Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger and Chief Jennifer Morrison released a draft, new Use of Force Policy and urged its swift adoption. The Administration will work closely with the Police Commission to adopt a new use of force policy as quickly as it can. The draft policy includes all of the recommendations made by the Burlington Special Committee to Review Policing Policies which met from August, 2019 through February, 2020. The Burlington Police Department's current use of force policy lags behind its training and practices, and the new draft policy is more consistent with the values of the Burlington community, is clearer for officers to follow, and incorporates many of the best practices of American policing – including all eight of the #8CantWait reforms on police use of force that are part of President Obama’s Mayors Pledge.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced he has appointed Michael Harrington as commissioner of the Vermont Department of Labor. Harrington was appointed by Governor Scott as deputy commissioner of Labor in January 2017 and has served as interim commissioner since September 2019.

Vermont Business Magazine Effective Monday, June 8, Vermonters may travel outside of Vermont to counties across New England and New York that have a similar active COVID-19 caseload to Vermont and return without quarantining if they do so in a personal vehicle. This encompasses 55 counties mostly in the North Country of New York State and New England. Similarly, residents of other states who live in counties across New England and New York that have a similar active COVID-19 caseload to Vermont may enter the state for leisure travel without quarantining. Multi-room lodging operations may book 50 percent of rooms for non-residential lodging or have a total of 25 guests and staff on the property - whichever is greater. Also on Monday, Indoor dining and pubs may resume but operations are limited to 25 percent of approved occupancy or 10 total customers and staff combined, whichever is greater. This is all for table service only. The bar area at restaurants and pubs will remain closed and standing is not allowed.

Vermont Business Magazine This week, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger and Tyeastia Green, the City’s Director of Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging, announced an eight-point plan to protect black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities and ensure a racially just recovery from the coronavirus.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan on Thursday sent a letter to Senator Tim Ashe, President Pro Tempore, and Representative Mitzi Johnson, Speaker of the House, urging the Legislature to pass legislation to improve training of law enforcement and to study a change in the standard applied to police use-of-force incidents. In the letter, Attorney General Donovan points to two bills, H.808 and H.464, which, if passed, will increase transparency and trust in law enforcement while aiming to limit the number of use-of-force incidents.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported the largest single-day jump in new cases since April 9, with 36 new cases, nearly all associated with a cluster in Winooski, for a total of 1,026. VDH is now calling the Winooski cases an "outbreak." However, there still remains none hospitalized statewide and the number of deaths remains at 55. The Health Department today reported 34 positive cases of COVID-19 that are thought to be associated with the outbreak in Winooski.

Senator Patrick Leahy On Monday I watched the shameful scene a block from the White House as the President of the United States ordered US Park Police, backed by the DC National Guard and following threats throughout the day, to use the US military against peaceful American protesters so he could have his photograph taken in front of St. John’s Church holding a Bible. It was an appalling, almost surreal, abuse of power that showed a flagrant disregard not only for our Constitution, but for those who have devoted their lives to defend it.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Scott and Attorney General Donovan came together Thursday to issue statements on Vermont’s peaceful protests.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine As Governor Scott continues to open up the economy, the weekly unemployment insurance claims have continued to subside. Initial and ongoing claims have now decreased every week since the peak in early April. Last week they fell at their lowest levels since that first decline. But they are also at about a post-Christmas layoff spike. Scott is expected to announce Friday when restaurants can resume indoor dining and perhaps when out-of-state visitors will be allowed to return without quarantine, which is intended to help the lodging industry.

Vermont Business Magazine Wednesday, Governor Phil Scott announced the retirement of the Department for Children and Families’ (DCF) Commissioner Ken Schatz and the appointment of Sean Brown to be the next Commissioner of DCF. Schatz will be retiring on June 26, 2020 and Brown will assume the role on June 29, 2020.

Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday Chroma Technology Corp of Bellows Falls as the winner of the prestigious and highly anticipated Deane C Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award, 2019. A 100 percent employee-owned company, Chroma Technology produces optical filters for the scientific, biomedical, photonics and imaging and detection industries. The filters and mirrors that Chroma manufactures are used in microscopes, DNA sequencers and clinical diagnostic devices, among other applications.