Current News

by Joy Choquette, Vermont Business Magazine Franklin County is a diverse mix of industries, businesses and socioeconomic experiences. While farming continues to be a prominent industry in the county, many other businesses are also present. Resting against the border of Canada, Franklin County comprises the towns of Bakersfield, Berkshire, Enosburg, Fairfax, Fairfield, Fletcher, Franklin, Georgia, Highgate, Montgomery, Richford, St Albans, Sheldon and Swanton. As the pandemic winds down, many residents are watching closely for signs of economic recovery and contemplating what lessons have been learned during the crisis.

Vermont Business Magazine Some 400 7th and 8th-grade students from more than a dozen schools around the Northeast Kingdom will have a chance to explore career possibilities through a series of hands-on workshops on Oct. 4. Kingdom Career Connect at Northern Vermont University-Lyndon will provide students an opportunity to explore potential careers and connect those jobs to courses they should take during high school and beyond.

by Amanda Kuhnert The Rutland area gained a new childcare center this fall, thanks to the vision and determination of business owner Lacy Hall. Previously, Hall operated a registered day care program out of her home. She loves her work and is passionate about the importance of early-childhood education. But as an at-home provider, she was only permitted to care for a maximum of 10 children, which barely scratched the surface of the local demand for childcare. Hall envisioned a larger space where she could offer high-quality, hands-on, early-childhood education for over 40 children, newborn to 5 years old. Along with increased capacity, a new locale would allow her to expand her programming, with offerings like yoga, gardening, pottery and even Zoomba.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association The Agency of Natural Resources is providing public notice of the draft General Permit 3-9040 for Stormwater Discharges from Municipal Roads (MRGP). The draft identifies, prioritizes, and remediates stormwater runoff from municipal roads. A Merger Steering Committee has concluded that Lyndon and Lyndonville should be joined together into a single entity and a recommendation was made to the Select Board and Village Trustees that a united town and village would be more efficient, effective, and equitable. The two governing boards held public hearings in September before deciding to send the merger proposal to voters on November 8. Governor Scott has announced tax Incentives for five building improvement and public infrastructure projects in the Northeast Kingdom.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard destination in Eastern North America and a POWDR resort, announced today that tickets for the 2022 Killington Cup will be available for purchase starting October 6 at 10 am ET at killington.com. Taking place November 25-27, the Audi FIS Ski World Cup will once again bring the women’s giant slalom and slalom races to Vermont. The event is expected to attract US Ski Team superstars, including five-time Killington Cup slalom victor and last season’s overall World Cup winner Mikaela Shiffrin, former University of Vermont skier Paula Moltzan and Burke Mountain graduate and Dartmouth student Nina O’Brien.

Vermont Business Magazine Starting October 1, Green Mountain Power (GMP) customers can save $200 when they switch from fossil fuel for cooking and install a new electric induction cooktop or range. Induction technology heats up and cools down faster than fossil fuel and provides great temperature control, all without carbon emissions and indoor air pollution . The new induction rebate adds to GMP’s growing list of incentives to help customers save money when reducing their own carbon footprints. The new rebate is available for installed induction cooktops or ranges (not portable) and is valid on purchases made October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported September 28 that COVID-19 cases fell by a small number last week and hospitalizations increased for the second consecutive week. Both measures are still considered "Low." Total cases for the week fell from 581 to 550. Hospitalizations increased from 39 to 52; there were 30 the previous week. There were 19 COVID-related fatalities in August and 4 so far in September, for a pandemic total of 719. Vermont has the lowest COVID death rate in the nation, at 115 per 100,000 population. As of this report, there were a total of 14 outbreaks, with 12 in the school/childcare segment. This is the same as last week, which is lower than at the beginning of the school year, when there were 25, with 17 in the school/childcare segment. The last reported COVID-related fatality was on September 13.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (VPPSA) announced today that the organization is providing interim operational services for Barton Electric Department. VPPSA submitted a proposal in response to the village’s request for utility service assistance issued in July. Under the arrangement, VPPSA is providing Barton Electric with a dedicated line crew and the necessary tools and equipment to perform regular utility operations during business hours. VPPSA is also partnering with nearby member utilities to provide coverage around the clock and emergency outage restoration.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Everyone Eats program, providing COVID relief support for Vermont restaurants, farmers, and meal recipients since August 1, 2020, is confirmed to continue beyond September 30, 2022. To date, this program has provided over 3.2 million meals to Vermont eaters in need, along with $32 million to the local restaurants who make the meals, and over $3 million to Vermont farmers and food producers whose ingredients are used in the meals. Everyone Eats is an innovative, multi-sector COVID relief program providing economic support to local restaurants, economic benefit to farmers, and restaurant-prepared meals for food-insecure Vermonters negatively impacted by COVID.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), joined by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Amy Klobuchar (MN), Thursday introduced the Patrick Leahy and Orrin G. Hatch Justice For All Reauthorization Act of 2022. The Justice for All Act was originally enacted in 2004 as a groundbreaking piece of bipartisan criminal justice legislation, authored by a bipartisan coalition of senators including Leahy. Leahy and Cornyn led the reauthorizations of the Justice For All Act in 2013 and 2016. The programs authorized under the Justice for All Act improve forensic science and access to justice, increase the fairness and accuracy of the criminal legal system, and enhance protections for crime victims.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will hold public hearings in October and November on a proposed rule to adopt edits to the state’s wetland maps. The DEC has a map which identifies the general location of some protected wetlands (Class I and II) called the Vermont Significant Wetlands Inventory (VSWI). From 2020 to 2022, the DEC completed more mapping of wetlands in the northwestern portion of Vermont in the Missisquoi River Basin. The new maps more accurately reflect wetland locations and need to be officially added to the VSWI.

Vermont State Police On Thursday at approximately 10:33 pm, Vermont State Police received a report of a wrong-way driver on Interstate 89 near Richmond. Callers reported a vehicle was traveling north in the southbound lane starting from the Richmond area and was passing Exit 12, Williston. Troopers and Officers from the South Burlington and Colchester Police Departments responded. South Burlington Police was able catch and locate the vehicle and eventually was able to get the vehicle to stop without incident. Once stopped, the operator was identified, and it was learned that the driver had been reported missing by family where he lives in NJ earlier in the day.