Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A group of 25 educators from across the state issued a comprehensive list of requirements that must be met before we can safely welcome Vermont’s students back to class. The Vermont-NEA Task Force on School Reopening met for the first time this week, outlining the extensive list of issues that must be addressed as we contemplate a return to in-person instruction in the fall. The Vermont-NEA is the state's largest teachers union.

Vermont Business Magazine Law enforcement and public safety leaders from across Vermont are presenting to the Legislature a draft set of action items and reforms intended to modernize policing in the state. The 10-point proposal, intended as a starting point for the conversation, was developed by the Vermont Department of Public Safety, the Vermont State Police, the Office of the Vermont Attorney General, the Vermont Association of Chiefs of Police, the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council and the Vermont Sheriffs’ Association in consultation with community representatives of the Vermont State Police Fair & Impartial Policing Committee. The recommendations will move forward at the pace that the Legislature and the community desires and with their input.

Vermont Business Magazine ​The recipients of Brownfields RLF funding in Vermont are the Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development ($300,000), the Northwest Regional Planning Commission ($180,000), and the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission ($180,000). The supplemental funds will be used to continue their progress in reusing vacant and abandoned properties and turning them into community assets such as housing, recreation and open space, health facilities, social services, and commerce opportunities.

LedgEnd Farm Protects Productive Middlebury Farmland. Courtesy Photo of Fallow Deer.

Vermont Business Magazine Hank Dimuzio and Rhonda Roberts of LedgEnd Farm worked with the Vermont Land Trust to conserve 132 acres of their deer farm on Munger Street. Theirs is the largest deer farm in the state with over 400 animals.

Hank didn’t follow a typical path to become a farmer. For over 20 years he built up his deer farm business while working as an emergency room physician at Rutland Regional Medical Center. In 2016, he retired from the hospital to pursue farming full time.

The deer at LedgEnd Farm are Fallow deer, which originate in Europe. They are one of four deer species that can be raised in Vermont, the others being Red Deer, Elk and Reindeer.

“Fallow deer are a good choice for Vermont, as their native habitat is very similar to this state. They are disease resistant and very beautiful in my opinion,” says Hank.

Vermont Business Magazine Nine Vermont organizations will receive grants totaling $972,800 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) through its second round of funding announced Wednesday for FY2020. In addition to the grants awarded to Vermont arts organizations, a grant of $765,300 to the Vermont Arts Council will support arts programs, services and activities throughout Vermont. The NEA works in partnership with the state Arts Council to ensure that Vermonters have access to the arts.

Vermont Business Magazine On the floor of the US Senate Wednesday afternoon, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) outlined his policy vision to tackle the unprecedented crises of mass unemployment, a deadly pandemic, and systemic police brutality, as he lambasted a lack of Congressional action under Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

Vermont Business Magazine It’s that time of year again! The grass is growing and the lawn needs to be mowed. The great news is that this gas-guzzling, climate-polluting chore can now be completed with much lower emissions and at much lower cost for Vermonters.

With expanded incentives from REV members Green Mountain Power, Washington Electric Coop, and Burlington Electric Department and low-cost financing from REV member VSECU, there has never been a better time switch to electric lawn equipment.

by Secretary Anson Tebbetts As the weather gets warmer, Vermonters are comforted by the simple pleasures of summer, among them, fun with friends at Vermont country fairs and festivals. My own family has enjoyed fairs all over the state year after year. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has caused this summer’s fairs and festivals to be cancelled. I am certain that many who have treasured the tradition over the years will miss Vermont’s fairs and festivals.

Our fairs offer us the opportunity to meet with friends and neighbors, admire blue ribbons proudly on display, enjoy fried dough and maple cotton candy, and gather as a community. While these meals, contests, shows, and special events will be greatly missed in 2020, agriculture and food businesses are working hard to create exciting and new ways to experience all Vermont agriculture has to offer.

Vermont Business Magazine For the second year in a row, Community Bank N.A. will serve as the presenting sponsor of the 2020 Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival, a charity event to raise money to support local cancer survivors this August. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s paddle boat race will be going virtual, however that did not stop Community Bank from participating in an eye dotting ceremony in honor of the upcoming race.

VBSR The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many inequities within our society. As Vermont looks to rebuild our economy in the wake of this crisis, we have an opportunity to develop a new model for prosperity—one that puts climate resiliency, equity, and a low-carbon transition at the center of our recovery efforts.

Join VBSR, businesses, and climate advocates from across Vermont to learn how our little state can prepare to meet the challenges of a warming world, promote environmental justice, and seize the economic and job-creating benefits that climate action presents. This will include a presentation from the Energy Action Network on where Vermont stands on its emissions reduction goals and the economic benefits of decarbonization, as well as a facilitated Q&A session with leading advocates on the latest climate action bills moving through Vermont’s legislature.

Vermont-NEA “Nobody wants to be back in school more than the educators of Vermont. We understand the economic and political pressure to reopen our schools, but we have to make sure the decision is made with the best, most up-to-date public health science. For schools to reopen, they must be safe for students, parents, and educators.”

Vermont Business Magazine As of Tuesday evening, a total of 74 cases are thought to be associated with the outbreak that first emerged in Winooski. About 80% of cases are in Winooski. Most of the rest are in nearby Burlington, with a small number elsewhere in Chittenden County. Statewide there have been 1,095 cases and 12 new as of today's report. There are no new deaths which have held at 55 for two weeks. But there are four now hospitalized statewide, which has been a small increase over the last week, which had zero. Also at the briefing, Education Secretary French said that the state is working toward full in-person education for K-12 students in the fall, with significant health guidance, including temperature checks for students and facial coverings for teachers and students as much as possible.