Current News

Vermont Business Magazine For the fifth year in a row, the University of Vermont's incoming first-year class has achieved the highest academic credentials in the university’s history. The Class of 2023, an estimated 2,640 students, has an average SAT score of 1275 and an average ACT of 28.9, record highs for any incoming class. UVM'S Move-in Weekend starts Friday, August 23, with first-year students arriving that day, and continues through Sunday. The university’s Convocation, which formally launches the academic year, will take place Sunday at 6:30 in the Patrick Gymnasium. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that John Van Hazinga and Samantha Steady were arraigned today in federal court after having been indicted by the grand jury for conspiracy to distribute marijuana and delta-9- Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), both Schedule I drugs, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. Van Hazinga was also charged with multiple counts of distribution of marijuana and THC. Van Hazinga and Steady were both arrested this morning, and were arraigned before the United States Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy this afternoon in Burlington.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan today joined a coalition of 17 states and the District of Columbia in filing an amicus brief opposing the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) broad expansion of a fast-track process to deport individuals in summary fashion, often without adequate due process protections.

Vermont Business Magazine At a press conference Thursday at the YMCA in Burlington, Governor Phil Scott detailed newly implemented investments in child care funding passed in the budget bill (Act 72) in the 2019 legislative session. Scott was joined by members of the legislature, early care and learning advocates, and others who all championed these increased investments. The approximately $5.8 million increase in Vermont’s Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) will lift rates for 2,000 families. More than 3,000 preschoolers and 2,500 school-aged children will also receive higher rates, making child care more affordable and accessible for working families.

Diocese of Burlington Child sexual abuse is a crime and a sin in the Catholic Church. Bishop Christopher J Coyne, who took over the Diocese of Burlington in January 2015, decided in October 2018 to join many other Dioceses across the nation to release the names of priests that had credible allegations of sexual abuse filed against them by victims who were under the age of 18 at the time of the incident.

by Mike Bursell As Chief Financial Officer of Vermont Electric Cooperative, my primary job is to manage the cooperative’s financial well-being. As an electric cooperative our members are also our owners. We work for the interests of our members without the pressure from investors to be more profitable. Several years ago the Co-op wanted to create a Co-op Community Solar program that provided benefits to all members. We took a hard look at the numbers. Would this be a good program for our members? Would this be a good deal for the Co-op as a whole? The answer, it turned out, was yes to both.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) President and CEO Tom Dunn announced today that Kerrick Johnson has agreed to serve as VELCO's Vice President of Strategic Innovation. Johnson joins VELCO's senior leadership team, where he will be responsible for all company business development activities and communications work as the company continues to pursue initiatives that deliver grid reliability, cost savings and decarbonization value. This is a return engagement for Johnson having previously served eleven years at VELCO.  

"We welcome Kerrick back to VELCO as a catalyst for our strategic growth," said Dunn. "Kerrick's relationships, creativity, and passion are unmatched. We are pleased he is joining our team as we broaden and deepen our strategic partnerships, develop new tools and services, and ultimately deliver more value for Vermonters."

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Greenway (waterfront bike path) users be aware that beginning today the Greenway will be closed to all traffic from Flynn Avenue to Maple Street to allow for contractors to work in the Lakeside neighborhood portion of the Greenway on Proctor Place and Harrison Avenue. Users will be able to access the path in Oakledge park, but it will be closed at the bridge over the brook, according to the Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Department. This work is scheduled to be completed in three weeks. After that, crews will head further north to Perkins Pier and the Roundhouse section.

Vermont Business Magazine VTrans released today the latest update to work on the North Hero drawbridge replacement project. US Route 2 at the temporary drawbridge is open to two lanes of traffic. Expect intermittent stops and releases of traffic by flaggers to allow for construction vehicles to enter the work zone. The contractor is currently working 7AM to 6PM, Monday through Thursday, and 7AM to 1PM on Fridays. No weekend work is scheduled at this time.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University begins the 2019-2020 academic year on Monday, August 26, with approximately 764 new students. First year students in the Corps of Cadets arrived on Sunday, August 18, and new civilian students arrived at the Northfield campus on Tuesday, August 20, for orientation. The Class of 2023 is comprised of approximately 465 rooks (first year students in the Corps of Cadets) and 299 civilian students (both residential and commuter) coming from 38 states, two territories (Puerto Rico and DC) and 23 different countries.

Vermont Business Magazine Vacasa, North America’s largest vacation rental management platform, has launched its second annual Top 25 Best Places to Buy a Vacation Home report, highlighting the best US destinations to invest in a vacation rental property. Killington was ranked second in the nation and Warren (Sugarbush) was number 14. The Vermont towns were the only locations ranked in the Northeast.

Vermont Business Magazine Feeling unhappy and cranky? The treatment: take a walk under some trees in the park. That may not be the exact prescription of your doctor, but a first-of-its-kind study shows that visitors to urban parks use happier words and express less negativity on Twitter than they did before their visit—and that their elevated mood lasts, like a glow, for up to four hours afterwards. The effect is so strong—a team of scientists from the University of Vermont discovered—that the increase in happiness from a visit to an outpost of urban nature is equivalent to the mood spike on Christmas, by far the happiest day each year on Twitter.