Current News

​Vermont Business Magazine Rutland Superior Court issued a judgment last week in a lawsuit brought by the Attorney General’s Office against Rutland rental property owner John Ruggiero and his companies for failing to comply with Vermont’s lead in rental housing laws and consumer protection laws. The Attorney General’s Office sued Ruggiero earlier this month after the Vermont Department of Health received complaints of two children residing in Ruggiero’s properties with elevated blood lead levels. The Consent Judgment orders Ruggiero and any rental company he manages to immediately bring nine rental properties into compliance and refrain from renting any non-compliant vacant rental unit until the unit becomes compliant with Vermont’s lead law. Ruggiero owns over 30 rental properties in Rutland, many of which had deteriorated paint conditions, thus exposing children to potential lead hazards.

Vermont Business Magazine The Weinberger administration successfully secured approval for a construction contract to build the Champlain Parkway by a unanimous vote of the City Council during the April 25 Council meeting. The $45 million contract will improve traffic circulation, alleviate overburdened roadways, protect Lake Champlain through enhanced stormwater management, and improve vehicular, bike, and pedestrian safety in the Southwest section of the City. The funding of the project comes primarily from the federal government, which is contributing 95 percent of the cost. The State of Vermont will pay 3 percent. The City of Burlington will be responsible for 2 percent of the project’s eligible costs.

​by Senator Corey Parent, R-Franklin County Over the weeks ahead, Vermonters will hear a lot about the things funded in the Legislature’s version of the next state budget. We’ll talk about money for housing, workforce training, childcare, human services systems and more. The truth is it invests in some important things. But it’s not good enough. And I voted against it because of what’s not in it for our communities and our people. In making changes to Governor Scott’s budget, the Legislature cut too much from revitalizing communities and helping families get ahead.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that the second round of Resilient Communities Fund grants will fund buyouts of flood-vulnerable homes, floodplain restoration, and other natural resource projects that will help protect life and property from future floods in Vermont. More than $2.1 million in grants will go to towns and non-profit organizations in round two of the program. The Flood Resilient Community Fund program was created in 2021 to enhance community resilience to flooding and improve water quality in Vermont. The $4.8 million program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars.

​Vermont Business Magazine The VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR) will offer an eight-week grief support program beginning on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 with two separate sessions each Tuesday at 10 am and 6pm in the Casella Conference Room at the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region’s Rutland office on 7 Albert Cree Drive. Led by Chaplain and Spiritual and Bereavement Coordinator Rev. Jesse Bradley, the eight-week program will review grief stages and how to successfully navigate the process from grief to hope for newly bereaved individuals.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Delta Dental Foundation recently awarded $90,000 to seven oral health programs throughout Vermont. The Foundation supports organizations and initiatives in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont that provide oral health education and dental care to uninsured and underserved communities. A grant of $25,000 was awarded to Community Health Centers of the Rutland Region for their school based dental program and $5,000 to Battenkill Valley Health Center for their community outreach and education program.

Thanks to Suburban Propane, donors have the chance to win a travel trailer camper when they come to give blood now through May 19

BURLINGTON, VT (April 25, 2022) — The American Red Cross, Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and Suburban Propane have joined together to encourage communities to commit to a simple act with a powerful impact – giving blood or platelets for patients in need.

This spring, it’s critically important the Red Cross maintains a readily available blood supply for those who rely on transfusions for treatment. Since donated blood has a limited shelf life, supplies must be constantly replenished to ensure a sufficient inventory of blood products. With no substitution for blood and no way to manufacture it, volunteer donors are the only source of blood products for patients with sickle cell disease, car accident victims and parents experiencing difficult childbirths.

by Jared Duval With the Clean Heat Standard, Vermont finally has an effective way to help reduce dependence on fossil heating fuels. That’s important both for reducing climate pollution and reducing heating costs. Over a third of our greenhouse emissions come from fossil fuel used for heating and approximately half of Vermont’s heating fuel comes from two of the highest cost and most price volatile sources: fuel oil and propane. Fuel oil alone is up over $2 a gallon (about an 80% increase) since last year. There is simply no way to effectively reduce climate pollution or heating costs as long as we remain so dependent on fossil heating fuels.

​Vermont Business Magazine Four times each year, New England Federal Credit Union (NEFCU) selects four recipient organizations at random to receive $625 each, for a total of $10,000 annually. NEFCU’s community giving donation recipients for the first quarter of 2022 were: Addison Volunteer Fire Department; Project HOePpnEr; The University of Vermont Health Network-Home Health & Hospice; and Fairfield Community Center.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 179 cases of COVID-19 for Sunday, which typically has fewer cases. There were 251 on Saturday and 372 last Friday (331 Thursday, 341 Wednesday, 332 Tuesday, 151 Monday, 150 Sunday, 261 Saturday, and 313 last Friday.) The VDH reported no additional deaths, for 629 statewide. COVID cases now are highest per capita in the last two weeks in Washington, Chittenden, Bennington and Grand Isle counties. Cases in Bennington have seen a surge the last several days.

Vermont Business Magazine NBT Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ: NBTB) reported net income of $39.1 million, or $0.90 per diluted share for the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to $39.8 million, or $0.91 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2021 and $37.3 million, or $0.86 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2021. Norwich, NY-based NBT Bank has branches in western Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger and Burlington Electric Department (BED) today announced the annual update to the City’s Net Zero Energy Roadmap, providing new 2021 data that show emissions in the thermal and ground transportation sectors in the city increased 1.5 percent in 2021 relative to 2020, but remain 12.5 percent lower than the Roadmap’s 2018 baseline. For comparison, emissions in the United States rose 6.2 percent in 2021.