Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Chittenden Solid Waste District's Drop-Off Centers located in Essex, Richmond, and South Burlington are now open additional days. All seven CSWD Drop-Off Centers are open to the public. They've made many changes, so if you haven't visited a DOC lately, visit www.CSWD.net/doc before you go. The website provides full details for each location, including materials, quantities, and vehicles accepted (this may vary by location), hours of operation, fees, and guidelines for ensuring your visit is safe and efficient.

Vermont Business Magazine Boutique Air will begin flight operations from Burlington International Airport (BTV) to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) on Thursday, April 29, 2021. The new route will offer one daily round-trip.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting a recent low of 42 cases of COVID-19. There was one more death for 230 statewide. Governor Phil Scott and other officials have now outlined the State’s stepped plan to methodically and safely ease mitigation measures as more Vermonters are vaccinated. The plan uses vaccination rates as the key milestones for transitioning Vermont businesses to more general, universal guidance for preventing the spread of COVID-19, modifying travel guidance, and for when gathering size can increase between now and July 4.

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Natural Resources Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that Cushing & Sons, Inc, was fined $12,750 for spilling chlorinated water into a stream in Hartland when it overfilled a company tanker truck. While withdrawing water, the truck operator became distracted by traffic congestion and the water tank overfilled, resulting in a discharge of 50-100 gallons of chlorinated water to Harlow Brook. An investigation the following day revealed more than 60 dead amphibians and fish including brook trout.

by Shap Smith and Catherine “Kitty” Toll As longtime former state legislators, we know how difficult the budget allocation process can be. Inevitably there are more deserving projects than dollars to support them.

The recently passed American Rescue Plan—which comes on the heels of the CARES Act and brings a total of over $2.5 billion in federal dollars to the state of Vermont—has once again put lawmakers in the position of choosing which among a long list of worthy initiatives should be funded.

What’s different is that this large infusion of one-time money is in addition to Vermont’s annual budget. While much of the funding is needed to address immediate health and financial challenges caused by the pandemic, we also have the opportunity to make expenditures that are lasting and transformative. That is why we support investments in the University of Vermont that will pay dividends to Vermont for many years to come.

The Vermont State Police on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, cited Trooper Robert Zink, 39, of Arlington on suspicion of simple assault following a six-week investigation into a use-of-force incident that occurred during an arrest February 23, 2021, in the driveway of a private residence on Tinkham Road in Shaftsbury. Zink has been on paid relief from his duty assignment at the Shaftsbury Barracks since Feb. 24, 2021. His status as of Wednesday, April 7, is unpaid relief from duty.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University officials announced that three professors have each earned a $25,000 Pilot Award from the Vermont Biomedical Research Network (VBRN) in support of research at Norwich University for 2021-22.

Vermont Business Magazine Stowe Arts and Culture Council has officially been named a board of the Town of Stowe, Vermont. Stowe Arts and Culture Council (SACC) empowers and connects artistic communities to promote Stowe as a global center for the arts and was formed to establish and promote Stowe as an arts and culture destination to enhance quality of life and economic development. SACC works to collaborate with the local community to explore and promote ways to address cultural, social, and environmental issues through arts education and integration, as well as encourage commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion across all sectors of the community.

Vermont Business Magazine The 26th Annual Special Olympics Vermont Penguin Plunge was re-imagined into a 7-week long “Penguin Plunge Season” to raise funds to support programs that enrich the lives of a community of over 5,000 Vermonters. The season culminated in a Penguin Plunge Celebration on March 27th, which featured a COVID-compliant limited in-person plunge and live streamed event. The Penguin Plunge is the largest fundraising event for Special Olympics Vermont (SOVT), and this year, in the midst of a global pandemic, over $252,000 was raised by 500 participants to support SOVT initiatives and programming.

Vermont Business Magazine UPS (NYSE:UPS), together with its UPS Flight Forward subsidiary, plans to purchase electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft from Beta Technologies (BETA) to augment its air service for select small and mid-size markets. These aircraft will take off and land on-property at UPS facilities in a whisper-quiet fashion, reducing time-in-transit, vehicle emissions, and operating cost. The first ten BETA aircraft are scheduled to begin arriving in 2024, with an option to purchase up to 150 of the aircraft.

Vermont Business Magazine Amid mounting evidence about the toll the coronavirus pandemic is taking on the mental health and well-being of college students, Champlain College today announced a comprehensive collaboration with the Massachusetts General Hospital Child Resiliency Program (MGH CRP) and Harvard Medical School to enhance both mental and physical well-being on its campus. MGH CRP will provide resiliency workshops for Champlain students, teach faculty and staff how to deliver resilience training, provide support for the College’s existing well-being programs, and work with Champlain on a curriculum to promote personal and academic resiliency.

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington High School Principal Hiring Committee has announced three finalists for the BHS principalship. The candidates are Steve Berbeco, who most recently served as Deputy Commissioner for the Child Development Division of Vermont’s Department for Children and Families; Gregory Kirkland, an assistant principal at Clayton County Public Schools; and Lauren McBride, the current interim principal at Burlington High School.