Current News

Vermont Business Magazine In response to the growing need for skilled mental health professionals, Bennington College is excited to announce the launch of its new low-residency Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. This innovative program, designed for working professionals and those seeking to make a meaningful difference in the mental health field, offers a unique combination of flexible learning and hands-on training and prepares graduates for licensure and careers or continued professional or doctoral study in a rapidly expanding sector.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) has announced its first-ever named professorship, the Pescosolido Professorship of Food and Agricultural Law and Policy. This five-year term professorship was made possible by a generous pledge and gift from VLGS alumna Pamela Pescosolido JD’90 and has been awarded to Laurie Beyranevand JD’03, VLGS alumna and director of the school’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems. Pescosolido’s family has deep roots in farming across the U.S. Her mother’s side has owned Blueberry Hill Farm in the Massachusetts Berkshires since 1942, and her father helped to create, along with his partners, a vertically integrated citrus business in California, which included growing, packing and shipping.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Katrina LaFoe, 44, of Barton, Vermont, was sentenced for misdemeanor false pretenses resulting from her role in the submission of false timesheets for payments from Vermont Medicaid. The criminal case brought against the defendant is the result of an investigation by the Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU) of the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with several Quebec organizations and the University of Vermont to establish the Northeast Semiconductor Manufacturing Corridor as a hub for innovation and advanced manufacturing. “This partnership is vital to Vermont’s semiconductor industry and economic development,” says Commerce Secretary Lindsay Kurrle who signed the MOU on behalf of the state of Vermont. “This cross-border collaboration with Quebec and other northeastern states will make us stronger and more resilient and lead to the creation and retention of high-quality jobs throughout the Green Mountain State.”

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today grilled Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee to be the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), about his refusal to acknowledge that President Biden won the 2020 Presidential Election. Senator Welch highlighted that Trump’s ‘Big Lie’– that President Biden did not win the election – led to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021. Senator Welch also stressed the importance of combatting any attempt to weaponize the Justice Department and the FBI under the Trump Administration. 

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP), today delivered an opening statement at the committee’s hearing on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Sanders’ remarks, as prepared for delivery, are herein. "Thank you, Senator Cassidy. And Mr. Kennedy, thank you for being with us. I will discuss later the issue of vaccines, which Senator Cassidy raised, and is of concern I think for all of us. But before I go there, I wanted to congratulate you for the phrase “Make America Healthy Again.” I think that is a cry that all of us – a goal that all of us share – because, as you have indicated, we are a very unhealthy society."

Vermont Business Magazine This Sunday, February 2, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recognizes World Wetlands Day and invites Vermonters to celebrate the value of wetlands. Marking where land and water meet, wetlands may be saturated or flooded with water either year-round or for only a few weeks of the year. First celebrated in 1997, World Wetlands Day raises awareness about wetlands and the functions and values they provide for people and for the health of the land. It also marks the anniversary of the global Convention on Wetlands (or the Ramsar Convention). Adopted in 1971, the Convention on Wetlands is an international treaty that provides a framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.13 per gallon, down 1 cent/g from last week, up 4 cents from last month and down 7 cents from last year, according to AAA. The lowest price in the state yesterday this week $2.90/g while the highest was $3.35/g, a difference of 45.0 cents per gallon. The lowest prices are in Bennington County ($3.06/g), while they get higher the farther north one goes, with Franklin County reporting the highest average ($3.23/g). 

Vermont Business Magazine The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) New England Office recently awarded two 2024 Regional Wastewater Treatment Awards to one Vermont wastewater facility and one individual to recognize them for their commitment to improving water quality. For the past 40 years, the EPA Regional Wastewater Awards Program EPA Regional Wastewater Awards Program has recognized personnel in the wastewater field who have provided invaluable public service managing and operating wastewater treatment facilities throughout New England. 

Vermont Business Magazine Treasurer Mike Pieciak’s Task Force on the Federal Transition, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) will host a webinar for Vermont employers to discuss their rights, obligations, and prudent steps they can take to prepare for a worksite visit from Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). The discussion will feature leading Vermont and national immigration experts. The webinar will take place Thursday, February 6 from 11 AM to 12:30 PM. The program will feature one hour of moderated discussion, followed by 30 minutes of Q&A. Attendees can RSVP here. 

Vermont Business Magazine Seventh Generation, a leader in plant-based household cleaning products, today announced it has named Kathleen O’Brien to serve as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). O’Brien’s leadership will usher in the next phase of the company’s journey, focusing on accelerating growth, advancing innovation, and championing its mission to create a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable future for the next seven generations. This is O’Brien’s return to Seventh Generation where she previously served as Vice President of Sales. Within that role, she was responsible for driving revenue growth across product lines for the business and developed a deep understanding of the brand’s approach to business with sustainability at its core. 

Vermont Business Magazine The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has released the nationwide performance results from the 2024 assessments in reading and mathematics. While Vermont students performed similarly to the national average in reading, the 2024 results reinforce a decades long pattern of declining performance. Relative to pre-pandemic (2019) and post-pandemic (2022) performance, 2024 Vermont reading scores were significantly lower in Grade 4 and Grade 8.