Current News

Vermont Business Magazine To better serve residents and examine how other communities have implemented waste collection practices, the City of Burlington Department of Public Works (DPW) along with the City of South Burlington Department of Public Works is studying a potential new consolidated system for the collection of residential household trash, recyclables, and food scraps. Currently in Burlington, DPW collects residential recyclables, and residents contract with private haulers to collect residential garbage and compost or haul it to the appropriate facility themselves. Under a consolidated collection system the City would enter into agreements with haulers to consolidate residential trash, recycling and food scraps collection services.

Vermont Business Magazine Wednesday evening the Vermont Department of Health identified a new presumptive positive case of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, in Vermont. The patient is receiving treatment for the respiratory illness at the University of Vermont Medical Center, in coordination with the Vermont Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 7 pm announcement comes less than a week after the first case in an individual from Bennington County was reported.

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, the Vermont House passed H.723, an act relating to health insurance coverage for store-and-forward and telemedicine. The bill offers expanded healthcare access through increasing telehealth, which seeks to supplement face-to-face health services with telecommunications (telemedicine and store-and-forward strategies).

The Vermont Health Department is closely monitoring the developments in the outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus ("COVID-19"). Vermont is prepared to respond to protect and support Vermonters. There is still only one reported case in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont announced this afternoon that it will cancel classes this Monday and Tuesday and begin remote learning for students on Wednesday March 18 as a response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. UVM President Suresh Garimella referred to this action as "exercising an abundance of caution." No one at UVM has tested positive for COVID-19 to date and only one person in Vermont (in Bennington) has tested positive so far in the state.

by Julie Lowell, Public Assets Institute Last Tuesday, communities across Vermont voted on school budgets (among other things). Historically, Vermonters have provided the financial resources that school boards have indicated our kids need to thrive in school—and preliminary results this year suggest voters passed over 90 percent of the school budgets up for approval on Town Meeting Day. In addition to voting yea or nay on the annual school budget, five school districts—Barre Unified Union, Canaan Schools, Champlain Valley, Slate Valley Unified, and South Burlington—faced a second separate school budget decision: whether to fund school construction needs.

Vermont Business Magazine Eating fresh, local greens during the winter months can be a challenge but Ceres Greens of Barre, an early stage vertical farming company, is working to supply fresh, local produce to institutional and food service customers year-round. The Flexible Capital Fund has announced an investment of $75,000 to help the company grow.

Vermont Business Magazine Following guidance from Special Olympics International, Special Olympics Vermont (SOVT) announced that the upcoming Winter Games, scheduled for March 22-24 at Killington Pico Resort, as well as the Unified Champion Schools Snowshoe Tournament, scheduled for March 25, are cancelled, in an effort to ensure the health and safety of its athletes, coaches, volunteers, staff and families.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northern Forest Center will award $424,000 over the next two years for outdoor recreation infrastructure development through the Destination Development Initiative outdoor recreation grants program. Funding is available in Caledonia, Essex, Orleans counties in Vermont; Coos County, New Hampshire; and Oxford and Franklin counties, Maine, using funds granted to the Northern Forest Center by the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC).

Vermont Business Magazine Comcast held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of its new interactive Xfinity Store in Rutland. Community leaders came out to celebrate the grand opening and tour the store. During the event, Comcast marked the occasion with a $2,000 donation to the Rutland Boys & Girls Club. The newly redesigned Xfinity Store is focused entirely around the needs of customers, providing them with an opportunity to explore, learn about and engage with the latest Xfinity products and services. The store features contemporary hands-on displays, comfortable seating areas and strategically designed product areas— Xfinity X1, Xfinity Internet, Xfinity Home and Xfinity Mobile—so customers can see the industry-leading products in action.

by Joseph F Hagan, Jr, MD, FAAP In every community throughout the state of Vermont there are simply too few childcare openings. Failure to provide affordable early education for all our children is both a missed opportunity and a crucial error. The neuroscience of child development demonstrates that every time we sing to and smile at an infant, we help them make more brain cells and teach these cells to connect and to work together. Extensive research demonstrates how the positive experiences of exposure to language, social interaction, and play are additive. So, when it comes to early education--whether by parents, family, or early education in high-quality childcare--having fun with a young child not only makes them happy, it makes them smart!

Vermont Business Magazine The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Hopridge Farms held the fourth annual Southern Vermont Winter Homebrew Festival on Saturday, March 7th in downtown Bennington, Vermont at the former Brush Building to a sell out crowd! The Saturday festival opened its doors at noon to exclusive VIP ticket holders for a private tasting of both regional apps and brews.