Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington-based newsweekly Seven Days is restarting its Fair Game column. Longtime Vermont journalist Dave Gram will author the weekly take on Vermont politics, sharing his observations about the maneuvering in Montpelier and life in the Green Mountain State. His inaugural column will appear on January 13, 2021. Gram was an award-winning reporter for the Associated Press for more than three decades. More recently, he hosted “The Dave Gram Show” on WDEV radio, examining a variety of topics on the air for 10 hours each week.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Public Safety is continuing to accept public and stakeholder feedback on Vermont’s initiative to modernize policing across Vermont. The latest document available for public review is a draft Statewide Policy on Police Use of Force. This fall, the Department of Public Safety shared multiple draft proposals for public consideration and feedback, including policies related to body-worn cameras, citizen oversight, hiring and promotion, and internal affairs.

Vermont Business Magazine In order to save lives from the opioid crisis affecting Windsor County, Mt Ascutney Hospital and Health Care Center (MAHHC) is offering rapid access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for people who arrive in the Emergency Department after an overdose or simply seeking help for an opioid use disorder. To provide this care—a process known as MAT Induction—MAHHC is working with Connecticut Valley Addiction Recovery (CVAR), an addiction treatment center in Windsor. In addition, MAHHC and CVAR are collaborating with the Vermont Department of Health to distribute the nasal-spray naloxone (Narcan) for free to the public.

Vermont Business Magazine Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) voted on Monday to pass a $900 billion bipartisan bill to deliver immediate relief to Americans suffering because of the coronavirus pandemic. The bill includes significant relief for families, individuals, small businesses, schools, and healthcare providers. It also includes robust funding for vaccine distribution and COVID testing and tracing.

Senator Bernie Sanders While we did not get as much as we wanted, because of opposition from the Republican leadership and too many Democrats, the bill does include a $600 direct payment for every working-class American earning less than $75,000 a year, and a $1,200 direct payment for couples making less than $150,000 a year, plus $600 for each child. That means that the average family of four will receive a direct payment of $2400.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Network has launched a new community engagement campaign, Uplift VT, to raise awareness around domestic and sexual violence (DSV) in Vermont, its costs to our communities, and the ways in which Vermont can do more to prevent it from occurring. Although it is often unseen, domestic and sexual violence happens in every corner of Vermont. Research indicates that one in three women and one in four men will experience sexual violence in their lifetime and that one in four women and one in nine men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), will conduct a digital information session regarding the COVID-19 vaccine in cooperation with CAT-TV and the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce at 1 pm on Tuesday, December 22.

Vermont Business Magazine Caledonia Home Health Care & Hospice, a division of Northern Counties Health Care (NCHC), has received a donation of 105 Scentsy Buddies, or stuffed animals, to the Maternal Child Health Department. The donation was organized by local community member Jean Guest, Independent Scentsy Family Consultant. Guest has been collecting donations for the Maternal Child Health Department since October through her Annual Buddy Drive.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) Monday evening announced key Vermont highlights of the bipartisan agreement to fund the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2021, which includes the COVID relief package to provide relief to the thousands of Vermonters suffering during an unprecedented health and economic crisis. The overall bill – which includes the 12 annual Appropriations bills that fund the federal government – totals more than $2.3 trillion in funding for programs across the federal government and efforts to combat the pandemic and provide relief to the American people.

Vermont Business Magazine White River Junction VA Healthcare System began COVID-19 vaccination with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine today, following the US Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization for this vaccine. White River Junction VA Healthcare System is one of 113 VA Medical Centers across the country to receive the first limited supply of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Sites were identified based on need for the vaccine according to CDC’s 1A prioritization and capacity to store the vaccine at -20◦C.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) announced today that popular rebates that help customers save money and reduce carbon emissions by switching to electric vehicles, heat pumps and more will continue into 2021. The rebates were set to expire on December 31, 2020. The company also announced that for the first time, GMP will offer new rebates on yard and garden equipment and electric transportation like motorcycles.