Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Wednesday held a press conference at the Senate Radio and T.V. Studio Gallery on the budget reconciliation bill and Senator Joe Manchin's (D-WVa) comments about the legislation. “Senator Manchin talks about not wanting to see our country become ‘an entitlement society.’ Well, I’m not exactly sure what that means. Does that mean that we end the $300 direct payments for working class parents which have cut childhood poverty in half in America? Is protecting working families and cutting childhood poverty an ‘entitlement’?"

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, the Vermont Department of Health reported 129 COVID-19 cases (up 38 from Tuesday) for a pandemic total of 34,632. There were four new deaths for 327 deaths. The state’s percent positive seven-day average is 2.5%. There were 34 people hospitalized with 11 in the ICU. While COVID-19 deaths have remained relatively high in Vermont, Vermont officials maintain that hospitalizations and fatalities are a lagging result and they point out that cases are falling. They are generally falling across the US and across the region. Still, September was the second worst month for COVID-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, with 42. December 2020 was the worst with 71 and April 2020 was third worst with 35.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Auditor Doug Hoffer has released a new investigative report analyzing the performance of the Vermont Department of Labor’s primary job training programs. These Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Title I and Title III programs receive about $7 million from the federal government.The report finds the following: Across all categories of eligible Vermonters, WIOA funds serve a relatively small percentage of potential participants. While some groups experienced increased employment and earnings, across all programs a significant portion of participants had lower earnings, lost employment, or remained unemployed when compared to preprogram status. Participants who received training services had higher quarterly earnings than those who only received general job-seeking assistance. Compared to other states, Vermont’s performance falls in the bottom half for most measures.

Vermont Research News Windham and Bennington counties rank among the 10 least religiously affiliated counties in America, according to a 2020 census conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Researchers found 45% of Windham and 44% of Bennington county residents identify as “religiously unaffiliated.” The two highest non-religious counties in America are San Juan County, Washington (49%) and Multnomah County, Oregon (48%). Rural areas (17%) have less non-religious residents than urban areas (39%).

​Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Johny Bixby, 35, of Addison, Vermont, was charged by criminal complaint in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, with one count of obstruction of commerce by robbery and one count of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Bixby, who is currently detained, will make his initial appearance to answer the complaint in federal court on October 7, 2021.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray announces the hiring of incoming Chief of Staff, Andrew Gillespie. He takes over from Hazel Brewster. Most recently, Gillespie worked as a legislative and regulatory analyst covering all 50 states and focused on policy issues ranging from cybersecurity to school nutrition. Gillespie is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a degree in Political Science. Gillespie currently resides in Burlington and in his free time enjoys riding his bike.

Vermont Business Magazine “We need to understand that it’s a closed loop system,” Tom says emphatically. “It’s a system we need to be self-replenishing, that manages a sustainable flow of carbon through a healthy ecosystem,” he explains. It’s how he’s organized his own regenerative operations in the Northeast Kingdom.
Born and raised in the urban environs of Brooklyn, New York, Tom nevertheless developed a taste for farming early on. “I worked on my uncle’s wheat farm in Kansas when I was fourteen. He supplied wheat to King Arthur Flour,” Tom recalls. He’s worked for (VCLF borrower!) Vermont Compost Company, and served as Executive Director of the Highlands Center for Composting. He’s testified before the Vermont State Legislature on soil health, and agriculture and the economy, and helped draft Vermont’s Universal Recycling Law banning food scraps from landfills.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced a series of vaccination clinics that will be open across Vermont this week for anyone age 12 or older.

Visit www.healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine to make an appointment. You can also call 855-722-7878. Vaccine shots are also available at certain pharmacies and health care providers. All Vermonters are encouraged to get fully vaccinated.

In Vermont, you are now eligible to get a booster shot of Pfizer vaccine if you received your second dose of the Pfizer vaccine six months ago or more, and

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections (Vermont DOC) is renewing its contract with CoreCivic for one year, the final extension allowed under the original contract signed in 2018.

Vermont DOC currently houses 145 incarcerated individuals at CoreCivic’s Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility (TCCF) in Tutwiler, Miss. At its peak in August 2019, the Vermont population totaled 281 incarcerated individuals at TCCF. That number has steadily declined as more individuals returned to Vermont facilities, and out-of-state transports ceased during the pandemic.

On October 2, 2021, at approximately 1721 hours, the Putney Fire Department received a report of a structure fire at an abandoned property located at 19 Shag Bark Hill, Putney, VT. The Putney Fire Department responded to the scene and found a residential trailer and adjacent vehicle, fully involved with fire. Fire suppression efforts were conducted but the building and vehicle were destroyed by the fire.

The trailer and vehicle were unoccupied and there were no injuries reported.

As part of his scene assessment, Putney Fire Chief Tom Goddard contacted the VT Dept of Public Safety Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit for assistance in determining the origin and cause of the fire.

Members of the Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit responded to the scene and conducted an investigation into the origin and cause of this fire.

The cause of this fire remains under investigation, however, is considered suspicious at this time.

Vermont Business Magazine Recently, hundreds of equestrian lovers, historians and many others gathered at the UVM Morgan Horse Farm in Weybridge to celebrate the centennial of “Figure,” a statue of the Morgan horse. Vermonter Justin Morgan, who owned Figure in the late 1700s, created the Morgan breed with Figure as its foundational sire. The life-size bronze statue of “Figure” stood tall on his 100th birthday, almost as if he were playing to the crowd.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General T.J. Donovan is co-leading a bipartisan coalition of 52 attorneys general expressing strong support for the hearings being conducted by the U.S. Senate Committee addressing protection and safety of kids and teens using social media.

Attorneys general, who have been monitoring with concern the impacts of social media on youth, cite recent research from Facebook’s own internal studies showing that social media is inflicting harm. According to these internal studies, this harm comes in the form of increased mental distress, bullying, suicide, and other self-harm on a significant number of kids.