Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Jeremy Fairbanks, 44, formerly of St Albans, Vermont, was sentenced on December 18, 2020 upon his guilty plea to two counts of wire fraud: one stemming from his conduct in Vermont, and one relating to a subsequent fraud in Tennessee. Fairbanks was sentenced to 10 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release, to run concurrently on both counts.

Vermont Business Magazine CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) has formally launched its COVID-19 vaccination program for long-term care facilities, whose residents have been disproportionally impacted by the pandemic. CVS Pharmacy teams will administer the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in facilities across 12 states this week, including Vermont, and the company expects to vaccinate up to four million residents and staff at over 40,000 long-term care facilities through the program.

Vermont Business Magazine People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, NA, announced the awards of $314,500 in grants to 54 nonprofit organizations throughout Vermont during 2020. This year’s grant donations were focused on COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts. Organizations working with communities that are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic were provided with flexible funding to use however it was needed.

Vermont Business Magazine The Paramount Theatre Board of Directors has promoted long-time Paramount staff member Eric Mallette to the position of Executive Director. Mallette had been serving as Interim Executive Director since July 1, 2020 following the announcement that long-serving Executive Director Bruce Bouchard would be retiring at the end of the calendar year. Bouchard has been serving in the role of fundraising and development since Mallette’s interim appointment. Prior to the promotion, Mallette had been the theatre’s Programming Director.

Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine At the Northeastern Vermont Development Association, David Snedeker has spent much of his time this year helping businesses get the financial help they need to survive a year like no other. Those efforts include hiring someone specifically tasked with helping companies through the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting them with Restart Vermont and its technical assistance program, said Snedeker, NVDA executive director.

Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine It’s the most rural area of the state and when it comes to high-speed Internet, the Northeast Kingdom is also the most underserved area of the state. So, in April residents decided to take matters into their collective hands and formed Northeast Kingdom Community Broadband – what is now a 32-town communications union district or CUD.

Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine One of the Northeast Kingdom’s largest employers remains on sound financial ground. Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital with 625 employees ended its fiscal year in good shape. “Surprisingly good given what we were faced last spring,” said Shawn Tester, chief executive officer of the 25-bed hospital in St Johnsbury.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont (UVM) has joined a United Nations initiative that brings together international sustainability experts to solve urgent global challenges. The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) seeks to achieve the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals—a global effort to address poverty, protect the environment, grow the economy, and promote peace and good governance. The network is led by U.N. Secretary-General and acclaimed economist Jeffrey Sachs.

Senator Patrick Leahy By any measure, the last two years have been worse than I feared. Time and again, Attorney General Barr has acted in the best interests of Donald Trump, not the country. He has intervened and overruled career prosecutors only in cases to benefit the president and his friends. He has departed from Department norms, misrepresented the Department’s work, and eroded public trust in the Department as a result.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders received the COVID-19 vaccine from U.S. Capitol physician, Dr Brian P Monahan on Saturday.

by Rob Roper The Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), referring to the organization itself rather than the policy, has put off publication of their final proposal for a multi-state, regional carbon tax on gasoline and diesel fuel for well over half a year. Originally, they promised to release it in the spring of 2020, then hinted at summer, and are currently operating under a promise to do so this fall – a window rapidly closing. Presumably, the delays are part of a strategy to hold off until a politically opportune time. It doesn’t appear such a time will ever transpire. Increasingly, TCI looks dead on arrival.

by Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network Movies have been made about the romantic notion of leaving corporate America to start a business in a remote, bucolic Vermont town, but few of those fictional characters can hold a candle to Eleanor Léger, the real-life founder of Eden Ciders in Newport, Vermont. Her story began in the winter of 2006 when she left her management consulting job and bought an abandoned dairy farm in West Charleston.