Current News

Vermont Business Magazine LaunchVT has selected the seven Vermont startups that will be participating in its 2020 Accelerator. This is the eighth cohort of startups to come through LaunchVT’s acceleration program. Over the past seven years, LaunchVT has provided business development support, strategic coaching, and over $700,000 in cash and services to accelerate 51 Vermont startups.

Vermont Business Magazine On Saturday, May 16, 2020, the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) will reopen the Essex Drop-Off Center (DOC) with new limits on materials and quantities, new flat fees, and new hours of operation. The Essex location joins the Williston DOC as the second CSWD facility to reopen. All other CSWD Drop-Off Centers remain closed until further notice.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Representative Peter Welch (D), co-chair of the Congressional Dairy Farmer Caucus, on Wednesday led a letter to Secretary Sonny Perdue urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to do more to support dairy farmers facing an economic crisis due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Leahy is Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the most senior member of the Agriculture Committee.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) issued the following statement today regarding this week's coronavirus relief legislation developed by House Democrats: "In my view, however, the Senate must improve this legislation if we are to adequately address the two most urgent needs facing working families right now: health care and economic security..."

Agency of Commerce & Community Development ACCD has released updated guidance for non-essential retail and drive-in operations. This guidance, developed with the Department of Health and Department of Public Safety, goes into effect May 18, 2020 and includes reopening retail operations in a limited capacity with mandatory health and safety requirements. The Agency has provided new signage for retailers to post.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation announces that the North Hero – Grand Isle drawbridge replacement project on US Route 2 has resumed construction and the temporary drawbridge will be operational tomorrow. Mariners will be able to travel through this area daily until October 15, 2020. New channel restrictions will be in place May 18 through June 12. The channel will be restricted to a 20-foot width between openings from 7 AM until 6 PM. These restrictions will enable the contractor to complete channel interfering work, and they also provide for the safety of all waterway users and construction workers. All mariners must pass with extreme caution and NO WAKE.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Police is investigating a bias-related incident that occurred late last week in Hartford during which a man was harassed and threatened regarding his family’s presence in Vermont. The state police received a report of a hate/bias-motivated incident from the victim’s family at noon Friday, May 8, 2020. The victim reported that at about 10 am that day, he was driving near his residence in Hartford in his vehicle, which has New York registration plates, when two unknown vehicles, possibly pickup trucks, approached him and flagged him down. The victim, thinking someone needed assistance, stopped and spoke with a white male. The victim, who is black, was advised that he was not wanted in Vermont and told to leave.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan Wednesday joined a coalition of attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) challenging its policy under which the EPA “will not” enforce bedrock monitoring and reporting obligations under a wide range of federal environmental laws due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

by Bob Cappadona, Vice President of Resource Solutions, Casella Waste Systems, Inc In mid-March, several states gave redemption centers and retailers the option to temporarily stop accepting bottles and cans. They advised households to stockpile their water bottles and soda cans for several weeks, or to simply toss them in their curbside recycling bins. While it is unclear how many redemption centers chose to shut down during the height of COVID-19, one thing is clear: in a world without redemption centers, bottles and cans would continue to be recycled.

by Shawn Good, Fisheries Biologist, Fish & Wildlife Department Two weeks ago in the last report, I wrote how Spring just doesn’t seem to want to show up this year. And now May is here and we’re facing yet another cold front with the possibility of snow across the region this weekend. Happy Mother’s Day! Isn’t it supposed to be all daffodil’s and daisies by now? There is hope, however. I see light (and sun) at the end of the tunnel. The long-term 10-day forecast shows 60-degree weather across most of Vermont by the end of the week. Get your gear tuned up, if you haven’t already, because May fishing is poised to get really good in the next couple of weeks.

Vermont Business Magazine Span, the rising smart panel company led by executives and lead engineers from Tesla, Amazon Echo, and Sunrun, has raised $10.2 million to transform the electrical panel into an intelligent gateway for every home and expand the adoption of solar, energy storage, and electric vehicles. Span's smart panel provides intuitive monitoring and controls for all circuits alongside unprecedented flexibility for battery backup during power outages. In addition to the new investment round, Mary Powell, former CEO of Vermont utility Green Mountain Power and a leader in transforming the energy system to be better distributed to homes, businesses, and communities, will join Span's board as an independent member.