Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A civil rights lawsuit brought by Shamel Alexander against the Town of Bennington and its police department has been settled out of court, with the city agreeing to a $30,000 cash settlement to resolve claims of systemic racial profiling by Bennington police.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting that they have identified a smaller cluster of COVID-19 cases in Brattleboro. They do not consider this a community-wide spread as it appears to be isolated to a family group. Statewide, the VDH is reporting 1,164 total cases with one new case. There are two people hospitalized and the number of deaths are holding at 56.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is continuing to investigate and respond to a small cluster of COVID-19 cases in Windham County to prevent further spread. VDH said the cases are currently limited to a small number of people with familial connections. There does not appear to be additional community spread associated with this situation. Because COVID-19 spreads easily from person-to-person, these types of investigations are becoming more common ─ especially as more sectors open back up, and more people are getting together with family and friends and others in their communities.

Vermont Business Magazine Today Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos announced the June 26 official start date of the early voting period for the Vermont Statewide Primary elections, which take place on August 11. Vermont’s no-excuse, 45-day early voting period allows any registered voter to request an early ballot. For the 2020 August Primary elections the Secretary of State’s office will be mailing all registered voters a postcard with instructions on how to request their ballot, which will include a tear-off, postage paid, pre-addressed return postcard that voters can use to request their ballot.

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Eric LaFrance, 34, of Westfield, Massachusetts, was arrested yesterday for unlawful possession of a firearm during an ATF undercover operation in Brattleboro, Vermont.

LaFrance appeared before the Honorable John M. Conroy, United States Magistrate Judge, this afternoon, and was ordered detained pending a detention hearing.

According to court records, LaFrance attempted to arrange to purchase a firearm from a Vermont Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) despite being a resident of Massachusetts. LaFrance’s repeated efforts concerned the FFL, who reported the incident to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

ATF investigated LaFrance’s criminal record, and determined LaFrance had an arrest history in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and North Dakota that dates back to 2003.

Vermont State Police Vermont State Police investigators are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a woman whose body was discovered last week in the Winooski River in Middlesex. The deceased is a white woman standing about 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 206 pounds, and between 30-50 years old. She has tattoos of the names “Sue” and “Patty” on her left forearm, along with other tattoos on her body including a red and blue butterfly, a pink and yellow five-petal flower on her right foot with leaves going up her ankle, and two roses on her right wrist. She was wearing a large ring on her right index finger with a carved face and headdress.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northern Forest Center today announced 10 towns and organizations that will receive $302,000 collectively to improve outdoor recreation opportunities in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Seven of the grants go to organizations in the Northeast Kingdom. The grants are provided by the Northern Forest Destination Development Initiative, which is managed by the Northern Forest Center in partnership with the Northeastern Vermont Development Association and NEK (Northeast Kingdom) Collaborative of Vermont. Funding comes from the Northern Border Regional Commission. In the NEK, the $214,800 grant investment is matched by more than $400,000, bringing total NEK project investments to $634,072.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Department of Labor today announced changes to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program that will reduce employers’ UI tax rates and increase the maximum weekly benefit amount for UI claimants. The Department of Labor will move to UI Tax Rate Schedule I, reducing individual employers’ UI tax rates on July 1, 2020. Employers’ tax rates vary according to their experience rating, which is based on UI claims charged to their account, total payroll and their ranking among all employers who contribute to UI. Schedule I decreases the upper and lower thresholds for these tax rates, as well as reducing the taxable wage base amount beginning January 1, 2021. In addition to this tax rate change, the maximum weekly benefit amount paid to unemployed Vermonters will increase from $513 to $531.This increase is effective beginning the first full week of July.

Vermont Business Magazine Using a team approach, the physicians, nurses, and physical therapists at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) now offer same-day knee and hip joint replacement. Same-day surgery means a patient comes in for the surgery in the morning and is resting in their own home that night. When most people think about knee or hip joint replacement surgery, they expect a long period of recovery: multiple days in the hospital and weeks or months of being laid up at home.

​Vermont Business Magazine The VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR) is re-opening its outpatient therapy clinic in Manchester with robust safety measures in place to protect the health of patients and staff. To protect patients, appointments will be staggered and therapeutic equipment will be disinfected between uses. Patients will be pre-screened prior to their appointment through a series of questions about the patient’s health and any potential signs, symptoms or exposure to COVID-19. Patients will be temperature checked at entry before their appointment. Additionally, staff will utilize personal protective equipment (PPE) and patients will be asked to wear masks.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont has launched a new doctoral program in Sustainable Development Policy, Economics and Governance. The new program will equip a rising generation of action-oriented researchers with the skills they’ll need to address sustainable development challenges in local, state, national and global communities.

Vermont Business Magazine When a group of dedicated agencies known as the Vermont Youth Project of Rutland County realized that youth summer camp programs were going to be limited, they acted. Working together, Mentor Connector, 4-H, and the Partners for Prevention put out the call to action to their partners. Multiple agencies including, Wonderfeet Museum, Boy Scouts, Rutland City Recreation Department, Rutland Partners for Prevention, Project Vision, Tobacco Prevention, and Slate Valley Trails heard the call and came to the table.