Current News

Vermont Business Magazine During the final days of June, Supreme Court rulings rolled out, each alarming in their own way.

In New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, the Court restricted states’ authority to regulate concealed-carry weapons in public places. In West Virginia v. EPA, the Court handed a win to fossil fuel companies by curtailing the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon emissions.

Most brazenly, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Court overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping Americans of their fundamental right to reproductive liberty. As of July 1st, eight states had moved to outlaw abortion – putting the lives of millions of American women at risk.

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on July 1, 2022, Justin Zayas-Sanchez, 22, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to serve 20 months in prison after his guilty plea to one count of distribution of fentanyl. U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Zayas-Sanchez to serve a six-year term of supervised release and to pay a $100 special assessment.

According to court records and proceedings, on April 14, 2021, Zayas-Sanchez sold crack cocaine and ten bags of fentanyl to a confidential informant in the Rutland area. He also sold crack to an informant on May 26, 2021 and fentanyl to an informant on July 19, 2021. Zayas-Sanchez was arrested in November 2021 and has been detained since then.

​Vermont Business Magazine Speech therapy patients in areas near Manchester and Wilmington, Vermont, can now schedule appointments closer to home. Speech-language pathologist Kate O’Neill, MS, CCC-SLP, will be traveling from SVMC Outpatient Rehabilitation in Bennington to the primary care offices in Manchester and Wilmington. All three practices are part of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) and Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) in Bennington. Appointments in Manchester and Wilmington are open to all SVMC speech and language patients, regardless of where they receive primary care.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fairs & Field Days are back in full swing for 2022! Every year, the Fairs & Field Days are a favorite summer past-time for Vermonters and visitors alike. From July-September, you can find entertainment and family fun at 13 different Fairs & Field Days across the state.
At this year's Fairs & Field Days, you can find everything - animal shows, carnival rides, agricultural exhibits, live bands, good food, tractor pulls, and demolition derbies! Come support the state's most important places to promote agricultural literacy and provide insight into our unique cultural heritage. The Fairs & Field Days schedule is below, click the links for more information about each event.

Vermont Business Magazine University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Dean Richard L. Page, M.D., and UVM Health Network Medical Group President and Larner Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs Jason Sanders, M.D., M.B.A., have announced the appointment of Ramsey Herrington, M.D., as the inaugural chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, effective July 1, 2022. Emergency medicine had its beginnings at UVM in the 1950s and 1960s and has functioned for nearly 50 years as a division of the Department of Surgery. Over the last half-century, the field of emergency medicine has developed a body of research and instructional offerings that are recognized as belonging to a discrete academic field.

by Jenney Samuelson, Secretary of the Agency of Human Services As the Secretary of the Agency of Human Services (AHS), I am listening to what Vermonters want: broader insurance coverage, well-supported healthcare providers, and a stable health care system. On June 28, 2022, Vermont secured federal funding to meet these goals and to support the health and wellbeing of Vermonters statewide. This funding, through the Global Commitment demonstration, advances each of those goals. The state’s healthcare system and the health of all Vermonters will be better for it.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association VTrans is investing funds from the General Fund Bridge Program for rebuilding eligible off-system bridges using 100% federal monies for the construction phase. VTrans established two categories during the selection process: Historic Bridges and Existing Capital Projects. Thirty-four bridges were ultimately selected from around the state to participate in the program - with two from the NEK! The towns of Troy and Lyndon are now able to rebuild their covered bridges with funding from the General Fund Bridge Program.

Vermont Business Magazine The Court’s decision cloaks the use of hundreds of millions of Vermont taxpayer dollars in secrecy, allowing Vermont state agencies to protect themselves and their contractors from independent performance and spending oversight.

VermontBiz Green Mountain United Way is thrilled to receive a $10,000 grant from Vermont Women’s Fund to help continue to support and expand the Working Bridges program throughout Central Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom.

Everyday, Working Bridges resource coordinators meet with local employees at their place of work and help them navigate different life stressors, in particular, financial issues that come up as a result of increasing food, gas, and heating costs.

“We are incredibly grateful for this continued investment and belief in our work,” said Tawnya Kristen, Executive Director of Green Mountain United Way. “This partnership is such a great demonstration of harnessing the power of collaboration to address complex issues. We look forward to demonstrating the success this funding will undoubtedly support and the benefits provided to women in our shared community.”

Vermont Parks Forever has announced its Park Access Fund Grantees for 2022. Since 2016, Vermont Parks Forever has granted over $50,000 to cover park entry fees and help create a more equitable outdoor experience throughout the state. This year, the Park Access Fund will provide over 5,000 free days in the parks to the following community partners across Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce invites participants for the 2^nd Annual Best of Vermont Summer Festival CAR SHOW & 5^th Annual Benson’s Chevy CRUISE-IN. The car show, sponsored by Coldwell Banker Lifestyles Real Estate, is scheduled for Saturday, August 20 & Sunday, August 21 in Ludlow, Vermont at the Okemo Field on Route 103. The cruise-in will be held the night before the festival on Friday evening August 19 from 5- 8 pm at Benson’s Chevrolet located at 25 Pond St in Ludlow Village. Learn more and register HERE: https://www.yourplaceinvermont.com/cars/

by Mike Vlacich, New England Regional Administrator, SBA July marks two very important things, the celebration of our nation’s birthday, Independence Day on July 4th and later in the month, July 30th marks SBA’s birthday. Birthdays are always a good time to take stock of what has been accomplished but more importantly, to look ahead to what we can do. These two “birthdays” are completely connected in my mind. When our nation’s founders fought for and won our independence they were fighting for our freedom and opportunity to create our own destiny, to be self-reliant. The ability to make, produce, buy, and sell goods here in America and to support American ingenuity was a big part of this.