Current News

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 The Justice for All Act was originally enacted in 2004 as a groundbreaking piece of bipartisan criminal justice legislation, authored by a bipartisan coalition of senators including Leahy.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.

Vermont Business Magazine On Saturday, legal cannabis sales for adults 21 and over will begin in Vermont. Last month, the Vermont Cannabis Control Board issued its first licenses for adult-use cannabis retail sales to Mountain Girl Cannabis in Rutland, a social equity applicant, and Flora Cannabis in Middlebury. Additionally, the Board granted permission for Ceres Med in South Burlington to transition from medical to adult-use cannabis sales. As reported by the Burlington Free Press, at least 30 applicants have applied for retail licenses, and more licenses are expected to be issued in the near future.

Vermont Business Magazine Suicide is preventable and there is hope. September, Suicide Prevention Month, sheds light on the resources to help Veterans who are struggling. These resources are available year-round, but Don’t Wait. Reach out. In addition to the local resources offered, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Ad Council have created an ongoing national campaign: “Don’t Wait. Reach Out.” First released in 2021, the public service advertisements direct audiences to VA.gov/REACH, a comprehensive website designed to help Veterans navigate the wide range of resources available.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Education today named Robyn Newton, a physical education teacher at Vergennes Union Elementary School, as the 2023 Vermont Teacher of the Year. Newton will begin her tenure as Vermont Teacher of the Year on January 1, 2023. Also recognized are the 2023 Vermont Teacher of the Year Distinguished Finalists, Abbie Bowker, visual art teacher at Champlain Valley Union High School, Amy Clapp, upper elementary teacher at Salisbury Community School, and Aziza Malik, upper elementary teacher at Champlain Elementary School.

Vermont Business Magazine Next month, Vermont Public will host a series of debates between major party candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor and lieutenant governor, leading up to Election Day on November 8. Debates begin October 11. Hosted by Connor Cyrus and Mikaela Lefrak, all debates will air live during Vermont Edition’s radio broadcast at noon and on Vermont Public’s YouTube channel. The debates will air on Vermont Public’s main TV channel the same day at 7 pm and will be available in the Vermont Edition podcast feed.

Vermont Business Magazine Before I begin, I want to acknowledge that this morning, countless Floridians woke up to a world turned upside down in the wake of Hurricane Ian. And hundreds of thousands in Puerto Rico remain without power more than 10 days after the storm that ravaged the island. Vermonters will stand by your side as you rebuild your communities and your lives, and so will this chamber. The continuing resolution we are about to consider contains $18.8 billion for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund, which would bring available resources in the fund to approximately $35 billion to respond to these and other disasters.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Electric Department (BED) this week issued a request for proposals (RFP) for renewable energy resources to ensure that the municipal utility is able to continue to source 100 percent of the City’s power from renewable energy generation in pursuit of Burlington’s Net Zero Energy by 2030 goal. BED will continue to go above and beyond the State of Vermont renewable energy requirements as it invites proposals for renewable energy resources to replace contracts that will be expiring in the next two to five years.

Vermont Business Magazine When Patti O’Brien organized the first Women’s Health and Cancer Conference, in the fall of 1997, the University of Vermont Cancer Center event was among the only meetings in the world devoted to the information needs of patients, who were often kept in the dark about their treatment. In 2022, the 25^th anniversary of the conference, patient information about a myriad of treatment options is everywhere but, because of that pervasiveness, the need for the conference is greater than ever. The free, 2022 conference will be held on September 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. both in-person, at the Dudley H. Davis Student Center on the UVM campus, and online via Zoom. The conference is supported by the Victoria Buffum Fund and Eleanor B. Daniels Fund at the UVM Cancer Center. Continuing medical education credits are offered free of charge.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont continue to fall and now are below the national average. Prices today in Vermont stand at an average of $3.66 per gallon, down 9 cents in the last week, down 43 cents in the last month and are 56 cents above last year's average price. Nationally, the average is $3.71/g, which is down 6 cents from last week, down 11 cents from last month and 47 cents higher than last year.