Current News

by David Hirsch, Dartmouth College Organisms at the base of the aquatic food web may be hidden from sight, but they are just as sensitive to climate change as other plant and animal life, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. The study looked at two effects of climate change on water that researchers expect to increase in coming years: warming and “browning,” the discoloration caused by high loads of dissolved organic matter.

Vermont Business Magazine A team of Green Mountain Power (GMP) employees including line workers and mechanics left for Maine this morning, to assist Central Maine Power’s restoration effort after Tuesday’s powerful Nor’Easter knocked out power to more than 600,000 customers across New England, more than 26,000 of them in Maine. GMP and Central Maine Power are part of the North Atlantic Mutual Assistance Group, which connects utilities so they can help each other recover from storm damage.

by Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Over the past few weeks, I have given considerable thought to the message I want to convey to Vermonters on this important topic. The world of cybersecurity has changed significantly for election officials over the last five years. Turn back to September of 2017, when Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed what we had suspected for months: Russian cyber actors had attacked our elections in an attempt to unduly influence the outcome.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Women’s Fund announces the launch of This Way UP: there’s power in our numbers, a new initiative to identify and track women-owned businesses (WOB) and women leaders throughout the state. While women business owners are a strong part of Vermont’s economy, there is no conclusive data to determine how many there are, in what sectors, and what gender-specific challenges they might face such as lack of access to funding.

State also warns Vermonters that ticks are active now, so know how to avoid bites
Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health has confirmed a case of human illness due to West Nile virus. This is the first such case since 2017. A Chittenden County resident was diagnosed earlier this month with neuroinvasive disease – a more serious form of the illness which affects the nervous system. The individual was hospitalized but has since been released.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting today that COVID-19 cases increased today after a steep drop Wednesday, but remain under 200. COVID cases fell from 265 on Sunday to 140 on Monday to 91 Wednesday to 164 today. Cases spiked last Thursday to their fourth highest number on record. The four worst days for cases have all come since mid-September, as the Delta variant has taken over since early July. However, the VDH also reported today two more deaths for 356 statewide. The vast majority of fatalities have come among those 80 and over, while having by far the fewest number of infections for any age band. Both fatalities reported Wednesday were in this age band.

Vermont Business Magazine Agency of Human Services Secretary Mike Smith announced today that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will temporarily offer some available mental health inpatient beds at the White River Junction VA Medical Center to Vermonters requiring care. The agreement between the VA and the State was reached in response to strains in hospital emergency rooms due to higher volumes of patients requiring inpatient mental healthcare. It permits up to 10 acute mental health inpatient beds to be made available to adults, provided they would otherwise go unused.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (Blue Cross) announced today that the Blue MedicareRx Prescription Drug Plan was again awarded the highest star rating in Vermont for the fifth consecutive year. This is the only Medicare Part D program in Vermont to achieve an overall four and a half-star rating for 2022 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, in a joint venture with three other New England Blue plans, contracts with the federal government to offer prescription drug coverage, called Blue MedicareRx Prescription Drug Plan.

Vermont Business Magazine Ahead of a Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) Wednesday, October 20, introduced two bills to expand and improve comprehensive health care for veterans. The Veterans Dental Care Eligibility Expansion and Enhancement Act of 2021 – co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) – and the Veterans State Eligibility Standardization Act of 2021 will ensure universal dental care coverage for all veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and eliminate long-standing barriers to health care for veterans across the country.

Vermont State Police This two-vehicle crash occurred on VT RT 22A near 1725 VT RT 22A in the Town of West Haven, Vermont. Op#1, a 17-year-old juvenile male, was pinned in the vehicle and pronounced deceased at the scene. A 14-year-old juvenile male passenger in V#1 was transported to Rutland Regional Hospital for treatment of internal injuries. Due to the ages of the victims, their names are not being released at the present time.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting today that COVID-19 cases fell to under 100 today, which is continuing a general trend of fewer cases statewide. COVID cases fell from 265 on Sunday to 140 on Monday to 91 today. Cases spiked last Thursday to their fourth highest number on record. The four worst days for cases have all come since mid-September, as the Delta variant has taken over since early July. However, the VDH also reported today five more deaths for 356 statewide. Also today, the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for children 5-11 and the CDC is expected to follow suit next week.

Vermont Business Magazine Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore today at Governor Scott’s press briefing issued the new guidance for winter high school sports. With the exception of the “inversion” sports (going upside down like in gymnastics, cheer, wrestling), the indoor recommendations are similar to last year in which the athletes need to wear masks unless it is an outdoor sport like skiing. Moore, and Governor Scott, acknowledged that these were recommendations only because there is no State of Emergency and the governor cannot impose mandates on the school districts as he did during the early part of the COVID pandemic in 2020.