Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced a series of vaccination clinics that will be held in the Northeast Kingdom between Saturday, October 30th and Saturday, November 6th. On Thursday, Governor Scott, Commissioner Mark Levine and Secretary Mike Smith were in Orleans County to stress the importance of getting vaccinated and getting your booster. While there, Governor Scott received his booster shot at North Country Hospital. The 7-day positivity rate in some of the counties in the Northeast Kingdom is more than double that of the state-wide average.

​Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Board of Trustees today approved President Suresh Garimella’s plan to continue helping students and families by extending UVM’s tuition freeze for a fourth consecutive year. Board approval results in no increase for the 2022-2023 academic year for all students regardless of their degree level or residency status. The decision results in the Class of 2023 completing four years of study at UVM paying the same for tuition as they did when they started. Undergraduate in-state tuition is $16,392; out-of-state is $41,280.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s leading afterschool advocates praised Governor Phil Scott and US Senator Bernie Sanders for the important steps they announced today to “turn the lights on” for universal afterschool in the state. The executive order Governor Scott issued will create the Vermont Interagency Afterschool Youth Task Force, which will be charged with facilitating the continued development of a statewide system offering safe, enriching, and comprehensive options for Vermont’s youth from kindergarten through high school. In addition, the new grant program the Governor announced will support out-of-school-time programs in the state so they can expand access to afterschool and summer learning programs in the summer of 2022 and during the 2022/2023 school year.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) today announced the launch of a new program, the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), to help eligible households pay their water and wastewater bills, avoid shutoffs, and ensure their services stay active. LIHWAP is a temporary program established under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to help families experiencing financial hardship during the Coronavirus pandemic.

​Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the appointment of Jennifer Morrison as the deputy commissioner of the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Morrison will lead key components of DPS, which oversees statewide fire safety and building code compliance, the detection and prevention of crime, participates in searches for lost and missing persons, and assists in responding to statewide and local disasters and emergencies, among other missions.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting today that COVID-19 cases fell today after a steep increase Thursday, but remain over 200. COVID cases fell from 265 on Sunday to 140 on Monday to 91 Tuesday to 164 Wednesday to 316 Thursday to 262 today. The five worst days for cases have all come since mid-September, as the Delta variant has taken over since early July. Thursday was the fifth highest on record. The VDH also reported today four more deaths for 364 statewide. There have been 13 COVID fatalities just this week.

​Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) announces grants totaling $324,467 for eight projects to benefit Vermont fruit, vegetable, and value-added producers and increase consumer access to locally produced food. These grants, funded through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), were awarded to seven agricultural organizations to undertake a range of research, development, education, and marketing projects. The grants will leverage an additional $162,629 in matching funds.

Vermont Business Magazine GlobalFoundries® (GF®), a global leader in feature-rich semiconductor manufacturing, today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 55,000,000 ordinary shares, 30,250,000 of which are being offered by GF and 24,750,000 of which are being offered by GF’s existing shareholder, Mubadala Investment Company PJSC, at an initial public offering price of $47.00 per share. In connection with the offering, Mubadala has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 8,250,000 ordinary shares at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The shares are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on October 28, 2021 under the ticker symbol “GFS.” The offering is expected to close on November 1, 2021, subject to customary closing conditions.

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance (VRJA) announced plans to launch the Richard Kemp Center in Burlington, Vermont. The Burlington Community Center will honor the legacy of a Black community social justice hero; create a new era of intentional Black-led community engagement and support in Burlington and across Vermont; and, pay a promise forward into the hope in the lives of the Black and Brown youth in Vermont. Located central to those it serves, the Richard Kemp Center will serve as a bastion of hope, purpose and vision for the Black community into the future.

Vermont Business Magazine Castleton University will provide up to 40 paid internships to continue archaeologic exploration at Granger House after receiving a nearly $500,000 grant to support education in archeology, geography, history, and related fields from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The grant will fund the creation of a museum and learning laboratory at the Castleton campus's historic Granger House. The project will include 40 paid internships, a summer field school, and numerous public outreach efforts. In embarking on the Granger House Project, Castleton University will develop an innovative approach to education in the humanities by emphasizing community engagement and fostering the development of job-ready skills.

Vermont Business Magazine Starting today, Retreat Farm in Brattleboro is making an intentional choice to prioritize physical connection and authentic relationships by discontinuing their use of Facebook and Instagram. Serving as a free public resource and common, Retreat Farm’s visitorship is expected to exceed 80,000 this year — up 44% from last year. But the Farm isn’t letting its dependence on donations from tourists and the community drive its decision-making process.

Vermont Business Magazine Lt. Governor Gray released the following statement on the historic nature of the Build Back Better framework today.

“I join millions of Americans in thanking President Biden, Senator Leahy as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Sanders as Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, Congressman Welch, and Democrats in Congress for their leadership in reaching an historic agreement on the Build Back Better framework.

The framework represents an historic investment in working families and will deliver assistance on numerous pressing issues Vermonters are facing. Millions will be invested in clean energy and position America to lead the fight against climate change. An extension of tax credits for millions of low-wage workers will help stabilize the needs of the country’s workforce. These achievements are a huge step forward for Vermonters.