Current News

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine For more than three decades, Gustave “Gus” Seelig has quietly had a hand in more than a billion dollars’ worth of socially responsible Vermont development projects, including the conservation of affordable housing complexes, the preservation of historic buildings and the biggest land conservation project of the last century. Today, in the wake of the disastrous COVID-19 pandemic, federal money is pouring into the state for capital improvement, housing, land conservation and economic development. As a result, Seelig's agenda is more crowded than ever.

Vermont Business Magazine Members from Vermont’s pandemic response team received recognition from Vermont National Guard senior leaders on the Vermont Air National Guard Base on June 10th, in honor of their selfless commitment to supporting Vermont during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The group of state professionals recognized at the ceremony include: Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine, MD, Mike Smith, Secretary of the Agency of Human Resources, Jenney Samuelson, Deputy Secretary of the Agency of Human Resources, Chad Spooner, Daniel Daltry, Emily Pareles, Harry Schoppmann, Merideth Plumpton, Ian Kilburn, Lee Dorf, Marianne Wolz, Matthew Maiberger, Tim Stetson, Tori Steffend-Hodgkins, and Helen Reid and the Health Department State Laboratory team.

Vermont Business Magazine Outpatch, a Vermont-based and veteran-owned company launched at the end of February with the goal of using the tourism industry to increase funding to local nonprofits. They sell stick-on patches that represent specific communities and donate 50% of the proceeds to nonprofits supporting those communities.

by Senator Alison Clarkson What an extraordinary Legislative Session 2021 has been. It was historic – the first Vermont legislative Session to be conducted completely remotely during an international pandemic. And, despite those challenges, we were incredibly productive – managing to accomplish a great deal to improve life in Vermont.

Agency of Commerce & Community Development The Vermont Department of Labor and the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) released a memo this week for Vermont businesses on workplace safety tips relating to COVID-19. The memo offers 10 things to think about as the state prepares to lift all mandates and restrictions. Find the 10 things below and the full memo on the VOSHA website.

Vermont State Police On June 11, 2021, at approximately 1528 hours, Troopers from the Vermont State Police – Rutland Barracks were advised of a two (2) car motor vehicle crash on Vermont Route 103 in the Town of Mount Holly. While en-route, Troopers learned one of the people involved in the crash was deceased.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger and the Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Department announced Friday that the City’s annual July 3rd Independence Day Celebration will come back to Burlington. With the decades-long tradition returning after over a year of public health restrictions that limited large gatherings, the City team expects thousands to gather along the Burlington waterfront for the biggest fireworks show in Vermont on Saturday, July 3rd, 2021.

Vermont Business Magazine Since first setting eyes on the abandoned dairy barn in Shoreham, Vermont, that would become WhistlePig distillery, we've been dreaming of 100 percent farm to bottle whiskey - harvested, distilled and aged here in Vermont using our grain, our water and our wood. Today, that dream comes true. With just 40 barrels of Rye and Bourbon available this year, FarmStock Beyond Bonded is among the most special whiskeys ever created on the WhistlePig Farm.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported seven new cases of COVID-19 in Vermont. There are two people hospitalized with one in the ICU. There were again no deaths. There has been only one COVID-related death in the last three weeks and are holding at a statewide total of 256. As of Thursday, 79.8 percent (439,393) of eligible Vermonters have received at least one dose. An additional 1,367 Vermonters remain to be vaccinated to reach the goal.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Public Service issued the final draft of the 2021 Vermont Ten-Year Telecommunications Plan on Thursday. The Ten-Year Plan was developed in partnership with CTC Energy and Technology and Rural Innovations Strategies, Inc. The Plan provides an overview of the current state of telecommunications services and facilities in the state, current trends in usage and adoption, and recommendations for improving access to broadband services throughout Vermont. The plan includes bringing every currently unserved and underserved on-grid Vermont home access to 100/100 megabits per second broadband.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America, and US Ski & Snowboard, the National Governing Body (NGB) of Olympic ski and snowboard sports in the United States, have a two-year agreement for Vermont’s Killington Resort to host the Audi FIS Ski World Cup. Killington’s place on the 2021 Alpine World Cup calendar has been confirmed by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The HomeLight Killington Cup will take place Thanksgiving weekend from November 27-28, 2021.

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine A brief hearing in Windham County Superior Court in Newfane on June 9 appears to have ensured that the Marlboro Music Festival will be able to proceed with plans for its summer events without excessive worry about maintaining the former Marlboro College campus, the venue for the world-renowned festival since its inception 70 years ago. MMF brought the case before the court in a May 12 complaint, demanding that the two defendants it named, Democracy Builders Fund and Type 1 Civilization Academy, settle their competing claims of ownership of the 533-acre campus.