Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan along with Bennington County State’s Attorney Erica Marthage will host a free expungement clinic on Friday, April 8, 2022, with appointments available from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Expungements wipe from your record specific convictions and dismissed charges after a certain period of time has passed. Under Vermont law, many misdemeanors, 14 different felony offenses, and all dismissed charges can be expunged. The free clinic will focus on expunging criminal charges and convictions from Bennington County and will be open to the public by appointment.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites the public to join watershed planner Karen Bates for the next Clean Water Lecture on March 31st, 2022, at noon. The presentation will cover how clean water projects are successfully implemented—from identifying a problem, to constructing a solution on the ground, and everything in between! The event is part of a monthly virtual Clean Water Lecture Series highlighting efforts to protect and restore water in Vermont. Clean water projects reduce and prevent water pollution stemming from rain and snowmelt runoff and erosion across all land uses including agriculture, developed lands, and forestry.

by Jack Hoffman, Public Assets Institute Governor Phil Scott wants to use a $96 million surplus in the Education Fund for a little tax relief for homeowners and to expand job training. Another scenario laid out by the tax commissioner in December was, in essence, to just lower everybody’s school taxes for one year. These aren’t the only options, nor the best ones, which is why the Legislature needs to create an Education Fund Advisory Committee to oversee the long-term stability of the education finance system.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 161 cases of COVID-19 for Wednesday, down from 216 on Tuesday (82 on Monday, 23 on Sunday, 79 on Saturday and 153 on Friday). There were two additional deaths, one in the 70-79 age range and one 80+, for 611 statewide. There have been four fatalities since March 5.

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation announced a $640,000 settlement with Robinhood Financial LLC. The settlement includes a penalty of $590,000; Robinhood will also contribute $50,000 to the Vermont Financial Services Education and Victim Restitution Special Fund. The settlement relates to outages of Robinhood’s online trading platform, including during significant stock market volatility in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the settlement addresses Robinhood’s lack of supervision when approving option or margin trading customer accounts.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement regarding the Canadian government removing COVID-19 testing requirements for fully vaccinated Canadians and visitors to cross the border starting April 1, 2022: “The move from the Canadian government is a welcomed step forward. In addition to reuniting our border communities, this change will also bring Canadian businesses and travelers back to Vermont to enjoy our downtowns, outdoor recreation opportunities, and expand our economic ties."

Vermont Business Magazine Ben & Jerry's receives several thousand requests each year to rein-cone-ate a beloved flavor from the Flavor Graveyard. Today one of Ben & Jerry's most-loved former flavors is back with a new spirit! Dublin Mudslide has returned from the great beyond with a flavor that is beyond great: Irish cream ice cream with chocolate chocolate chip cookies and coffee fudge swirls.

Vermont Business Magazine The Lake Champlain Chamber (LCC) has named VGS its 2022 Business of the Year in recognition of VGS’s innovative work to reduce emissions for its customers. The announcement was made at LCC’s 111^th annual dinner held March 16^th.

The Vermont State Police has arrested a suspect in connection with the fatal shooting of Vincent Keithan earlier this month in St. Johnsbury. Detectives arrested Jerry Ramirez, 35, of Brooklyn, New York, on a charge of second-degree murder arising from the killing of Keithan, 44, on March 1, 2022. Ramirez was arrested Wednesday afternoon, March 16, at the Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury. He had been jailed in New York following his apprehension on a warrant for aggravated assault related to an incident prior to the fatal shooting, and was extradited to Vermont on Tuesday night, March 15.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont has always been at the forefront of sustainability initiatives, and the craft beverage movement is no exception. Our favorite spots for a quick nip are thinking more and more about what they can do to make a change to be sustainable, reduce their CO2 emissions, recycle or repurpose their materials, and dispose of their spent waste in a way that is good for the environment and our community. There’s no better time to talk about “going green” than on St. Patrick’s Day, and we want to say "Sláinte" to our sustainable partners making good brews and ciders while doing just that.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says warm spring weather and melting snows will cause bears to come out of their winter dens in search of food. The department recommends taking down bird feeders and keeping them stored until December, to avoid attracting bears. The department is already receiving bear reports as of March 7, and encourages Vermonters who experience a conflict with bears to submit a report through the Living with Black Bears web page.

by Kelly Klein As a small business owner and a member of the Vermont Climate Council, I have been excited to watch the development of the Clean Heat Standard as a critical part of Vermont’s Climate Action Plan. With over a third of our state’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from fossil fuel heating, moving away from these fuels presents an opportunity to dramatically reduce emissions while also helping Vermonters switch to more cost-effective and less price-volatile energy sources. Paired with a weatherization initiative, this will result in a big reduction in heating costs, especially for low- and moderate-income Vermonters, who often rely on the most expensive and price-volatile fuels such as propane and heating oil.