Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott, Senator Bernie Sanders and Vermont Afterschool today announced that the application is now open for a wide variety of organizations – including non-profits, municipalities, and licensed/regulated providers of school age childcare – to apply for grant funds to support afterschool and summer programming. In partnership with Vermont Afterschool they are launching a $4.8 million grant program for summer 2022 and 2023, and the 2022-2023 school year.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 206 cases of COVID-19 for Monday. The VDH today also reported five additional deaths from yesterday for 558 statewide. Two of the deaths were in the 70-79 age group and three were in the 80+ age group. Health Commissioner Dr Mark Levine said that most of the recent deaths are in people who are elderly and either not fully vaccinated or have underlying health conditions. Deaths had not been falling even as case counts subsided in late January, which had the second most COVID-related fatalities since the beginning of the pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont House of Representatives passed the Reproductive Liberty Amendment (Prop 5) in a vote of 107-41. The amendment will now appear on the 2022 General Election ballot in November and will be decided on by Vermont voters. This was the final step in the four-year legislative process.

Vermont Business Magazine Engelberth Construction, Inc (ECI) employees have pledged $15,000 to the Vermont Foodbank as part of their 2022 charitable campaign. On Tuesday, February 8, a check was presented to Vermont Foodbank Special Assistant to the CEO, Hillary Orsini. Foodbank highlights in 2021 included distribution of 17.6 million pounds of food to communities across Vermont (over 50% more than pre-pandemic times). Of that, a record 4.8 million pounds was fresh fruits and vegetables, and a full 61% of the food distributed was fresh food.

Vermont Business Magazine Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees recently presented $12,000 in donations from the Bank’s employee-driven charitable giving program, Casual for A Cause, to six nonprofit organizations in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The recipients of the contributions collected in Q4 2021 are: Community Closet and New Hope Midcoast in Maine; Kearsarge Food Hub and Willing Hands in New Hampshire; and Boys & Girls Club of Rutland County and LISTEN Community Services in Vermont.

by Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts and Commerce Secretary Lindsay Kurrle When the pandemic arrived on our doorstep, life changed profoundly. Our daily routine was disrupted, from home to school, office to farm. We even had to learn how to play differently. We also found that our food system was fragile. The governor’s budget proposes that the Legislature fund initiatives to grow our food system and protect the most vulnerable. Many of these needs were outlined by the Governor’s Commission on the Future of Agriculture, a group of citizens tasked to work with the Agencies of Agriculture and Commerce to ensure the viability and adaptability of Vermont’s agriculture and food system.

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center will present its fifth annual conference, Vision, Visionaries and Voices virtually on April 7 from 9 am – 4 pm, featuring international speakers, Mary Bassett, MD, MPH, Anita Hill, Byron Katie, Ethan Nadelmann and Tara Westover.

by Megan Sullivan, Vermont Chamber of Commerce As the pandemic approaches the two-year mark, businesses continue to experience a severe workforce shortage. The harsh reality is that even if every young Vermonter committed to staying here into adulthood, we still wouldn’t have enough people to fill all 23,000 open jobs. While funding workforce development and capital investment opportunities remain crucial, there is only one ultimate solution. We need more people to call Vermont home.

by John McClaughry Are you ready for the coming carbon tax on your home and business heating bill? The Vermont House is working at flank speed to enact the “Clean Heat Standard” (CHS) concocted by the Climate Action Network and adopted by the Vermont Climate Council. Of course, none of the House backers will describe the CHS as a carbon tax, because most Vermonters want nothing to do with a carbon tax.

by Jeff Tieman, CEO, VAHHS When I think of sustainability, the first thing that comes to mind is partnership. Whether it is a marriage or a mission, a policy or a plan, making it sustainable requires collaboration. Rarely does major progress occur because someone acted alone. In the space of our health care system, sustainability requires all stakeholders to play their part: It is the duty of our hospitals and their governing bodies to ensure that they meet community need. It is the responsibility of our elected officials to enact smart policies that move us toward a stable, safe, accessible and affordable health care system. And it is our regulator’s role to make sure hospitals have the financial wherewithal to treat their patients and serve their communities.

Vermont Business Magazine Brett Smith, President and CEO of One Credit Union, has presented the Credit Union’s annual donation to James Hathaway, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Vermont. Through member donations and employee contributions, One Credit Union raised $7,000 for Make-a-Wish in 2021. Traditionally, the Credit Union matches all contributions to Make-a-Wish. Given the difficulties of the last couple years, One CU decided to put a cherry on top, for a grand total of $15,000 to Make-a-Wish.

Vermont Business Magazine The endoscopy team at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), was the recipient of the DAISY Team Award for Extraordinary Nurses in November. The Endocsopy Department is made up of nearly 20 full- and part-time staff members. Together with medical staff, they offer screening and repeat colonoscopies, Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS), and other emergency procedures, like food impactions, to approximately 65 patients each week.