Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) is pleased to announce expanded outreach and services to municipalities and the public to improve tactical basin planning efforts for Lake Champlain and overall water quality efforts.  The work is provided through a grant provided by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. Activities began this fall and will extend through September 2020.

The Tactical Basin Plan (TBP) for Basin 3 (Otter Creek Watershed) was recently updated by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Two years ago, DEC completed a TBP for the South Lake Champlain watersheds, Basins 2 and 4. Tactical Basin Plans help identify and focus efforts needed to protect or restore specific watersheds through the state. 

Vermont Business Magazine As 2019 comes to an end, the Vermont River Conservancy (VRC) reflects on a successful year of projects protecting land along Vermont’s rivers. VRC staff and board members enjoyed listening to how communities would like to improve their relationships with the rivers that run through their cities and town centers throughout 2019 with its Face the River initiative. From this initiative grew the Confluence River Park concept in Montpelier- a future park at the confluence of the main stem and North Branch of the Winooski River. VRC looks forward to working with the City of Montpelier to see the Confluence River Park through the design phase in 2020.

Vermont Business Magazine Generator announced Meg Hammond has been named executive director of the nonprofit makerspace devoted to providing tools, expertise, education, and opportunities enabling members of its community to create, collaborate, and to make their ideas reality. Hammond has been a college development director and leader in community arts and education in Vermont for the last 15 years. She was co-founder and CEO of the Langdon Street Café, the collectively run art and music venue in Montpelier that that Seven Days named, “the crown jewel of the Montpelier arts community.” She succeeds Chris Thompson, who held the post starting in 2016 and transformed Generator from a two-year-old boot-strapping non-profit to an institutional leader in the entrepreneurship, STEM education, and arts communities.

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Vermont State Police On December 11, 2019, at approximately 1842 hours, Vermont State Police responded to a reported “Laser Strike” on an aircraft. It was reported that an aircraft was hit with a laser pointer one mile south of Shelburne Air Park Road in Charlotte. Trooper’s searched that area but did not locate any suspicious activity. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Vermont State Police Williston Barracks.

U.S.C. TITLE 18, CHAPTER 2

Vermont Busienss Magazine Norwich University’s Design+Build Collaborative earned praise from the American Institute of Architects, Vermont Chapter (AIAVT) with a Citation Award in the Education category for a project led by Architecture Professor Tolya Stonorov in which she and her students partnered with Montpelier’s Union Elementary School (UES) and the community to design and build an outdoor classroom/playhouse called NEST as part of the school’s playground renovations.

​Vermont Business Magazine Now that the holiday season is in full swing, many of us are likely spending more time online shopping for gifts, so it’s especially important to remain aware of cyber threats. “Don’t let busy schedules cause your cyber-defenses to drop,” advises Vermont Electric Co-op’s Manager of Technology Bob Stein. “Remain vigilant at all times and follow good, safe practices. If anything sounds too good to be true, it probably is and remember the adage: if in doubt, throw it out.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) and the Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont are pleased to announce that a draft Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) is available for public comment through December 12, 2019. Vermont’s recreation and planning professionals use the SCORP to identify strategies to deliver outdoor recreation facilities and programs that make it easy for people to enjoy the outdoors.

How can you get involved?

Vermont Business Magazine Mamava, design expert in lactation accommodations, has delivered its 1,000th Mamava lactation pod, validating the company’s mission of transforming the culture of breastfeeding in the United States by providing flexible lactation space solutions designed specifically to meet the needs of breastfeeding people. This 1,000th pod was successfully placed at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Hillman Cancer Center on December 6. This Mamava suite and three others to be placed at other UPMC campuses was funded by the Ladies Hospital Aid Society (LHAS) in Pittsburgh.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Treasurer’s Office has a record $94.5 million in unclaimed property and Vermont Treasurer Beth Pearce wants to return it to Vermonters. In the one-month span from November 10 to December 10, 2019, the Treasurer’s Office returned $413,455.60 to 1,966 claimants. With the holiday season underway, Vermonters can easily search the State unclaimed property database to claim their funds for holiday shopping, charitable giving, or to save for goals in the new year.

“Last year, we returned $6 million of unclaimed funds to citizens, businesses, and nonprofits,” said State Treasurer Beth Pearce. “In the last month, we’ve paid out more than $400,000 in claims, putting money in many Vermonters pockets as we enter the holiday and charitable giving season. We want to make sure you doublecheck our databases to see if you have unclaimed property.”

Vermont Business Magazine Change The Story and the Burlington High School girls soccer team received yet another accolade for standing up for pay equity: in Time Magazine's Athlete of the Year story. The publication recognized the U.S. Women’s National Team, and noted the #EqualPay jersey collaboration. Read the story here: time.com/athlete-of-the-year-2019-us-womens-soccer-team.

Vermont Business Magazine Starting next Tuesday, 100 percent of US riders in 23 cities and states will see a new ride feature: Uber Ski. Vermont, New Hampshire and Northern New York are all part of the new, premium service. Riders will see this new option in the Uber app on December 17. This option lets you order an Uber trip with confirmed extra vehicle space or a ski/snowboard rack for those moments when you want to hit the slopes or head to a snowy getaway. Riders pay an additional surcharge for the selection (on top of their standard trip fare) and, thanks to Uber Ski, won’t have to deal with the hassles of transporting gear themselves this winter season.