Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Lakes and Ponds Program of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will host two public meetings this month to gather public input on nine petitions proposing to ban wakesports on 10 Vermont lakes. Nine lake associations, representing 10 lakes that are eligible for wakesports, submitted the petitions to DEC under the Use of Public Waters Rules. The lakes include Caspian Lake, Echo Lake (Charleston), Great and Little Averill Lakes, Lake Fairlee, Shadow Lake (Glover), Waterbury Reservoir, Parker Lake (Glover), Lake Willoughby, and Joe’s Pond. On April 15, 2024, a new rule under the Use of Public Waters Rules went into effect regulating wakeboats and wakesports on Vermont’s inland lakes. It limits wakesports with a wakeboat to wakesports zones only. There are 30 inland lakes where wakesports can occur within a specific wakesports zone.

Vermont Business Magazine OneCare Vermont, an Accountable Care Organization (ACO), dedicated to improving Vermont’s health care system, today announced key leadership transitions to lead the organization in its final year of operation. Tom Borys, currently serving as OneCare’s chief financial officer, has been appointed interim CEO and CFO. He will replace Abe Berman, who was instrumental in founding OneCare in 2012 and returned to the organization as chief executive officer in 2023. Dr. Jennifer Gilwee will succeed Anya Rader Wallack as board chair. Wallack has served as board chair since May of 2022. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 cases rose only slightly while hospitalizations also remained low. There was only one fatality last week. Hospitalizations and general "syndromic" cases remained under 5 cases statewide for the week. The number of reported COVID cases fell from 146 to 69 to 44 and then rose last week to 51. Cases had been falling in April and May and were as low as 31 at the beginning of May, before rising at the end of summer through the early part of the fall. Along with the case numbers, wastewater monitoring also has shown a decrease in levels of virus. The pandemic death total stands at 1,229 as of November 23, 2024.

Vermont Business Magazine Opening Day Adjustment from Bromley President & GM, Josh Witkin: It’s wonderful when a plan comes together. This cold weather has done exactly what we were hoping it would do, MAKE SNOW, both natural and man-made. Incredibly, we also see the potential for a few more inches coming this way Wednesday into Thursday. Seems like the perfect time to open Bromley! Opening day is moving up to Thursday, December 5th at 9AM. This will be the start of our daily operations. Please keep doing your snow dance and when you see our Snowmakers, encourage them with a smile and a thank you. 

Vermont Business Magazine Union Mutual Fire Insurance Company announced a 3-year, $30,000 commitment to support Hunger Free Vermont.  The organization, one of Union Mutual’s major community partners for 2024, was selected in part by the Companies’ Environmental, Social, Governance committee.  In review of how the Company could align financial and volunteer resources with core values, employees evaluated organizations that aligned with their elected top goal of ‘Zero Hunger’ in accordance with the 17 UN Sustainable Goals.

Vermont Business Magazine Researchers from Saint Michael’s College and the University of Vermont have made a groundbreaking new discovery that provides a better understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease develops in the human brain. Guided by previous research of spider brains, the scientists uncovered evidence of a “waste canal system” in the human brain that internalizes waste from healthy neurons. They discovered that this system can undergo catastrophic swelling, which leads to the degeneration of brain tissue, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. With over 50 million affected people worldwide, Alzheimer’s disease is among the leading causes of death in the U.S.       

by Janet Essman Franz, UVM Larner College of Medicine About 20 percent of Americans live in rural areas, but only 9 percent of physicians practice medicine there, leaving many rural residents desperate for health care. The physician shortage means rural residents tend to be diagnosed with such illnesses as cancer and cardiovascular disease at later stages than city-dwellers and have worse outcomes. Rural communities with older populations—who tend to need more medical care—struggle hardest to attract young doctors to set up practice. Residents must travel long distances to see a doctor or postpone health care. Understanding physicians’ motivations about where to live and work can help communities recruit doctors and improve the health of their residents.

Vermont Business Magazine VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR) has announced that Jessica Boutin as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2025. Jessica, a long-time employee of the organization, steps into the role after years of dedicated service and proven leadership within the agency. Serving the counties of Franklin, Rutland and Bennington in Vermont, VNAHSR is committed to enhancing the quality of life for all it serves through comprehensive home health and hospice services. Drawing on her extensive experience and strong ties to the community, Jessica brings a clear vision for the future of the agency and a deep commitment to its mission.

Vermont Business Magazine VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region recently celebrated VNA Week, full of appreciation for our staff, culminating in our annual Employee Recognition Dinner. This special event is a chance to honor the dedication and hard work of our team members who go above and beyond to provide exceptional care to our patients and families. During the celebration, we proudly recognized our HEALTH Matters award winners and honored our Employee of the Year. The HEALTH Matters awards are a reflection of the core values that guide our agency's mission and service

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s annual Education Tax Letter was released today by the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Taxes. This year’s Letter projects an average tax bill increase of 5.9% next year under current budgetary projections. This is on top of the current year’s 13.9% increase. The average Vermonters education property tax will have increased by one-third over the past three years if today's projection holds.

Vermont Business Magazine For every gift to Vermont Public on Giving Tuesday, the Vermont Community Foundation and its generous fundholders will donate the equivalent of 23 meals that Vermont Foodbank can offer to community members facing hunger and food insecurity. Giving Tuesday is an annual global day of giving that arose in response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This global celebration of philanthropy gives people an opportunity to focus their holiday spirit on organizations doing important work in their communities. In 2023, UVM released data showing that 2 in 5 people in Vermont reported facing food insecurity in the year prior. The last two years have brought catastrophic flooding around the state, which continued to amplify challenges for our neighbors experiencing hunger. 

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 2, 2024, Maryann Manning, 63, of Wolcott, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to two years of probation. Chief Judge Reiss also ordered Manning to pay restitution to the Social Security Administration in the amount of $119,978. Manning previously pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging Manning with receiving stolen government money.