Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health on Wednesday reported an increase of 111 cases of COVID-19 for a total of 348, after two days under 300. This follows 532 on Sunday and Friday's record of 740 cases. Bennington County reported the most cases with 64, as the southern counties have seen a surge in cases. There were also 51 in Rutland and 43 in Windsor counties. Bennington is on the verge of having the most cases per capita, supplanting Orleans County.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced his appointment of Larry Labor, Republican, to fill the Orleans-1 House District vacancy. Labor replaces former Representative Lynn Batchelor (R-Derby) who resigned in October. Labor spent much of his career as the director of pharmacy and vice president of professional services at North Country Hospital in Newport. He has served on the Morgan select board since 2009 and previously served as chair of the State Board of Pharmacy. He was appointed to the NEK broadband initiative representing Morgan.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Buildings and General Services (BGS) announced the recipients of this year’s Building Communities Grants for Facilities today. These grants will fund $900,000 in construction and capital improvements for 80 projects across Vermont, helping communities grow and thrive.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections detected 11 new cases of COVID-19 at Northern State Correctional Facility (NSCF) in Newport during three rounds of recent outbreak testing. The testing, which occurred on December 3, 7, and 10, identified three cases among staff and eight cases in the incarcerated population. Currently at NSCF, there are three active incarcerated cases and three active staff cases. Statewide, five positive incarcerated cases and 16 positive staff cases currently exist across six correctional facilities, one field office, and Central Office.

Vermont Business Magazine Mental wellness programs that are destigmatized, easily accessible, and affordable are essential for individuals and communities to thrive. Today’s $2.3 million in behavioral health grants from the Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust, the family trust of Vail Resorts’ Executive Chairperson, Rob Katz, will increase access to care in nine of the mountain communities where Vail Resorts operates—with a focus on providing tele-behavioral health care, improving services for those in recovery from substance misuse, and creating more equitable access to care for BIPOC communities within these towns. The Vermont Community Foundation will receive $250,000.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has joined the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s (HUD) House America initiative. Through this national partnership, HUD and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) have encouraged state, county, municipal and tribal nation leaders to commit to using a portion of the historic investments provided through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to address the crisis of homelessness by rehousing and building additional housing for people experiencing homelessness.

​Vermont Business Magazine Vermont policymakers will introduce legislation that would eliminate the defense of qualified immunity for police accused of civil rights violations. Qualified immunity has been widely criticized, in Vermont and nationwide, for barring victims of police abuse from seeking justice or holding police accountable even for extreme misconduct. The ACLU-Vermont held a virtual press conference supporting the legislation on Wednesday. The list of business leaders who have come out in support of the national Campaign to End Qualified Immunity features prominent members of Vermont’s business community, including Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield, Donna Carpenter, Joey Bergstein, Mary Powell, Will Raap and Jen Kimmich.

Vermont Business Magazine On Monday night, Burlington City Council approved the ‘Fines for Food’ pilot program. Through January 15, 2022 the City will donate 50% of payments for overdue parking tickets to the not-for-profit Feeding Chittenden to help in the fight against food insecurity. As a tireless advocate in addressing food insecurity, Ward 6 Councilor Karen Paul worked with the Administration and the Department of Public Works (DPW) to craft this pilot program. With over $800K in eligible overdue fines the community has a great opportunity to clear overdue tickets and make a meaningful contribution towards fighting hunger.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University’s Design + Build Collaborative earned an Honor Award from the Vermont chapter of the American Institute of Architects for a project to design and build LIFT, a pair of tiny homes for vulnerable populations sited in Barre. Norwich’s entry, in the Small Projects category, was one of 37 entries from across the state.

Vermont Business Magazine Concerned by the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Vermont, Smugglers’ Notch Distillery will be offering free bottles of hand sanitizer to the public to slow the spread of COVID and other diseases. As the holiday season gets under way and more people gather with friends and family, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend that everyone get vaccinated, wear a mask, and wash their hands often. Smugglers’ Notch Distillery’s hand sanitizer can help keep hands clean and germ-free when soap and water are not readily available.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health on Tuesday reported another relatively light day with 237 new cases of COVID-19, one fewer than Monday. This follows 532 on Sunday and Friday's record of 740 cases. The last seven days edged lower than the previous seven days. Governor Scott continues to resist the persistent call for a statewide mask mandate. He said why punish the 95% of Vermonters who have done the right thing when 75 percent of the hospital beds and 90 percent of the ICU beds are of the unvaccinated? The unvaccinated are 34 times more likely to die from COVID. The governor added that while he is still urging everyone to get vaccinated and boosted, those who are determined not to get vaccinated will be difficult to convince at this point. Some 930 Vermont lives have been saved with the vaccines since they first came to Vermont on December 15, 2020. There are no reported Omicron cases in Vermont, but every state around us and Quebec now have cases.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) Tuesday issued the following statement announcing his opposition to Dr Robert Califf’s nomination to run the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA): "According to his financial disclosure form, he owns up to $8 million in the stocks of major drug companies. That is exactly the close relationship Big Pharma has exploited to regulate the FDA, instead of the FDA regulating them."