Current News

Vermont Business Magazine In response to reduced on-site visitation by the public beginning long before the pandemic, the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation (FPR) will be closing the St. Albans office at 278 South Main St., Suite 2 in Saint Albans, on December 1, 2022. The Franklin-Grand Isle County Forester’s office will now be located at the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Essex Regional Office at 111 West St. Essex Jct., VT 05452. This change will support enhanced coordination among staff within the Agency of Natural Resources, reduce the Department’s footprint, and allow reallocation of resources, ultimately improving FPR’s ability to serve private forestland owners.

by Joy Choquette, Vermont Business Magazine Jamie Stewart, executive director of Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation in Montpelier, said that like the rest of the state Washington County has dealt with challenges and new opportunities presented by the pandemic. “This region suffers from the same issues facing all of Vermont,” said Stewart. “We need affordable workforce housing and access to affordable quality child care. There is a pressing need for staffing to support the growth, which means developing a skilled workforce pool. These are all areas that are being discussed and at some level addressed, but to date, it has been too little, too late.”

by John McClaughry With the 2022 election out of the way, it’s a good time to take a serious look at proposals for improving election laws. Here are three of my longtime favorites. Single Member Districts; One Big Choice (governor and lieutenant elected together and appoint constitutional officers); and Restore Party Integrity (party affiliation required in the primaries).

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Women’s Fund and This Way UP have announced the first-ever statewide Vermont Woman Owned Challenge to encourage shopping at women-owned businesses beginning Wednesday, November 30 and going through December 7, 2022. The challenge is made possible with This Way UP’s searchable map that includes over 2,680 businesses owned and operated by women in the state of Vermont. Users can use the map’s search tool to locate goods and services from women-owned retailers and suppliers by industry, by region, and by business name.

VermontBiz This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will have traffic impacts on state highways throughout Vermont. Most crews will wrap work by Wednesday evening and be off through the weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday. As projects wind down for the season, this will serve as the final report for 2022. Travel Safely.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger on Tuesday announced the opening of The Moran FRAME, a new iconic Burlington landmark and public space on the Burlington waterfront featuring the revived steel superstructure of the former J. Edward Moran Municipal Generating Station. Following 30 years of stalled efforts to reimagine the site of the long-abandoned former coal plant, the Moran FRAME represents significant transformation of the northern waterfront and a testament of the City’s long-held commitment to the conservation of public spaces, as well as to energy transformation. The building was first commissioned in 1952 by then Mayor Moran as a coal fired plant, converted to wood chips in 1977, and ultimately decommissioned in 1986. In 2014, the City of Burlington became the first in the nation to source 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, and in 2019 Mayor Weinberger announce a plan to achieve Net Zero by 2030.

Vermont Business Magazine The Shires of Southwestern Vermont Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), under The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce, invites residents and travelers to come enjoy “Holidays in The Shires” this holiday season. The campaign, centered around the various events from November through December encourages patrons to shop, dine, craft, recreate and have family fun throughout the region. On the main page the description reads, "The Official Holiday Calendar of The Shires."

Vermont Business Magazine Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) celebrated “Thanks, Birth Control” Day on Wednesday, a time to highlight the many ways that birth control improves people’s lives, including the ability to plan their families, finish their education, and pursue their dreams. This annual observance founded by the Power to Decide campaign is also an important opportunity to help share facts and dispel myths about contraception. A new survey released by the Power to Decide finds the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is fueling young adults’ concerns about birth control. Six in 10 of survey respondents ages 18 to 29 believe birth control will be more difficult to access now that Roe has been overturned.

Vermont Business Magazine Lawson’s Finest Liquids is debuting a 2022 World Beer Cup Silver Medal winner across the northeast just in time for cold weather and changing seasons. Fayston Maple Imperial Stout Aged in Mad River Distillers Rum Barrels is now available across the brewery’s entire nine-state distribution area of VT, CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, and RI. The distribution marks the first time a barrel-aged, seasonal release from the brewery is available outside the company’s Waitsfield, VT destination Taproom. Each year, Lawson’s Finest Liquids releases specialty, barrel-aged beers to mark the holiday season. Fayston Maple Imperial Stout Aged in Mad River Distillers Rum Barrels debuted in Fall of 2021 before earning a Silver Medal at the prestigious World Beer Cup in 2022. The 10.5% ABV imperial stout is brewed with loads of roasted and black malts with a hefty dose of Vermont Maple Syrup.