Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain Valley Equipment has acquired Essex Equipment’s Kubota Dealership. The Kubota dealership will transfer to Champlain Valley Equipment (CVE) on February 15th, 2022. At that time the dealership will be moving down the road to 157 Pearl Street in Essex Junction with plans to open doors for business on February 21. Financial terms were not released.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), will require renal dialysis and medical infusion patients arriving for services to use an alternative entrance starting Monday, February 14. Formerly used exclusively for staff, the S1 parking lot and entrance features a flagpole, and is the first right hand turn on Hospital Drive when accessed from Dewey Street. Additionally, several outpatient services will discharge patients at the same alternative location, including Medical-Surgical Units, the Intensive Care Unit, and Women’s and Children’s Services. Medical Records and Billing will also use this location for pick-ups, and patients are asked to use the phone located in the vestibule to coordinate delivery.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Jump$tart Coalition is partnering with the State Treasurer’s office and Front Porch Forum to announce an original video contest for youth, with the goal to help them better understand the importance of managing money responsibly. As of 2018, 49% of Vermonters lack a rainy day fund to cover expenses for three months, in case of emergencies such as sickness, job loss, or economic downturn. Like all good habits, learning the importance of saving as a youth is a lesson that will have a positive effect for an entire lifetime.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Scott is proposing to spend $51 million of federal money to expand cell service into Vermont’s rural areas. The effort would require siting about 100 new towers. The Legislature would have to allocate the money. The governor said at his press briefing Tuesday that so far lawmakers have not shown much interest in the proposal.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 391 cases of COVID-19 for Wednesday, which was seven fewer than Wednesday. The VDH today also reported one additional death from yesterday for 566 statewide, which was in the 70-79 age group. For the first time since September, the death rate among the "not fully vaccinated" is lower than for the "fully vaccinated."

Starting February 5, the case dashboard will not be updated on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays. A breakdown of the previous days' cases will be reported on Mondays (or the day following a holiday).

by Jack Hoffman, Public Assets Institute Twenty-five years ago the Vermont Supreme Court declared the state’s education funding system to be unconstitutional. More than a third of the state's residents are too young to remember what was happening back then. And more than half of Vermonters now over 25 moved here from somewhere else. It’s safe to say, for many Vermonters, the old Foundation Plan and the ruling that ended it are distant or non-existent memories. It was the failure to provide all children with equal educational opportunity that led Vermont’s high court to strike down the funding system on February 5, 1997.

Vermont Business Magazine More than 300 students attended the thirteenth annual Vermont Entrepreneurship Week event February 9. The Small Business Administration’s recently appointed New England Administrator, Mike Vlacich, provided the opening remarks. Keeping with this year’s theme, Vermont Entrepreneurs … Building Networks, Vlacich stressed the importance of meeting people from different careers and backgrounds and the exchanging of ideas can benefit the students when they enter the professional workforce.

Vermont Business Magazine The co-founders of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and co-chairs of the Campaign to End Qualified Immunity, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, with Vermont State President Pro Tem Becca Balint, hosted a virtual rally Thursday evening showing support for Senate bill S.254. Along with a coalition of statewide public safety advocates, the event focused on creating justice and safety for all Vermonters with the passage of the bill.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Weinberger on Thursday announced a $40,000 contribution to Feeding Chittenden from the City’s Fines for Food program. Inspired by Feeding Chittenden’s mission to combat food insecurity, the Department of Public Works Parking Division and City Councilor Karen Paul created the Fines for Food pilot program, which was approved by City Council in December 2021. In total, over 800 people paid nearly $80,000 in fines, half of which will go to support Feeding Chittenden’s mission.

Vermont State Police On February 8, 2022 at approximately 0938 hours, Vermont State Police responded to a report of a multi-vehicle motor vehicle collision involving a tractor trailer unit at the intersection of Vermont Route 22A and Vermont Route 73 in the Town of Orwell. It was reported that powerlines were down across the roadway and there were serious injuries sustained from the collision. Investigation revealed that V#2 was traveling southbound on Vermont Route 22A, while V#1 was traveling west on Vermont Route 73, approaching the intersection with Vermont Route 22A.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 398 cases of COVID-19 for Wednesday, which was 99 fewer than Tuesday. The VDH today also reported three additional deaths from yesterday for 565 statewide. One of the deaths was in the 60-69 age group, one was in the 70-79 age group and one was in the 80+ age group.