Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced Thursday that David Conrad, 42, of Bristol, Vermont, was sentenced on January 30, 2024, to a 5-year term of probation, following his guilty plea to conducting a wire fraud scheme between approximately January of 2022 and February 28, 2023. United States District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Conrad to pay $58,430.52 in restitution to 43 victims, and to forfeit $58,430.52 of fraudulently obtained proceeds to the United States. According to court records, David Conrad operated a custom woodworking business under the names “Old Camp Woodworking” and “Vermont Custom Designs.” 

Vermont Business Magazine The 2023 Shires’ Holiday Inn Tours, organized by the Manchester Business Association & The Shires of Southwestern Vermont Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), concluded in December, leaving a festive trail of success and generosity. This three-decade-long tradition continued its legacy on Saturday, December 2, and Saturday, December 9, of 2023 as patrons embarked on self-guided tours exploring Vermont's charming inns and historic hotels. The Shires lodging properties featured historic hotels, cozy inns, delightful B&Bs, and lodges, all opening their doors from 11 am to 3 pm each Saturday. This beloved event not only allowed lodging partners to showcase their unique properties but also provided visitors with a festive holiday atmosphere, tasty local treats and beverages. However, the true highlight of the event was the impact on food insecurity, as every ticket sold contributed to local charitable causes.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) today celebrated the White House’s announcement that it has sent initial negotiation offers through Medicare for the first 10 prescription drugs, selected last August, that are subject to price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Pharmaceutical companies have until early March to accept the offers or propose counteroffers. Information on the first 10 prescription drugs selected for price negotiations can be found here. They include drugs to treat common illnesses and serious conditions such as blood cancers, blood clots, chronic kidney disease, coronary disease, Crohn’s disease, diabetes, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, psoriasis, psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. 

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today announced that Vermont will receive $1,079,000 as its share of a $350 million national settlement with Publicis Health to resolve investigations into the global marketing and communications firm’s role in the prescription opioid crisis. In agreeing to the terms of the settlement, Publicis recognized the harm its conduct caused. The company will also disclose on a public website thousands of internal documents detailing its work for opioid companies like Purdue Pharma and will stop accepting client work related to opioid-based Schedule II and Schedule III controlled substances.

Vermont Business Magazine State Treasurer Mike Pieciak and Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas announced a pilot partnership to reunite Vermont nonprofit organizations with their unclaimed property. Using the Secretary of State’s database to verify current addresses, checks will be sent to over 250 Vermont nonprofits with unclaimed property, totaling over $150,000 returned. Any nonprofit verified through the Secretary of State database will receive a certified letter from the Treasurer alerting them to expect a check to arrive in the next two to three weeks.  The announcement was made in connection with National Unclaimed Property Day, Feb. 1. Unclaimed property includes uncashed checks, forgotten security deposits, investments, and other property. While the Treasurer's Office typically processes over 17,000 claims annually, the amount of unclaimed property held by the state continues to grow.  

Vermont Business Magazine The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will conduct comprehensive reviews of completed cleanup work at six National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund sites in Vermont this year. Each individual site will undergo a legally required Five-Year Review to ensure that previous remediation efforts at the sites continue to protect public health and the environment. Once the Five-Year Review is complete, its findings will be posted to EPA’s website in a final report. In 2024 EPA will conduct Five-Year Reviews at the below listed sites. The included web links provide detailed information on site status as well as past assessment and cleanup activity.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM), in partnership with the A. Pizzagalli Family Farm Fund, is proud to announce the opening of the Vermont Barn Painting Project to new applicants for the 2024 painting season.  The Vermont Barn Painting Project has been revised as a micro-grant opportunity funded through the A. Pizzagalli Family Farm Fund, reimbursing active farm owners for barn painting projects that they undertake themselves, up to $8000.  Despite the difficult weather, the 2023 painting season was successful as a trial run of this model, with four barns painted. The project will open the application portal on February 1, 2024 and will begin accepting applicants for the 2024 barn painting season then.  The application period will close on March 31.  Funding is limited.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.20 per gallon, up 4 cents per gallon from last week. They're down 7 cents/g from last month and down 32 cents/g from the same time a year ago. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.94/g in Rutland while the highest was $3.49/g in Londonderry and Wilmington. After edging lower for several months, gasoline prices here and across the nation are expected to head back up well into the spring. The national average price of gasoline has risen 6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.15/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont recently won a key victory in its lawsuit against a multinational pharmaceutical manufacturer. On January 22, 2024, Chief Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford of the U.S. District Court for Vermont issued a ruling largely denying Teva Pharmaceutical’s motion to dismiss a putative class action brought by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont. The ruling brings Blue Cross VT and the putative class one step closer to economic relief for harms flowing from the anticompetitive tactics of Teva Pharmaceuticals alleged in the lawsuit. On August 22, 2022, Blue Cross VT filed suit against Teva, the manufacturer of Copaxone, a brand-name drug that alleviates the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). After learning of Teva’s years-long anticompetitive scheme to reap excessive profits from Copaxone, Blue Cross VT petitioned the court to recover the excessive costs payers across the country paid on behalf of members as a result of Teva’s illegal and anti-competitive conduct.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) is pleased to announce that both Niquette Bay State Park in Colchester and Alburgh Dunes State Park in Alburgh achieved the Lake Wise Award in 2023. These awards recognize the parks’ lake-friendly management strategies and their work to preserve the water quality of Lake Champlain. They join Lake Carmi State Park in Franklin, Ricker Pond State Park in Groton, and Brighton State Park in Island Pond in earning this award.

Vermont Business Magazine On Friday, February 2, Vermont State University Castleton Men’s Hockey team will host the third annual Breaking the Ice on Mental Health event as they take on Southern Maine in a 7pm game at Spartan Arena. The Castleton Men’s Hockey team, led by head coach, Kyle Richards, is made up of a diverse team of players from around the world who are establishing strong ties in our local region.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association Kyle Dwyer has joined NVDA staff as Regional Planner. Kyle grew up in Connecticut, graduated from UConn and earned a Master's degree at the University of Michigan where he studied environmental policy and planning. He joined the NVDA team in January and in addition to assisting with NVDA's active EPA Brownfields program, he'll work to update the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for northern Vermont. Kyle enjoys hockey, skiing, and playing the piano. He's also a big UConn basketball fan and supporter of Boston sports! Welcome to the Northeast Kingdom, Kyle.