Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on February 22, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Brandon Anderson, 34, of Greenwood, Indiana, with two counts of impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States and one count of making a false statement to a department or agency of the United States. Anderson entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on February 23, 2024, before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Following his arraignment, Anderson remained on pretrial supervision subject to conditions of release. According to court records, Anderson, while wearing a tactical uniform with black body armor and a holstered firearm, impersonated a federal law enforcement official on two occasions.

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on February 22, 2024, Scott Remick, 48, of Shoreham, Vermont, was sentenced in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to serve 80 months in prison after his guilty plea to one count of receipt of child pornography (also known as child sexual abuse material, or CSAM). United States District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Remick to serve a 14-year term of supervised release and to pay two assessments: $5,000 pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, and $5,000 pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that he has appointed Kate T. Gallagher, of Williston, as a superior court judge. Gallagher has worked for the State of Vermont for almost 20 years, serving in the Civil Division of the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and as Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Human Resources. Before her work in Vermont, she was a partner in private practice in New Jersey, focusing on commercial litigation, products liability, and personal injury defense.

Vermont Business Magazine NEK Broadband has successfully taken another step forward in offering truly high-speed internet to the Kingdom. In February, 182 new homes and businesses along all or part of 16 roads in Concord and Lunenburg became able to connect to this reliable fiber optic network to meet educational, social, business and other personal goals. All or part of 16 roads now have access to NEK Broadband internet. In some areas there are technical reasons that we can’t complete an entire road at the same time. Service will become available in the future to areas of these roads that have utility poles but are not yet connected to our network.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) announces the release of the Vermont Forest Future Strategic Roadmap. A forward-looking plan, the Roadmap evaluates how the forest products sector and greater forest economy can thrive in Vermont. Created by FPR at the request of the General Assembly, the Roadmap assesses the current state of the forest products sector in Vermont, and identifies ways to strengthen, modernize, promote, and protect its long-term viability. The plan also emphasizes the importance of intact, healthy, and sustainably managed working forests to enhance forest benefits and support a diverse array of climate-smart, high-quality products for the future.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets invites Vermont specialty foods businesses to showcase their products at the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City, from Sunday, June 23rd through Tuesday, June 25th. The Summer Fancy Food Show is one of the premier business-to-business trade shows for specialty food products, attracting buyers, distributors, and wholesalers from across the globe each year. Exhibitors at this show benefit from three days of engaging discussions with leading buyers, industry peers, and influential press, offering invaluable opportunities for business growth and brand exposure.

Bromley Mountain Resort We’ve got another stellar weekend ahead of us with our two favorite things in the forecast: sun and snow! We’ve got a light movement coming in tonight and tapering off by mid-Friday morning which may deliver 1-3” of fresh snow. Saturday and Sunday are expected to be chock full o’ sunshine which we’ll be soaking in thanks to our southern-facing slopes. We’ve had some of the best conditions of the season over the past week and that is expected to continue for our 38th Kåre Andersen Telemark Festival, happening this Saturday, 2/24 and Sunday, 2/25. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today signed H.850, An act relating to transitioning education financing to the new system for pupil weighting. Scott signed the bill in Washington, DC, where he is attending the National Governors Association annual meeting. The new law seeks to reduce property tax increases this year, which could reach 20 percent without action by local school districts. Without the new language, school districts would have had their hands tied in their budget requests before voters, by either hiking property tax rates or cutting budgets, or both. The new bill will at least un-tie their hands, but does not by itself reduce tax increases.

Vermont Business Magazine Bank of Burlington has announced the appointment of Victoria Bronner as President, a position previously held by Chief Executive Officer, Geoffrey Hesslink. Bronner joined the Bank as the Chief Operating Officer in March of 2023, a position she will continue to hold in addition to this new appointment. In this role, Bronner will oversee all aspects of the Bank’s operations and staff. Bronner was part of the initial formation of Bank of Burlington and assisted with regulatory approvals, capital raise, and business planning. 

Vermont Business Magazine The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with Stepping Stones Children’s Center, Inc, a childcare center that provides childcare services for children ages 2 years old to 5 years old in Burlington, Vermont, to resolve allegations that Stepping Stones was not operating in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The settlement agreement addresses an ADA complaint filed by the parents of a child with a disability, alleging that Stepping Stones terminated the child from the program because of his disability. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Stepping Stones will implement nondiscriminatory policies, practices, and procedures for children with disabilities

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.24 per gallon, up 1 cent per gallon from last week. They are up 10 cents/g from last month and down 21 cents/g from last year. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.93/g in Brandon, while the highest was $3.39/g, at several stations across the state. The national average price of gasoline has risen 3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.27/g today. Gasoline prices tend to rise this time of year.

Vermont Business Magazine With spring construction season ahead, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) wants to remind Vermonters about additional requirements to help protect the state’s waterways. Construction activities may require a Vermont Construction General Permit 3-9020 when the total land disturbance is: Equal to or greater than 1 acre; or, less than 1 acre – but is part of a larger common plan of development – if the larger development will ultimately result in the disturbance of 1 or more acres.