Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Dr Niki Thran, a resident of Warren, Vermont, and an emergency room physician at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, plans to announce her run for the United States Senate seat left open by the imminent retirement of Patrick Leahy. Her campaign will officially launch with a public announcement on January 16th at 12 noon at the Warren Town Municipal Building at 42 Cemetery Road in Warren, Vermont. Congressman Peter Welch previously announced he is seeking the seat.

Vermont Business Magazine The KeyBank 2022 Financial Mobility Survey, released Wednesday, finds many Americans are reconsidering their work and financial priorities, with two-thirds (62%) of respondents indicating that work-life balance is more important to them than a high-paying salary (22%). While the desire for greater work-life balance exists, only a quarter (25%) of Americans say they have experienced an improvement in their standard of living compared to 2020. These findings highlight a shift in mentality as Americans take steps to overcome obstacles and re-align priorities for financial mobility.

Vermont Business Magazine Pomerleau Real Estate, a full-service real estate firm in Burlington, VT, announced the following transactions on Jan 1, 2022:

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections is announcing six incarcerated individuals tested positive for COVID-19: four symptomatic incarcerated individuals from general population at the Northeast Correctional Complex (NECC) in St. Johnsbury, one incarcerated individual from general population at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility (CRCF) in South Burlington, and one symptomatic intake in isolation at CRCF. The four new positive individuals at NECC resided in the same building as the five prior positives.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 1,963 cases of COVID-19 for Wednesday. This is more than 1,000 cases higher than Tuesday. Reported cases tend to run higher as the week goes along as people get tested and the labs report their results. There were no reported COVID-related deaths, which remain at 490. There were 49 COVID-19 related fatalities in Vermont in September 2021, and 47 deaths in October, which had been the second- and third-worst months on record (December 2020, 71). There were 42 fatalities in November, 62 in December and 10 so far in January 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) today launched the Multiunit Dwelling Electric Vehicle Charging Grant Program to bring more home-charging opportunities to Vermonters. $1,000,000 in funding is available to subsidize the cost of purchasing and installing Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations at rental properties to provide residents with at-home charging access. Grants will be awarded up to $80,000 per site and $300,000 per applicant, with priority grant awards given to affordable housing projects.

Vermont Business Magazine The Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc (ECDC) has joined with World Learning and School for International Training (SIT) in an innovative partnership to welcome and resettle up to 100 Afghan evacuees in southern Vermont through the Afghan Placement and Assistance (APA) program. Through this collaboration, World Learning, a Vermont-based, global NGO and the parent organization of School for International Training, is dedicating space on the Brattleboro campus where new arrivals will live and learn for up to 90 days while ECDC staff members work to secure permanent housing. In addition to housing, SIT staff, faculty, and alumni will provide English language and cultural orientation classes on the campus.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, State Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D-Chittenden) announced her candidacy for Vermont’s open At-Large Congressional Seat. The seat is currently held by Democrat Peter Welch, who previously announced he would run for retiring Patrick Leahy's US Senate seat. Ram Hinsdale will face at least Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray and Senate President Becca Balint from Windham County. They also are Democrats who announced they would run for Congress.

Vermont Business Magazine The DeltaClimeVT climate economy business accelerator is seeking innovative, early-stage, energy companies focused on increasing adoption of clean energy, smart building and electric vehicle technologies that enable accelerated integration of distributed energy resources without the need for costly infrastructure upgrades. Entrepreneurs will work directly with Vermont utilities to contribute to Vermont’s 90/50 and Burlington’s Net Zero by 2030 goals. 

Vermont Business Magazine H552, a proposal to address carbon emissions in the transportation sector, will be introduced in the Vermont House this week. The Transportation Innovation Act (TIA) is the work of several members of the House Transportation Committee. Sixty members of the House have signed on as co-sponsors, recognizing the critical need for Vermont to take a leadership role in curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated today that Brian Thomas Badgley, 37, of Waterbury appeared yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington for an arraignment on a two-count indictment charging him with tampering with a consumer product and obtaining controlled substances by fraud. Badgely entered a plea of not guilty and was released on conditions. In 2016, Badgley had strict conditions placed on his pharmacist license after he was suspected of having diverted narcotics while employed as a pharmacy manager at Northwestern Medical Center.

Vermont Business Magazine The USDA today released its 2021 New England Field Crop Summary. Vermont is just ahead of Maine in total acreage and well ahead of all the other New England states. Of the USDA categories reported, Vermont has the highest output in maple, dry hay, and alfalfa. Vermont also has more than the rest of the region combined in production of corn used for silage (77,000 acres and 1.5 million tons). For maple production, Vermont production was noticably down despite a 4 percent increase in the number of taps. Vermont still produces the most of any state (1.5 million gallons) and nearly half the US total.