Current News

Elaine Pinckney, Superintendent of Schools I am writing to you tonight to let you know that a member of our Williston school community has tested positive for COVID-19. While we certainly hoped that we would remain COVID-free, we expected this eventuality and we are prepared with a plan to respond to it. Earlier this afternoon, our team met with the Vermont Department of Health (DOH) to plan our response. We are confident that we’ve shared all critical information with the Vermont Department of Health and that they are poised to follow up with all potentially close contacts. On Monday morning, they will begin contacting all families whose students are potentially impacted.

Leonine Public Affairs The 2020 legislative session was not a single session, it doesn’t even feel like it was a single reality. Virtually everything that happened after March 13 was unprecedented on every level - priorities, process, politics, timeline and indeed the election. It is therefore difficult to summarize the 2020 legislative session, at least without taking months to write a history book about it.

by Laura Malieswski Strike up a conversation with the locals at one of the general stores in West Burke and you’re bound to hear a little history of the village in its heyday. Depending on their age, it might be a firsthand account or one passed on to them from parents and grandparents who remember West Burke Village as a bustling railroad stop where the historic Mill Pond and adjacent bandstand were the town center.

Vermont Business Magazine For the first time ever, Burlington City Arts moved its annual art auction online—and it was a resounding success. Anticipated to draw in about $30,000, the event raised over $63,000, returning $22,000 to participating artists and generating $41,000 for BCA’s arts-based learning programs. The auction featured the works of over 60 local artists working in a variety of media, ranging from Lincoln-based Rory Jackson’s oil paintings to Burlington artist Shana Bentley’s handmade earrings and Waterbury artist Jeremy Ayers’ handmade stoneware bowl.

Vermont Business Magazine The Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce (OVRCC) was recently awarded a Restart VT Regional Marketing & Stimulus Grant from the VT Department of Tourism. This successful application was the result of a regional collaboration with joint applications from other partners including the communities of Chester, Londonderry, Ludlow & Weston. Individual community grants of $10,000 each were maximized to a larger $40,000 project benefitting the entire Okemo Valley region.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University’s Design+Build Collaborative earned a design excellence Merit Award from the American Institute of Architects, New England chapter for a project to design and build NEST, an outdoor classroom/playhouse as part of playground renovations at Montpelier’s Union Elementary School. Their entry was on of 163 from across the region.

Vermont Business Magazine On any given day, a walk-through Maple Landmark’s factory is like walking through Santa’s workshop, demonstrating the range of products that are hallmarks of the company. However, a look around will also show how many unique custom-ordered items are being produced for customers near and far.

Vermont Business Magazine Noting Vermont is exactly one month into the school year, state officials at Friday’s press conference thanked the school communities for their hard work in opening schools and expanding in-person learning. The Agency of Education has sent a survey to school districts to gather up-to-date information on their reopening plans. Officials expect to be able to release those results next week.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims were again little changed last week, but remain near their lowest levels now since the first week of March. Ongoing claims continue to fall precipitously and Vermonters fall from the unemployment rolls as benefits are expiring.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) Friday pressed Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) not to proceed with Supreme Court confirmation hearings next week unless stringent COVID-19 testing procedures are implemented immediately. Pointing out that two Judiciary Committee members have tested positive for COVID-19 and others have thus far refused to be tested, the senators told Graham that without testing procedures in place, the hearings could threaten the safety and health of all who attend in person.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) announces grants totaling $299,350 for seven projects to benefit Vermont fruit, vegetable, and value-added producers and increase consumer access to locally produced food. These grants, funded through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), were awarded to six agricultural organizations to undertake a range of research, development, education, business planning, and marketing projects. The grants will leverage an additional $190,026 in matching funds.

Vermont Business Magazine At a meeting on September 16, the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board awarded $1.18 million in state funding and nearly $1.5 million in federal funding to protect 646 acres of farmland in South Burlington, Sheldon and Starksboro, to support a new recreational network in Cambridge, to expand a Wildlife Management Area in Vernon, to restore riparian land and improve water quality in Morgan, and to help restore historic details at the Fairbanks Museum in St Johnsbury.