Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan today announced a settlement with Barre auto dealer Poulin Auto Sales, Inc over complaints filed with the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) concerning Poulin Auto’s business practices, including a deceptive direct mail advertisement. As part of the settlement, Poulin Auto agreed to change certain business practices, pay a civil penalty of $5,000 to the State of Vermont, and provide restitution to consumers totaling $15,000.

Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint "I remember the first time I learned about the Eugenics Survey of Vermont. I was a graduate student in history studying Native American land claims, and my thesis advisor found out that I was a Vermonter. She said, “You have to read Nancy Gallagher’s book, ‘Breeding Better Vermonters: The Eugenics Project in the Green Mountain State’, before you write another word.”

The Vermont State Police is continuing to investigate a shooting incident that took place early April 15, 2021, at a home on West Road in Whiting. As part of the ongoing investigation, state police are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the vehicle pictured below. It is believed the vehicle might be connected to the shooting.

Vermont Business Magazine For many companies, the concept of innovation within their walls can seem overwhelming and outside their capabilities. But innovation expert Josh Linkner maintains that any organization can be innovative if it brings the right perspective to the creative process.

"We think innovation only counts if it is a billion-dollar idea," Linkner said. But as the author and entrepreneur outlines in his latest book, Big Little Breakthroughs: How Small, Everyday Innovations Drive Oversized Results, it is little ideas that can yield the greatest results while serving to "democratize creativity and innovation" by involving all employees of an organization.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Health Equity Initiative, a community partner organization managed by The Vermont Professionals of Color Network, announces a commitment to providing COVID-19 vaccination clinics for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Vermonters and their households through July 10. The clinics are being offered with support from the Vermont Department of Health and City of Burlington.

Vermont Business Magazine In a letter sent to the Agency of Education (AOE) today, the ACLU and the Disability Law Project of Vermont Legal Aid are calling for an end to funding school police with Medicaid reimbursements. With assistance from the Police Out of Schools Coalition and Neighbors for a Safer St. Albans, the groups recently learned that AOE has allowed at least two Vermont school systems – Maple Run Unified School District in St Albans and North Country Supervisory Union – to use Medicaid funds to pay for school cops, an apparent violation of state law.

Vermont Business Magazine The Champlain Valley Exposition announced today that the Champlain Valley Fair, "the ten best days of summer," is a go! Vermont’s largest annual event returns August 27, 2021 and will run through September 5, 2021, in Essex Junction.

Vermont Business Magazine InfiSense, a Burlington SaaS data company launched in 2019 that provides real world data feeds to the analysts, engineers and experts solving today’s most complex problems, announced that it graduated from the 2020/2021 Creative Destruction Lab (CDL-Montreal) supply chain stream program, and successfully raised a round of capital to accelerate growth.

Vermont Business Magazine Marcelle Leahy, a Registered Nurse and the wife of Senator Patrick Leahy, today (Tuesday) will start treatment for the next few weeks for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), a chronic form of adult leukemia. Mrs Leahy was diagnosed with the cancer in 2019. Her treatment will be as an outpatient.

Vermont Business Magazine The VDH is reporting today 52 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths for 251 total statewide. Following the FDA’s authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds on Monday, state officials said at Tuesday’s press conference that Vermont is prepared to open registration as soon as it clears approval from the CDC. They expect that Wednesday night and Vermonters could start to sign up Thursday at 8:15 am. Vermont ranks first in the nation in nearly every vaccination category. Governor Scott said that if Vermonters continue to exceed vaccine goals, that he may be able to accelerate the state's reopening timeline to before July 4.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation released the latest Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory (1990-2017), which estimates the greenhouse gas emissions across different sectors of the Vermont economy. As in prior years, Vermont’s three largest sources of GHG emissions in 2017 were transportation, building energy use, and agriculture. Vermont GHG emissions declined 4.8 percent from 2016 to 2017 and returned close to 1990 baseline levels. The decline was driven primarily by reductions in electricity sector emissions, with a small reduction in transportation sector emissions. DEC also provided initial 2018 and 2019 estimates of GHG emissions that anticipate further overall emission declines due to continued reductions in the electricity sector.

Vermont Business Magazine Grid innovations, reliability, a new commitment to cleaner power, and accelerated broadband deployment were all front-and-center topics at Vermont Electric Co-op’s virtual Annual Meeting held this past Saturday, May 8. The meeting, entitled “An Adaptable Resilient Grid: Teaming up for a Bright Future,” was presided over by VEC Board Chair Rich Goggin of South Hero and featured a presentation from VEC Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Towne, a guest appearance from Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray, participant questions, and more.