Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) Commissioner Michael Pieciak today announced a multi-state initiative to secure student loan relief options for thousands of Vermonters with privately held student loans. The relief, confirmed with several of the most significant national private student loan servicers, will expand on the protections already provided by the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) and provided to federal student loan borrowers under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported two new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 818 statewide and the number of deaths associated with the novel coronavirus increased by two to 40. The number of hospitalizations continues to slowly decline and is now at 41, which is down three from Monday's report. There were 53 such cases as of Sunday and 56 on Saturday. These numbers are below the best-scenario presented two weeks ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) Tuesday wrote to Attorney General Barr and White House Counsel Cippolone asking them to release to Congress copies of any documents produced by the Department of Justice and the White House Counsel’s Office articulating the legal basis, if any exists, for President Trump and Vice President Pence’s sweeping claims of “total” authority to override states’ independent responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

Vermont Business Magazine In recognition that people’s reproductive and sexual health care can’t wait, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) announced the launch of a new telehealth program in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, which allows patients to access high-quality, affordable health care services by phone or through a private and secure video conferencing platform that connects them with PPNNE’s trusted health care providers.

Vermont Business Magazine Castleton University will deliver its upcoming summer session online, allowing students to continue their studies from the comfort of their homes. Castleton's summer session courses run in an accelerated format, ranging from three to eight weeks. Summer Session One runs from May 18 to June 26, and Session Two is from July 6 to August 14.

Vermont Business Magazine Today Amazon announced a $10 million grant to conserve and restore sustainable forestry and wildlife across the Appalachian Mountains and other US regions, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, the American Forest Foundation, and the Vermont Land Trust. Starting in Vermont and Pennsylvania, this donation will support two projects that will help family forest owners sequester carbon across the Appalachians.

Investment will help remove over 18 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—equivalent to 46 billion miles driven by an average passenger vehicle—by helping to restore and conserve family-owned forest lands.

Vermont Business Magazine Leading global commercial real estate services and investment management firm Colliers International Group Inc, in collaboration with V/T Commercial, announces it has been selected to market and secure the sale of the Marlboro College campus. Located in southern Vermont, just 10 miles from the vibrant town of Brattleboro, the historic college is fit to be repurposed or for use as-is and is available for immediate occupancy.

Vermont Business Magazine The Champlain College Board of Trustees today announced Benjamin Ola. Akande, PhD, as the ninth President of Champlain College. Dr Akande will assume the role effective July 1, 2020. Dr Laurie Quinn, Champlain's Provost and Senior Vice President for Academics, has been serving as Interim President since July 1, 2019.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) has launched a new cloud-based platform, Manufacturing Exchange-Vermont (MXVT.org), whose primary mission is to connect people and supply chains to deliver solutions. It gives manufacturers and suppliers access to needs and capabilities in a virtual, collaboration space that empowers innovative thinking, helps solve problems and can create new business opportunities.

by Susan J Boutwell, Dartmouth Dartmouth students will not be returning to campus for summer term and will continue with remote learning, Provost Joseph Helble announced in an email today. In addition, athletic camps and other on-campus residential programs have been canceled, the Hopkins Center for the Arts will remain closed through August, and the Hanover Country Club (which is owned and operated by Dartmouth) will not open for the season.

Vermont Business Magazine The American Lung Association’s 2020 “State of the Air” report found Burlington-South Burlington-Barre metro area is 1 of only 2 cities nationwide ranking on the cleanest cities list for nation’s most widespread air pollutants—ozone and particle pollution—both of which can be deadly. In fact, the only counties in the state to have experienced any increase in these air pollutants is Bennington whose grade on ozone declined from a B to a C, and Chittenden which saw its total year-round particles increase slightly but remained within national standards maintaining its passing grade.

Vermont Business Magazine Food insecurity in Vermont has increased by one-third during the coronavirus pandemic, from 18.3% to 24.3%, according to a statewide survey conducted by the University of Vermont at the end of March and announced in a series of briefs today. The increase in food insecurity was strongly correlated with employment status. Among survey respondents overall, 45% had lost their jobs, been furloughed or had their hours reduced during the pandemic. Among food insecure Vermonters, two-thirds (66%) had experienced job losses or work disruptions since the outbreak of the pandemic.