Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The official Vermont State Butterfly, the Monarch, will soon be returning to Vermont, and with it a new children’s book from New York Times Best Selling Authors and Essex residents John and Jennifer Churchman. This will be the Churchman’s seventh book since 2015 when they debuted with their first book Sweet Pea & Friends The SheepOver.

Vermont Business Magazine Opera North has announced a grant of $10,000 from the Couch Family Foundation that supports organizations serving the Upper Valley and Martha's Vineyard. Opera North usually hosts more than 7,000 people at our summer festival productions. Last year, though we managed to Sing ON under very careful and constrained conditions, we sang for just 750. That significant drop in ticket sales threatened more than just finances and awareness; it meant a re-evaluation of vision and mission.

Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing As all have heard by now, more than 80 percent of eligible Vermonters have received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and Governor Phil Scott has lifted all business, gathering, and travel related restrictions.

Vermont Business Magazine Community National Bank (CNB) CEO Kathy Austin has announced the promotion of Christopher (Chris) Caldwell to Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer. The Board of Directors of Community Bancorp. and Community National Bank in Derby voted to approve Caldwell’s promotion to Executive Officer of the Bank and Vice President of Community Bancorp., to be effective July 1, 2021. Austin commented, “Chris will be a great addition to our Executive team. He brings a wealth of knowledge gained in his previous lending and executive leadership positions.”

Vermont Business Magazine As the UVM Health Network continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and a widespread cyberattack, the FY 2022 budget submission filed today with the Green Mountain Care Board focuses on advancing the Network’s commitment to serve patients with the highest quality care and services at the lowest possible cost. The combined net patient revenue increase is 6 percent. The hospitals include UVMMC, CVMC and Porter.

by Julie Lowell, Public Assets Institute Vermont leaders demonstrated their commitment to Vermonters during the pandemic. They told the truth, faced reality, and committed to the public good to weather the emergency. The post-COVID recovery requires this same level of commitment to address the ongoing challenges that the pandemic highlighted—deteriorating infrastructure, income insecurity, and systemic inequities. Aided by federal relief funds this year, the $7.3 billion budget for fiscal year 2022, which started on July 1, provides a good start.

Senate President Pro Tem Becca Balint It’s imperative that Vermonters who don’t own their own homes are able to rent safe, clean apartments. Our constituents want and deserve decent homes for themselves and their families. Poor housing quality often leads to serious health problems, especially for children. This critical bill provided a long overdue complaint-driven system for protecting our constituents from substandard rental housing conditions. This alone was reason enough to support the bill.

Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski At a time when Vermont is experiencing a severe housing crisis, the Governor’s veto of S.79 sets us backwards, not forward in solving the problem. S.79 would have invested in affordable housing, expanded home ownership to more Vermonters, and provided resources to improve the health and safety of rental properties across the state.

Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition While we are grateful for Governor Scott’s actions to create more affordable housing in Vermont, we are disappointed by his veto of S.79, the Rental Housing Safety Bill. This legislation had the support from a wide array of groups, including the Vermont Landlords Association, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the Vermont Planning and Development Association, Regional Planning Commissions, the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness, and from officials within the Administration.

House Progressive Caucus In a time of unprecedented high temperatures and dangerously cold winters, with climate change’s devastating effects on our environment, the necessity for all Vermonters to have a permanent, safe, and livable home is clear. The state’s current plan to evict several hundred Vermonters this month without clear support for new housing is unconscionable, and reflects a deeper issue in the state.

Vermont Chamber Vice President of Tourism Amy Spear “We are surprised and disappointed by Governor Scott’s veto of S.79. The Administration did not indicate they had a serious problem with the bill, which had a wide range of supporters, at any point during the 2021 legislative session. The sudden change of course is difficult to understand, considering several Administration officials publicly offered support for the legislation over the last few months."

Vermont Business Magazine Today, July 2, Governor Phil Scott returned without signature and vetoed S.79 (An act relating to improving rental housing health and safety), passed on June 24 during the legislative veto session. The veto was expected given the governor's comments at his Tuesday press conference just before he received the bill. Scott has voiced concern about creating additional expense and regulation at a time when the state is short of housing and what does exist is at a historically high level. The Legislature could reconvene this fall to take up the veto or resubmit it in this or another form next year.