Current News

by Anson Tebbetts November: a month of transition; a time to reflect and give thanks. We honor our community and the many ways that our fellow Vermonters contribute to our collective well-being. We are grateful for our harvest and being able to share our abundance. As we honor Veterans on November 11, we are thinking of the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Vermont. After discharge, many of our state’s veterans have the opportunity for a new focus, and some are choosing to work with the land. With a mission to mobilize veterans to feed America, the Coalition has set up a robust network of a new generation of farmers and food leaders. Their work is to develop viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont gasoline prices are up another two cents from last week but appeared to have plateaued after several months of rising prices. US prices overall fell by one cent since last week. The national average has been higher than Vermont's for most of the last year.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine General, Education, and Transportation Fund cumulative tax revenues were slightly below targets for October 2021, the first month of the second quarter. Revenues remain above targets for the year-to-date. Notably, the personal income tax, which has been well above targets for months, was off by nearly $4 million in October (-4.5%). The PI is the state’s most important General Fund revenue source. It remains, however, nearly $12 million ahead of targets for the fiscal year (+3.81%).

Vermont Business Magazine "Today we pause to honor the brave men and women who served our state and nation in the Armed Services. Thousands of Vermonters have served our country over the course of American history, and too many never made it home... On Veterans Day in Vermont, we honor the over 43,000 veterans who call our state home, as well as the millions more across the country who have served and sacrificed to protect our nation... As we recognize, honor, and remember their service, we must, as a community, do more. We must commit ourselves to keeping America’s promise to our veterans and servicemembers, just as they kept their promise to us. That means making certain that veterans and their families get all the benefits they earned through their service, on time and without delay."

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University cadets, alumni and friends will continue their tradition of marching 50 miles to raise money for the Veterans’ Place Inc., a Northfield transition home and support center for homeless veterans. The three-day, Annual Legacy March begins Thursday, Nov. 11, in Norwich, Vermont — Norwich University’s original “hometown” — and ends Saturday, Nov. 13, with the students arriving back to Northfield for lunch. The Legacy March has raised more than $30,000 over the years to support Vermont and national veteran’s organizations.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced an investment of $20.2 million in the Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) Initiatives. DBI awarded $18.4 million to three current Initiatives at the University of Tennessee, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, the University of Wisconsin, and $1.8 million to the California State University Fresno. Grants to dairy businesses will include access to professional marketing and branding services, on-farm and processor innovation, and sustainable packaging innovation.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power’s (GMP) President and CEO Mari McClure is one of Business Insider’s Top 100 People Transforming Business in 2021, a prestigious annual list that profiles leaders across 10 sectors who are innovators, problem solvers and trend makers. Business Insider described the 2021 featured leaders as “the disrupters and thought leaders that are driving unprecedented change, both for their organizations and communities, and across the global business world.” Among the honorees are CitiGroup CEO Jane Fraser, author and historian Ibram X. Kendi, and recording artist Lil Nas X. McClure is featured in the Sustainability category.

Farm to Plate is Vermont’s food system plan being implemented statewide to increase economic development and jobs in the farm and food sector and improve access to healthy local food for all Vermonters. The Farm to Plate annual network gathering is November 18 & 19.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting cases rose slightly to 201, an increase of 12 from yesterday. Hospitalizations were 50 today (down three) and ICU visits were 12 (down four). Cases have been especially high in the Northeast Kingdom, which has had elevated case rates in recent weeks. Bennington and Rutland also have seen increases recently; they both reported 47 new cases today, which are the most in the state of any county.

Vermont Business Magazine The work of Hunger Free Vermont (HFVT) to end hunger was aided recently by a $100,000 grant from Shaw’s and Star Market Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors Program that aims to help connect individuals with federal meal programs such as SNAP (known in Vermont as 3SquaresVT), WIC, P-EBT, and free or reduced school nutrition programs. This funding will allow HFVT to help more kids in Vermont access healthy food. HFVT trains and assists schools and daycares in increasing their average daily participation in the federal school, childcare, afterschool, and summer meals programs as well as empowering their staff to provide information about SNAP and WIC to the families they serve.

Vermont Business Magazine The Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Louise Larivee, 63, of Swanton, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to a federal fraud charge. The guilty plea came on the third day of a jury trial in Rutland. Chief U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford continued Larivee’s release on conditions pending sentencing, which will be scheduled for the spring. On June 13, 2019, a federal grand jury in Burlington returned a two-count indictment charging Larivee with conspiracy and federal program embezzlement.

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Pamela Yandow, 49, of Swanton, Vermont, was arrested today for distributing cocaine base on multiple occasions in October of 2021. Yandow is scheduled to appear later today on the charge before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J Doyle. According to court records, in October of 2021, Yandow distributed cocaine base, commonly known as “crack,” on multiple occasions to a confidential informant at or near her residence in Swanton.