Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the State of Vermont has been selected as one of five states to participate in a national criminal justice effort aimed at improving law enforcement practices and policies. The National Criminal Justice Reform Project (NCJRP) is a joint venture of the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) and the National Governors Association (NGA).

The project will support Vermont in the planning and implementation of more data-driven, evidence-based reforms. This scientific approach is designed to allow Vermont to improve public safety by making criminal justice systems smarter, more fair and more cost effective.

by Patrick Leahy This is the first Sunshine Week, since it began in 2005, when the public’s right to know has been under direct assault, and on several fronts. “Fake news,” “alternative facts,” retaliatory restrictions of press access by the White House, and demonizing attacks on the working press are eroding the public’s access to real facts and real information about what their government is doing.

Next week the Senate Judiciary Committee will convene for crucial hearings to consider the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve on the United States Supreme Court. These hearings are a unique moment when all three branches of government converge as senators consider a presidentially appointed nominee to serve on the highest court in the land. I plan to use these public hearings to ask Judge Gorsuch about vital matters affecting millions of Americans, and about how he will approach those issues if he is confirmed.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today released his Administration’s plan to expedite public disclosure of records relating to EB-5 projects in the Northeast Kingdom in connection with alleged fraud case against Ariel Quiros and Bill Stenger. In February, Scott directed the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) to develop a plan that would accelerate the release of documents, while protecting the State’s ability to enforce the law and maintaining the integrity of the State’s civil lawsuit against Quiros, Stenger and multiple corporations and partnerships.

Vermont Business Magazine The strange spring weather continues, with forecasters saying a Nor’easter will hit the Northeast Tuesday morning and continue through Thursday morning. In Vermont, up to two feet could blanket the region. Forecasters say the storm is not expected to create a lot of outages, as the snow will be light and fluffy with low water content. Wet heavy snow causes greater problems as it can weigh down trees and lines.

“Advanced planning is key. Our team is preparing for the forecast, and we will have our team ready to respond if there are outages,” said Kristin Carlson, Green Mountain Power’s vice president of external affairs. “We urge people to be safe on the roads, as the greatest impact from this storm is forecasted to be hazardous driving conditions from blowing and drifting snow, creating near whiteout conditions.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont unemployment rate was down one-tenth in January, another indicator, like last week's tax revenue report, showing economic improvement. The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for January was 3.1 percent. This reflects a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised December rate (3.2 percent). The national rate in January was 4.8 percent, up one-tenth.

Vermont Business MagazineA core group of Vermonters, with experience in natural science, public policy and environmental history, have released The Mountain Manifesto, an urgent and public call to action to protect Vermont’s mountains, according to Annette Smith, Executive Director ofVermonters for a Clean Environment, in a statement released Sunday(http://mountainmanifesto.org).

Published online, the Manifesto declares, “the mountains are now under siege, as they have been before, but this time for the seemingly-insatiable human craving for energy. The siege is relentless, the need for defense more urgent.”

The Manifesto’s core statement begins, “The ecological integrity of the Green Mountains is essential to the health of Vermont’s lands, its air and its waters, and to all the life — human and otherwise — that dwells on and in them.” It is that integrity the group seeks to protect.

by Bill SchubartMany young people are, by nature’s design, rash and impulsive andin loco parentiseducators must often deal with the fallout from their students’ lack of experience. Real-life consequences and good mentoring, mature them over time or they become infantilized adults. The recent protest that turned violent at Middlebury College is likely to be a hard lesson for those students who succeeded in preventing Charles Murray from having to defend his questionable philosophies - at the price of injuring one of their own.

Middlebury President Laurie Patton and Allison Stangar, the faculty member in charge of the event, had sought to promote – not the views of the controversial guest – but a diverse and open learning culture; to encourage civil discourse and support the First Amendment – all fundamental to education.

by Mike Smith What was supposed to be a recent protest against a controversial writer turned into a near riot and left many wondering if diversity of thought is even allowed on college campuses nowadays. Charles Murray, a political scientist and author, was scheduled to speak at Middlebury College after being invited by the American Enterprise Club. MrMurray is controversial because more than two decades ago he co-authored the book, “The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life.” The authors concluded intelligence is the best predictor of success. The book became controversial when the authors wrote about differences in intelligence based on race. Many have disputed how Murray used and interpreted the data in his book, calling it flawed. Others have labeled him a racist because of his book.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Cheesemakers Festival will mark its ninth annual appearance on the shores of Lake Champlain at the historic Coach Barn at Shelburne Farms on July 16, 2017, from 10 AM to 4 PM to celebrate the art of cheesemaking in Vermont. Attendees can meet cheesemakers and taste the cheeses of Vermont, enjoy the creations of artisan food producers, savor the fruits of wine and cider production, and experience the skills of craft brewers and master distillers.

Vermont Business Magazine Ben & Jerry's is giving everyone a taste of the days of carefree (and responsibility-free) Saturday mornings with a new lineup of ice cream flavors inspired by cereal, available in Scoop Shops, which beganonMarch 7, National Cereal Day. The three new Cereal Splashbacks bring the awesomely unmistakable taste of some favorite milk-splashed morning cereals, just frozen. The new flavors pay a nostalgic tribute to childhood cereal favorites, and the Cereal Splashbacks are available only at Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops.

The new flavors are:

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott joined local, state and federal partners Friday, to announce a $525,000 community development grant to the City of South Burlington. The federal Community Development Block Grant will help build City Center Senior Housing – 39 units of affordable senior housing located in the City’s Tax Increment Finance District (TIF). Private developers Chris Snyder and Kevin Braverman will join forces with Cathedral Square, a non-profit affordable housing provider, to build new senior housing on Market Street. This is the first of many proposed projects located in South Burlington’s new City Center.

Vermont Business Magazine A record-setting 2,303 cheese entries from 33 states were evaluated during the two-day 2017 United States Championship Cheese Contest competition inGreen Bay, Wisconsin, which concluded Thursday. Vermont cheesemakers walked away with seven firsts:von Trapp Farmstead (blue veined); Cellars at Jasper Hill (brie & harbison & Willoughby); Vermont Creamery (creme fraiche); Cabot Creamery (reduced fat jalapeno cheddar); and Grafton Village (hard sheep's milk).