Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott announced today that he has signed S117, An act relating to extending health care regulatory flexibility during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and to coverage of health care services delivered by audio-only telephone.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan, the Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV), Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, and the Vermont Institute for Community and International Involvement (VICII) today announced The People’s Law School—a series of free, virtual presentations on contemporary topics impacting the lives of Vermonters. The series, which begins on April 7, 2021, will provide practical information about a range of topics including such topics as the Fourth Amendment, representing yourself in small claims court, tenant rights, understanding eligibility for benefits, and family law.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) today announced that $262,500 has been awarded to the towns of Bethel, Lyndon and Poultney through the Better Connections Grant Program, which seeks to help cities and towns build stronger communities that are more livable and walkable.

Vermont Business Magazine The Board of the Vermont State Housing Authority (VSHA) announced today the appointment of Kathleen R Berk for the position of Executive Director. Berk will assume her new role on June 1. Richard M Williams who joined the Housing Authority in July 1974 and has led the agency as Executive Director since 1984, will retire at the end of July. Berk, a native Vermonter, joined the Authority in 1988 and held a variety of positions serving as Director of Housing Program Administration since 1991.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) and its partners remind hikers of mud season at this time of year and ask for the public’s help protecting Vermont’s trails. This year, COVID-19 is still a dominant concern, even with more people vaccinated. FPR and partners are asking for the public’s assistance with making smart choices to protect both public health and trails during this vulnerable time.

Vermont Business Magazine Kathleen H Davis was elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the Union Mutual Fire Insurance Company and the New England Guaranty Insurance Company at the Companies’ annual meetings held on February 24, 2021. Davis is the first woman to lead the Board of Directors in the companies’ nearly 150-year history.

Vermont Business Magazine Eleven candidates are vying for three seats up for election this year on the board of directors of Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC). Because VEC is a cooperative, members elect local representatives to serve on VEC’s 12-member board. The three districts with seats up for election this year are District 2, East Zone, and West Zone.

Vermont Business Magazine The White River Junction Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System’s Moderna COVID-19 second dose clinic has made a change in location for April 2nd. The Vermont National Guard will host Veterans and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees at Camp Johnson’s Green Mountain Armory in Colchester, next to St Michael's College. This clinic will be scheduled with appointments only.

​Vermont Business Magazine As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact revenues for small businesses across the state, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation and Two Rivers - Ottauquechee Regional Commission have announced a second round of the Vermont Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) economic relief program to support sole proprietors. $1.6 million is available to fund grants between $1,500 and $10,000 to qualifying sole proprietors on a first come, first served basis.

Vermont Business Magazine COVID-19 vaccination windows continue to open on schedule with the 60+ now open and the 50+ registration window set to open Monday, March 29th. The remaining age bands will become eligible for registration over the next three weeks, with the last of them, 16 and older, beginning April 19. Also, the US Small Business Administration (SBA) plans to open applications for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program (SVOG) on April 8th. Also on Sunday, the Vermont Department of Health is reporting another elevated number of new cases with 194 and one more death for 225 statewide.

by Weiwei Wang and Steph Yu, Public Assets Institute A lot has already been said about last week’s shootings of six Asian women and others at spas in Atlanta – that it was shocking but not surprising, that it was the predictable result of a year of hate spewed by political leaders, that it doesn’t have to be totally racially motivated to be a hate crime and can in fact be the product of racism and misogyny and fetishization all at the same time, that it was the result of lax gun laws that allow the violent to act on their worst impulses.

There’s also been an understandable look back at systemic racism against Asians in the US, from the massacres in Wyoming and Los Angeles and the Chinese Exclusion Act to the internment of Japanese-Americans in the 1940s.

Leonine Public Affairs The Vermont House spent much of the week on the floor, working through a wide range of budget and tax bills that recently cleared crossover. The FY2022 budget, transportation bill and capital construction bill were all up for consideration along with legislation relating to housing, broadband expansion, economic development, childcare and ongoing COVID-19 recovery efforts. Most of these bills passed the House by Friday, clearing the way for the Senate to begin consideration next week. Meanwhile, the Senate approved H.315, the expedited COVID-19 relief bill. The House and Senate will now work to reconcile the differences in their respective versions of the bill.