Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George, Vermont State Police, and the Burlington Police Department today announced the conclusion of their criminal investigation into the former St Joseph’s Orphanage in Burlington. No charges will be brought involving the Orphanage, which closed in 1974. Due to the statutes of limitation, which limit the timeframe during which criminal charges can be brought by the state, only the crime of murder would have been prosecutable due to the passage of time since the events of the allegations. Sufficient evidence to support a murder charge was not found. This concludes an investigation that began in September of 2018. A nearly 300-page report describing the allegations, investigation, and the St. Joseph’s Orphanage Restorative Inquiry was released today.

Vermont State Police Investigators have developed additional information about this incident: Responding to a 911 call reporting the wrong-way driver on the interstate, Vermont State Police Trooper Ryan Miller stopped his fully marked state police Ford Explorer cruiser, with lights and siren activated, blocking part of the northbound travel lane of I-91 in the area of mile marker 16. The vehicle traveling south in the northbound lane subsequently struck the cruiser, which sustained only minor damage. Trooper Miller was uninjured. He then crossed to the southbound lanes and continued to follow the wrong-way driver on the other side of the highway.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that the State of Vermont was named the International Domicile of the Year by the European Captive Review. The award is given to the top captive insurance domicile in the world outside of the European Union that has outperformed competitors and demonstrated excellence in servicing the European captive insurance marketplace. Vermont received the recognition at a virtual awards ceremony hosted in late November by the Captive Review Magazine, a trade journal headquartered in London.

Vermont Business Magazine Today Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos announced the official results of the electoral college votes cast for United States President and Vice President by Vermont’s electors. The meeting of the electors was held at 10am in the House Chamber of the Vermont State House.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has awarded Rutland Town a 2021 Municipal Planning Grant (MPG) to develop plans for a Pocket Park near Mead (Center Rutland) Falls in Center Rutland. The grant will be used to survey and design walkways, a scenic overlook of the falls, parking and picnic areas, and access to fishing and kayaking opportunities on Otter Creek. It also will incorporate signage and links to the area’s rich historical past. The Town will contribute $1,500 as a match to the $13,500 state grant. The Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) will administer the grant.

Vermont Business Magazine A diverse group of more than 100 businesses and community organizations from across Vermont called on Vermont’s Governor to support the Transportation & Climate Initiative (TCI)— a regional policy initiative led by eleven northeast and mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia that would put a cap on emissions from our transportation-sector, require fossil fuel companies to pay for the carbon pollution produced from the fuel they sell via purchasing annual allowances, and reinvest the proceeds to help participating states adopt cleaner, healthier, and more equitable transportation solutions

Vermont Business Magazine Businesses who sell and/or market products using "local", or equivalent terms such as "made in Vermont", should be aware that the State of Vermont, Agency of Agriculture is updating its definition of these terms on January 1, 2021. The new definition differentiates food by category: raw agricultural products, processed foods, and unique food products. Each category has its own requirements to be considered local, including consideration of ingredients, manufacturing, and company headquarters for processed food items.

Vermont Business Magazine The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Vermont (SSN 792) is operating in the US 4th Fleet area of operations and conducted a brief stop for logistics in Rio de Janeiro December 10-15. Vermont is the newest submarine in the US Fleet and is visiting Brazil’s newest submarine base the Itaguaí naval base in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Vermont Business Magazine In the spring of 2020, Vermont Humanities and the Vermont Arts Council gave over $780,000 in Covid-19 Emergency Relief Grants to 123 cultural organizations, located in all 14 counties in Vermont. In the fall, the State of Vermont also appropriated an additional $5 million for the arts and cultural sector, distributed through the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. We are deeply grateful for this support.

by Jeff Tieman, VAHHS President and CEO A post-pandemic world is closer than it was even a week ago. Several highly effective COVID-19 vaccines are on their way – the first, from Pfizer, is slated to arrive in Vermont in a day or so. Initial doses will be administered by hospitals and pharmacies as part of federal and state plans that prioritize front-line health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.

Vermont Business Magazine Multiple people were injured in a series of crashes Sunday night, Dec. 13, 2020, on Interstate 91 in the town of Dummerston involving a wrong-way driver. The Vermont State Police investigation into this incident is active and ongoing at this time, and the highway is closed in both directions.

The preliminary investigation shows the following:

Police received an emergency call at 5:41 p.m. Sunday from a southbound driver who reported seeing another driver headed south in the northbound lanes. A state trooper responding northbound on the interstate with his lights and siren activated encountered the wrong-way driver in a pickup truck. The trooper swerved to avoid a collision and was sideswiped by the pick-up truck. The cruiser suffered minor damage, and the trooper turned around in an attempt to safely stop the vehicle.

Vermont State Police Following further investigation, the Vermont State Police has arrested Victoria Griffin, 29, of Randolph on suspicion of second-degree murder related to a stabbing that occurred Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020. The victim is identified as Concepcion Cruz, 44, of Randolph. Cruz and Griffin were in a relationship and lived in the Park Street home where the incident occurred. Four children related to Cruz and Griffin between the ages of 12 and 16 were in the home when the stabbing took place. They were uninjured and are now in the care of relatives.