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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.

Vermont Business Magazine State Auditor Doug Hoffer released a new audit today of Vermont’s efforts to ensure Vermont law enforcement officers have received required training and that law enforcement agencies have adopted required policies. Housed within the Department of Public Safety, the Vermont Criminal Justice Council is responsible for certifying more than 1,300 law enforcement officers working at 80 law enforcement agencies, including their training requirements. The audit found that the VCJC has not established policies to ensure officers are receiving their minimum annual required training hours. In addition, the VCJC does not have a system in place to determine if law enforcement agencies have required policies in place, such as Fair and Impartial Policing.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has joined 33 other states in reaching a $438.5 million agreement in principle with JUUL Labs, resolving a two-year bipartisan investigation into the e-cigarette manufacturer’s marketing and sales practices. Under the terms of the agreement in principle, the State of Vermont will receive approximately $8 million over a period of six to ten years. In addition to the financial terms, the settlement would force JUUL to comply with strict injunctive terms severely limiting their marketing and sales practices, including refraining from marketing to youth.

Vermont Business Magazine State health officials today announced that Vermonters will be able to receive the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine booster shots starting Wednesday, September 7. The updated boosters are designed to be a match for the BA.5 Omicron variant currently affecting most people. Last week, the CDC recommended use of the new vaccine booster doses. There are two types of the new boosters, which are known as bivalent — meaning they cover both the original SARS-CoV2 virus and the more recent Omicron (BA.5) variant. The Pfizer booster is for people ages 12 and older, while Moderna’s is authorized for those 18 years of age and older. The booster vaccine will be available starting Sept. 7 at limited walk-in only clinics listed on the Health Department website.

Vermont Business Magazine Exaktera LLC from Boston, a Union Park Capital portfolio company, today announced its acquisition of Advanced Illumination Inc, based in Rochester, Vermont, a long-established design and manufacturer of specialty LED lighting assemblies and drivers for machine vision, industrial imaging, bio-medical and related imaging applications. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Advanced Illumination's state-of-the-art LED components, current mode drivers and strobe sources, combined with optical and thermal design techniques enable factory automation and machine vision across a wide variety of industrial applications.