Current News

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.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Chamber of Commerce has hired Hazel Brewster as the organization’s Director of Public Relations. Hazel will lead the Vermont Chamber’s communication and event efforts, working closely with President Betsy Bishop, who has championed the voice of businesses for over a decade. Born and raised in Morrisville, Hazel is a graduate of the University of Vermont, and earned her master’s degree in Public Policy and Global Affairs from the University of British Columbia. Most recently, she served as Chief of Staff for Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray.

Vermont Business Magazine As the world enters the third year of the coronavirus pandemic, with Omicron surging and cases skyrocketing, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Wednesday, with more than 50 of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate and House, reintroduced lifesaving legislation to manufacture and distribute highly-protective N95 masks to every person in America. Under Sanders’ Masks for All Act, every person in the U.S. would receive a free package of three N95 respirator masks.

Vermont Business Magazine As hospitals across the United States face increasing COVID-19 cases among patients and staff due to the omicron variant, the number of UVM Medical Center employees restricted from work due to COVID-19 – after testing positive, experiencing symptoms, or having an exposure at home, at work or in the community – is currently at 422 and is expected to continue climbing. At the same time, other employees have needed to stay home to care for children or loved ones, and patient volumes continue to be high.