Current News

Increase in adult cannabis use and poor mental health stand out

Vermont Business Magazine Newly released data from the Department of Health show that most Vermont adults report they are in good health. Over the last decade, adults have taken steps to reduce health risks and increase preventive behaviors.

At the same time, disparities highlight the public health challenges Vermont continues to face. Vermont adults also report increased use of cannabis, and the number of adults reporting poor mental health has gradually gone up over the last decade.

The data comes from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), an annual survey that tracks adult health-related behaviors, chronic health conditions and use of preventive services. Results from the 2021 survey of 6,580 adults include new data on regular caregiving, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and COVID-19 immunizations.

Vermont State Police Following continued investigation, the Vermont State Police is able to identify the individual involved in this incident as Ryan Sturtevant-Hatch, 30, who has no fixed address. Investigators have learned that Sturtevant-Hatch had left a drug treatment and recovery facility Monday in violation of court-ordered conditions and had been staying in a rental cabin on Cabin Lane in Waterbury with two acquaintances. On Tuesday night, he began destroying property and damaging the residence, causing the two acquaintances to flee the cabin. At some point overnight, Sturtevant-Hatch appears to have injured himself by jumping out of the cabin through a window. He subsequently told police that he was injured when an assailant broke into the cabin and fired multiple rounds at him from a handgun, but no evidence was located at the scene to indicate a shooting had occurred.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced he appointed Chris Winters, of Berlin, as commissioner of the Department for Children and Families (DCF). Winters will replace Interim Commissioner Harry Chen, M.D., who has served since October. Additionally, the current deputy commissioner of the Child Development Division (CDD), Miranda Gray, will become deputy commissioner of the Economic Services Division (ESD), and Janet McLaughlin will join the Department as deputy commissioner of CDD.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Green Building Network’s (VGBN) eleventh annual Vermont’s Greenest Building Awards Competition is now open for submissions. This statewide competition recognizes exemplary residential and commercial buildings that excel in green building strategies – including water, health, transportation, and affordability – and meet the highest standard of demonstrated energy performance. Submissions are due on Friday, March 31, 2023 at 5 pm EST.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine At his press conference Tuesday, Governor Phil Scott updated a renewed effort to bring an underwater power line under Lake Champlain from Quebec to hook into the New England electric grid. The proposal was first raised more than eight years ago in 2014. He said that while meeting with New England governors last week, as part of the National Governors Association annual meeting in Washington, there was interest in putting the proposal back on the table.

Vermont State Police Members of the Vermont State Police are continuing to investigate an incident that occurred Wednesday morning in which a man was injured and taken to the hospital. At this point in the investigation, detectives have been unable to confirm whether the man’s injuries were the result of gunfire or some other cause. Police are actively investigating the circumstances of how the man was injured, and whether anyone else was involved. The identity of the injured man is being withheld at this time pending further investigation. The state police has conducted interviews with several witnesses and has additional interviews scheduled. Detectives also are seeking search warrants for several cabins along Cabin Lane in Waterbury.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has proposed issuing 180 moose hunting permits in Vermont’s Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) E in the northeastern corner of the state in a continued effort to reduce the impact of winter ticks on moose in that area. No permits are recommended for the rest of the state. The proposal was given initial approval by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board at its February 15 meeting and is now available for public comment. The goal of the department’s 2023 moose harvest recommendation is to improve the health of moose in WMU-E by reducing the number of moose and thereby reducing the abundance and impact of winter ticks.

by Linda McGinnis I’m tired of seeing what the cost of heating fuels is doing to the budgets of everyday Vermonters who are working hard to make ends meet. And I’m tired of seeing the negative impact – both environmental and economic – of fossil fuels on our state, all while the corporate suppliers are making higher profits than ever before. This past year, the price spikes for heating fuels reached all-time highs, and were especially painful during the cold winter months. Relying on high-cost, price-volatile fossil fuels that are 100% imported into Vermont just doesn’t make sense – it’s costly to everyone, and the burden falls heaviest on those who can least afford to pay. It’s time to wean ourselves off fossil fuels. And it’s more possible now than ever before. To address this problem, I’m grateful that many of our state legislators are working to pass the Affordable Heat Act (AHA).

Vermont Business Magazine Following the news that the CEO of Moderna will accept an invitation to testify in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee next month, Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) gave remarks on the floor of the US Senate about the growth of greed in the pharmaceutical industry and what Congress can do to end it. But on one of the most important matters facing our country the American people – Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Progressives, and Conservatives – could not be more united. And that is the need to take on the unprecedented corporate greed of the pharmaceutical industry and to substantially lower the outrageously high price of prescription drugs.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark wants to hear young Vermonters’ thoughts about the environment. For the third year in a row, the Attorney General’s Office is holding an Earth Day Essay Challenge and asking fifth and sixth graders to submit essays on the environment. Last year, the Attorney General’s Office received almost 200 essays from fifth- and sixth-grade students from all over Vermont. The Attorney General’s Earth Day Essay Challenge is open to any fifth- or sixth-grade student in Vermont. The Challenge will run from February 13, 2023, through April 7, 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine Nominations are now open for the Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame through www.VTAgHallOfFame.org. Nominations will be accepted in three categories: Emerging Leaders, Ag Innovators, and The Lifetime Achievement Award. Nominations will be accepted through Friday, March 17th, 2023 at 5:00 PM. This year the Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame celebrates over 20 years of honoring farmers, producers and people dedicated to supporting Vermont’s working landscape by growing Vermont’s food, fiber and fuel. Anyone is invited to submit a nomination.

Vermont State Police On 11/18/2021 the Vermont State Police Westminster Barracks began an investigation into a report of embezzlement by a former employee of Timson Hill Preschool located in Williamsville, Vermont. The employee, identified as Rebecca McCuller, 54, was employed as the school director for approximately four years, from 2017 until 2021. It was later discovered unauthorized funds had been misallocated to McCuller into a personal account rather than the official school account.