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by Kelly Nottermann “If you look online, you can find Chinese food, Italian food, and so many ethnic cuisines, but not African. So, we thought, ‘why not?’ We will be the pioneers of African cuisine and we’ll do it from Vermont.” A trained chef in Kenya, Damaris Hall emigrated to the United States in 1991 with her now husband and business partner, Mel. The couple settled in Quechee, Vermont, with dreams of starting their own business. As the couple explored ideas, Damaris found herself nostalgic for familiar foods, such as tagines, samosas, and curries spiced with the flavors of home, so she began to cook. Inspired, Mel and Damaris began selling African food at summer events, which led to vending contracts at larger festivals, such as the Reggae Festival and Bread and Puppet. “People had no idea what they were eating, but they loved it,” said Damaris.

University of Vermont In recent years it has become increasingly common that on some of the hottest days of the summer, the freshwater lakes and ponds that we rely on to cool down are closed due to dangerous cyanobacterial blooms. Beyond this effect on recreation, blooms also have a significant, negative impact on freshwater ecosystems—they release toxins, block light needed by other organisms, and deplete oxygen. Much research has been done and attention has been paid to better understanding conditions that promote cyanobacterial blooms, but most of the focus has been on warm and hot conditions. As global temperatures rise and all seasons in the northeastern US get warmer due to climate change, this focus is understandable; but it doesn’t tell the whole story. There is increasing evidence that cyanobacterial blooms can also occur in cold-water temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), including ice-covered conditions.

Vermont Business Magazine KeyBank’s Key4Women will present “Grit and Grace”, a free, one-hour virtual event on Wednesday, March 1, at 12pm eastern standard time. The webinar will kick off Women’s History month with guest speaker, Cheryle Jackson, Founder of Grit and Grace, The Movement and current CEO of MyOwnDoctor, a groundbreaking telehealth company. This lively webinar will discuss why practicing grace along with grit is the answer to not only sustaining success but walking in your brilliance to live a life you desire.

Leonine Public Affairs Committees in both chambers advanced major policy initiatives this week. The Senate Natural Resources and Energy committee voted 5-0 to approve S.5, the Affordable Heating Act. The House General and Housing committee voted 9-3 to approve H.66, the paid family and medical leave bill. Both S.5 and H.66 will be referred to other committees for consideration before they reach the floor. On Thursday, the House Education committee received an introduction to H.258, a bill that restricts public dollars to independent schools. Among other provisions, H.258 requires a school district that does not maintain an elementary or high school to designate up to three public schools to serve as the public school of the district. The bill would essentially prohibit most independent schools from receiving public dollars.

Vermont Business Magazine The National Life Group (NLG) Foundation will honor Black History Month by matching donations through GIVING BACK with BUILD, Black History Month Fundraiser in support of Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region (CIS). A National Life Group community, BUILD was chartered to commit to the increase of Black agents and leaders in the insurance industry. According to Marsh, only 4% of independent agencies have an African American principal or senior manager. This lack of representation can interfere with the ability to effectively reach and create connections with a diverse and growing prospective audience.

Vermont Business Magazine On Saturday, February 18, David Glidden was unanimously elected as the new chair of the Vermont Democratic Party. He takes over this role from former VDP Chair Anne Lezak, who announced she was stepping down earlier this month. Glidden has deep roots with the VDP and has risen through the ranks of the party over the years. He began his political career as a field organizer in Franklin and Grand Isle Counties in 2016 for the Democratic Coordinated campaign. In 2017 he was elected State Party Assistant Treasurer, and in 2021 he was elected Vice Chair of the VDP.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) on Thursday sent two letters to the leadership of the United States Postal Service (USPS) demanding answers and accountability regarding postal issues affecting workers and service in communities across Vermont. These letters – one to the USPS Board of Governors and one to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy – were the first sent by the newly-formed Vermont Delegation in the 118th Congress, continuing ongoing delegation efforts to resolve postal issues across the state.

Vermont Business Magazine New Breed, the premier revenue performance management partner for the world's fastest-growing companies, today announced that it has been named HubSpot's 2022 North America Partner of the Year. New Breed is now the only partner in HubSpot's Impact Award Hall of Fame to be a three-time recipient of the North America Partner of the Year award. HubSpot, a leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform for scaling companies, uses the award to recognize members of its Solutions Partner Program who meet specific criteria that contribute to their growth and the growth of their customers.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine With personal and corporate income taxes again leading the way, General Fund tax revenues again surpassed recently updated targets. Personal income taxes were a whopping $11 million ahead of targets and corporate income was over $6 million ahead, or by more than 50 percent. The state’s General Fund, Transportation Fund, and Education Fund receipts in January were a combined $345.8 million, or 6.5%, above monthly consensus expectations. This continues the trend of the first six months of the fiscal year, where combined revenues across all three funds were 6.3% above the consensus target set at the July 2022 Emergency Board meeting.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported February 15, 2023, that COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations were largely unchanged again over the last week. COVID-19 activity remains in the "Low" range, according to the VDH. Hospitalizations decreased to 41 last week (they were as low as 30 last fall). Total cases fell slightly to 495. There were five COVID-related deaths in the last week for a pandemic total of 910 as of February 11.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) today announced Northern State Correctional Facility (NSCF) Interim Superintendent Lori Madden returned to her role as Assistant Superintendent at Northwest State Correctional Facility (NWSCF) in St Albans on February 10. Effective February 20, Amy Jacobs, Interim Assistant Superintendent at NWSCF, will assume the role of Interim Superintendent at NSCF in Newport. This transition took place following a January 25 letter from Vermont State Employees’ Association Inc (VSEA) expressing a “vote of no confidence” in Madden.