Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Arts Council announces more than half a million dollars in grant awards to 86 Vermont organizations—from arts nonprofits to arts schools, museums to makerspaces, from libraries to community art centers, and more. All are helping to expand arts access through specific programs or are bringing year-round, high-quality arts programs and services to Vermonters across the state. 

by Jackie Myers I opened my first child care program out of necessity. Recent public investment has made it possible for my program to thrive. I had a difficult childhood and was pregnant at 15 years old. I was intent on making sure my son had a better childhood than I did, and that determination grew into a passion for ensuring that every child gets a better start. I initially served six children. That’s how I met Michelle Prouty — who similarly served half a dozen kids in her home. We dreamed of starting a child care center together. With some risk and a lot of hard work, we have run the Myers Prouty Children’s Campuses for 30 years — which now consists of eight programs in the Bennington area. The Bennington Banner and Manchester Journal recently awarded us for the best child care.  

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.31 per gallon, down 4.4 cents per gallon from last week's $3.35/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.89/g while the highest was $3.48/g, a difference of 59.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 7.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.22/g today. The national average is down 22.5 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 58.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

The Vermont State Police has recovered the bodies of four victims following an airplane crash in Addison County. A preliminary investigation determined that the four-seat, single-engine Piper aircraft had departed Windham Airport in Connecticut at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, for a flight of about two hours to Basin Harbor Airport in Ferrisburgh. Investigators determined the privately owned plane landed and the occupants arrived for a brunch reservation at Basin Harbor. The party departed the restaurant shortly after noon and were to fly back to Connecticut. A witness reported seeing the airplane on the runway at about 12:15 p.m. No reports were received indicating an aircraft in distress or that a plane had crashed.

Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets Have you wondered if halal markets are an opportunity for your farm or food products? Do you want to collaborate with other farmers to better meet the needs of halal markets in the Northeast? If so, join the Vermont Sheep and Goat Association (VSGA) in Middlebury on September 23rd for a workshop about the halal value chain in the Northeast. The goal of this workshop is to improve understanding of the Muslim dietary laws (i.e., halal) and how this market can be better served. The workshop will be useful for farmers raising livestock and/or growing plants, as well as processors developing new foods and related products (e.g., cosmetics). A specific focus will be on the halal slaughter of animals and some of the details that need to be considered both in terms of religious requirements and animal welfare.

by Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak Dear neighbors, I write with community safety updates. The City has experienced some scary and troubling events in the last couple of weeks, and my thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones, as well as with the community as a whole. I also remain grateful to our first responders. Their jobs are not easy, and we are all fortunate for their steady and capable response, unwavering service to the community, and ongoing collaboration in achieving our goal of a safer Burlington. I want to emphasize that the top priority of my administration is improving our community safety system so it is comprehensive, effective, and responsive to our community’s needs. Everyone deserves to be and feel safe in our city, and we still have work to do to get there. Our City team has been hard at work across multiple departments and in collaboration with community partners to develop and implement both immediate steps and longer-term strategies to address our health and safety challenges. 

by Camryn Brauns and Line-Marie Eichhorst, Community News Service Along Vermont Route 100, the Green Mountain Club is continuing to build a new visitor center on the same spot as its current one. The new building is meant to be an updated welcoming space in Waterbury Center for hikers and visitors to learn about Vermont’s trail systems and stock up on supplies for outdoor excursions.  The current visitor center has been plagued by mounting repair needs and mold issues.  After raising over $70,000 in 2023, the club has a goal this year of $80,000. Hikers are encouraged to sign up online to create an individual fundraising page and to then hike a favorite section of the 272-mile Long Trail on Saturday, Sept. 21. 

Vermont Business Magazine This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will affect traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont for the Week of September 9, 2024. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.  

Vermont Business Magazine Launched in 2012 as a pilot program and now held annually on the first Friday in October with events that continue throughout the month and beyond, MFG Day - Manufacturing Day - is a national grassroots movement that demonstrates the reality and future of modern manufacturing careers. Thousands of companies and educational institutions nationwide are invited to open their doors to students, parents, educators and community leaders.  MFG Day empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive. To celebrate the importance of Vermont manufacturing careers, VMEC and Burlington’s Generator Makerspace are teaming up to co-host “Advanced Manufacturing Day - Can We Make It?” The complimentary event will be held on Thursday, October 10, 2024 from 3 - 6 pm at Generator's facility on Sears Lane in Burlington. 

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies In this episode, we sit down with Erin Fagnant, a powerhouse in marketing and leadership. From her days working with the Red Sox to becoming a partner at KSV, Erin’s journey is packed with insight. She shares the unfiltered truth about what it takes to run and sustain a thriving agency through both the highs and the lows. Erin’s story of resilience and grit will leave you inspired. Whether you’re passionate about marketing, focused on keeping your business strong, or curious about the inner workings of a nearly 50-year-old company, this conversation is for you. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont author Ethan Tapper’s first book – How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World – will be published on September 10 by Broadleaf Books. The launch of How to Love a Forest will be celebrated with an event at Burlington City Hall’s Contois Auditorium at 7 PM on Tuesday, September 10. How to Love a Forest, which has received the endorsements of prominent environmental authors such as Bill McKibben, Doug Tallamy, Ben Goldfarb and others, is – in the author’s words – a reimagining of forests and other ecosystems and what it means to care for them. It asks: what does it mean to love a forest? How do we respond to the harmful legacies of the past? How do we use our species' incredible power to heal rather than to harm? How do we reach toward a better future?

by Sunny Eappen, MD, MBA, president and chief executive officer at UVM Health Network Health care is expensive, whether you’re receiving it or providing it. While most of us already know this hard truth, it’s at the center of attention as Vermont’s 2025 hospital budgets are being reviewed by our regulator, the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB). For us at University of Vermont Health Network, this isn’t a problem we think about once a year when we submit our budgets. Every day we hear directly from patients, many of whom are our friends, family and neighbors, who are looking at their hospital bill or insurance premiums and wondering how they’re going to make ends meet. That’s why everything we do, including the budgets we recently presented, is guided by the principle of: how do our patients access the high-quality care they need, deserve, and can afford?