Current News

Vermont Business Magazine With a little help from neighbors and friends, Upper Valley residents will soon be able to enjoy “JAM” (Junction Arts & Media), a free, public film and media arts “playground'' for all ages to come together to create in downtown White River Junction. Community Access Television (CATV) has been selected by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development’s Better Places Program to lead the transformation of an empty storefront in the former “Newberry Market” of the Gates-Briggs Building into JAM – an inclusive community center that will host interactive media activities for all ages; installation video art; and exhibits by local media artists.

Vermont Business Magazine Gathering from across the country and around the globe, over 300 students representing 13 online graduate programs will participate in a week of capstone and culminating academic work, conferences and commencement and Academic Recognition Ceremonies at Norwich University’s College of Graduate and Continuing Studies (CGCS) annual weeklong Residency Conference June 20-24. For the first time since 2019, the annual Residency Conference will be held in person at the Norwich University campus in the Green Mountains of Northfield, Vermont.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association It's getting hot out there... Check out the Vermont Department of Health's new community Cooling Site Map. Extreme heat in regions that are not acclimated or prepared can be challenging, and the NEK has some of the highest concentrations of communities vulnerable to heat. Was the map useful? What's missing? Provide feedback by completing the Heat Safety Survey or contact Allie Webster, NVDA Energy Planner, for more info or to receive community support.

Vermont Business Magazine Pittsford residents will soon be able to enjoy a pavilion at the Pittsford Village Farm, a green space in our Designated Village Center thanks to a recently launched crowdfunding campaign. The campaign is sponsored by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development’s Better Places program and is led by the Pittsford Village Farm.

Vermont Business Magazine Earthkeep Farmcommon is rolling out its first-of-the-season farmer’s market event, “Farm Night at Earthkeep Farmcommon,” on Thursday, June 23, from 4-7 p.m. at 1211 Ethan Allen Highway. Formerly known as Nordic Nite Out, the event features goods produced sustainably on-site by the Earthkeep Farmers’ Collective. Members of the collective and fellow Vermont food vendors will come together to offer diverse, organic and locally made products every Thursday from 4-7 p.m. from June 23-Oct. 13.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Burlington International Airport (BTV) welcomed seasonal service to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) on Sun Country Airlines. The MSP market is the seventh largest market currently not being served by a direct flight from BTV. Not only will Sun Country Airlines be servicing MSP on Thursdays and Sundays this summer season, but Delta Air Lines has begun serving MSP from BTV on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays as well. The addition of MSP as a direct destination assisting in achieving a 12-year high in the number of seats available departing from BTV over the next four summer months, which is the highest number of seats ever offered from BTV. Further air service includes the return of direct Miami (MIA) service via American Airlines in November, as well as daily service being offered to Denver (DEN) this summer.

Senator Patrick Leahy The passage of The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, or PACT Act, is an example of what can happen when the Congress puts aside partisanship and comes together for the good of the country, and importantly, our veterans. Each of us, in every state and in every Congressional district across the country, has a friend, a neighbor, or a constituent, a veteran or an active duty servicemember, who has become sick or died from exposure to toxics while serving in the military. And for too many of those people, recognition of the connection between their illnesses and toxic exposures came too late.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Thursday introduced legislation to reauthorize the Lake Champlain Basin Program, which supports restoration and protection efforts for Lake Champlain and its surrounding watershed. Vermont Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vermont) introduced companion legislation in the US House of Representatives. For more than 30 years, the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) has supported work in Vermont, New York, and north of the border in Quebec to address phosphorus pollution, toxic substances, biodiversity, aquatic invasive species, and climate change.

Vermont Business Magazine On Thursday, Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Reform Act of 2022, bipartisan legislation that supports strong, reliable, and predictable intellectual property rights for all parties. Patents drive innovation, benefiting the economy and the public. Patents protect inventors, allowing them to commercialize their ideas and bring products to market. But for American innovators’ rights to truly be strong, they have to be based on high-quality patents, patents that meet all the requirements of patentability and have undergone a rigorous examination at the Patent Office.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices rose to a new record in the US, but weekly increases have slowed. Vermont gas prices are averaging $5.04 today, up 2 cents from last week, according to national analysts GasBuddy. The US average is $5.01, up 3 cents. The highest prices in Vermont are found in Brattleboro ($5.29), and Arlington, Waitsfield and Richmond ($5.19). The lowest prices are reported in Middlebury ($4.79) and Manchester Center ($4.88).

Vermont Business Magazine During periods of heavy rainfall when the volume of wastewater exceeds the capacity of the combined sewer system, raw sewage has been discharging into the Otter Creek watershed. These discharges are called combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) has documented hundreds of thousands of gallons of CSOs per year from the City of Rutland Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF). Yesterday, the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) filed an appeal of the Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the City of Rutland WWTF.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) today announced that the Amtrak Ethan Allen Express train will begin the highly-anticipated expanded passenger rail service to Burlington, Vergennes, and Middlebury on July 29, 2022. This service culminates the Agency’s extensive planning and infrastructure work to upgrade the tracks between Rutland and Burlington to accommodate higher speed passenger rail.