Current News

Vermont Business Magazine US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC) are beginning an environmental investigation to determine the presence and extent of underground chemical vapors in an area along Elmwood Avenue in Burlington, including near the local elementary school. The joint EPA and VT DEC effort is being performed in coordination with the Vermont Department of Health, City of Burlington and the Burlington School District.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s congressional delegation announced on Tuesday a combined $18.97 million from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Vermont’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). The CWSRF program is a federal-state partnership that provides communities a permanent, independent source of low-cost financing for a wide range of water quality infrastructure projects. The DWSRF is a federal-state partnership to help ensure safe drinking water.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said: “These EPA clean water programs are so important to towns in Vermont and to communities across the country. A high priority for me on the Appropriations Committee continues to be to secure strong funding for both the EPA Clean Water and EPA Drinking Water programs this year, and our success in this year’s budget is reflected in these investments coming to Vermont.”

Vermont Business Magazine Democratic gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist has announced that her campaign is returning the four corporate contributions taken early in the campaign.

The Cities of Winooski and Burlington will be performing structural repairs on the Winooski River Bridge (US Route 2/7 Bridge over the Winooski River) beginning on August 27, 2018. The goal of this project is to make minor repairs to some sections of sidewalk and to complete regular maintenance of the bridge railing on the eastern side of the bridge.

Rights & Democracy is announcing its member-approved endorsements of 17 candidates for the Vermont 2018 elections.

These candidates were endorsed by an electronic ballot sent to nearly 500 active members of Rights & Democracy Vermont.

“A Rights & Democracy endorsement is a signal that a candidate is already a community leader on the issues that reflect RAD’s values and will champion those causes in the Legislature,” said Alison Nihart, Co-Chair of the Rights & Democracy Board. “A RAD endorsement comes with the expectation that elected candidates will work with RAD members on legislation of shared interest to their community. In that way, it’s more than just an election year activity–it’s the start (or continuation) of a working relationship.”

Saint Michael’s College is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review.

The education services company features Saint Michael’s again in the new 2019 edition of its flagship college guide, The Best 384 Colleges, released August 7. The latest guide places the Colchester liberal arts college in “top 20” rankings for “Students Most Engaged in Community Service” (No. 11), “Best College Radio Station (No. 16), and “Town-Gown Relations are Great (No. 18).

Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (“VPPSA”) and Encore Renewable Energy (“Encore”) today formally announced a partnership to pursue development of approximately 10 megawatts of solar capacity on behalf of VPPSA’s Member municipal utilities. Under the partnership Encore will lead design, development, financing and construction of solar projects at locations in at least three of VPPSA’s Member utility territories. VPPSA will assist identified host communities in managing the resulting generation to maximize its value. The agreement also allows for Encore and VPPSA to partner in seeking additional development sites in other Member service territories and represents a significant milestone in the VPPSA Members’ transition towards economic, locally sourced, renewable energy resources.

A new smokefree housing rule from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) went into effect July 30, protecting the 8,200 families current living in Vermont’s public housing communities from secondhand smoke. The American Lung Association applauds the new rule, which recognizes the serious health threat posed by secondhand smoke, and its ability to linger in rooms and even travel between homes in multi-unit housing. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging (V4A) and the Vermont Association of Senior Centers and Meal Providers (VASCAMP) will co-host the second annual Aging in Vermont 2018 Conference in Killington, Vermont on October 26^th.

Goal is to ensure patients know what they are eligible for, and get the help they need

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center is taking steps to ensure patients are aware of various options for receiving financial assistance to pay for medical care. Patient bills are being simplified for ease of understanding, and financial assistance handouts have been updated to provide more information.

Laboratory results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed that the recent death of a Franklin County, Vermont resident was a result of Lyme carditis, a rare complication of Lyme disease. This is the first reported death due to Lyme carditis in Vermont.

“It’s my sad duty to report this loss,” said Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD. “While Lyme disease is increasingly common in Vermont, Lyme carditis itself is very rare,” Approximately 1 percent of all Lyme disease cases reported nationally to CDC experience Lyme carditis. According to CDC, between 1985 and 2014, there were nine deaths related to Lyme carditis reported worldwide.

The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) has approved $7.1 million in loans to help Vermont manufacturing, agricultural, small business and energy development projects move forward.

"Several manufacturing projects throughout the state were approved for VEDA financing, creating jobs for Vermonters," said Jo Bradley, VEDA's Chief Executive Officer. "In addition, over $4 million dollars in agricultural loans were approved, assisting farms in their diversification plans, and providing cash flow relief for dairy farmers, in particular, through the Farm Operating Loan Program (FOLP)."