Current News
by tim
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.
by tim
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.
by katie
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.
by katie
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
by katie
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.
by katie
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.
by katie
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.
by katie
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.
by katie
Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on October 4, 2021, Jeremy Digby, 41, of South Royalton was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss to 19 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release, which will follow the term of imprisonment. Digby also agreed to forfeit the firearms recovered from his residence. Digby had previously pled guilty to being a user in possession of firearms, which carried a maximum sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment.
by katie
Vermont Business Magazine As the U.S. Congress deliberates over legislation that would massively upgrade the country’s aging infrastructure, researchers at the University of Vermont, the University of Maine and Vermont Technical College have received a $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and test new technologies that could make monitoring the safety and performance of infrastructure less expensive, more accurate and more widespread, resulting in more dependable, durable structures in the future.
The project also addresses human infrastructure, as the national legislation proposes to do, through engaging a group of faculty, graduate students and undergraduates at the three schools to create a trained workforce that could design and manufacture the new technologies the research project will develop and make use of. K-12 students will also participate.
by katie
Vermont Business Magazine Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE American: BHB), the parent company of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, is pleased to announce that the Bank has been recognized as one of “America’s Best Banks” by Newsweek.
Newsweek Magazine recognized Bar Harbor Bank & Trust as an "America's Best Banks" winner in the small bank category for Maine. Best Bank winners were selected from among 2,508 financial institutions and assessed on more than 30 separate factors including the overall health of the bank, customer service performance and features, digital and branch presence, account and loan options, interest rate offerings, and fees. Newsweek defined a “Small Bank” as bank with less than $10 billion in assets and among the five banks with the most branches in the state.
by katie
Vermont Business Magazine The SBA Vermont District Office hosts a free webinar at 11:30 a.m. Today, Oct. 5, about changes made to the Covid-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan. Topics include the increase from $500,000 to $2 million, deferred payments, expansion of eligible use of funds and more.
Updates made to the COVID 19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Sept. 8 increased the potential loan amount for new applicants and existing COVID 19 EIDL borrowers and made modifications that make it an even more attractive option to provide much needed relief to small businesses during these continuing stressful times.