Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported that four Vermonters have died of COVID-19 since last Friday for a total of 111 since the beginning of the pandemic. They reported 93 new COVID-19 cases today for a statewide total of 6,534. Cases have been averaging just under 100 per day. There are currently 25 Vermonters hospitalized for the novel coronavirus.

Senator Patrick Leahy After months of delay and painstaking negotiation, this afternoon we will have before us a spending package that includes all 12 appropriations bills for fiscal year 2021, and a vitally important COVID relief package. It provides funding for programs that are critically important to the American people, and I urge its swift passage. We are already 2 months and 20 days into the fiscal year. We cannot delay further.

Vermont Business Magazine Speaker Mitzi Johnson announced the appointment of Brian Gray, General Manager of the Energy Co-op of Vermont, to represent the fuel sector on the Vermont Climate Council. Gray brings a broad range of important experiences to the Council. He grew up in the Northeast Kingdom, worked for Vermont Gas for 30 years, and now manages a cooperative not for profit energy business that delivers heating oil, kerosene, and local Vermont wood pellets to rural and more developed regions of Northwest and central Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan today announced a settlement of the Consumer Protection Act enforcement action brought to stop a price-gouging scheme involving surgical masks by Big Brother Security Programs, Inc and its owner Shelley Palmer. The settlement required the defendants to provide nearly 80,000 units of personal protective equipment (PPE) to Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) and 10,000 units of PPE to the State of Vermont for distribution throughout the state. The distribution of PPE will serve as restitution for charging exorbitant prices for critically needed surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Jeremy Fairbanks, 44, formerly of St Albans, Vermont, was sentenced on December 18, 2020 upon his guilty plea to two counts of wire fraud: one stemming from his conduct in Vermont, and one relating to a subsequent fraud in Tennessee. Fairbanks was sentenced to 10 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release, to run concurrently on both counts.

Vermont Business Magazine CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) has formally launched its COVID-19 vaccination program for long-term care facilities, whose residents have been disproportionally impacted by the pandemic. CVS Pharmacy teams will administer the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in facilities across 12 states this week, including Vermont, and the company expects to vaccinate up to four million residents and staff at over 40,000 long-term care facilities through the program.

Vermont Business Magazine People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, NA, announced the awards of $314,500 in grants to 54 nonprofit organizations throughout Vermont during 2020. This year’s grant donations were focused on COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts. Organizations working with communities that are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic were provided with flexible funding to use however it was needed.

Vermont Business Magazine The Paramount Theatre Board of Directors has promoted long-time Paramount staff member Eric Mallette to the position of Executive Director. Mallette had been serving as Interim Executive Director since July 1, 2020 following the announcement that long-serving Executive Director Bruce Bouchard would be retiring at the end of the calendar year. Bouchard has been serving in the role of fundraising and development since Mallette’s interim appointment. Prior to the promotion, Mallette had been the theatre’s Programming Director.

Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine At the Northeastern Vermont Development Association, David Snedeker has spent much of his time this year helping businesses get the financial help they need to survive a year like no other. Those efforts include hiring someone specifically tasked with helping companies through the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting them with Restart Vermont and its technical assistance program, said Snedeker, NVDA executive director.

Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine It’s the most rural area of the state and when it comes to high-speed Internet, the Northeast Kingdom is also the most underserved area of the state. So, in April residents decided to take matters into their collective hands and formed Northeast Kingdom Community Broadband – what is now a 32-town communications union district or CUD.

Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine One of the Northeast Kingdom’s largest employers remains on sound financial ground. Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital with 625 employees ended its fiscal year in good shape. “Surprisingly good given what we were faced last spring,” said Shawn Tester, chief executive officer of the 25-bed hospital in St Johnsbury.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont (UVM) has joined a United Nations initiative that brings together international sustainability experts to solve urgent global challenges. The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) seeks to achieve the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals—a global effort to address poverty, protect the environment, grow the economy, and promote peace and good governance. The network is led by U.N. Secretary-General and acclaimed economist Jeffrey Sachs.