Current News

Vermont Business Magazine On August 31st, farmers and farm crews from around Vermont are coming together at Honeyfield Farm in Norwich for the NOFA-VT’s sixth annual Farmer Olympics. Farm teams will show off their finely-honed skills in events ranging from physical to cerebral to just plain ridiculous. Past events have included the giant marshmallow (ie wrapped hay bale) roll, the zucchini relay, squash shot put, and blindfolded partner seeding.

Vermont Business Magazine This weekly report for August 23 is a list of planned construction activities that will have traffic impacts on state highways throughout Vermont. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.

Vermont Business Magazine The "ten best days of summer" is just around the corner as the 2021 Champlain Valley Fair, presented by Progressive, prepares to open its gates on Friday, August 27th at 3 PM. With one-hundred plus exhibits, food concessions, concerts, shows, and agricultural exhibits, the Fair remains Vermont’s largest annual gathering attracting over 120,000 people from Vermont, neighboring states and Canada.

City-wide celebration includes festivities that appeal to all ages

Vermont Business Magazine Vergennes Day kicks off its 39th year on Friday, August 27th with a street dance in City Park featuring the music of “The Hitmen” from 7:00-10:00 pm. The weekend’s activities, hosted and sponsored by the Addison County Chamber of Commerce, City of Vergennes and area businesses, is a celebration of the city and community to be enjoyed by all ages.

Larry Newcombe with his horse and wagon. ACCOC photos.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc (VITL) welcomes Shawn Burroughs, CIO of Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH), to its board of directors. Burroughs will be chairing the board’s Technology Committee. VITL is also announced the appointment of Jeff Tieman, President and CEO of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (VAHHS) as Board Secretary and member of the VITL Executive Committee.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced several, targeted public health interventions against COVID-19 including requirements for all City employees to mask when interacting with members of the public indoors and to either be vaccinated or submit to regular COVID-19 testing. The Mayor also addressed concerns about protecting residents of Burlington’s skilled nursing facilities, and has directed the City’s Health Officer Bill Ward to visit these facilities to observe current protocols.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health on Friday is reporting 112 new cases of COVID-19. There are 26 hospitalized (up five from the Thursday report) with 12 in the ICU (up 3). The VDH also reported 270 deaths statewide, which is an increase of two since Thursday. The case counts are running near early spring levels, since the Delta variant hit Vermont at the beginning of July.

Public Assets Institute Vermonters can stop sounding the alarm about a dwindling population. The state gained 17,336 people in the last decade, according to the 2020 US Decennial Census. While Vermont’s 2.8 percent growth is lower than the 7.4 percent national increase, it is not the slight population drop suggested by estimates made yearly by the Census.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is reminding customers to pay attention to the forecast over the weekend as Tropical Storm Henri heads north along the Atlantic Coast. A possible shift further west may increase the potential for heavy rain and wind, especially in southern Vermont, on Sunday. GMP tracks multiple forecasts and works with meteorologists who analyze data specifically looking for potential impacts to utility infrastructure, to ensure crews are ready to respond for customers.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor is reminding claimants the federal expansion of unemployment insurance benefits created under the CARES Act will end September 6, 2021. This includes Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). As of the week ending August 14, there are 14,850 people on regular UI benefits or one of the federal pandemic UI benefits plans. At $300 a week, the federal stipend goes to all claimants and comes to an additional $4.5 million a week for Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Emily Hawes, Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health (DMH) announced today that plans are moving forward for the construction of a 16-bed secure, step-down recovery residence in Essex. On August 18th, the Green Mountain Care Board approved the Certificate of Need that is required for the project to advance.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation has announced a funding opportunity to provide financial assistance to municipalities in an ongoing effort to improve the quality of water statewide. Potentially eligible project types include planning studies (stormwater inventories, low restoration plans, phosphorus control planning), salt/sand sheds, bank stabilization, culvert replacement/re-sizing, stream bank stabilization, detention ponds, check dam, swirl separators, permeable pavers, infiltration basins, gravel wetlands, subsurface detention systems, bio filters, and bio retention systems.