Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, today announced that the committee will hold a hearing Tuesday, June 8 at 11 a.m., on “The President's Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Proposal.”

Testifying at the hearing will be Shalanda D. Young, Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

by State Representative Jim Harrison The recently adjourned Vermont Legislature will be heading back to a virtual session on June 23 to take up a couple of bills vetoed by Governor Scott. These bills would allow non-citizens to vote in Montpelier and Winooski. House and Senate leaders have indicated they planned to move forward to override the Governor’s vetoes on these voting changes as well as potentially another bill raising the age to 20 before certain criminal offenses are public.

Arguably, if Winooski and Montpelier choose to allow non-citizens to vote in local or school elections, it is their business. And in the case of new legal residents from other countries, it might be seen as a welcoming gesture. Proponents of the change will also argue this is all about local control.

Vermont Business Magazine The Con Hogan Award for Creative, Entrepreneurial, and Community Leadership recognizes individuals who focus on results, use data and measurement to mobilize action, work with people across diverse perspectives, take risks in pursuit of their vision, and persist through setbacks. In recent interviews, Holly Morehouse and James Baker—respectively, 2017 and 2018 awardees—reflected on how that happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced dozens of new walk-in clinics as the State works to make the COVID-19 vaccine easily accessible throughout Vermont. Governor Scott previously announced that when 80% of Vermont’s eligible population (those age 12 and older) have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the state will enter Step 4 of the Vermont Forward plan and remove remaining restrictions. As of Thursday, it was at 78.6% of eligible Vermonters, needing 7,878 more people to reach the goal.

Vermont Business Magazine On June 3, 2021 at approximately 2:51 PM Vermont State Police received a report of a tractor-trailer truck stuck on Rt. 108S in Smugglers' Notch. Troopers from the Williston Barracks responded along with Officers from Stowe Police Department. The Notch was shut down on both the Stowe and Cambridge sides and traffic was diverted.

Troopers identified the operator of the tractor-trailer as 51-year-old Frank Ewing of Duluth, GA. He was issued a ticket for the civil violation of Title 23 VSA Section 1006b(b) – CMV Prohibited in Smugglers Notch (Impeding Traffic).

With the assistance of a heavy wrecker, the tractor-trailer was able to be backed down the Stowe side of Smugglers Notch. The roadway was ultimately shut down for approximately 5 hours.

COURT ACTION: Yes (Civil)

COURT DATE / TIME: N/A

COURT: N/A

LODGED: N/A LOCATION: N/A

BAIL: N/A

MUG SHOT: N/A

Vermont Business Magazine CFES Brilliant Pathways, a college and career-readiness nonprofit based in Essex, NY, has chosen 20 rural schools in northeastern New York and Vermont for its newly launched North Country Brilliant Pathways program. Seventy-two schools applied for the program, which was announced in April. The Vermont schools are: Brighton Elementary School; Enosburg Falls High School; Leland and Gray Union High School; Otter Valley Union High School; Riverside Middle School. The initiative, which has a value of $1.5 million, will provide schools with a multi-faceted, comprehensive college readiness program that will put more of their students on a path to college.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Flight Academy (VFA) is working with Burlington International Airport (BTV) neighbor, BETA Technologies (BETA) to launch FLIGHT VT, an initiative that aims to inspire and empower youth by providing them with the opportunity to fly a plane. The program was first launched as a one-day pilot (pun intended) last year and was so successful, VFA is expanding this summer to three days. As many as 100 youth will join VFA and BETA certified flight instructors to fly planes over their hometowns.

Vermont Business Magazine Northeast Drinks Group LLC, a privately owned holding company, today announces a new canning line investment which dramatically increases capacity for branded and co-packing volumes at Green Mountain Beverage. A division of Vermont Cider Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of NDG, Green Mountain Beverage is a leading manufacturer and co-packing facility for canned, kegged, or bottled alcoholic and specialty non-alcoholic beverages.

Vermont Business Magazine As COVID cases continue to fall (the VDH reported eight cases today and again no deaths), the daily report will go to two times a week and the online data will be updated Monday to Friday. The weekend's numbers will be included Monday. This all will begin next week. Meanwhile, the state is approaching Governor Scott's 80 percent vaccination goal, though vaccinations have slowed in recent days. There are still many opportunities to get vaccinated across the state, including at walk-in clinics. For instance, for the governor to discontinue all COVID mandates by Monday, June 7, about 2,000 Vermonters a day would need to be vaccinated. On Wednesday, 482 individuals were vaccinated.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott announced action on several bills, passed by the General Assembly, including H433. The transportation-related legislation includes $120 million for public transportation, rail and electric vehicle incentives, among other programs.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) Board of Commissioners announced last week that its annual allocation of federal housing tax credits will support the construction of 105 permanently affordable apartments in five communities across the state. The sale of the credits is expected to yield over $26 million in funding, which will cover over 60 percent of total development costs. The program is the largest single funding source for affordable housing development in Vermont.