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Vermont Business Magazine The Born to Run Foundation made its 10th prosthesis donation, a running blade, to amputee David Hiler of Brattleboro, Vermont, at the outdoor waterfront Bier Garten at Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery in Brattleboro on Thursday, November 5. At the event, Hiler also announced the creation of a special-label craft brew, RUN, that will support the Foundation’s mission of providing specialized athletic prostheses to amputees to help them lead active lives.

by John McClaughry This turbulent election season is now over, at least for Vermont. It’s a good time to peruse a menu of election law reforms that the next legislature should seriously consider.

We should universally require that registering to vote be a solemn civic act. Every new voter should appear before a clerk or justice and take the Freeman’s Oath, promising to act as a citizen “to conduce to the best good of the [State of Vermont], as established by the Constitution, without fear or favor of any person.” Repeal the repugnant Motor Voter law, where a driver casually checks a box on a form to become a voter.

Only registered voters should be eligible to run for election to an office. No showboating 15 year olds, green card foreigners, or persons illegally in our country.

Vermont Business Magazine March of Dimes, the nation's leader in the fight for the health of all moms and babies, has issued its new 2020 Report Card amid the coronavirus pandemic and calls for racial justice, shining a spotlight on factors that contribute to maternal and infant health. The U.S. remains among the most dangerous developed nations for childbirth and it's even more dire for women and babies of color. The Report Card shows that for the fifth year in a row, the U.S. preterm birth rate increased to 10.2% of births, earning the nation a "C-" grade compared to last year's "C" grade. Four states earned the highest grad, a "B+" (New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont, Washington).

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) proudly presents Advances in Total Joint Replacement 4 – 5 p.m. Wednesday, December 9 over video conferencing software. It is free and open to the public. The event is appropriate for any person who experiences joint pain, along with members of their families.

Vermont Business Magazine With a record high cases of COVID-19 reported today (122) and spikes in Washington and Orange Counties, Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, said that Scott Administration will be holding meetings with town and elected officials in the two counties to organize and mobilize efforts to reduce the number of new cases in their communities, including by promoting greater compliance with state health requirements and the Governor’s Executive Orders. In addition, Dr. Levine is calling on all of us to join these stepped-up efforts by adapting our personal behaviors and actions to better protect ourselves and prevent the spread of the virus.

Vermont Business Magazine Due to the recent increase in coronavirus infections in Chittenden County and throughout the region, the University of Vermont is making the following several adjustments, including offering an early departure option for undergraduate students. Students can now leave before the last day of in-person classes, which is on Tuesday, November 24. Students are being urged to get an additional coronavirus test 48 hours prior to their departure, and to wait to receive a negative result before heading home.

Vermont Business Magazine With Orange and Washington Counties accounting for nearly 40 percent of the COVID-19 cases in the state in the last two weeks, health officials are calling on residents to join stepped-up local efforts to stop the spread of the virus. The Department of Health on Monday reported 122 new cases of COVID-19, the highest daily number since the start of the pandemic, and the latest in a run of record-breaking case reports in the state. There have been 789 cases reported in the last two weeks in Vermont. Of those, 68 are in Orange County for an incidence rate of 23.5 per 10,000 people – twice the state incidence rate of 12.6. In Washington County there are 233 cases for an incidence rate of nearly 40 cases per 10,000 people – over three times the state rate.

Vermont Business Magazine In a year when Vermonters’ lives have been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vermont Community Foundation and the organizing committee for the Con Hogan Award for Creative, Entrepreneurial, Community Leadership have announced that the 2020 award will go to the Vermont Department of Health (VDH). The award this year recognizes the department and its staff for their commitment to Vermonters’ safety in this perilous time; their steady, data-driven leadership; and their tenacity in the face of chaos.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the North American Talc Subsidiaries of Imerys (Imerys Talc America, Imerys Talc Vermont, and Imerys Talc Canada or, collectively, the "Debtors") announced that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware has approved the sale of substantially all of the Debtors' assets, plus an agreement to assume certain Assumed Liabilities, to Magris Resources Canada Inc. Magris will acquire substantially all of the Debtors' assets for a purchase price of US$223 million, plus the assumption of certain Assumed Liabilities.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Loan Fund has announced the launch of TRAILS (Tourism & Recreation Adventure Infrastructure LoanS), a new loan program designed to meet the financing needs of Vermont’s outdoor recreation organizations and entrepreneurs. Eligible prospects for TRAILS loans include (but are not limited to) for- and nonprofit businesses and organizations that create opportunities for outdoor recreation; “adjacent” businesses or organizations serving participants in outdoor recreation; and outdoor rec-related manufacturers and retailers. Existing and start-up enterprises are eligible. Allowable uses for loans include real estate and land acquisition, facility construction or improvement, inventory, and general operating capital.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets in collaboration with the Department of Tourism will launch a holiday shopping promotional campaign to highlight Vermont producers and merchants. Supported via CARES Act funding, this campaign includes both statewide and regional components across an array of media. Statewide, the campaign will encourage online and brick-and-mortar shopping at Vermont-based merchants. Regionally, the campaign will support online sales of Vermont-made products.

Vermont Business Magazine Community Bank NA recently announced plans to open a new location at Cottonwood Drive on Route 2 in Williston in mid-December. The brand-new office space will offer retail, business and trust services and add the Williston community to the bank’s extensive branch network. Upon completion of the building, all staff from Community Bank N.A.’s 275 Kennedy Drive branch in South Burlington will relocate to Williston, including government, commercial banking and trust teams. The branch is expected to open mid-December with all other departments moving over by January 18, 2021.