Magazine At the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR), volunteers play a critical role in enhancing the end-of-life experiences of people facing serious illness and their families. Volunteers represent all life experiences and are drawn to hospice for a variety of reasons, but the defining characteristics that unite them are compassion and the desire to help others. Their many skills are matched to important tasks within our mission. VNAHSR provides training for those interested in becoming hospice volunteers. Training will be held on Friday, April 14 from 8am – 4pm in the Casella Conference Room at the Rutland office, located at 7 Albert Cree Drive.

Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council The need for more Service Supported Housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) is the centerpiece of a new study that will be released by the Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council at a State House press conference on Wednesday, March 15 at noon in the Cedar Creek Room. Resources exist to build, rehabilitate, subsidize, and enhance housing for financially eligible Vermonters, including those with I/DD, but disability service providers and housing developers have not traditionally worked together in Vermont, according to the report. During the 2022 legislative session, parent of adults with I/DD came forward to advocate that more housing options be created for their sons and daughters. The result was Act 186, which commissioned the Council to prepare the report and set aside $500,000 for pilot planning grants for new housing models. The grants will be awarded later this spring.

Vermont Business Magazine Grace Cottage Hospital has joined a nationwide initiative to improve health care specifically for older adults. The Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative is helping hospitals and other care settings implement a set of evidence-based interventions specifically designed to improve care for older adults. In its letter congratulating Grace Cottage Hospital for its “Age-Friendly” level 2 recognition, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) calls Grace Cottage Hospital “a leader in this rapidly growing movement committed to care of older adults.” Grace Cottage is the only Vermont hospital that has achieved this recognition.

Vermont Business Magazine The NEK Council on Aging announced that it will be participating in the 21st^th Annual March for Meals – a month-long, nationwide celebration of Meal on Wheels and elder neighbors who rely on this essential service to remain healthy and independent at home. During the last fiscal year, the NEKCOA’s 14 partner meal sites across the NEK, served over 224,343 take home, congregate, or home-delivered meals.

Vermont Business Magazine The Center for Community News (CCN) at the University of Vermont has announced a new program to fund faculty champions at 33 universities and colleges who are starting and growing local news partnerships. Local news is in a crisis with two community papers disappearing a week, according to research by the Local News Initiative. University-led student reporting programs are stepping in, providing a new source of news to millions of Americans. The 33 faculty champions come from 21 different states. Fifteen of them work at minority serving institutions where student populations are majority non-white, including historically Black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions. Total funding of $54,000 is provided. Champions receive $1,000 each.