Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A source in the Scott administration told NBC5 News Monday that the governor has decided to open up vaccinations to public school teachers, child care employees and public safety employees who are not already eligible beginning March 8. This group will include teachers and child care workers, police and those 16 to 64 years old who have certain medical conditions. More than 100,000 Vermonters have already received one dose. Because of the size of this group, it will be broken up into two groups. Also, the Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 85 new cases of COVID-19 with one more death for 205 total.

Vermont Business Magazine A nearly $1 million federal grant awarded to the Vermont Department of Public Safety will launch an innovative partnership with community advocacy organizations and a national research group aimed at reducing domestic violence in Vermont. Grant funds will be divided among the Vermont State Police, the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, and the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, a national nonprofit that works in all 50 states to increase public safety and strengthen communities. The three organizations have been recognized as innovative leaders in taking on domestic violence, and the three-year grant allows their critical work to expand even further.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) is seeking public input on the Vermont Airport System Draft Plan, which outlines the State’s 20-year long-range vision and goals that will guide the planning and development of Vermont’s public use airports. This Plan will update the 2007 Airport System and Policy Plan. The public may submit comments through email and a virtual public meeting.

Vermont’s public use airport system consists of 16 airports, 10 of which are state owned, 1 municipally owned, and 5 privately owned. A map of public use airports is available here.

The public is encouraged to visit the Airport System Plan project website for additional information about the Airport System Plan planning process.

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Administration today announced that State employees who can telework should expect to do so at least through May 31, 2021. This extends the expectation set in October that telework would extend to March 31, 2021.Since the availability of approved vaccines, vaccinations to date have rolled out very quickly in Vermont. So long as vaccine supply is available, the Health Department expects to be substantially complete with the high-risk population (those 65+ and with certain underlying health conditions) in mid-April. By then, we may have as many as 1-in-3 Vermonters vaccinated and details of the next steps in the vaccination plan will be available.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is urging customers to be alert to the weather as forecasters call for difficult travel due to windy conditions and snow squalls starting later today. They say the winter blast will also bring plummeting temperatures, below zero wind chills and the possibility of scattered outages if wind speeds follow the forecast.

Vermont Business Magazine As those 65 and older begin to receive their vaccines now, the Vermont Department of Health is preparing for the next eligible group called Phase 5. The VDH is expected to announce the parameters of that group at Governor Scott's press briefing Tuesday, March 2. But Phase 5 will include those with high-risk health conditions and VDH will likely start signing Vermonters up before the end of March. Based on what we know now about how much vaccine Vermont will get from the federal government, it will probably take until spring to finish the age-banding and high-risk health conditions groups.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermonters filed 5,021 scam reports with the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) in 2020. The Social Security number phishing scam, which typically involves calls claiming that your Social Security number has been compromised, suspended, or linked to criminal activity, remained the most commonly reported scam for the second year in a row with 1,160 reports filed. Claiming the number two spot on the list of top ten scams in 2020 were “free money” scams.

Vermont State Police On 2/27/21 at approximately 06:12 AM, VT State Police responded to a single vehicle crash on I-89 Northbound in South Burlington. Preliminary investigation has revealed that Vehicle 1 struck a guardrail on the right side of the road while traveling northbound. Subsequently, Vehicle 1 veered left into the median, where it flipped and struck a tree. Both occupants of Vehicle 1, Theodore Bowen (32) and Michelle Martin (45), died as a result of the crash.

This crash remains under investigation and it is too early to tell if speed or impairment were factors. Any witnesses are encouraged to call Trooper Marchand at 802-878-7111.

The VSP Tweeted the following report Monday:

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine Prospects for Amtrak service to Burlington, which passenger trains have not served in almost 70 years, have taken a strange twist. The state has notified the occupants of a 19th-century depot that sits only a few feet from the state-owned tracks at the Route 7 crossing in New Haven that their building will have to be moved before the Amtrak train, the Ethan Allen Express, comes through on its new route. And moving the little brick building does not look like a simple matter.

Vermont Research News The Center for Research on Vermont received so many responses to its fall request for nominations of important Vermont books that we decided to share the results in several reports. Here we focus on titles about Vermont politics and government. Included is one from 1984 by William Doyle, then a state senator and a professor at Johnson State College, called Vermont Political Tradition. UVM historian Sam Hand regarded Doyle’s book as the best short introduction to Vermont political history available. Doyle’s concise and readable history includes chapters on major developments and identifies enduring themes.

by Scott Finn, VPR President and CEO As we prepare to merge Vermont Public Radio and Vermont PBS in July, I have a confession to make. Even though I’m the president of VPR, my first public media love was actually public television. My four siblings and I grew up two hours from the nearest shopping mall. Dad fixed appliances, Mom raised us and provided child care for others. Through the magic of our rooftop antenna, Mr Rogers introduced us to Iowa Public Television. Nova, Nature, Masterpiece - it was on all day long.

by Devon Green, VAHHS Vice President of Government Relations Last week The House advanced H315, a $62 million mini-coronavirus relief fund (CRF) bill with the following: $5 million to mental health needs; $500,000 to address health care disparities by enhancing data collection; $350,000 each to the Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV) and VT Refugee Resettlement Program (USCRI).