Current News

Steve Knowlton, President, WEC We continue to hear from our members in response to our net metering theme issue (September 2022). It’s worth reminding our members that we are not faulting those homeowners who have already chosen to net meter, nor are we suggesting that the state eliminate their financial compensation for the excess power they export. This is about policy going forward, not individuals. Net metering homeowners were able to respond to a government incentive program. And we recognize that net metering, as it was implemented 25 years ago, was a way of incentivizing solar developers as a way of giving them the business of homeowners so residential solar arrays could be built cheaper as time went on.

Vermont Business Magazine The award-winning, family-friendly Resort, Smugglers’ Notch, added a new employee benefit – full day child care and camps, at no cost to the employee. These new benefits will accommodate parents who desire employment at the Resort while their children attend a full day of supervised fun and games. Smuggs anticipates a one-stop-shop experience for parents, providing them with the ability to drive to the Resort and have their children with them. It seems like the perfect time and cost saving solution.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Police has suspended a trooper assigned to the Williston Barracks amid an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of misconduct. The allegations center on the possible theft of items from the temporary evidence storage room at the barracks. Trooper Giancarlo DiGenova was placed on paid relief-from-duty status on Dec. 19, 2022. He has been a trooper since 2009 with assignments including the Williston, Middlesex and Bradford barracks, and the Narcotics Investigation Unit.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and Vermont Emergency Management on Tuesday provided an update on the ongoing response to the winter storm that impacted the state over Christmas weekend. Over 75,000 power outages were reported across the state.

Vermont Business Magazine John M Flood and Ariana Flood, far right, of SERVPRO of Bennington and Rutland Counties, recently met with Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) President and CEO Thomas A. Dee, FACHE, and Radiation Oncologist Matthew Vernon, MD, to present the proceeds of SERVPRO’s second Charity Golf Tournament, which was held on Saturday, October 1 at The Mount Anthony Country Club in Bennington. The day included golf, giveaways, contests, hot dogs and hamburgers, drinks, raffle, a silent auction, awards, and heavy hors d'oeuvres. The event raised $8,000 to benefit the Cancer Center.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets As we pull out our 2023 calendar, we reflect on the year that was, and the year to be. Vermont Agriculture continues to grow and adapt. Farmers and all those who help they put food on our table are a creative and resilient force. No matter what 2022 threw at them they were up to the challenge. All were facing inflation and labor issues, but Vermont farmers continued to produce high quality food for our region and the nation. This effort does not happen without a strong commitment from many hands.

by Jeff Wakefield, Vermont Business Magazine Like the rest of Vermont, the Northeast Kingdom bounced back from the depths of the COVID-19 recession reasonably well in 2021. It’s fair to ask: Could the region continue its comeback in 2022, given its small population, long-time economic challenges and a slowdown in pandemic funding? The answer is a yes, and then some, according to economic development officials and civic leaders.

Travel on the Vermonter with a companion at no additional cost

Vermont Business Magazine Customers who are looking to travel with a companion can take advantage of Amtrak’s latest sale, which offers one free companion rail fare on the Vermonter with the purchase of one fare. The sale is valid for travel in coach between New Haven, Conn., and St. Albans, Vt. Customers must use promo code V502 when booking. This sale is valid between Friday, Dec. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 for travel between Sunday, Jan. 1 and Friday, March 31, 2023.

by Sydney Atkins The Vermont Department of Public Service recently released an interactive map of Vermont’s cell phone coverage. The maps uncovered data that a majority of Vermonters already know and experience every day — significant areas across the state do not have mobile voice service. Solving this issue is going to require new and innovative methods and technology. It will also require collaboration across a number of parties throughout Vermont. The rolling Vermont landscape and the dispersed, rural population make it challenging for large cell towers to find locations that are profitable enough to attract carriers to provide service. This challenge is exacerbated by the common desire not to mar the natural beauty of the landscape.

Vermont Business Magazine Winter Storm Elliot, a Bomb Cyclone, slammed Vermont Friday leaving significant damage in its wake. Downed trees across the state caused outages in every county. Icing from the dropping temperatures made roads slick and a new added layer of fresh snow is making for very tricky restoration conditions today. Temperatures are dangerously low with windchills between 10 and 20 degrees below zero.

by John McClaughry One day in 1903 a police officer in Rutland accosted Andrew Rosenthal. We don’t know why he was accosted – whether he was in the act of committing a crime or otherwise attracted attention. In any case he was arrested and cited for “carrying a pistol loaded with powder and bullets, concealed on his person” without written permission from the mayor or chief of police, in violation of a city gun control ordinance. Rosenthal defended himself by pointing out that “said ordinance is illegal, for that, so far as it prohibits the carrying of a pistol, it is repugnant to and inconsistent with the constitution and the laws of this state.”

Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife Vermont 2023 hunting, trapping, and fishing licenses, as well as the 2023 lawbooks for these activities, are now available on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website and wherever licenses are sold.