Current News

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.

Vermont Business Magazine As Vermont students headed back to school, some of them enjoyed a quieter, cleaner ride on the first electric school buses to be used in Vermont. State officials, clean energy proponents, elected officials, and educators gathered at Bellows Free Academy in Fairfax today to commemorate this milestone toward decarbonizing transportation in Vermont.

Champlain Valley School District and Franklin West Supervisory Union each welcomed two new electric school buses in time for the start of the school year. Student Transportation of America in partnership with the Barre Unified Union School District anticipate their buses will arrive in November and look forward to the educational opportunities the buses will provide for students.

Vermont Business Magazine VPR and Vermont PBS are accepting applications for its Community Forum, a volunteer group that will help Vermont’s new, unified public media organization assess its service and ensure it is representative of the whole community.

“Our new organization is founded on a commitment to represent and celebrate our entire community,” said Scott Finn, VPR & Vermont PBS president & CEO. “To accomplish this, we must broaden and diversify our audience, and engage community members we have failed to reach—while continuing to serve our existing supporters. The Community Forum is an essential link in this process and key to our future success.”

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has joined the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets (VAAFM) in announcing the latest round of grants available to dairy farmers, value-added dairy producers and agricultural service providers through the Northeastern Dairy Business Innovation Center (DBIC).

A wide range of grants and contracts, from implementing on-farm grazing practices, to food safety, to business technical assistance, are available at levels of up to $150,000 each.

Leahy worked to establish the DBIC, as the most senior member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee and has seen to its annual funding in his role of Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and supported the location of this regional program at VAAFM in Vermont.

Farmers and producers from across New England, as well as in Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania are eligible to apply.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Professionals of Color Network (VT PoC) announced the launch of their redesigned website with the goal of increasing visibility of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) statewide, and increasing access to statewide resources to the BIPOC community.

“Our primary goal during the redesign process was to create a more valuable, user-centric and responsive resource across all platforms and devices,” says Tinotenda Charles Rutanhira, Co-Founder and Chair of VT PoC. “Specifically, we wanted to focus on making it easier for our users to learn and locate valuable information about our organization, our resources, and our members.”

Features and benefits of the new website include:

· Directory of BIPOC-Owned Businesses, a way for Vermonters to support BIPOC-owned businesses across the state.

Vermont Business Magazine Linked to occupational asbestos exposure, malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive cancer arising primarily from the outer lining of the lungs with a dismal five-year survival rate of only five to 10 percent. Since 2004, only two therapies have been approved for the treatment of MM, which affects about 3,000 people a year in the United States. Now a promising new therapy for mesothelioma and metastatic cancer, arising from laboratory investigations at the University of Vermont, is about to enter a Phase I clinical trial.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont National Guard seeks to increase participation in the VA Airborne Hazards and Open Air Burn Pit Registry.

Any veteran who qualifies should contact the Vermont National Guard Veteran Outreach Specialist within their respective county by calling 888-607-8773.

‘“Burn-pits” are open air burn sites, most in Southwest Asia, where all manner of trash is incinerated on both large and small military bases,” said Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont adjutant general. “In an effort to increase awareness about the possible risks associated with burn pits, we worked closely with the Vermont Legislature to pass a bill that requires medical providers to educate patients on the risks, as well as to increase participation in the burn pit registry located on the VA website.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) is pleased to announce the 25th year of funding to support projects on municipal roads that improve water quality and result in maintenance cost savings. The grant funds are provided by AOT in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. The Vermont Better Roads Program promotes the use of erosion control and maintenance techniques that save money while protecting and enhancing water quality around the State.

Vermont Business Magazine New York’s Empire State Passengers Association and the Vermont Rail Action Network today jointly called for the swift restoration of Amtrak’s Adirondack train to Montreal along with Amtrak’s Maple Leaf train to Toronto with the November 8th reopening of the U.S.—Canadian border for vaccinated travelers.

Both trains ceased operating in March of 2020 as a result of the CoVid-related closure of the international border. Amtrak resumed operation of the Maple Leaf between New York City and Niagara Falls in July, but the Adirondack service remains fully suspended.

“While we realize there is a certain lead time required and a checklist of preparatory actions that Amtrak must take before trains can start running again, ESPA calls upon Amtrak, its host railroads and New York State to move swiftly to restore these important international travel options,” said ESPA President Gary Prophet.