Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and members of his cabinet will be in Caledonia County on Tuesday, August 27 for its Capital for a Day 14-county tour. Governor Scott first launched this initiative in June 2018, and he and his cabinet visited all 14 counties over the following 10 months. Capital for a Day gives local constituents, municipal government leaders and other partners the opportunity to connect directly with state leadership and staff.

Vermont State Police On the morning of August 24th, 2024, the Vermont State Police were notified of an object floating in the Sherman Reservoir.  At approximately, 9:47 AM, the State Police located the body of a male floating in the reservoir.  The body matched the description of Matthew Houskeeper who was reported missing on August 14th,2024.  The body will be sent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, in Burlington, Vermont where an autopsy and formal identification will be performed. 

Vermont Business Magazine As the Northeast Kingdom continues to recover from the devastation caused by last month’s flooding, two local organizations are partnering to make a difference. Passumpsic Bank has donated $10,000 to the KURRVE (Kingdom United Resilience & Recovery Effort) flood relief program, which Northeast Kingdom Human Services serves as the fiscal agent for. KURRVE is a collaboration of organizations working together with a mission to provide services to individuals and families affected by the multiple flooding disasters in Caledonia, Essex and Orleans counties. The group has been working tirelessly since two bouts of disastrous flooding happened within the span of three weeks on July 10 and July 30. 

Vermont Business Magazine The following is a statement by Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak following the homicide on Church Street in the early morning hours on Saturday, August 24. “My thoughts are with those who were harmed by violence on Church Street last night, and I offer my condolences to the loved ones of the deceased. I want to acknowledge the Burlington Police and Fire Departments for their quick response to this tragic incident... While this incident is very troubling, it appears to be an isolated act between two individuals known to each other. The investigation is ongoing.”    

Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center VMEC and Generator Makerspace will play co-hosts for this exciting event that focuses on the importance of careers in manufacturing, inspiring the future manufacturing workforce. The afternoon will include two networking opportunities, facility tour, co-working space demonstrations and a panel discussion and Q&A with VT-based manufacturing leaders in their respective industries sharing their knowledge and experience in the Advanced Manufacturing world. Also, we will make available a resource area for all attendees.

Vermont Business Magazine During the afternoon of August 23rd, the Vermont State Police were notified that two fishermen had located a kayak that was believed to belong to Matthew Houskeeper, 59, of Bennington who was reported missing on August 14th,2024. It was learned that the kayak was located by the fishermen on the Sherman Reservoir on Thursday, August 15th. They removed the kayak from the water believing that it was abandoned property. Once they learned that the kayak was connected to Houskeeper, they provided it to law enforcement. Crews will continue a limited search of the reservoir in the coming days as the investigation continues. 

Vermont Business Magazine O’zapft is! It is tapped! These famous words are spoken each year to kick off the annual Oktoberfest Festival in Munich, Germany, and they apply to Lawson’s Finest Liquids’ limited release Fest Bier Lager (5.3%) today! A celebration of German-style brewing, Fest Bier Lager can be found in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans at the brewery’s destination taproom in Waitsfield; and for the very first time, this former taproom-only crowdpleaser is available at select retailers across the East Coast. This festive offering is inspired by the lagers served in Munich’s famed Oktoberfest. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR), the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM), and UVM Extension are once again alerting the public about threats from non-native, invasive insects to the state’s trees and ecosystem. Among them is the spotted lanternfly, first found in Pennsylvania in 2014, and slowly making its way north with established populations already in southern New York and much of Connecticut and Massachusetts. This pest, which is emerging into the environment now, to date has no known infestations in Vermont, but could easily be established here.

Vermont Business Magazine The Dig Deep Vermont campaign, a grassroots all-volunteer initiative, concluded its public-facing efforts on June 30 after a successful six-month run that has seen more than 70 micro-grants awarded to family farms across the state. This effort was launched to help farmers recover from the severe storm damage that struck Vermont in 2023, resulting in a financial need amounting to millions of dollars. While the public campaign has ended, donations can still be made by sending them to the Vermont Community Foundation, earmarked for the Dig Deep Vermont campaign.

Vermont Business Magazine The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the implementation of federal disaster assistance for the State of Vermont and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by a severe storm, flooding, landslides, and mudslides from July 9 to July 11, 2024. President Biden issued a major disaster declaration for the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding in the counties of Addison, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Lamoille, Orleans, and Washington. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Public Board of Directors has announced the selection of Vijay Singh as the organization’s next chief executive officer following the completion of a national search. Singh began as a documentary filmmaker before spending much of his career at the forefront of digital innovation in public media. He has served as head of product at KPCC, the NPR member station in Los Angeles, and then as director of product and strategy at Capital Public Radio in Sacramento. Singh will formally begin his role as CEO of Vermont Public on October 1, 2024.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont General Fund tax revenues again had a strong month, with July revenues exceeding targets by more than 10 percent, or by nearly $17 million. Corporate returns and the Other category (interest income) were particularly strong and the Personal Income tax continues to surpass expectations. The state’s General Fund, Transportation Fund, and Education Fund receipts were a combined $256.1 million, exceeding the $246.8 million monthly consensus target by $9.3 million, or 3.8%. The Rooms & Meals tax and the Gasoline tax were the most notable of those line items that did not reach their targets. They are also related in part to tourist activity. This could be related to the flooding and rain storms early in the month.