Current News

​Vermont Business Magazine For more than 150 years, Community Bank, NA has been dedicated to the communities it serves. From annual celebrations such as Good Neighbor Day and Random Acts of Kindness Day, where the bank gives donations of time and money to members of the community, to annual giving of more than $2.6 million in 2019, the bank continues to give back during this trying time. In April 2020, the bank donated $45,000 to local nonprofits that are continuing to serve its neighbors during this time of need.

Vermont Business Magazine For the past three years, Community Bank NA has been a proud sponsor of the EDD Adaptive Sports Dream Big 5K in Essex, Vermont. Due to restrictions, this year’s race went virtual and Community Bank was again honored to sponsor the cause.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today signed a new order — Be Smart, Stay Safe — to extend Vermont’s State of Emergency to June 15, and reflect re-openings and eased restrictions announced in recent weeks. State data and modeling indicates spread of COVID-19 continues to slow and Vermont now has one of the lowest 3-day and 7-day growth rates in the country. Governor Scott and Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, however, continue to caution that we must also consider neighboring states where the virus is much more prevalent and outbreaks are still occurring. As of today's VDH report, there is only one new case of COVID-19 and there have been no new deaths since May 7. As of today there are 933 cases of COVD-19 and 53 deaths. Currently there is only one person statewide in the ICU for COVID-19. There currently only three hospitalized with COVID-19.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), Representative Peter Welch (D), and Governor Phil Scott (R) Friday announced that the State of Vermont will receive $55,078,471 from the federal government to support COVID-19 testing, including $3.9 million in funding specifically to support testing at community health centers throughout the state. The funds are a part of the $25 billion for COVID-19 testing funding and strategy included in the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. The Department of Health and Human Services will award the funding through a cooperative agreement to the Vermont Department of Health (VDH).

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today signed Addendum 14, a Be Smart, Stay Safe order to extend the State of Emergency to June 15 and update previous emergency orders to reflect re-openings and eased restrictions announced in recent weeks. State data and modeling indicate the spread of COVID-19 continues to slow and Vermont now has one of the lowest 3-day and 7-day growth rates in the country. The Governor and Department of Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, however, continue to caution that the state must also consider neighboring states where the virus is much more prevalent and outbreaks are still occurring.

Lawsuit Is First to Enforce Governor’s Executive Order

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan today filed a civil lawsuit and motion for preliminary injunction to stop a Rutland-area fitness center from operating in violation of Governor Scott’s Executive Order and Addendums. The State of Vermont alleges that Club Fitness of Vermont and its owner, Sean Manovill, are operating a fitness center in violation of Executive Order 01-20, Addendum 4. In seeking the preliminary injunction, the state is asking the Court to shut down the facility, as required under the governor’s executive orders. The lawsuit was filed in the Civil Division of the Rutland Superior Court. The judge signed the order late Friday afternoon.

Vermont Business Magazine ECFiber’s governing board voted unanimously to add four towns to its coverage area: Windsor along its southern edge, and Fairlee, West Fairlee, and Corinth along its northern edge. The action came at the annual meeting of the East Central Vermont Telecommunications District, the municipality that delivers broadband as ECFiber. The district now has 27 member towns and expects to complete construction of its network this year in all areas of its core 23 towns that do not have access to cable Internet. ECFiber delivers Internet over fiber-optic cable, which provides equal Internet speeds in both directions.

Vermont Business Magazine Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Agriculture, Rural Development, Food And Drug Administration, And Related Agencies Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) Friday released a letter to United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue calling on the Department to increase its efforts to speed funding for food aid appropriated by Congress out the door and to those in need. Congress appropriated $36 billion to the Department to help it respond to the coronavirus pandemic, including for critical nutrition assistance and direct support to agricultural producers. However, only 20 percent of those funds have been obligated even as demand increases and farmers suffer.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is urging customers to be safe and to stay alert as forecasters call for a band of thunderstorms to roll across Vermont late this afternoon and into this evening. The National Weather Service says the storm system will bring the potential for damaging winds, heavy rain and hail which means outages are possible. GMP is watching the forecast closely and will respond as quickly and safely as possible.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Board of Trustees today adopted the university’s strategic imperatives statement, “Amplifying our Impact,” and approved zero tuition increases for both in-state and out-of-state students for the next academic year. The visioning document sets the direction for ensuring the university’s future success by following three strategic imperatives: student success, with a focus on the quality of the whole student experience; expanding upon the university’s distinctive research strengths, for the benefit of the state of Vermont and beyond; and better realizing the institution’s land-grant mission by partnering with communities, businesses and state government.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) have introduced the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Deadline Extension Adjustment for Loans (DEAL) Act. The PPP DEAL Act will extend the loan forgiveness period from 8 to 16 weeks and amend the rehire date from June 30^th to 16 weeks after the PPP loan is awarded.

Vermont Business Magazine Kinney Drugs has again expanded its “Love Local” product assortment with local distilleries Beak & Skiff of Lafayette, NY and Smugglers’ Notch Distillery of Jeffersonville, VT by offering their house-made hand sanitizer.