Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center’s Board of Trustees announced Wednesday the appointment of Sandra McGuire, MBA, as chief executive officer, effective June 1, 2024, after an extensive national search. McGuire has served as chief financial and operations officer for the last 10 of her 25-year tenure with the agency and is uniquely positioned to build on the organization’s strong foundation and strategically create a sustainable model of high-quality, community-based services for our community. She will be responsible for the oversight of all agency operations, including 50+ programs serving the mental health, substance use, and developmental needs of Vermonters in over 60 locations in three counties. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Christopher Camp, 32, of Waterbury, Vermont was arraigned on six felony counts and one misdemeanor count of possession of child sexual abuse materials. The charges brought against Mr. Camp are the result of a criminal investigation conducted by the Vermont State Police (VSP) and Vermont’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which includes personnel from the Attorney General’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.

Vermont Business Magazine Gasoline prices here and across the nation are rising at a slower pace than initially predicted. Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.20 per gallon, up 1 cent per gallon from last week, down 2 cents from last month and down 30 cents from this time last year. The lowest price in the state yesterday is $2.89/g in Brattleboro, while the highest was $3.39/g at several locations across the state. The national average price of gasoline is unchanged from last week, averaging $3.14/g today. The national average is up 7 cents per gallon from a month ago.

Vermont State Police An autopsy was completed late Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 7, 2024, on the man who died Tuesday in Pownal. The victim is identified as Casey Gras, 36, of Bennington. The autopsy at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington determined the cause of Mr. Gras’ death was multiple stab wounds of the abdomen and chest, and the manner of death is a homicide. The Vermont State Police investigation into this incident is continuing Wednesday, including processing by the Crime Scene Search Team of the location on Chickadee Drive where the stabbing occurred. Police have made no arrests.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Criminal Justice Council issued the following statement Wednesday afternoon. "Earlier today, during the general discussion portion of the Vermont Criminal Justice Council’s regularly scheduled public meeting, a Council member, Mike Major, made an offensive statement that was insulting to our invited guests from Migrant Justice, to our other Council members, and to the organizations and communities that our Council members represent... The Council accepted Mr. Major’s resignation from his seat on the Council which he tendered during the meeting. Mr. Major had been serving as the representative of the Vermont Police Association."

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today led the committee in a hearing titled, “Why Does the United States Pay, by Far, the Highest Prices in the World for Prescription Drugs?” – with the CEOs of Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, and Merck all testifying.

Vermont Business Magazine Grant funding is now available to support projects through the South Lake Champlain Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation. The South Lake Champlain Fund supports projects focused on education and research concerning the cultural and ecological history and heritage of southern Lake Champlain. Projects must be located in the area of Lake Champlain that is south of Crown Point in both Vermont and New York, with a preference for projects directly on the lake or in close proximity. School-based projects are encouraged. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor and the Vermont State Workforce Development Board are seeking public comment on the 2024-2028 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Combined State Plan. Every four years, the State of Vermont is required to submit a state plan to the U.S. Departments of Labor and of Education. This plan outlines the state's initiatives to support its residents, with a focus on empowering young individuals and those encountering barriers to employment to attain meaningful and high-quality jobs and careers. It also outlines the state's efforts to aid employers in recruiting and retaining skilled workers. In order to receive funding for core programs, states must have their plans approved.  

Vermont Business Magazine LaunchVT, a division of the Lake Champlain Chamber, is now accepting applications for its 2024 Accelerator. The selected startups will be the 12th cohort through LaunchVT’s flagship acceleration program. Entrepreneurs selected for the cohort will work with a dedicated business coach and strategic advisors to address their startup’s most pressing needs. They will also participate in peer sessions, office hours with business advisors, and workshops with content experts over the ten-week program, which begins on April 3rd and concludes on June 18th. The highlight of the program is Demo Night on June 11th at Hula, when the cohort of founders will pitch their businesses to investors and the public.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Wednesday signed into law S.160, An act relating to State education property taxes and flood-related damage. The act will reimburse municipalities for certain state education property tax payments if the municipality granted state education property tax abatements to property owners for damage caused by severe storms and flooding in 2023. JFO estimates this bill will cost $ 1.1 million to the Education Fund in fiscal year 2024.

Vermont Business Magazine Leadership from Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), Seventh Generation, SunCommon, and more called for bold climate action this legislative session at the State House in Montpelier. On February 1, as part of a Businesses for Climate Action Lobby Day, over 60 of Vermont’s business leaders from a broad array of industries spent the day urging legislators, other businesses, and the people of Vermont to champion legislation that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and strengthens the state’s resiliency to a changing climate.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Fish and Wildlife has announced that a Longnose Gar taken by a bowfishing angler in 2023 has been certified as a new state record. In May of 2023, Pennsylvania angler Jeremy Bicking was out bowfishing in the evening on Lake Champlain and took a gar that weighed 18.6 pounds.  This big fish measured 54 ¾ inches in length, a ¼ inch longer but 3 ounces lighter than the current record Longnose Gar taken by rod and reel in 2007.  State records are kept separately for four species of fish that can be taken both by hook-and-line and bowfishing.