Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Parks Forever has completed its 8th season of funding a student internship at Mt Philo State Park, the oldest state park in Vermont. This internship program memorializes Will Hagedorn, who grew up hiking and sledding on Mt Philo. During college he worked at Mt Philo State Park as an intern, a job he loved. Will died unexpectedly in 2013, at the age of 24. In Will’s memory, his family created the William Cameron Hagedorn Mt Philo Forever Fund at Vermont Parks Forever. Supported by family, friends, and generous donors, the fund offers an opportunity every year for a young person to connect with nature, practice environmental stewardship, develop teamwork and collaboration skills, and experience working with the public.

Vermont Business Magazine Drivers need to be alert and cautious because moose are on the move, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. Moose are more likely to be crossing roadways at this time of year, especially after dark or early in the morning because this is breeding season for moose. “Motorists hit 49 moose on Vermont highways during 2021 and 23 so far this year,” said State Game Warden Major Justin Stedman. “We are asking drivers to be especially careful and for people to enjoy watching moose from a distance. Moose can be unpredictable and dangerous if you get too close and they feel cornered or get irritated.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Foundation and the organizing committee for the Con Hogan Award for Creative, Entrepreneurial Community Leadership are pleased to announce that Joe Wiah will be honored with this year’s award. Wiah is Director of the Ethiopian Community Development Council’s (ECDC) Multicultural Community Center in Brattleboro. The annual award, established by a group of Con Hogan’s colleagues in 2015, celebrates his life’s work by recognizing a community leader who shares his vision of a better Vermont and seizes the responsibility for making that vision real. The awardee shows deep community involvement, generosity, enthusiasm, a collaborative approach, and a focus on data and measurable outcomes in their work.

Vermont Business Magazine A new report from the non-profit Energy Action Network finds that Vermont is not on track to meet its legally mandated emissions reduction requirements under the Global Warming Solutions Act. For the electricity sector, Vermont has already adopted an emissions cap policy (the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative) and a performance standard (the Renewable Energy Standard), which together have helped to drive down emissions from Vermont’s electricity portfolio. However, Vermont’s largely fossil-free electricity portfolio produces only 2 percent of Vermont’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, the transportation and thermal (heating) sectors together account for nearly three quarters of statewide greenhouse gas emissions.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont roads are getting more dangerous. Online insurance agent QuoteWizard found that traffic fatalities increased by 43% in the first half of 2022 - that’s the 3rd highest increase nationwide. Across the US, the increase in traffic fatalities is closely tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first statewide coronavirus lockdowns went into effect in March of 2020, which is when you start to see an increase in the number of speeding-related deaths. This increase becomes even more pronounced during the summer, before declining toward the end of 2020. Detailed speeding-related statistics are not yet available for 2021, but overall in the US, the number of speeding-related deaths increased by 11% in 2020, while the total number of miles driven went down.

VermontBiz Richard Bliss is a LinkedIn Top Voices Influencer, an experienced executive communications manager, and a social media coach. He has helped thousands of people master social media tools and become fluent in social conversations, building their platforms and confidence to effectively reach their audience, define their brand vision and strategies, and develop high-caliber sales teams. In addition to working with businesses and organizations in the US, he’s consulted startups and high-growth technology firms around the world.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) Public Transit program, Go! Vermont, is now providing a free enhanced app subscription to all bus riders to better plan and track their trips. Since 2019, the official rider app for Go! Vermont has been Transit. Now, with the free upgrade to Transit Royale, planning and tracking trips will be easier than ever. All Vermont riders who already use the app will have access to a free Transit Royale subscription, which unlocks additional features, special agency branding, new customization options, and complete access to the app in more than 300 cities worldwide.

by Bill Schubart We like to think of philanthropy as pure altruism… making a gift, and it often is, but philanthropy also has its dark side. Among the darkest is that there are charities legally registered as non-profits that are merely scams collecting money for owners and sponsors. Charity Watch, the charity rating service of the American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP), is as close to an independent charity-rating service as donors will find.

Vermont Tech Continuing Education Working Lands Trainings: Supporting farms and forests from whelping to welding, farming to food, supply chain and systems, including manufacturing. Flexible Stackable Learning Programs.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont received a $5.75 million grant from the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to build laboratories and renovate classroom space in preparation for the launch of a new occupational therapy doctoral degree program. Senator Patrick Leahy directed the funding to support UVM’s program through the FY22 Appropriations bill. Plans for construction include pediatric, outdoor, and anatomy laboratories and a “smart apartment” featuring accessible technologies and modifications that can maximize independence and improve quality of life for people with disabilities or and older adults as they age in place.

Senator Patrick Leahy Twenty-five years ago, when I wrote what later become known as the Leahy Law, I don’t think anyone expected that it would attract so much interest and attention – not just in this country but around the world. Back then, as many of you know, there were provisions in the Foreign Assistance Act that cut off aid to countries where there was a “consistent pattern of gross violations of human rights.” But those laws, although still on the books, have not been enforced. Not by Democratic or Republican administrations. Instead, successive U.S. governments were financing military death squads in Latin America that routinely captured, tortured, and killed critics of the government, whether members of opposition political parties, journalists, social activists, academics, or priests.