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Vermont Business Magazine National Life Group has been awarded the 2021 Platinum Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health by Mental Health America (MHA). This Bell Seal is a first-of-its-kind workplace mental health certification that recognizes employers who strive to create mentally healthy workplaces for their employees.

by John McClaughry Among economist Thomas Sowell’s many memorable observations is this one: “Liberty is the right of ordinary people to find elbow room for themselves, and a refuge from the rampaging presumptions of their ‘betters’”. That observation has been particularly relevant to efforts in Vermont on two long past occasions, and to one just emerging. In all three instances at issue is the liberty to live in the backwoods, beyond the asphalt roads, bringing in firewood for the long winters, and teaching self-reliance to their children to help them become sturdy and true Vermonters.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health on Monday reported 238 new cases of COVID-19, following 532 on Sunday and Friday's record of 740 cases. All of the highest case counts since the beginning of the pandemic have occurred since November 3, 2021. Timing of when tests are taken and when results come back has affected daily totals, but there has been a post-Thanksgiving surge in cases in Vermont. Meanwhile, surveillance testing in Burlington on December 6 and 7 found no samples of the new Omicron variant.

Vermont Business Magazine The City of Burlington is now using its wastewater surveillance system to regularly screen for SarsCov2 mutations associated with the Omicron variant at all three municipal wastewater samples. In the first samples taken on Dec. 5 and 6 at each wastewater plant, mutations associated with Omicron were not detected, a strong indication that the Omicron variant had not spread to Burlington as of those dates. The latest tests indicate that Delta continues to be the dominant strain of the COVID-19 virus locally. The next set of weekly results are expected by Thursday, December 16.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and Human Services Secretary Mike Smith today announced the appointment of Andrea DeLaBruere as the new commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA), effective December 20, 2021. DeLaBruere is currently the Executive Director of the Agency of Human Services (AHS) and has a wide variety of experience in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and health information technology industries. She has proven herself to be a respected leader and skillful at bringing divergent viewpoints together while working alongside health care providers, payers, and other stakeholders as they grapple with health information technology, health care reform and payment reform.

Vermont Business Magazine Christine Hallquist, Executive Director of the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) announced today that the Vermont State Employees Credit Union (VSECU), the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF), and Vermont’s Communication Union Districts Association (VCUDA) have partnered to purchase over 1,000 miles of fiber-optic cable in time for the 2022 construction season in conjunction with a 1,000 mile purchase by NEK Broadband, the state’s largest communication union district. The 2,000 miles of cable will be used to build publicly owned broadband networks across the state of Vermont.

​Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan today sent a letter to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requesting information about the agencies’ use of Clearview AI in Vermont. Clearview AI is a technology company that collected billions of citizens’ images from the internet for the purpose of creating a mass surveillance facial recognition system.

Vermont Business Magazine On Monday, the Vermont Community Foundation’s Insight Hub, its research-driven arm focused on providing insight to inform charitable giving, published a brief on how charitable individuals can use their philanthropy to strengthen Vermont’s mental healthcare system. The Insight Hub offers webinars, events, briefs, and peer-to-peer experiences that help philanthropists understand where their giving can make a difference.

Vermont Business Magazine The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation was recently selected to be a US Small Business Administration microloan intermediary. BDCC has received a commitment of $350,000 from the SBA to lend to small businesses throughout southern Vermont. BDCC is only the third SBA microloan lender in the state of Vermont, along with Community Capital of Vermont in Barre and Vermont Community Loan Fund in Montpelier. It will primarily serve the southernmost counties, providing direct loans up to $50,000 to small businesses. The average microloan in the U.S. is about $13,000.

Burgeoning Club of Collectors, Businessmen, and Bon Vivants Aim to Save Green Mountain College

Vermont Business Magazine Bhakta Spirits (https://bhaktabrandy.com), the purpose-driven family of spirits brands founded by Vermont entrepreneur Raj Peter Bhakta with an aim of reviving the state’s once-storied Green Mountain College, has announced that it nears the final expansion stage of its groundbreaking Stockholder Program.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Senate President Becca Balint (D-Windham) announced today that she is running for Vermont’s At-Large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Balint is the first woman to serve as president of the Vermont State Senate in the history of the state, and she is also the first openly gay person in that position. She would also be the first woman and openly gay person to serve in DC on behalf of Vermonters, if elected. Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray previously announced she is running for the US House seat now held by Peter Welch.

Vermont Business Magazine USDA’s annual farm-to-school grant, championed by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, is now open for applications. This competitive grant program is designed to improve access to local foods and increase agricultural and nutrition literacy. The list of eligible applicants is broad and includes schools, non-profits, local agencies, agricultural producers, and more.