Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Justice Reinvestment II Working Group, which was created by Governor Phil Scott in Executive Order 03-19, held its first meeting on August 26 to begin a data-driven approach to analyze and address challenges in the state’s adult criminal justice system. The review is part of Vermont’s participation in the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a federally funded process aimed at helping states get maximum value out of their corrections spending and reinvest in strategies that can reduce recidivism and increase public safety.

Vermont Business Magazine SaVida Health, a leader in outpatient medication-assisted treatment for opioid and alcohol addiction, is opening a new treatment center in Newport, VT on September 12th.  SaVida Health Newport joins the medical practice's Bennington and Springfield Vermont locations as the third SaVida location in Vermont and its 13th nationally.  

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced today that the Vermont Department of Health will receive a three-year, $9.5 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support a comprehensive statewide response to opioid-related overdoses, while strengthening Vermont’s prevention efforts.

The grant will increase the state’s ability to track and respond to overdoses, including those resulting in death; strengthen Vermont’s Prescription Drug Monitoring System, and provide overdose prevention trainings around the state, working with local communities – including libraries -- to better identify overdose risks and strengthen outreach efforts.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) led a bipartisan group of 44 lawmakers urging Congress to defund unauthorized U.S. military involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen in the upcoming bill to authorize Pentagon spending. The U.S.-Saudi military campaign in Yemen has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, leaving 24 million Yemenis—80 percent of the population—in need of humanitarian assistance.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont PBS announces today its move to new headquarters in Winooski’s Town Center. The new studio will be just a few miles from its longtime Fort Ethan Allen building constructed 50 years ago by the University of Vermont to house Vermont ETV. The new location is at 10 East Allen Street, where it will occupy approximately 20,000 square feet in the VSAC Building.

“As Vermont’s only statewide independent public television station, it’s vital that we are increasingly visible, accessible, and flexible,” said Holly Groschner, Vermont PBS CEO. “This relocation marks a surge in creatively and productively connecting with everyone, on broadcast tv, cable, the internet, on social media, and soon including streaming via YouTube. We are making a special effort to bring community together and are excited to be part of the diverse and vibrant Winooski Town Center in a space that helps us evolve with Vermont and the media industry.”

Vermont Research News Teen pregnancy and nighttime driving: Vermont is the only state that doesn’t have mandatory nighttime-driving curfews and this may increase teen pregnancies, a new study finds. According to the research, states with stricter laws controlling new drivers have decreased fertility by 3–4% among mothers between the ages of 16 and 18. The researchers suggest that restricting the freedom and mobility of minor drivers can reduce the number of teen pregnancies; Tourism Matters: Vermont ranks 3rd for the importance of the leisure and hospitality industry in the state's overall economy, after Nevada and Hawaii, a new study reports. Employee earnings in the leisure and hospitality industry are below the average employee earnings in the U.S. and have increased more slowly than employee earnings in the overall U.S. economy.

Vermont Business Magazine Northern Vermont University-Johnson has partnered with a nonprofit that promotes mental health and suicide prevention awareness for young adults in an initiative to boost support for NVU students.​ NVU will work with clinicians with JED Campus, a program of the New York-based Jed Foundation (JED), to assess and strengthen mental health, substance use and suicide prevention services at NVU.

With less stigma and more awareness of mental health issues, NVU-Johnson and colleges nationwide have seen an increase in students with emotional health and substance use challenges and more requests for campus services.   

“NVU-Johnson wants to be proactive,” campus Wellness Center Director Kate McCarthy says. “We’re partnering with the Jed Foundation to help us evaluate our services...to see what we’re doing well and learn about opportunities to expand and enhance some of our programs.”

Vermont Business Magazine The VA Medical Center in White River Junction has further increased mental health services available to local Veterans by welcoming a new physician, Dr. Geraldine McWilliams.  Dr. McWilliams is a Geriatric Psychiatrist who will care for aging Veterans with mental health needs unique to an older population.   

Vermont Business Magazine This fall, teams from Community Health in Rutland are walking with friends, neighbors, families, organizations, businesses and supporters who care about the health and wellness of our community and, specifically to prevent suicide and child abuse and support palliative care. Teams from Community Health’s network of medical, dental and behavioral health practices will be shoulder to shoulder with walkers in Rutland on three Saturdays in September.

by Tom Torti We are fortunate in Vermont to have a thriving clean energy economy; 14,500 Vermonters are employed full time helping save Vermonters money while reducing our environmental impact. A major employer in this sector is often overlooked: the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation. VEIC is a Vermont-based nonprofit, founded in the 1980s, with a mission “to act with urgency to enhance the economic, environmental, and societal benefits of clean and efficiency energy use for all people.” VEIC has grown to an organization with 280 employees in multiple states. About 230 of them are headquartered in Vermont, working on contracts that VEIC operates for clients in Washington, DC., Ohio, and dozens of other states around the country.

Vermont Business Magazine The Center for Women & Enterprise, Vermont (CWEVT) has announced that Burlington-based Reconciled has offered to provide a range of free support services to a select group of its clients. The services will be offered to early-stage entrepreneurs ranging from assistance in getting organized to work remotely, one-on-one help in setting up a bookkeeping system, and access to a co-working space at no cost to clients in their first year. 

“We are honored Reconciled has chosen to invest in helping early-stage entrepreneurs at CWEVT,” said Gwen Pokalo, Director for CWEVT. “With the services Reconciled will provide, select CWEVT clients will be poised for greater success, confidence, and support as they navigate the early stages of startup and growth. That’s what this work is all about!”

Hopes of bringing Amtrak to Burlington leave questions on where to store it

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine Controversy is simmering over where Amtrak will store its Ethan Allen Express train overnight in Burlington – or elsewhere - once it begins to serve the Queen City as the northern terminus of its New York City-to-Vermont route in 2021 or 2022. VBM has recently learned that Vermont Rail intends to build a second track on the Waterfront whether Amtrak parks there overnight or not. The City of Burlington has little say where the train is stored and abutting landowners seem to have none.