Current News

Vermont Business Magazine In the spring of 2020, Vermont Humanities and the Vermont Arts Council gave over $780,000 in Covid-19 Emergency Relief Grants to 123 cultural organizations, located in all 14 counties in Vermont. In the fall, the State of Vermont also appropriated an additional $5 million for the arts and cultural sector, distributed through the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. We are deeply grateful for this support.

by Jeff Tieman, VAHHS President and CEO A post-pandemic world is closer than it was even a week ago. Several highly effective COVID-19 vaccines are on their way – the first, from Pfizer, is slated to arrive in Vermont in a day or so. Initial doses will be administered by hospitals and pharmacies as part of federal and state plans that prioritize front-line health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.

Vermont Business Magazine Multiple people were injured in a series of crashes Sunday night, Dec. 13, 2020, on Interstate 91 in the town of Dummerston involving a wrong-way driver. The Vermont State Police investigation into this incident is active and ongoing at this time, and the highway is closed in both directions.

The preliminary investigation shows the following:

Police received an emergency call at 5:41 p.m. Sunday from a southbound driver who reported seeing another driver headed south in the northbound lanes. A state trooper responding northbound on the interstate with his lights and siren activated encountered the wrong-way driver in a pickup truck. The trooper swerved to avoid a collision and was sideswiped by the pick-up truck. The cruiser suffered minor damage, and the trooper turned around in an attempt to safely stop the vehicle.

Vermont State Police Following further investigation, the Vermont State Police has arrested Victoria Griffin, 29, of Randolph on suspicion of second-degree murder related to a stabbing that occurred Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020. The victim is identified as Concepcion Cruz, 44, of Randolph. Cruz and Griffin were in a relationship and lived in the Park Street home where the incident occurred. Four children related to Cruz and Griffin between the ages of 12 and 16 were in the home when the stabbing took place. They were uninjured and are now in the care of relatives.

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine Glass ceilings are being broken all over America in the wake of last month’s election, but Vermont has always been somewhat — I say somewhat — ahead of the game. While the state has never followed up on former Governor Madeleine Kunin’s tenure in office with another female governor, nor sent a woman to Congress, since 2017 US Attorney District of Vermont Christina Elizabeth Nolan, 41, has been the first female US attorney in Vermont's history.

Vermont Business Magazine The Farm to Plate Network, managed by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF), just released a new video series to help raise awareness and use of advisory boards among Vermont entrepreneurs. Once entrepreneurs establish an advisory board, they often report that they feel like they should have started one sooner. With the support of knowledgeable colleagues in an advisory board setting, business owners can better manage stress, solve tough problems, and make thoughtful strategic decisions that will help them grow sustainably, increase market share and access new markets.

Vermont Business Magazine About a year ago there came the first news of novel coronavirus in China. Soon it hit Europe with fast and devastating effect as cases overwhelmed Italian hospitals. Then it hit the New York City area and a nursing home in Seattle. Even in late February 2020 we didn’t know what to expect. Now we do. In that one nursing home 23 people would eventually die. As of this writing, 93 Vermonters have died of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) from over 5,500 cases.

Vermont Business Magazine The State of Vermont is developing a hiring pool of candidates who will be assigned as needed in the event of staffing shortages due to COVID-19 outbreaks. Currently, this is focused on long term care facilities, and positions include those such as Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Licensed Nursing Assistants, and unlicensed caregivers. Individuals who are new to the field, as well as those who are recently retired or who only work part-time currently, are encouraged to apply. For more information, or to find volunteer opportunities, visit www.covidstaffing.vermont.gov.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor has been informed by the US Department of Labor that Vermont has officially ‘triggered off’ of the federally-funded unemployment insurance program known as ‘Extended Benefits’. Governor Phil Scott and Labor Commissioner Michael Harrington have been saying for months that the unemployment rate, on which this decision is based, is artificially low because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PUA program also is coming to an end. Between the two programs, about 20,000 Vermonters will lose benefits.

The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of Clinton Casavant, 89, who had been missing from Essex Junction, Vermont, since Sunday, December 6, 2020. The death does not appear to be suspicious. State police received an emergency call at about 9:34 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, from a resident of County Road in the town of Woodbury. The caller reported that he was walking on an unmaintained logging road about a quarter mile from County Road when he located the vehicle belonging to Mr. Casavant, and Mr. Casavant appeared to be deceased inside the vehicle.

Jim Lovinsky also manages their Eastview Farm in East Hardwick, where he and his wife, Mary-Ellen, grow organic seed garlic and raise dairy goats and Highland beef cattle. Photos by Erica Houskeeper

by Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network Resourceful Vermonters have long looked to the forest for wood heat, building materials, and furniture, but Jim Lovinsky, owner of Sylvacurl in East Hardwick, may be among the first to see an alternative to plastic packing peanuts.

The company produces wood curls that can be used in place of plastic and polystyrene packaging materials. Compostable and biodegradable, the curls are free of dyes or chemical treatments and can be reused or simply returned to the earth. “It’s no different than leaves falling off the trees,” said Lovinsky.

by Maia Segura, Williamsville, Vermont Like many artists across Vermont, Roger Sandes’ business took a hit this year. “Many of my sales tend to be face to face, so getting my art out to people in the time of COVID has been particularly difficult,” said Sandes, creator of graphic-intensive, often grand scale paintings and collages.