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Vermont Business Magazine Arts and humanities organizations in Vermont facing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for emergency relief funding through a new partnership between the Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Humanities. The new COVID-19 Cultural Relief Grant Program is seeded with more than $700,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.

by NextUp Editor Becky Hayes Kat Wright is the lead singer for her big, bluesy, soul band Kat Wright & the Indomitable Soul Band. With a lineup of great New England musicians her music features bass, drums, percussion, guitar, organ, trumpet, trombone and alto sax.

by NextUp Editor Becky Hayes Twiddle is comprised of lead singer and guitar player Mihali Savoulidis, keys and organ player Ryan Dempsey, percussionist Brook Jordan and bassist Zdenek Gubb. Currently on tour, this Vermont quartet plays multi-genre music mixing jazz, classical, bluegrass and a blend of reggae and funk.

by NextUp Editor Becky Hayes Dwight Ritcher and Nicole Nelson are an American roots act based out of Boston/ NYC and currently living in Burlington, Vt.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders While the federal stimulus law (the CARES Act) contains a number of provisions to keep families in their homes and help them pay rent, it does not go nearly far enough. The law puts a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions while also providing mortgage forbearance for homeowners with federally-backed mortgages. It also includes a moratorium on evictions for properties receiving any federal assistance. However, this does not provide relief for millions of Americans.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported today that there were 843 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. This is an increase of 16 cases from Friday's report. There were two more deaths for a total of 46 statewide. And there were 5 more hospitalized for a total of 37. The modeling presented in Governor Scott's media briefing Friday indicated that Vermont is still doing better than the previous best-case scenarios. The state is still maintaining strict adherence to the governor's emergency "Stay Safe, Stay Home" order.

Vermont Business Magazine At his afternoon briefing on Friday, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced that, in consultation with the City Council and Police Commission, he has decided to suspend the search for a new Chief of Police for one year. This follows a search process to date that included soliciting input on the job description in January, posting the position publicly in February and receiving applications, and preparing to assemble a search committee in early March when the coronavirus hit.

Leonine Public Affairs The legislature will need to reconvene (in the event they’ve been able to recess) in August to address the FY2021 budget for the remainder of the fiscal year. With this year’s tax filing deadline being pushed back to July 15 lawmakers will not know how much revenue they have to work with until that time. They will undoubtedly also have to consider other fiscal issues, like the appropriation of additional stimulus dollars, school funding and other developments relating to health and the economy.

Agency of Commerce & Community Development On Monday, April 27th at 10 am, ACCD will host an introductory webinar for municipal leaders to discuss the tools currently available (and what tools are being considered by the state) to help towns access financing that bridges expected revenue gaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Vermont District SBA Office is conducting free daily webinars, Monday thru Friday at 9 am, to discuss SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Advance.

by John R Brumsted, MD, The UVM Health Network COVID-19 has forced health care providers into a balancing act: Even as we step up to meet the demands of this pandemic, we haven’t forgotten about our patients who require non-COVID care. This newsletter has examples of both priorities. There’s a story of surviving COVID-19, illustrating the resilience, expertise and community support needed to combat this illness. And there’s a story about expanded video-visit technology, which allows us to meet patients where they are. We’ve also taken precautions to minimize the risk of in-person visits when the situation calls for it. The common thread: We are here for our communities, now and into the future.

Vermont Business Magazine Charitable giving has been at the heart of Community Bank throughout its more than 150-year history and most recently, the bank donated $45,000 to support local communities during this unprecedented time. The bank has celebrated National Good Neighbor Day (Sept. 28) over the last few years by making donations of time and money to local non-profits. In response to the impact COVID-19 has made on local nonprofits, Community Bank is paying it forward and celebrating Good Neighbor Day early this year.

The bank has made monetary donations to local nonprofits, helping to ensure that they can continue to support community members throughout the bank’s four-state footprint, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Massachusetts.

Vermont Business Magazine Operation Clean Sweep is coming to Burlington April 29 – May 8 2020. Street sweeping is vital to Lake health and our health. Sweeping picks up sediment and leafy debris which contains phosphorus and prevents it from entering the Lake where it can fuel cyanobacteria blooms. This also keeps the roads safer by clearing them of debris and protects homes and infrastructure by limiting flooding from clogged storm drains. I