Current News

Vermont Business Magazine In partnership with Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI-USA), Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) has released a new free resource for plant breeders entitled A Breed Apart: The Plant Breeder’s Guide to Preventing Patents through Defensive Publication. The guide outlines practices for plant breeders to keep genetic resources in the public domain.

VLS photo of Cydnee Bence and Emily Spiegel.

“Biodiversity in crop species is essential to the future of farming, especially as climate change alters growing conditions,” said Emily Spiegel, co-author and Vermont Law School assistant professor. “But agricultural biodiversity has declined drastically during the past century.”

Vermont Business Magazine The 25^th annual Special Olympics Vermont Penguin Plunge is coming up on Saturday, February 1^st at the Burlington Waterfront. Over 1,300 Plungers will take the Plunge in both the Cool Schools event (for students and educators) at 11am, and the Burlington event (for all community supporters) at noon. It is an extremely exciting day celebrating our community’s effort to grow inclusion across the state of Vermont. We invite everyone to come down to the Waterfront to experience the event and enjoy our Winter Village which will have music, food trucks, local vendors, SOVT merchandise, a scavenger hunt and more!

Vermont Business Magazine Sean, a recent Winooski High School graduate, gestured beyond farm fields to the Winooski River and Green Mountains visible from Vermont Youth Conservation Corps’ farm in Richmond. His work at VYCC last summer was supported in part by grant funds from three local companies: National Life Group Foundation, International Paper Foundation, and Hunger Mountain Co-op. All three have awarded funds to VYCC for at least five consecutive years.

Vermont Business Magazine Tobacco use remains the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and disease, taking an estimated 480,000 lives every year. This year’s “State of Tobacco Control” report from the American Lung Association calls for proven tobacco control policies in light of the fact that the country’s youth vaping epidemic worsened in 2019. The state scored a failing grade for inadequately funding the Tobacco Control and Prevention Program, down from a D the in the 2019 report, but it scored an A grade in the minimum age category (up from an F in 2019) for being one of 13 states that increased the tobacco sales age to 21 this year.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Donovan today joined a coalition in filing an amicus brief in support of the children who are plaintiffs in Flores v. Barr. The case, currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, involves the Trump Administration’s attempts to terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement, which has governed the treatment of children in immigration custody since 1997. In the amicus brief, the coalition urges the court to uphold the permanent injunction issued by the district court, preventing the federal government from keeping children in prolonged and unnecessary detention.

“Children in federal immigration custody should be treated humanely,” said Attorney General Donovan. “We will keep fighting to make sure that these kids are protected.”

Vermont Business Magazine On January 27, 2020, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) filed comments on United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Interim Final Rule establishing a Domestic Hemp Production Program. VAAFM acknowledged the complexity of developing a national hemp production program, but asked USDA to revise its rule to stay within the federal statutory mandate and avoid creating unnecessary restrictions that significantly increase costs and risks to producers.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the appointment of Ward H. Goodenough, of Woodstock, as Windsor County state’s attorney, following David Cahill’s resignation this month. The outgoing state’s attorney was elected as a Democrat in 2018, so in keeping with precedent, the governor received nominations from the Windsor County Democratic Committee to fill the vacancy. The committee said it is confident that each candidate forwarded to the governor would be a capable appointee and maintain the level of service and integrity the office requires.

Vermont Business Magazine Opportunities Credit Union announced January 2, 2020 that Katharine Laud will be its President and Chief Executive Officer. Laud comes to Opportunities Credit Union with a background in banking and non-profit finance. Most recently, she was Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration at the UVM Foundation. Kate also serves as Vice Chair of the board of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in Washington DC.

Opportunities Credit Union is a statewide, nonprofit community-based lending organization whose mission is to create wealth and promote economic development by bringing affordable capital and financial services to low-income and other traditionally underserved populations. Laud assumed the role of president at Opportunities Credit Union in September 2019.

Vermont Business Magazine As part of its commitment to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, VGS announced today it will partner with Energy Co-Op of Vermont, a member-owned cooperative, to offer its customers comprehensive energy solutions. VGS and Energy Co-Op of Vermont will work together to help customers find the right low-cost, low-carbon solution for their energy needs, including non-gas alternatives such as electric cold climate heat pumps, advanced wood heat systems, and other options in support of the state’s 90% renewable by 2050 plan.

Vermont Business Magazine As part of the ongoing and continual efforts in keeping Vermont snowmobiling a safe and enjoyable recreational sport for all, the Vermont State Police would like to send the following snowmobile safety reminders: Vermont law requires those born after July 1, 1983, who are 12 years of age and older to take and pass an approved snowmobile safety course before operating on the State Snowmobile Trail System (SSTS.) “Today’s Snowmobile Rider in Vermont” snowmobile safety course is available in both a classroom setting and an approved online snowmobile safety course.

Vermont Business Magazine New England Federal Credit Union has awarded a $1 million grant to COTS to increase housing options for families who are experiencing homelessness in Vermont. The public announcement was made Monday morning at COTS’ Main Street Family Shelter in Burlington. Nearly 1 in 4 people staying in a state-funded emergency shelter in Vermont is a child. In response to this, one of COTS’ strategic goals is to meet the emergency needs of those children, as well as invest in long-term strategies to end homelessness among families.