Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center proudly announces the return of its Chief Medical Officer, Simha Ravven, M.D. from a transformative volunteer opportunity in Rwanda. In collaboration with Partners in Health, a Harvard University affiliated organization that collaborates with national governments to provide care and strengthen public health systems, Dr. Ravven spent two weeks working with Rwandan Medical Students at the University of Global Health Equity in Kigali and Butaro, Rwanda. During this period, Dr. Ravven engaged with fourth-year students in the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program, who are about a year and a half away from beginning their careers as general practitioners in Rwandan communities. 

Vermont Business Magazine Nineteen Community Health Workers (CHWs) representing health and community-based organizations across 9 Vermont counties (Bennington, Chittenden, Franklin, Lamoille, Orange, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor) completed the first ever CHW Core Competency Course offered in the state. The 10-week course was sponsored by the Vermont Community Health Worker Workforce Initiative from Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC) with support from the Vermont Department of Health. James Figueirado and Marilyn Gardner, noted trainers/facilitators from the Community Workforce Institute (CWI) in Massachusetts, delivered the training, which culminated in a graduation ceremony held in Montpelier

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, has hired Kate Czaplinski as Director of Marketing and Communications and Public Information Officer. Czaplinski joins SVMC with over 5 years of experience in nonprofit communications and more than a decade in Connecticut news and media.

Vermont Business Magazine Some Vermont Electric Co-op members may be without power into Tuesday as crews continue to assess and repair damage after heavy, wet snow covered the region last night. “These outages are widespread and restoration for some areas is taking time,” said Jake Brown, VEC Energy Services Planner. VEC members who still do not have power and do not have an Estimated Time of Restoration assigned to their service should expect to not have power overnight and should plan accordingly. People who need a warm place to go can inquire with their local community or call 2-1-1 for more information. As of 5 pm Monday, VEC is reporting: 179 Outages; 3296 Members affected; 51 Towns affected.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney announced that Jodi Lathrop, 53, of Bristol, Vermont, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in Burlington to charges of wire fraud and tax evasion. U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III released Lathrop on conditions pending sentencing, which is set for April 1, 2024. On January 24, 2023, the United States Attorney filed an indictment charging Lathrop with committing a scheme to embezzle from Claire Lathrop Band Mill (CLBM) d/b/a Lathrop Forest Products, a wood-logging and wood-chipping company based in Bristol, Vermont and co-owned by Lathrop’s husband and Lathrop’s brother-in-law. Lathrop served as CLBM’s bookkeeper, handling accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll. 

Vermont Business Magazine In response to the recent findings by the Vermont Criminal Justice Council, the Vermont Sheriff's Association calls for the immediate resignation of Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore. All of the following may be attributed to Sheriff Mark Anderson, President of the Vermont Sheriff’s Association.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Congressional Delegation, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont), today announced the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will receive a combined $1 million to develop long-range plans to improve existing passenger rail services and expand services in Vermont from the Department of Transportation (DOT). This funding will be used to identify and plan for projects that will compete for Federal Railroad Administration grants under the Corridor Identification Program. 

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont has officially announced the Vermont Pitch Challenge, a new entrepreneurial-focused competition that gives high school students from across the world in grades 10-12 a chance to pitch innovative and impactful business plans – all while competing for individual cash prizes and full tuition scholarships to UVM, valued at up to $180,000. The new program is free to enter and offers young students a unique opportunity to learn from UVM faculty and alumni as well as top entrepreneurial experts about how to write a business plan, create a compelling pitch, and achieve their ultimate career goals.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) announced it received $7.5 million for housing through a federal award and a generous philanthropic donation. Together, these awards will support the development or preservation of over 300 affordable rental homes, as well as establishing an innovative pilot project to support smaller-scale community housing projects. The recent awards demonstrate how investments from philanthropic donors can help attract new federal funding to meet Vermont’s housing needs.

Vermont Business Magazine The Grafton Village Cheese Company, a subsidiary of the Windham Foundation, announces that Curt Alpeter has stepped into the position of CEO. He is leading the historic and award-winning handmade cheese business, including operations, retail, and wholesale distribution. Alpeter was most recently President of Runamok Maple, based in Fairfax, VT, where helped build the company into a nationally recognized specialty food brand.  

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont is $3.38 per gallon. This is 5 cents/g lower than last week, 16 cents lower than last month and 20 cents lower than this time last year. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.13/g while the highest was $3.59/g, a difference of 46.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 9.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.11/g today. 

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Impact Grant pre-applications are open now through January 19th. There are two types of impact grants: ARPA Primary Producer Impact Grant and the Supply Chain Impact Grant. Both grants can cover market development, research and development, infrastructure, and workforce training and development. Awards range from $50,000-$250,000. The Supply Chain Impact Grant projects must also either benefit the applicant and additional organizations or enable the applicant to access new or larger markets (for example, product aggregation, co-branding, vertical or horizontal efficiencies). The ARPA Primary Producer Grant is limited to just primary producers of farm or forest products (for example: dairy, livestock for meat, sugaring, logging) that have been in business since before January 2020.