Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $1.5 million to the State of Vermont to reimburse the costs of providing emergency meals for residents in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. The $1,473,362 Public Assistance grant will go to the Agency of Commerce and Community Development for providing meal preparation and delivery service to high-risk populations under the state’s emergency feeding program “Vermont Everyone Eats” between January and February 2022. FEMA also will be sending more than $2 million to the State of Vermont to reimburse the costs of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Support staff at the Community Health Centers of Burlington (CHCB) voted yesterday to join Community Health United, part of AFT Vermont. Support staff cited improved wages, fair and consistent pay scales, and safe staffing as key issues prompting the organizing drive. Both parties are committed to maintaining ongoing collaboration and mutual respect in the shared goals of serving our communities with the highest level of care. The final count in the election monitored by the NLRB was 59 to 11.

​Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced his appointment of Daniel Richardson, of Burlington, to the Vermont Superior Court. Richardson was appointed last August as city attorney and corporate counsel for the City of Burlington. Prior to this role, Richardson was a partner at Tarrant, Gillies & Shems for 16 years, where he represented a number of individuals, businesses, and municipalities.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Warden Service responded to the reported fatal shooting of a German shepherd dog in Tunbridge, VT on Saturday, April 23.

The dog was reported missing by its owner on April 20 and was located by the same on April 23. Game Warden Sergeant Jeffrey Whipple responded to the scene and opened an investigation.

“As the responding law enforcement agency, we are actively investigating this tragic situation,” said Game Warden Colonel Jason Batchelder. “This is an ongoing investigation, and more details will be released at an appropriate time.”

MONTPELIER, Vt. – Fish & Wilflife 4.26.2022

​Vermont Business Magazine The Lake Champlain Chamber has announced their new Business Exchange program, which aims to connect a diverse audience to interactive workshops and seminars led by their member businesses. Each Business Exchange workshop will offer guidance and advice from experts in their field. Attendees will walk away with new contacts, knowledge, and skills they can bring into their organization. There are currently four workshops on the Business Exchange schedule, with more in the works.

Vermont Business Magazine May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and right now more people are struggling with mental health than ever before. QuoteWizard analysts evaluated access to care, illness prevalence, coverage rates, and more to find the best states for mental health care. Data provided by QuoteWizard found that Vermont has the 13th-best overall mental health care in the nation. Nationwide, more people are taking prescription mental health medication, anxiety and depression levels are rising, suicidal ideation is increasing and 11% of people with a mental illness don’t have insurance.

​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.