Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A pool of mosquitoes collected in Essex has tested positive for West Nile virus at the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory. This is the first positive pool – or group of up to 50 mosquitoes of the same species and location – of the 2019 mosquito surveillance season. The infected mosquitoes were collected by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and tested at the Health Department Laboratory as part of an ongoing interagency mosquito surveillance program that helps the state better understand the risk of diseases spread by mosquitoes. More than 2,000 mosquito pools from around the state have been tested so far this year.

Vermont Business Magazine Hydropower has provided the nation with clean, renewable energy for over 200 years. In recognition of the first form of renewable energy, the Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (VPPSA) today is celebrating National Hydropower Day. National Hydropower Day celebrates hydropower’s undeniable contributions to America’s clean energy infrastructure, electrical grid resiliency and reliability benefits, and environmental protections.

Hydropower has been the backbone of Vermont’s electricity generation since the late 1700s, when many dams were built to power grain mills. Today, VPPSA members own nine hydropower facilities with a total generating capacity of 21.9 megawatts (MW). In 2018, public power owned hydropower accounted for 14% of VPPSA’s energy portfolio. 

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.