Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) and the Bennington Opioid Response Team, with support from a state Community Action Grant and Catamount Access Television, present Promoting Change: Creating a New Landscape for Individuals with Substance Use Disorder. The event is scheduled at 4 – 5:30 pm on Tuesday, May 4 and will air live on CAT-TV channel 1075 and facebook.com/CATTVBennington. It is free and no registration is needed.

Vermont Business Magazine National Life recently donated $35,000 to the Branches of Hope cancer patient fund at Central Vermont Medical Center in lieu of holding a Do Good Fest this year. National Life staged the free annual music festival on its back lawn every year from 2014 to 2019, raising money for Branches of Hope through parking fees. The event was suspended last year and again this summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Care Partners (VCP) and four member agencies announce the successful launch of the Unified Electronic Medical Records project using the Netsmart myAvatar solution. myAvatar is the industry-leading electronic health record for behavioral health and addiction services and is a component of the Netsmart CareFabric platform, an integrated framework of solutions and services used by providers for integrated healthcare. The CareFabric platform leverages the health record data of this unique collaborative, to enhance provider care delivery in the catchment areas served by these agencies across the state of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont is resuming use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in clinics around the state this week. The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that it has studied and confirmed the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine is recommended for people 18 years of age and older, and that the pause on its use since April 13 could be lifted. In addition, VDH is reporting 35 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death since last week for 244 total statewide.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine An outside audit of the Vermont Department of Labor’s error in distributing 1099G forms earlier this year has concluded that it was likely caused by human error during manual procedures applied to the creation of print files for some but not all of the more than 70,000 unemployment-related 1099Gs. Because of the increased volume in the number of 1099Gs associated with the pandemic, VDOL outsourced some of the printing to the Department of Building and General Services in order to meet deadlines. The manual procedures used in creating the print files for the BGS led to an error being made by someone in the Agency of Digital Services.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) has released an updated version of the Annual Snapshot. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s snapshot contains less data than previous releases. The AOE is unable to report many indicators of academic achievement, as the assessments on which they are based were not conducted during the 2019-20 academic year. However, indicators suggest that additional work is necessary to support the most vulnerable students. Also, English learners are making progress toward proficiency in English at lower rates than desired and those proficiency rates are declining.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Afterschool announces that the 2021 Summer Matters for All Grant Program is open to applicants. Established in partnership with Governor Phil Scott’s office and the Vermont Agency of Education, at least $1.5 million will be available through the grant program to expand access to summer enrichment opportunities for youth statewide.

Vermont Business Magazine Six nonprofit organizations in New Hampshire and Vermont will receive much needed funds to help those they serve make informed financial decisions through a set of grants announced by Citizens today. Under the bank’s Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money program, these nonprofit organizations will receive a total of more than $107,000 to support work in this critical area across the states.

by Randolph T. Holhut/The Commons Vermont Bread Company in Brattleboro and Koffee Kup Bakery in Burlington abruptly shut their doors on April 26 and laid off hundreds of workers in Brattleboro and Burlington. According to the Vermont Department of Labor, 156 workers lost their jobs at Koffee Kup’s Riverside Avenue bakery on Riverside Avenue in Burlington and 91 workers lost their jobs at Vermont Bread’s bakery on Cotton Mill Hill in Brattleboro.

Vermont Business Magazine FirstLight is reminding customers by request of the Federal Communications Commission through Order (FCC 20-100) that seven-digit local dialing will transition to 10-digit dialing in Vermont, New Hampshire, and parts of New York. It began April 24 and will be required on October 24, 2021. The transition to 10-digit dialing is being implemented in order to establish a three-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July of 2022. The lifeline, similar to the way 9-1-1 works, will allow callers to dial 9-8-8 for suicide prevention assistance. The ten digits include area code and telephone number.

by Cody Morrison, Executive Director, Barre Area Development Barre Area Development, Inc. (BADC) turned 60 years old month. Since its founding in 1961, BADC has been involved in many activities that have improved civic pride and the economic, social, and cultural quality of life in Barre Town and Barre City. Made up of a volunteer board of directors and, since 2008, a full-time Executive Director, BADC has collaborated with local stakeholders to be a successful economic development force for the Barre area.

Agency of Commerce & Community Development The SBA's Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Portal opened Saturday. Also, ACCD, the Department of Health and the Department of Public Safety on Friday posted summer camp guidance for operations this summer. There are two sets of guidance: one for overnight camps effective June 1st, and another for day-based programs effective May 1st. And, the state is accepting applications from municipalities throughout Vermont for CDBG-CV funding through the Municipal Public Facility and Service Program for activities related to COVID-19.