Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 1 is awarding a total of $3 million from the agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program to the State of Vermont. The award given to the State of Vermont will fund the development of plans and innovative strategies to cut climate pollution and build clean energy economies. Working in tandem with other programs also funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, CPRG provides flexible planning resources to local governments, states, Tribes, and territories for climate solutions that protect communities from pollution and advance environmental justice.

Vermont Business Magazine In its seventh year supporting those in need and the vital work of the Vermont Foodbank, the Vermont Legal Community Fighting Hunger Food Drive will start Friday, September 8th and run until Friday, September 22nd. This year, the Attorney General’s Office is encouraging members of the legal community to collect diapers, in addition to food, to support Vermont families experiencing diaper need. For many people in Vermont, the intersecting challenges of the pandemic, economic disruptions, inflation, and now flooding, have made it difficult to keep food on the table, and most pandemic-era programs supporting households for the past three years have ended.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont residents affected by July’s floods have many options to kickstart their recovery. FEMA grants can help pay for home repairs, rent while you’re displaced, personal property losses, medical expenses and other disaster-related needs not covered by other sources. To apply for FEMA assistance, visit DisasterAssistance.gov, download the FEMA App or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. If you use a relay service such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service when you apply.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Women’s Fund will hold its 2023 Annual Celebration on Friday, September 22 at the University of Vermont’s Davis Center featuring special guest Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and author/founder of Know Your Value. The celebration will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and be emceed by Vermont Public’s Jane Lindholm, with music provided by Kat Wright. The Women’s Fund, a component fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, is a statewide nonprofit whose philanthropic mission is to advance and achieve gender equity in Vermont. The special guest at this year’s annual celebration is known for helping women meet their goals and expand their careers.     

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) today released the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s announcement of the first 10 prescription drugs that will be subject to price negotiation thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and provisions Senator Welch championed in the House.  Even before realizing savings from drug price negotiations, the IRA has already delivered savings to seniors through its $35 cap on insulin and vaccine coverage for seniors. In addition, the IRA will generate an average savings for Medicare beneficiaries in Vermont of $492 per year on prescription drug costs, once the $2,000 annual out-of-pocket cap goes into effect in 2025. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont families with school-age children are getting a boost to their bank accounts thanks to federal funding for summer food benefits. The federal government authorized the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) and Agency of Education (AOE) to provide a temporary food benefit to all students in public schools, as well as some in independent schools. In total, between February – May 11, 2023, $9,980,804 in Pandemic EBT, or P-EBT benefits, including a summer benefit, was provided to 80,556 students in 53,535 households. Since the start of the P-EBT program in Spring 2020, Vermont families have received $95.6 million in P-EBT benefits. Because the federal public health emergency has ended, this is the final year of P-EBT.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont residents affected by July’s severe storms, flooding, mudslides and landslides are reminded to apply for FEMA assistance. If you had storm-related expenses and live in or own a business in Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham or Windsor counties, you should apply as soon as possible. FEMA Assistance may provide grants to assist with your recovery, including temporary housing, home repairs and other disaster-related needs. The U.S. Small Business Administration may provide loans for your recovery, both for businesses and individual households.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont National Guard is inviting the public to its 2nd annual Open House, set to take place at Camp Johnson in Colchester, Vermont on September 9th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is an opportunity for the community to connect with our servicemen and servicewomen, gain insights into military operations, and partake in an array of family-friendly activities. Visitors will have the chance to see equipment, vehicle, and unit displays, providing a tangible glimpse into the machinery and strategic tools employed by the Vermont National Guard. There will also be a variety of food options available at a cost.

Vermont Business Magazine Copley Hospital in Morrisville and North Country Hospital in Newport now have telemedicine equipment that allows both audio and visual communication between each of these two rural critical access hospitals and the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington during the transport process for newborns with life-threatening conditions. Newborns in need of critical care in Vermont are often transported to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at The UVM Children’s Hospital – the only NICU in Vermont – when they are born prematurely, are in need of supportive measures like respiratory therapy or require life-saving care and surgery. But the precarious time between childbirth and before babies arrive at the NICU can present its own challenges, especially when the babies can be a two-hour drive away.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported August 23, 2023, that COVID-19 hospitalizations increased to a statewide total of 31, up from 25 from last week and from 7 the week before. Cases and hospitalizations have risen over the summer. However, COVID-19 activity remains in the "Low" range, according to the VDH. Reported cases last week were 219 up from 165 and 112 the previous two weeks. The CDC has stated that a new booster will be available this fall and that an estimated 97% of Americans have some level of immunity, from either vaccination or infection or both, which will help keep down new transmission and lessen serious outcomes. There were 3 COVID-related deaths reported last week, after 5 the week before and zero the week before that, for a pandemic total of 1,004 as of August 19, as fatalities have slowed from prior years. 

Vermont Business Magazine At the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR), volunteers play a critical role in enhancing the end-of-life experiences of people facing serious illness and their families. Volunteers represent all life experiences and are drawn to hospice for a variety of reasons, but the defining characteristics that unite them are compassion and the desire to help others. Their many skills are matched to important tasks within our mission. 

Vermont Business Magazine “Talk away the dark” is the message of this year’s Out of the Darkness Walk. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) emphasizes that talking is the first step to preventing suicide. The goal of the annual community walk is to heighten suicide prevention awareness and emphasize that it’s a journey of remembrance, hope and support that can unite the community.