Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc (VITL) welcomes Shawn Burroughs, CIO of Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH), to its board of directors. Burroughs will be chairing the board’s Technology Committee. VITL is also announced the appointment of Jeff Tieman, President and CEO of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (VAHHS) as Board Secretary and member of the VITL Executive Committee.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced several, targeted public health interventions against COVID-19 including requirements for all City employees to mask when interacting with members of the public indoors and to either be vaccinated or submit to regular COVID-19 testing. The Mayor also addressed concerns about protecting residents of Burlington’s skilled nursing facilities, and has directed the City’s Health Officer Bill Ward to visit these facilities to observe current protocols.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health on Friday is reporting 112 new cases of COVID-19. There are 26 hospitalized (up five from the Thursday report) with 12 in the ICU (up 3). The VDH also reported 270 deaths statewide, which is an increase of two since Thursday. The case counts are running near early spring levels, since the Delta variant hit Vermont at the beginning of July.

Public Assets Institute Vermonters can stop sounding the alarm about a dwindling population. The state gained 17,336 people in the last decade, according to the 2020 US Decennial Census. While Vermont’s 2.8 percent growth is lower than the 7.4 percent national increase, it is not the slight population drop suggested by estimates made yearly by the Census.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is reminding customers to pay attention to the forecast over the weekend as Tropical Storm Henri heads north along the Atlantic Coast. A possible shift further west may increase the potential for heavy rain and wind, especially in southern Vermont, on Sunday. GMP tracks multiple forecasts and works with meteorologists who analyze data specifically looking for potential impacts to utility infrastructure, to ensure crews are ready to respond for customers.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor is reminding claimants the federal expansion of unemployment insurance benefits created under the CARES Act will end September 6, 2021. This includes Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). As of the week ending August 14, there are 14,850 people on regular UI benefits or one of the federal pandemic UI benefits plans. At $300 a week, the federal stipend goes to all claimants and comes to an additional $4.5 million a week for Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Emily Hawes, Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health (DMH) announced today that plans are moving forward for the construction of a 16-bed secure, step-down recovery residence in Essex. On August 18th, the Green Mountain Care Board approved the Certificate of Need that is required for the project to advance.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation has announced a funding opportunity to provide financial assistance to municipalities in an ongoing effort to improve the quality of water statewide. Potentially eligible project types include planning studies (stormwater inventories, low restoration plans, phosphorus control planning), salt/sand sheds, bank stabilization, culvert replacement/re-sizing, stream bank stabilization, detention ponds, check dam, swirl separators, permeable pavers, infiltration basins, gravel wetlands, subsurface detention systems, bio filters, and bio retention systems.

Vermont Business Magazine Lamoille Housing Partnership (LHP) and Evernorth have announced construction is underway on Village Center Apartments, 24 new energy-efficient affordable apartments for low and moderate income residents in the heart of downtown Morrisville. Construction is expected to take 12 months. Funding totaling $7.9 million from several public and private resources was raised to finance the total development costs.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Labor reported that the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for July was 3.0 percent. This reflects a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. The comparable United States rate in July was 5.4 percent, which was a decrease of five-tenths of one percentage point from the revised June estimate. Vermont has the fifth lowest rate in the US.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan announced that Gregory Kelly, 55, of Burlington, Vermont, was arraigned yesterday on twelve felony counts of Possession of Child Sex Abuse Materials – Second Offense. The charges brought against Kelly are the result of a criminal investigation – including the execution of a search warrant on electronic devices – conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), including personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Burlington Police Department, and with the assistance of the Burlington Probation & Parole Office of the Vermont Department of Corrections.

Vermont State Police Both lanes are now back open. At 9:11 am Friday 8.20.2021 VT RT 7A in the area of Dutch Ln in the town of Arlington is closed at this time due to a traffic incident. This incident is expected to last for an extended period of time.