Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the House gave final approval to H.839, the FY24 Budget Adjustment Act. This is an annual bill, passed midway through the fiscal year, that rebalances accounts and ensures that our state always maintains a balanced budget. The BAA totals $132.5 million of which $56.6 is from the General Fund. Today’s final vote followed yesterday’s 112-24 roll-call vote. From here, the bill moves to the Senate.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) announced today that Johnson & Johnson CEO Joaquin Duato and Merck CEO Robert Davis have reconsidered their positions and have agreed to join Bristol Myers Squibb CEO Chris Boerner at a hearing the committee will be holding on the outrageously high price of prescription drugs in the United States. The hearing is now scheduled for Thursday, February 8 at 10:00 a.m. ET. At a press conference yesterday, Sanders had announced that the HELP Committee would be voting to subpoena the CEOs of Merck and Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday, January 31 after they declined an invitation from a majority of the HELP Committee.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation (VDHP) and the Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation today announced grants totaling $319,090 to 19 municipalities and non-profit organizations in six counties to facilitate the restoration and rehabilitation of Vermont landmarks and important historic buildings and structures. These grants will help to leverage more than $1.5 million in additional efforts. Grants awarded this year will support work on historic Vermont landmarks, including the Rockingham Meetinghouse, Middlebury Congregational Church, and the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Burlington. 

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Police say they arrested the Addison County State's Attorney for suspicion of driving while under the influence Thursday evening after she showed up at the scene of an untimely death in Bridport, officials said. State police had asked prosecutor Eva Vekos if she wanted to have a walk through the crime scene on Swinton Road where a 44 -year-old man was found dead on Wednesday morning, officials said.  State Police Crime Scene Search Team members were wrapping up their site work about 36 hours after the initial call and police normally ask the local prosecutor if they want to observe the scene of an untimely death in case there are decisions to be made, including criminal charges. Vekos, 54, of Middlebury arrived about 8:50 Thursday night and troopers detected the odor of intoxicants and saw indicators of impairment such as slurred speech, Patrol Sgt. Eden Neary reported. Vekos refused to undergo standardized field sobriety tests at the scene and was placed under arrest for DUI – refusal, Neary said. 

Vermont State Police The Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington on Friday completed its physical examination of the body of Stephen Nuciolo Sr, 44, who was found deceased Wednesday morning inside his home in Bridport. The cause and manner of his death are listed as pending further investigation. The Vermont State Police Crime Scene Search Team processed the Swinton Road home overnight, and police have subsequently released the scene. Following an examination Thursday, Jan. 25, the medical examiner informed the state police that the death appears suspicious.

Vermont Business Magazine The following statement can be attributed to Frank Knaack, executive director of the Housing & Homelessness Alliance of Vermont, regarding the vote by the House today on the Budget Adjustment Act to include funds to continue to house all cohorts currently housed under the General Assistance Emergency Housing program. "With today's vote in the House, Vermont is one step closer to ensuring that people currently housed through its general assistance emergency housing program can maintain safe and secure housing."

Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center Are you prepared for an unannounced OSHA inspection? Find out what you need to know with our upcoming webinar, OSHA Compliance 101: What to Expect During an OSHA Inspection, on February 21. Learn about inspection processes, rights and responsibilities, preparation strategies, navigating inspections, understanding violations and penalties, and post-inspection steps. Benefit from expert guidance, actionable tactics, and networking opportunities. Empower your workplace with knowledge and turn compliance into a competitive edge.

Vermont Business Magazine A new report from the American Lung Association urges Vermont lawmakers to focus on funding tobacco prevention programs as well as ending the sale of flavored tobacco products to reduce the burden of tobacco use in the state. The 2024 “State of Tobacco Control” report evaluates state and federal policies on actions taken to eliminate tobacco use and recommends proven-effective tobacco control laws and policies to save lives. Vermont received a less that perfect report card, with two F grades, one B grade and two A grades for policies to improve statewide efforts to prevent and reduce tobacco use.

Vermont State Police An autopsy was completed Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The victim is identified as Christina Chatlos, 38, of Williamstown and Barre. The medical examiner determined the cause of her death was a gunshot wound to the torso, and the manner of death is a homicide. The Vermont State Police investigation is continuing. 

Vermont Business Magazine Colleges and universities can now participate in the Vermont Campus Voting Challenge, a new nonpartisan initiative announced today by Vermont’s Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, in partnership with the nonpartisan nonprofit the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. All higher education institutions in Vermont are invited to be a part of the Challenge. Participating colleges and universities will be eligible for awards based on achieving their campus goals for the November 5, 2024, election. 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.15 per gallon, down 4 cents per gallon from last week, down 15 cents/g from last month and 39 cents/g from this time last year, according to GasBuddy. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.79/g in Brattleboro, while the highest was $3.40/g in Lyndonville. The national average price of gasoline increased 1 cent per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.10/g today. The national average price of diesel has fallen 2.1 cents in the last week and stands at $3.87 per gallon.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Environment Conservation (DEC) has released the Vermont Clean Water Initiative 2023 Performance Report. It highlights water quality progress achieved through public investment. By investing $420 million in clean water over the past eight years, the State has cut pollution going into Vermont’s waters. In the report, DEC details progress to reduce phosphorus pollution in Lakes Champlain and Memphremagog. Excess phosphorus can cause toxic cyanobacteria blooms that impact recreation and aquatic life. To restore water quality, it is key to cut phosphorus. Since the passage of Vermont’s Clean Water Act in 2015, Vermont has created and expanded a number of regulatory and incentive-based programs to drive implementation of clean water projects. Together, these projects have kept about 94,580 pounds of phosphorus out of Lake Champlain. This is 20% of the total reduction needed to restore the lake’s water quality.