Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont, tied with South Dakota, has the lowest foreclosure rate in the nation. Only 0.01 percent (one-hundredth of 1 percent) of homes in Vermont and South Dakota have undergone a foreclosure filing during the first half of 2022. This represents a total of 44 homes in Vermont and 43 in South Dakota. Next lowest is North Dakota at 0.02 percent (83 homes). The highest is Illinois (0.26 percent, or 14,086). The US rate is 0.12 percent (164,581 homes). Foreclosure filings include default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions. The US figure is up 153 percent from the same time period a year ago but down just 1 percent from the same time period two years ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Bristol Village Cohousing (BVCH) in Bristol, VT is five years old and has much to celebrate. Founded in 2017 by Jim Mendell and Meg Kamens, the community grew very quickly and now is an established part of Bristol and Addison County. On Saturday Oct 1 from 1 - 5 pm BVCH will host an Open House to celebrate. BVCH is one of nine cohousing communities in Vermont and over 150 established communities in the US according to the Cohousing Association of the US. Cohousing is defined as “community intentionally designed with ample common spaces surrounded by private homes.”

Vermont Business Magazine Do Good Fest, a benefit music concert hosted by National Life Group on its Montpelier campus, is returning after a hiatus during the pandemic. The largest concert held in central Vermont is expected to bring almost 10,000 people to the company’s natural amphitheater. This year, Do Good Fest is featuring X Ambassadors as its headliner as well as American Authors, Forest Blakk, and Vermont’s own Moxie. A new highlight for the event is Beats for Good, a high school music competition. Kingdom All Stars, a group of teen musicians from the Northeast Kingdom, won after close to 6,000 online votes were tallied. They will perform as a lead in to Moxie. The Laker Ladies, a trio from Colchester High School, will sing the song that made them a close second and will open Do Good Fest.

Vermont Business Magazine The Connecticut River Conservancy’s first-ever Riverfest Weekend kicks off Aug. 6 & 7 in Brattleboro and Hinsdale, highlighted by the 44^th Annual New England Paddlesports Championship on Sunday. Riverfest promises family-friendly near-river and on-river activities bridging southwest New Hampshire with southeast Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine A new interactive directory of Vermont’s music industry has been published to bigheavyworld.com, a website celebrating Vermont’s original music. The directory was created through a collaboration between Big Heavy World, Vermont’s independent, volunteer-run music office, and Northern Vermont University-Lyndon Music Business and Industry program students. The project was supported in part by the USDA’s Rural Business Development Grant program, designed to provide technical assistance, training and other resources for small rural businesses.

Vermont Business Magazine It’s time to fire up the grill and grab a pint as Harpoon Brewery hosts its annual Harpoon BBQ Fest. Taking place at the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, VT, 25+ teams will go head-to-head to see who can bring the best chicken, pork, brisket, and ribs to the picnic table. Harpoon Brewery invites fans to join them on Saturday, July 23rd and Sunday, July 24th to enjoy live music and delicious craft beer, hard seltzer, and hard cider offerings, all while chowing down on championship BBQ made by competing teams from across the region. Those attending Saturday’s BBQ Competition will receive a ballot upon entry, voting on their favorite teams for the best dishes in each category.

Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission Through a grant from the Federal Economic Development Administration, TRORC was able to host its first of four business development trainings for the 3CVT Creative Zone. The workshops are designed to provide professional knowledge as a sustainable investment in creative enterprises and individuals. Also, TRORC towns are participating in the SFY23 VTrans Grants in Aid program. The region has a 97% participation rate (31/32 municipalities) translating to $960,000 of construction funds towards implementing Best Management Practices on hydrologically connected road segments that currently do not meet Municipal Roads General Permit standards.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), along with Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), on Thursday introduced a joint resolution in the Senate to direct the removal of U.S. Armed Forces from unauthorized involvement in the war between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis in Yemen. The resolution, which is supported by a bipartisan group of more than 100 members of Congress in the House, is considered privileged in the Senate and can receive a vote on the floor as soon as ten calendar days following introduction.

Vermont Business Magazine The affiliate organizations that make up The University of Vermont Health Network have made changes to their board governance structure to enable deeper integration of the health system, support the Network’s ability to become more nimble and strengthen alignment with its population health centered mission. This is a simple board reorganization only and does not affect operations or staffing at the affiliate hospitals and health organizations in Vermont and Upstate New York.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported July 2 that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are still considered "Low." Total cases for the week fell slightly, while hospitalizations declined. There were 12 deaths in June attributed to COVID so far after 32 in May. May saw an increase in fatalities from April and March. June had the fewest COVID fatalities since last July 2021 (2). As of July 12, there have been 4 deaths from COVID in Vermont. While new COVID-19 cases were down only slightly, hospitalizations were down about 40 percent.

​Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Department of Public Safety announces a new public safety initiative, called SURVIVERMONT. This program is a community caretaking initiative created to educate and empower Vermonters with actions they can take to protect themselves and family members if they are confronted with an active shooter or violent threat situation. Supported by a grant from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, SURVIVERMONT combines three easy-to-remember concepts from established federal public safety programs: See Something, Say Something; Run, Hide and Fight; and Stop the Bleed.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has appointed John Beling as commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Beling has served as interim commissioner since April 15, and as DEC’s general counsel since 2018. Beling replaces Peter Walke, who served as DEC commissioner for two years. Beling will now lead DEC’s 300 employees working to promote clean air, clean water and healthy communities in Vermont. DEC is one of three departments in the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), along with the Fish and Wildlife Department and the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.