Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that the State of Emergency has been extended to November 15, 2020 to ensure the state can continue to suppress the spread of COVID-19. The governor declared a State of Emergency on March 13, 2020. While he has extended it month-by-month since then, Scott has made it clear that he will continue to extend it as long as the pandemic persists, which will likely last into next year.

The executive order has been extended with no additional changes and can be viewed at https://governor.vermont.gov/content/addendum-6-amended-and-restated-executive-order-01-20.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Public Radio and Seven Days have won a 2020 National Edward R. Murrow award for their 2019 series “Worse For Care,” a joint investigation into Vermont’s assisted living and residential care homes for the elderly. The award for Investigative Reporting in the Small Market Radio Division was presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association on October 10.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program, a program of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, awarded a total of $956,000 to 30 farms in Addison, Caledonia, Chittenden, Franklin, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, and Windham Counties to support capital investments that improve water quality. Some of these awards will also support businesses in their recovery from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants leveraged an additional $3.1 million for capital improvement projects, including farmer investment, bank loans, and grant funding from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service and the VAAFM.

Vermont Business Magazine The Williston Observer, the town’s weekly newspaper of record, is pleased to announce a transition to new ownership. Longtime owners Marianne and Paul Apfelbaum of Williston Publishing and Promotions have sold the paper to Twin Ponds Publishing, owned by Williston residents Susan and Rick Cote. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Vermont Research News Solving our food system challenges requires significant collaboration. A recent article explores the benefits and challenges of transdisciplinary collaboration through a unique medium: poetry. Also, students at the Community News Service developed a tracker map that will be updated daily indicating ballot returns by towns. Currently, Williston has the highest percent (about 38%), followed by Montpelier – a number of smaller towns also have high return rates like Brandon, Grafton, Guildhall and Barton. And managing a pandemic in long-term care facilities.

Senator Patrick Leahy This unseemly and hypocritical push to ram a Supreme Court nominee through with just days before an election in which millions already have voted is not only an affront to the American people, but it damages the Senate and our courts.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Education is pleased to announce that Susan Rosato, an English Learner (EL) Teacher at Colchester High School in Colchester, is the 2021 Vermont Teacher of the Year. Rosato will begin her tenure as Vermont Teacher of the Year on January 1, 2021.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, Christina E Nolan, announced today the results of an 18-month multi-agency enforcement operation targeting the illegal trafficking of firearms and drugs between Vermont and Western Massachusetts. “Operation Fury Road” was a sustained state-wide effort of numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies from Vermont and Massachusetts spanning from October of 2018 to February of 2020.

Vermont State Police On the above date and time, State Police received a call of a tractor trailer unit stuck at Smuggler’s Notch on route 108 in the town of Cambridge. The operator of vehicle, Braden Pitchford ignored and passed several clearly posted signs advising that tractor trailer units are not permitted. Troopers were able to safely guide the operator back towards the Stowe side. Troopers issued the operator a ticket, with a fine of $1,192.00 (2) points for being in violation of Title 23 V.S.A Section 1006b(b): Commercial Motor Vehicle Prohibited on Smugglers Notch.

Vermont Business Magazine Outbreaks have different definitions depending on the setting in which they occur. They can be two or more cases that are epidemiologically connected. About 27% if people who have tested positive for COVID-19 are associated with an outbreak. Meanwhile, recent clusters of cases across the nation seem to be associated small family gatherings. The Vermont Department of Health reported four total cases in Vermont Wednesday, with no hospitalizations and no deaths since August.

The SBA Vermont District Office hosts a free webinar from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays to discuss Paycheck Protection Program forgiveness and other changes. To streamline the PPP forgiveness process, a simpler forgiveness application for loans of $50,000 or less was recently released. More than 8,000 Vermont small businesses are eligible to use the new simpler form.

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