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Senator Patrick Leahy No one will dispute that police officers have incredibly cha ollenging jobs. No one will dispute that they are faced with difficult split second decisions that impact life and death. But that difficulty does not excuse the fact that something is deeply wrong in our country. It does not excuse the fact that people of color have disproportionately suffered from police misconduct. People of color disproportionately are profiled by police, are stopped by the police, are arrested by police, and are victims of excessive force at the hands of police.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine National Life Group reduced its work force this week to respond to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Montpelier-based insurer announced the layoffs today. The reductions affected both of National Life’s primary offices, in Montpelier and Addison, Texas. A total of 95 jobs were affected, 53 in Vermont, 30 in Texas, and 12 in other remote locations. National Life’s total employment company-wide stood at 1,400 before the reductions. The company will offer severance pay, as well as reimbursement for health, dental, and vision coverage, to impacted employees.

Vermont Business Magazine Following guidance from the State of Vermont, the University of Vermont Medical Center is scaling back some limitations on visitors to the hospital. The UVM Medical Center and all other hospitals in the state began restricting visitation in March to slow the spread of COVID-19. To protect patients, visitors and staff, all visitors will be screened and required to follow safety measures.

Vermont Business Magazine Working adult students will have more choices and greater flexibility when pursuing higher education, thanks to a grant from the Northfield Savings Bank Foundation (NSBF) that is allowing the Community College of Vermont (CCV) to expand Flex, an innovative course delivery model which allows students to work through online classes at their own pace.

CCV was selected for the two-year, $200,000 NSBF grant to further develop and promote the Flex model. Funding will also support a Flex coordinator position, which will work closely with Vermont employers whose workforce stands to benefit from access to flexible classes and credentials.

Vermont Business Magazine A civil rights lawsuit brought by Shamel Alexander against the Town of Bennington and its police department has been settled out of court, with the city agreeing to a $30,000 cash settlement to resolve claims of systemic racial profiling by Bennington police.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting that they have identified a smaller cluster of COVID-19 cases in Brattleboro. They do not consider this a community-wide spread as it appears to be isolated to a family group. Statewide, the VDH is reporting 1,164 total cases with one new case. There are two people hospitalized and the number of deaths are holding at 56.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is continuing to investigate and respond to a small cluster of COVID-19 cases in Windham County to prevent further spread. VDH said the cases are currently limited to a small number of people with familial connections. There does not appear to be additional community spread associated with this situation. Because COVID-19 spreads easily from person-to-person, these types of investigations are becoming more common ─ especially as more sectors open back up, and more people are getting together with family and friends and others in their communities.

Vermont Business Magazine Today Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos announced the June 26 official start date of the early voting period for the Vermont Statewide Primary elections, which take place on August 11. Vermont’s no-excuse, 45-day early voting period allows any registered voter to request an early ballot. For the 2020 August Primary elections the Secretary of State’s office will be mailing all registered voters a postcard with instructions on how to request their ballot, which will include a tear-off, postage paid, pre-addressed return postcard that voters can use to request their ballot.

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Eric LaFrance, 34, of Westfield, Massachusetts, was arrested yesterday for unlawful possession of a firearm during an ATF undercover operation in Brattleboro, Vermont.

LaFrance appeared before the Honorable John M. Conroy, United States Magistrate Judge, this afternoon, and was ordered detained pending a detention hearing.

According to court records, LaFrance attempted to arrange to purchase a firearm from a Vermont Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) despite being a resident of Massachusetts. LaFrance’s repeated efforts concerned the FFL, who reported the incident to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

ATF investigated LaFrance’s criminal record, and determined LaFrance had an arrest history in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and North Dakota that dates back to 2003.

Vermont State Police Vermont State Police investigators are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a woman whose body was discovered last week in the Winooski River in Middlesex. The deceased is a white woman standing about 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 206 pounds, and between 30-50 years old. She has tattoos of the names “Sue” and “Patty” on her left forearm, along with other tattoos on her body including a red and blue butterfly, a pink and yellow five-petal flower on her right foot with leaves going up her ankle, and two roses on her right wrist. She was wearing a large ring on her right index finger with a carved face and headdress.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northern Forest Center today announced 10 towns and organizations that will receive $302,000 collectively to improve outdoor recreation opportunities in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Seven of the grants go to organizations in the Northeast Kingdom. The grants are provided by the Northern Forest Destination Development Initiative, which is managed by the Northern Forest Center in partnership with the Northeastern Vermont Development Association and NEK (Northeast Kingdom) Collaborative of Vermont. Funding comes from the Northern Border Regional Commission. In the NEK, the $214,800 grant investment is matched by more than $400,000, bringing total NEK project investments to $634,072.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Department of Labor today announced changes to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program that will reduce employers’ UI tax rates and increase the maximum weekly benefit amount for UI claimants. The Department of Labor will move to UI Tax Rate Schedule I, reducing individual employers’ UI tax rates on July 1, 2020. Employers’ tax rates vary according to their experience rating, which is based on UI claims charged to their account, total payroll and their ranking among all employers who contribute to UI. Schedule I decreases the upper and lower thresholds for these tax rates, as well as reducing the taxable wage base amount beginning January 1, 2021. In addition to this tax rate change, the maximum weekly benefit amount paid to unemployed Vermonters will increase from $513 to $531.This increase is effective beginning the first full week of July.