Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), in partnership with the Addison County Regional Planning Commission (ACRPC), has launched a public survey for the Vergennes Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) Study. People who live, work or travel through northern Addison County are invited to complete the brief survey to share opinions and help the study team understand issues important to you when evaluating options to reduce the impacts of truck traffic on VT Route 22A in Downtown Vergennes. Transportation solutions being evaluated at this time include new roadways, improvements to existing roadways as well as the option that traffic flows do not change. The proposed solutions are located in the following municipalities – Ferrisburgh, Vergennes, Waltham, Weybridge, Panton, Addison and New Haven.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.81 per gallon, up 3 cents per gallon from last week, up 23 cents/g from last month and down 44 cents/g from a year ago. The lowest price in the state is $3.49/g in Ludlow while the highest is $3.99/g in Arlington. The national average price of gasoline has risen 3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.84/g today. Supply pressures could drive prices even higher by Labor Day.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved more than $10 million in low-interest disaster loans for Vermonters whose property was damaged or destroyed by the July flooding. Approved loan funds, which totaled $10,108,000 as of close of business August 15, will assist 223 businesses, homeowners and renters repair, rebuild and recover. Applications are still being processed, and the amount of money that will be made available to disaster survivors will increase in the days and weeks ahead.

Vermont Business Magazine Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) sent a letter today to the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), calling on the office to study interagency data collection on areas of the country that are unserved or underserved by water and wastewater infrastructure. By some estimates, more than 2 million Americans lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation. This study will shed light on an often-neglected issue and prepare lawmakers to better address water and wastewater needs.  

Vermont Business Magazine Through a partnership between Vermont River Conservancy and the Barre River Access Task Force, a group of 18 volunteers met on Saturday, August 12th, at Rotary Park in Barre to reconstruct a ½ mile trail that leads to a spectacular waterfall on the Stevens Branch River. The July flood destroyed much of the trail, redistributing rocks, gravel, sand, and debris that made the trail unclear and unsafe. Volunteers hauled out a ½ ton of plastic, fabric, and tires from the floodplain, moved rocks to become stepping stones, and resurfaced the trail tread so that anglers, swimmers, photographers, and picnickers can now safely and clearly find their way to the falls, leaving the rest of the floodplain to regrow vegetation. 

Vermont Business Magazine Amid rising regional demand for resources and programs aimed at supporting individuals with substance use and related disorders, UVM Medical Center has integrated and expanded its addiction services. The newly created Addiction Treatment Center (ATC) brings together psychiatric providers, licensed drug and alcohol counselors, and experienced nurses to reduce barriers to care, expand local access to treatment and modernize UVM Medical Center’s current slate of treatment programs. Clinical leaders at the ATC said the focus of the program’s reformation and rebranding is harmonizing and modernizing the UVM Medical Center’s current addiction services.

Vermont Business Magazine Customers, employees and community members  – both the two-and four-legged varieties – know they can count on Ned Robinson who, along with his wife Shannon Mead, recently purchased Richmond’s The Crate Escape. His dedication was evidenced on the evening of July 10th, and on throughout the long day and night of the 11th, as heavy rains and historic flooding devastated Vermont. On the banks of the inundated Winooski River, Richmond was plunged beneath six feet of water. Ned stood watch at The Crate Escape’s nearby Route 2 location as the river continued to advance, ultimately closing off the road in either direction and separating the dozens of boarding pups in his care from their families.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) reminds Vermonters to be on the lookout for flood damage when purchasing used vehicles in private sales. After the recent flooding, consumers should take precautions in coming weeks and months to avoid unintentionally purchasing vehicles that were damaged by flooding. Some private sellers take a vehicle from a flooded area and get a new title in a different state before trying to sell it. 

Vermont Business Magazine Data Innovations from Colchester has released a major upgrade to its first cloud-hosted SaaS product, Lab GPS. Lab GPS v2.0 helps minimize costly clinical laboratory downtime and improve patient care by empowering laboratorians with all-in-one connectivity monitoring, notifications, and control. Lab GPS is designed to address one of the leading factors that limits clinical lab productivity: unplanned downtime due to connectivity, power, and hardware issues. Downtime is not only costly in terms of lost productivity; it can adversely affect patient care by delaying test results. Moreover, correcting lab downtime typically requires costly IT resource time.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says bear hunting season starts in September and reminds hunters about the bear hunting regulations. Vermont has two bear hunting seasons.  The early season, which requires a special bear tag, starts September 1, and continues through November 10 with one exception.  Nonresident hunters using dogs cannot start bear hunting until September 15.  The late bear season begins November 11 and continues through November 19.  A hunter may only take one bear during the year. In addition to a hunting license, a bear hunter using a bow or crossbow must have a prior or current bow license or a certificate proving completion of a bow hunter education course.

Vermont Business Magazine The invasive insect known as Elm zigzag sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda; EZS) has been confirmed for the first time in Vermont. After receiving a report of potential EZS activity in northwestern Vermont, staff from both the Forest Health program of the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) and Plant Health program of the Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (AAFM), collected larval samples from affected elm foliage in May 2023. Samples were sent to the US Department of Agriculture Plant Protection and Quarantine program for identification, and EZS has now been officially confirmed within the state. Elm zigzag sawfly is native to east Asia, and feeds on multiple elm (Ulmus) species in, as the name implies, a zigzag pattern on leaves. When present in high numbers, full defoliation of elm trees can occur, and repeated years of defoliation could lead to crown dieback and/or tree mortality. 

Vermont Business Magazine The four members of the Vermont Declaration of Inclusion Initiative has received the Vermont Community Leadership Award for their work to bring the declaration to all 247 communities in Vermont. The award was presented at the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s 2023 Vermont Community Summit at the Vermont State University Randolph Campus. The award is given to highlight the work of community members who epitomize the best spirit of local community service, who volunteer their time, and who have made their community better. The statewide Declaration of Inclusion Initiative is spearheaded by four individuals – Norm Cohen, Bob Harnish, Barbara Noyes Pulling and Al Wakefield – all from the Rutland area.