Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Dylan Gratton, 40, of Fairfax, Vermont, was arraigned Monday on five felony and three misdemeanor counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material, and one felony count of Promoting a Recording of Sexual Conduct. The charges brought against the defendant are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of a residential search warrant, conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), including personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Burlington Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and White County Sheriff’s Office (Illinois).

Vermont Business Magazine The American Red Cross will open a disaster shelter at the Barre Auditorium (16 Auditorium Hill) to provide safe shelter for area residents who are experiencing flooding. The shelter will open at 5 p.m. on Monday, December 18th. This is a Red Cross managed site operating in coordination with Barre City officials. The Red Cross is also working closely with local and state emergency management and government officials. We remind Vermonters to heed all transportation warnings and obey road closures. Do not drive through flooded roadways.

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First A Vermont judge has issued separate rulings, including one that says the explosive lawsuit against the current Woodstock Foundation Board of Directors for claims of mismanagement and improper removal of two longtime trustees can proceed toward trial. Judge H. Dickson Corbett rejected arguments by the defendants that claimed former board leaders Ellen R.C. Pomeroy and Salvatore Iannuzzi did not have any legal standing to file the civil lawsuit in Vermont Superior Court. Corbett also rejected an unrelated effort by current trustees James S. Sligar, Michael D. Nolan, John T. Hallowell, Douglas R. Horne and David M. Simmons to have claims of defamation against them thrown out.  Pomeroy and Iannuzzi have maintained their reputations were defamed by the defendants through various words and actions, records show.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.32 per gallon, down 6.4 cents per gallon from last week's $3.39/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.99/g while the highest was $3.50/g, a difference of 51.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 8.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.03/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, with the support of the Gun Owners of Vermont, several Vermont manufacturers, its member clubs, and the many thousands of individual members, the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs (VTFSC) joined a group of Vermont citizens and sporting-goods stores in filing a federal lawsuit challenging Vermont's 72-hour waiting period law and its ban on standard capacity firearm magazines that are commonly owned in Vermont and across the nation.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Applications are now open for the School Food Systems Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants, which are part of USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative. These grants will transform the K-12 school food marketplace by increasing collaboration between school districts, food producers, suppliers, distributors, and/or community partners. Students can expect to see improvements in the quality of food on their plates, thanks to these new efforts.

by Charlotte Oliver. Community News Service The first two years Rossy Alfaro lived in the U.S. she almost never left the dairy farm where she worked. She feared a familiar encounter, that if she ever headed to the grocery store she’d see red and blue lights in her rearview and suddenly find her future hinging on the discretion of an officer she didn’t trust. That hypothetical cop would’ve been protected by the law in calling federal immigration agents — something migrant workers around the state fear could lead to their detention or deportation, Alfaro said. 

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies In this episode, witness the incredible power of pizza in uniting a community for over three decades. In her own words, Sara thrives on the challenge of 'connecting the dots,' be it deciphering new consumer trends or scaling into new geographies, all while navigating volatile market dynamics.

Vermont Business Magazine The 2024 Vermont Economic Conference, presented by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, will take place on January 30, 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM at the University of Vermont Dudley H. Davis Center in Burlington. Industry professionals, policymakers, business owners, and community members are encouraged to register to attend this premier economic event of the year. With workforce recruitment and retention a foundational concern for Vermont businesses, this year’s agenda will feature a lively panel discussion entitled “The Future of Work: How Immigration Shapes Vermont's Talent Landscape.” 

by Allie Stickney, Chair, UVM Health Network Board of Trustees I was frustrated and disappointed as I read Bill Schubart's latest of several pieces criticizing the University of Vermont Health Network, an organization I've been honored to serve for more than 10 years, most recently as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Bill perpetuates misguided criticism of our health system’s size and complexity, while ignoring the very real difference the people of the UVM Health Network make in our communities every day. By regional standards, the UVM Health Network is large. And, in order to attract skilled clinicians and leaders, it pays more than local not-for-profit organizations. The same was true decades ago when Bill chaired the Board of Fletcher Allen Health Care. Also true, however, is the critical and prominent role this organization plays as the safety net healthcare provider for our rural area. 

Vermont Business Magazine On December 5, 2023, ReArch in South Burlington sponsored the chartering ceremony of the newly chartered Vermont Chapter 395 of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). ReArch Company's Nicole Benton has been elected as the president of this Chapter. Nicole, along with her colleagues Heather Fontaine, Sarah LeClair, and Majken Poley, played a crucial role in establishing this chapter. Their hard work and dedication have paved the way for a more inclusive and empowering construction industry in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Widewail, the Burlington, Vermont-based leading customer review and reputation management solution, has released the 2023 Widewail Voice of the Customer Report, which studies the voice of today’s automotive customer by compiling U.S. new car dealerships' Google reviews from the first half of 2023. An analysis of 800,000 Google reviews from more than 16,000 new car dealerships found that 25% of customers who left a review after purchasing a car from a direct-to-consumer electric vehicle (EV) company, such as Tesla or Rivian, left a one-star review. 14% of customers who purchased an EV from a traditional car dealership left a one-star review. The auto industry average benchmark is dealerships having 7% of their reviews be one star, so the high volume of negative reviews raises concern about the experience of buying and owning an EV.