Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont 2024 hunting, trapping, and fishing licenses, as well as the 2024 lawbooks for these activities, are now available on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website and wherever licenses are sold. With ice fishing opening around the state as soon as cold temperatures arrive in January, Vermonters are encouraged to pick up their 2024 licenses at the earliest convenience.  Existing five year, permanent or lifetime licenses can be updated online on January 1.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Aita Gurung, 40, has been sentenced to 35 years to life, with 27 years to serve, for the murder of Yogeswari Khadka, and 20 years to life, to run concurrently, for the attempted murder of Tulasa Rimal. Mr. Gurung was found guilty of the charges by a jury on November 3, 2022, following a four-week trial. The Court, Judge John Pacht presiding, sentenced Mr. Gurung following a two-day hearing.

Vermont Business Magazine Soldiers and Airmen of the Vermont National Guard escort Santa on military equipment on two separate convoy routes. One route starts at the Walmart in St. Albans and travels south on Route 7 before ending at the Winooski Armory at 255 Lafountain Street in Winooski after passing through Essex and Williston. The second route starts at the Shaw's in Waterbury traveling mostly on Route 100 and ends at the Vermont Army National Guard armory in Berlin. Pictures with Santa are available at each ending location.

Vermont State Police Following a lengthy investigation, law-enforcement authorities on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, arrested a suspect in the Feb. 20 killing of Claudia M. Voight, 73, at her home in Windham. Shawn Conlon, 44, of Rhode Island was taken into custody Wednesday morning at a hotel in Groton, Connecticut, by the U.S. Marshals Service with the assistance of the Rhode Island State Police and the Groton Police Department. Members of the Vermont State Police, who have led the investigation into Ms. Voight’s killing, arrived in Groton shortly after the suspect’s arrest. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State University recently announced it has received a grant to fund the expansion of one of its hybrid learning programs. The grant was received from the Davis Educational Foundation established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis after Mr. Davis's retirement as chairman of Shaw's Supermarkets, Inc. The project is titled Prioritizing Access through “Face-to-Face Plus” (F2F+) Expansion + OER Adoption. This initiative is part of VTSU’s commitment to be a model for hybrid, rural education and to meet students where they are to support their educational pursuits.  

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Agency of Human Services (AHS) has awarded $5.125 million to four key healthcare institutions to bolster Vermont’s nursing workforce. Successful applicants include University of Vermont Health Network, Northwestern Medical Center, Southern Vermont Medical Center, and Cedar Hill Continuing Care Community. The grants seek to address barriers to workforce growth, such as a shortage of clinical educators and financial obstacles for prospective students. The initiative will provide tuition assistance, paid release time or study stipends, and clinical support at the worksite. It aims to draw new students into Vermont nursing programs and facilitate advanced degree education for existing nurses. 

Vermont Business Magazine Pomerleau Real Estate in Burlington has announced recent commercial real estate deals. Principals include: Peerless Clothing International, Kylee Boutique, American Family Care, Milton Food and Fun, and VOR, Inc.

Vermont Business Magazine President Joe Biden Tuesday signed Senator Peter Welch’s (D-Vermont) bipartisan bill, the Testing, Rapid Analysis, and Narcotic Quality (TRANQ) Research Act, into law. The Testing, Rapid Analysis, and Narcotic Quality (TRANQ) Research Act takes steps to address the deadly rise in the illicit use of Xylazine – a harmful animal tranquilizer also known by its street name Tranq – and other novel synthetic drugs that have become increasingly prevalent in Vermont and across the country. The legislation directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to research the drug, develop new tests for rapid detection, and establish partnerships with the frontline entities that are often the first points of contact with new street drugs.  

US Census Bureau Births in 2023 once again began to outpace deaths in over half of U.S. states as mortality declined, inching closer to pre-pandemic levels, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released today. By July 1, 2023, natural change had rebounded slightly with only 19 states experiencing natural decrease, according to provisional data. And the South and the Northeast returned to being the regions with the most states with more deaths than births, although the levels were still much lower than during the two previous periods. In the 2010s, only four states (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and West Virginia) consistently had more deaths than births. But from 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022, half of all states experienced natural decrease. While 19 states rebounded slightly, 15 — mostly in the South — experienced natural decrease during all estimates periods between April 1, 2020 (Census Day) and July 1, 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine An all-new fiber internet service, Fidium, is now available to residents in Fairfax and Fletcher. More than 2,200 area homes and businesses can now access Fidium’s symmetrical, multi-gig speed fiber internet service, and enjoy all the benefits that come with access to high-speed broadband connection.  Fairfax and Fletcher are the newest communities in the state to be connected to Fidium. In the last year,  Fidium has expanded to communities in Franklin and Chittenden County, including Fairfax, Fletcher, St. Albans Town, St. Albans City, Swanton, Georgia, Fairfield, East Fairfield, Bakersfield, Essex Junction, Essex Town, Colchester and Williston. More than 110,000 Vermont homes and businesses now have access to Fidium Fiber.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Ludlow Fire Department successfully raised $14,570 through a series of fundraising events. The funds were collected from the highly anticipated Fire & Ice Event, an online Silent Auction, and the Fire & Ice merchandise sale. The fundraising committee, comprised of Kathy Burns, Kevin Barnes, Terry Fortuna, Abby Childs, Lisa Schmidt, and Claire Isherwood, worked tirelessly to organize this event. Their unwavering commitment and effort were instrumental in making this fundraising campaign such a resounding success.

Vermont Business Magazine The water is receding in much of Vermont after powerful rains and snowmelt led to flooding on December 18th and 19th.  The Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) has focused on outreach to our regional partners to hear more about the impact of the flooding, both to our downtowns and within the business community. Though it appears the storm impacts were not as severe as the July flood, damage is more widespread across the state. ACCD will remain in close contact with our regional partners and the business community to assess what recovery needs exist and work in conjunction with Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) to provide what support we can in the days ahead.