Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Starting Thursday, you can hunt, fish, boat, hike and play golf. But at least for now the 19th hole is closed. Governor Phil Scott today announced that outdoor recreation and limited social interactions may resume under strict health and safety precautions, as state modeling continues to indicate a slow in the spread of COVID-19.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets has coordinated an effort to recover raw milk from being disposed while creating a new, temporary food supply for the Vermont Foodbank. In collaboration with the Vermont Community Foundation, $60,000 has been made available to purchase this milk for the benefit of Vermonters. These efforts are particularly important as Vermont’s dairy industry, like all sectors, has been challenged by COVID-19 but remain essential to Vermonters’ food supply.

Vermont Business Magazine Consolidated Communications is helping to ease the transition from classroom learning to distance learning for schools and students by increasing bandwidth to boost school hot spots and providing Internet service, including in Vermont. According to the US Census, an estimated 18 percent of students don’t have Internet access at home, in what has become known as the “homework gap.” For more than a month, Consolidated has assisted thousands of low-income families of students affected by recent school closings by connecting their homes to the Internet.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) on Tuesday headed a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to confirm that US policy does not preclude companies and humanitarians from providing essential medical equipment, food, and information to the people of Cuba to combat COVID-19.

Vermont Business Magazine Health care professionals are being urged to get Vermonters with any symptoms tested. The state is expanding its testing and contact tracing capabilities and is ready with the necessary supplies and resources. They are relying on health care professionals to help achieve this important public health goal. By being tested for any associated symptoms, Vermonters can help the VDH quickly identify and isolate outbreaks, and better understand COVID-19 in Vermont. As of May 5, the Vermont Department of Health is reporting five new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths, which remain at 52. However, the number of hospitalizations jumped from 15 on Monday to 33 as of Tuesday's report.

Vermont Business Magazine “The internet is necessary infrastructure that is essential for Vermonters to stay safe when they shelter at home during a crisis, such as the COVID-19 emergency,” said June Tierney, the Commissioner of the Department of Public Service. Today, the Department released a draft of its Emergency Broadband Access Plan, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The draft plan lays out a strategy and action steps for how to get internet service to the nearly 70,000 business and residential locations or about 23% of the state that presently do not have access at speeds at or above 25/3 Mbps. Broadband is defined as 25/3 Mbps. Universal access to broadband will help improve the lives of those who struggle to access needed services, telecommute, learn remotely or access telemedicine.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott said on Monday that he will announce this week that some social provisions of his "Stay Home" order will be relaxed, but that the overall emergency order he signed March 13 will be extended. He said that announcement will come by May 15, the day it would have expired. The emergency order gives him the authority to enact the mitigation efforts like the "Stay Home" order. The scientific data shows that the spread of COVID-19 has at least plateaued, as the number of cases slows even with more testing. Hospitalizations associated with the novel coronavirus also continue to fall.

Vermont Business Magazine With Governor Scott's May 1 announcement of manufacturing and distribution businesses ability to resume limited operations as of May 4 as well as their impending restart on May 11 if they can meet all health and safety requirements, VMEC has invited Vermont safety professionals and manufacturing leaders to share their expertise and experience during this pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Rutland Economic Development Corporation (REDC) announced Tuesday that it has received authorization to offer an Emergency Loan Program through its Revolving Loan Fund to assist businesses that are impacted by COVID-19. USDA Rural Development has authorized REDC to use $150,000 from its Revolving Loan Fund for the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program.

Vermont Business Magazine For the first time in its 73-year history, Shelburne Museum will not open for summer due to concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic, Museum Director Thomas Denenberg announced. All exhibition buildings, the grounds and the Museum Store will remain closed through the spring and summer months. Exhibitions will be canceled or postponed. Events and activities, educational programming and rental events will be canceled or rescheduled. The museum’s administrative offices are also closed, with staff working remotely until public health officials advise it is safe to return to offices.

Vermont Business Magazine There are a lot of healthy choices you can make every day, but this one feeds the soul AND others in need. The new Foodbank Farmer’s Market sock from Darn Tough in Northfield is knit to service the Vermont Foodbank, with 100 percent of its proceeds. We looked at ways we could help with COVID-19 response. The fact is, we knit, we do not cut and sew - we're not set up for that - and mask making wasn't something we could just order up and get working on. But we had socks, and we knew if there's something we could do quick, it was make more socks. Something unique to benefit people.