Current News

Vermont Foodbank This July and August, Farmers to Families food boxes containing fresh produce, dairy products, and chicken will be available at multiple daily food distributions throughout the state. To keep wait times to a minimum, reservations will be required for the distributions. To register and see the dates and locations, please visit humanresources.vermont.gov/food-help or call 2-1-1 if you do not have access to the internet or are uncomfortable using it.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) on Thursday announced that the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) and Food Connects have received US Department of Agriculture Farm to School grants totaling $153,767. The grants will help Vermont farms increase their sales to local schools and promote lifelong healthy eating habits among Vermont’s students. Food Connects, based in Brattleboro, received $99,900 to increase local food purchasing, throughout Vermont and western New Hampshire. VAAFM received $53,867 to develop systems for tracking local food purchases by Vermont schools.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont's H.966 legislation provides economic relief to businesses and organizations using funds that Vermont received from the Federal CARES Act. This support is for eligible Vermont businesses and organizations who have suffered a 50 percent or greater reduction in revenue due to the COVID-19 public health emergency and economic crisis in a single month from March 1, 2020 to September 1, 2020, as compared to the same period in 2019.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Lantern Solar and Bee the Change have teamed up on a second New Haven solar project to plant and maintain pollinator-friendly ground cover. The roughly 4.5 acre site will feature dozens of species of plants designed to attract species of pollinator insects and other beneficial bird species. This project follows up on a successful 2017 pollinator program that was completed by Green Lantern Solar and Bee the Change at a different array in the town. That project has a completed “Scorecard” from the University of Vermont’s “Pollinator-Friendly Solar Initiative” and is featured on the UVM Agricultural Extension’s website.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting today two new cases of COVID-19, one hospitalized and no deaths. According to a Harvard study, Vermont was one of only four states doing enough testing to subdue the coronavirus. Public health officials agree testing is critical to bring new cases down to a low enough level to allow everyday life to return to some semblance of normalcy. (The other three states were Alaska, Montana and Hawaii.)

Vermont Business Magazine Four Burlington bars received written warnings from the State for violations of the Governor’s orders this past weekend. Those orders include limiting indoor operations to 50 percent capacity, having all patrons seated, prohibiting seating at the actual bar, properly spacing tables, limiting outdoor operations to a maximum of 150 people, having a designated health officer on site, and complying with other requirements.

Vermont Business Magazine Following the close of a two-week collective effort, Attorney General T.J. Donovan, Elizabeth Novotny, President of the Vermont Bar Association, and John Sayles, CEO of the Vermont Foodbank, announced the positive impact of the Vermont Legal Community Fighting Hunger Food Drive. For the past three years, the Vermont Foodbank, the Vermont Bar Association (VBA), the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), and many other law offices throughout the state have run the Lawyers Fighting Hunger Food Drive during Hunger Action Month each September.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont House Speaker Mitzi Johnson released the following statement: “Vermonters and Vermont businesses need relief now. The Coronavirus Relief Funds Recovery Package - H.966, H.965, and S.351 - were delivered to the Governor’s desk on June 30th. Vermonters need him to sign the bills now to ensure the money reaches the people and businesses that are waiting for it..."

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD), and Department of Tax today announced Vermont’s Economic Recovery Grant Program will launch on July 6. The grant program was first proposed by the Administration in May and amended by the Legislature. It utilizes federal CARES Act funding to provide direct cash grants to Vermont businesses who have seen lost revenue because of COVID-19. The first wave of money is largely directed toward restaurants and retail, which were hardest hit by the COVID-19 shutdowns that began in March.

Vermont Business Magazine On July 1, Superintendent Tom Flanagan launched his first day in the Burlington School District (BSD) by announcing an ambitious 100 Day Entry Plan, focused on bridging opportunity gaps in equity, empowering student engagement, and deepening community learning. Phase two, the heart of the plan, will extend 100 days—from July 1 to October 9. Some activities include, but are not limited to, an equity and race workshop series for District and school leadership, a review of the BSD special education program, town hall meetings to engage families and the community, and the establishment of a professional development plan in collaboration with the BEA.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) announced that it has partnered with Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) to offer free Wi-Fi to the general public on the campuses of Northern Vermont University, Castleton University and Vermont Technical College. The move is designed to support Vermonters living in areas where connectivity is anything but universal and comes at a time when more Vermonters are working and learning remotely due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Cartographic Associates, Inc dba CAI Technologies (CAI), a municipal mapping and GIS services company located in Littleton, New Hampshire, has acquired Russell Graphics, a municipal mapping company that has provided mapping services to Vermont municipalities for more than three decades. It is based in North Carolina. This strategic acquisition further establishes CAI as the leader in municipal mapping and GIS services in Vermont and throughout New England.

Originally founded in 1985, CAI has grown to serve nearly 500 local, regional, and state governments throughout the eastern United States. CAI is a Silver Tier Esri Business Partner and recently completed a project that has received a Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award for ArcGIS Enterprise Implementation in recognition of outstanding work with GIS technology. CAI was one of the few selected for this award out of more than 100,000 applicants.