Current News

by Bill Schubart The most corrosive issue today affecting the American Dream is that so many families have had to give up on the idea of ever owning their own home. Affordable housing has all but disappeared in too many places. Yesterday, I got my semi-annual haircut and listened as my middle-aged haircutter, punctuated by scissor snips, told me of her family and the rental place they finally found through friends, far from her place of work. She and her husband must both commute and share care for their young daughter with a local in-home child-care provider. She spoke wistfully of their having abandoned in middle age their former dream of owning their own home.

by the Legislative Apportionment Board, Tom Little (Chair) The 2020 Census numbers for Vermont indicate that our little state grew by about 20,000 people over the past decade, or +2.8%. We also know that within Vermont our overall population has been migrating toward the northwest region of the state (Chittenden, Franklin and Lamoille Counties), and away from the south and east. Moreover, there is a legislative mandate to break up the six-member Chittenden senate district (currently Chittenden County minus Colchester and Huntington/Buels Gore). All of these factors point to a legislative district map in 2022 that could look very different from the ones Vermonters have used, not just since 2012, but for many decades past.

Vermont Business Magazine Bennington College President Laura Walker has announced that Dr Maurice Hall has been appointed provost of the college. He will assume this position on July 28. Currently, Dr Hall serves as the Dean and Professor for the School of the Arts and Communication at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) and Operation Lifesaver of Vermont (OLVT) report that trespassing on or near railroad tracks in Vermont has increased since the suspension of Amtrak services in March 2020. With the Amtrak trains now back in Vermont in preparation for the resumption of full service on July 19, Vermonters are reminded that it is both dangerous and illegal to trespass on railroad property.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power is reminding customers about safety and storm preparation tips as the Summer season kicks off with severe thunderstorms in the forecast. Meteorologists say the strong system will roll into Vermont from the west this afternoon, bringing a strong possibility of rain, hail and damaging winds through this evening.

Vermont Business Magazine Lawson’s Finest Liquids has announced that it is accepting applications from Vermont nonprofit organizations for the 2022 Sunshine Fund. Created to assist nonprofits that support the environment and the people of Vermont, the Sunshine Fund is the heart of the company’s Social Impact Program (SIP).

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets It's hard to capture the pride and gratitude we feel knowing that Vermont is the first state in the country where 80% of the eligible population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. We know that the pandemic is far from behind us, and that people throughout the world are still suffering from it's devastating effects, but it feels good to be able to celebrate this collective achievement that has once again established Vermont as a national leader.

by Kelly Notterman “How can we live in Vermont and not be able to find compost?” That question, posed by Lisa Ransom around the dinner table one evening in 2008 was, in hindsight, the start of Grow Compost. Lisa and her husband, Scott Baughman, had purchased 38 acres in Moretown intending to start a small homestead farm, but found the soil was lacking in important nutrients they needed to grow the fruits and vegetables they imagined.

Vermont Business Magazine The winners of the 2021 Vermont Writers’ Prize are Lindsay Knowlton of Glover for poetry and Douglas Robert Boardman Jr of Johnson for prose. Each winner receives $1,500 and their works appear in the summer issue of VERMONT Magazine. The Prize was launched in 1989 to celebrate writing about Vermont and Vermonters, while honoring the literary legacy of the late Ralph Nading Hill Jr, a Vermont historian and writer and longtime member of Green Mountain Power’s board of directors. It is considered by Vermont writers to be one of the state’s premier literary prizes.

Vermont Business Magazine While Americans face challenges unlike any other time in our history, VPR in partnership with StoryCorps, the national nonprofit dedicated to recording and preserving personal stories, invite people to take part in meaningful conversations to help bridge divides and strengthen communities. With support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Vermont is one of six locations across the country selected to take part in StoryCorps’ nationwide One Small Step initiative to facilitate and broadcast conversations with Americans of opposing viewpoints.

Vermont Business Magazine 14th Star Brewing Company announced it will once again launch its limited-release Forget Me Not beer to raise awareness and funds in the fight to end Alzheimer’s disease. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the special brew will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association. Forget Me Not Kölsch will be packaged and available on store shelves in early June to support the Alzheimer’s Association’s The Longest Day initiative. On and around June 20 — the summer solstice and the day with the most light — thousands across the world will participate in The Longest Day to fight the darkness of Alzheimer’s through an activity of their choice. Together, participants will use their creativity and passion to raise funds and awareness to advance Alzheimer’s Association care, support and research programs.

Vermont Business Magazine Health Care and Rehabilitation Services (HCRS), southeastern Vermont’s non-profit community mental health and developmental disability services agency, was recently selected to receive $63,945 in funding from the Summer Matters for All grant program. According to Governor Phil Scott, the Summer Matters for All grant program will award up to $3.85 million to programs in 13 counties of Vermont, with the goal of expanding access to summer enrichment opportunities for K-12 youth this summer.