Current News

Vermont Business Magazine GlobalFoundries (Nasdaq: GFS) has received an additional $9.5 million in federal funding from the U.S. government to advance the manufacturing of GF’s essential gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon semiconductors at its facility in Essex Junction, Vermont. The funding moves GF closer to large-scale production of GaN chips. With the ability to handle high voltages and temperatures, GaN chip technology is essential for enabling higher performance and greater energy efficiency across a range of RF and high-power control applications including automobiles, datacenter, IoT, aerospace and defense.

by David Blittersdorf, President and CEO of AllEarth Renewables If we learned that Vermont would be facing a significant water shortage in the not-too-distant future, I suspect we would do a good job of putting differences aside and doing what we’d need to in order to ensure that this vital substance continued to flow. It’s time to think about electricity in the same way, whatever our age, beliefs or how we voted in the last election.
When you get up tomorrow morning, look at how many things in your home or apartment are already plugged in and working, and how many more you add even in the first few minutes when you turn on the coffee maker, plug in your laptop and put on several lights in the house. These parts of our lives do not run on Democratic, Republican or Progressive electricity.

Vermont Business Magazine Cultivate, a Vermont-based, woman-owned public relations agency specializing in media relations, social media, and influencer partnerships, announces the launch of its Roots & Blossoms Fund, a new grant initiative designed to support artistic and cultural programming for Vermont youth. The fund will offer financial and in-kind support to non-profit organizations that offer opportunities for youth to explore their creative potential and forge strong cultural connections. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Speaker Jill Krowinski and the Chairs of House Education and Ways and Means outlined the groundwork for the upcoming legislative session to address the rising property taxes and the future of public education in Vermont. Governor Scott issued the administration's "December 1 Letter" which projected a property tax increase next year of 5.9%. The current year's increase was 13.9%. Chair of House Education, Representative Peter Conlon, who was appointed to the Commission of the Future of Public Education, discussed the work of the Commission, which will include a report in late December with policy recommendations addressing cost containment and strategies for reducing the cost of education. 

Burke Mountain The moment we've all been patiently waiting for is here! Join us this Saturday, December 7th for the start of the 2024.25 winter season. The Mid Burke Express will be spinning from 9am-4pm. Reminder that the Mid Burke Express services intermediate and advanced terrain only, so please plan accordingly.

Vermont State Police On December 2, 2024, at approximately 1726 hours, Troopers from the Vermont State Police- Rutland Barracks were notified of a two-vehicle crash on College Street N / Church Street in the Town of Poultney. Through investigation it was revealed Operator #1 (Mullaney) was operating Vehicle #1, traveling northbound on College Street N and Operator #2 (Kelley) was operating Vehicle #2 traveling southbound on College Street N. Based on initial investigations it was determined Vehicle #1 crossed the double yellow center line and struck Vehicle #2 head-on in the southbound lane. Emergency Medical Service members attempted to provide life-saving measures but were ultimately unsuccessful and Mullaney was pronounced deceased on scene.

Vermont State Police On Monday morning, troopers with the Vermont State Police St. Albans Barracks responded to the report of a motor vehicle crash with injury in the area of Stonehouse Rd. in Enosburg, VT. Upon arrival, Troopers observed a red F-350 at a position of rest after colliding with a telephone pole. Airbags were deployed and the vehicle sustained heavy front-end damage. The operator was transported from the scene by the Enosburgh Ambulance Service to the Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, then to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington where the operator succumbed to their injuries.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports is accepting proposals for winter outdoor sports youth initiatives that foster access to sports and fitness activities, especially for youth from communities that historically have not participated in the activity primarily due to lack of access or feeling unwelcome or unsafe. The grant period, slated from January 31 through December 31, 2025, offers an opportunity for organizations to propose new or enhance existing programming that fosters inclusivity and accessibility in winter sports and fitness. A total of $8,000 is available for this award period, with the possibility of funding being split among multiple recipients. The total number of grants and amounts awarded will be based upon the number received and reviewer evaluations.

Vermont Business Magazine Nurses, support staff, and technical professionals at UVM Medical Center will march and rally on Thursday, condemning drastic cuts to health services that threaten to reduce the quality of patient care. Healthcare workers say the well-being of their patients and the community is at stake following UVM Health Network CEO Sunny Eappen’s Nov. 14th declaration of intent to sell off the network’s dialysis clinics and close the Mad River Health Center, transplant clinic at UVM Medical Center, and inpatient psychiatry at Central Vermont Medical Center.

Vermont Business Magazine ISO New England, the region’s electric grid operator, anticipates having sufficient resources to meet consumer demand for electricity this winter. Weather is the largest driver of energy use, and the ISO conducts seasonal weather forecasts to estimate the impact weather may have on the grid. This winter, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is projecting slightly above average temperatures in New England, with normal precipitation. Total ISONE resources available: 30,030 MW. Last winter’s demand peaked at 18,299 MW on January 17, 2024, when temperatures averaged 20°F. Winter peak forecast: 20,308 MW under normal weather conditions; 21,089 MW under below-average temperatures. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Lakes and Ponds Program of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will host two public meetings this month to gather public input on nine petitions proposing to ban wakesports on 10 Vermont lakes. Nine lake associations, representing 10 lakes that are eligible for wakesports, submitted the petitions to DEC under the Use of Public Waters Rules. The lakes include Caspian Lake, Echo Lake (Charleston), Great and Little Averill Lakes, Lake Fairlee, Shadow Lake (Glover), Waterbury Reservoir, Parker Lake (Glover), Lake Willoughby, and Joe’s Pond. On April 15, 2024, a new rule under the Use of Public Waters Rules went into effect regulating wakeboats and wakesports on Vermont’s inland lakes. It limits wakesports with a wakeboat to wakesports zones only. There are 30 inland lakes where wakesports can occur within a specific wakesports zone.

Vermont Business Magazine OneCare Vermont, an Accountable Care Organization (ACO), dedicated to improving Vermont’s health care system, today announced key leadership transitions to lead the organization in its final year of operation. Tom Borys, currently serving as OneCare’s chief financial officer, has been appointed interim CEO and CFO. He will replace Abe Berman, who was instrumental in founding OneCare in 2012 and returned to the organization as chief executive officer in 2023. Dr. Jennifer Gilwee will succeed Anya Rader Wallack as board chair. Wallack has served as board chair since May of 2022.