Current News

Vermont State Police On December 2, 2024, at approximately 1726 hours, Troopers from the Vermont State Police- Rutland Barracks were notified of a two-vehicle crash on College Street N / Church Street in the Town of Poultney. Through investigation it was revealed Operator #1 (Mullaney) was operating Vehicle #1, traveling northbound on College Street N and Operator #2 (Kelley) was operating Vehicle #2 traveling southbound on College Street N. Based on initial investigations it was determined Vehicle #1 crossed the double yellow center line and struck Vehicle #2 head-on in the southbound lane. Emergency Medical Service members attempted to provide life-saving measures but were ultimately unsuccessful and Mullaney was pronounced deceased on scene.

Vermont State Police On Monday morning, troopers with the Vermont State Police St. Albans Barracks responded to the report of a motor vehicle crash with injury in the area of Stonehouse Rd. in Enosburg, VT. Upon arrival, Troopers observed a red F-350 at a position of rest after colliding with a telephone pole. Airbags were deployed and the vehicle sustained heavy front-end damage. The operator was transported from the scene by the Enosburgh Ambulance Service to the Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, then to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington where the operator succumbed to their injuries.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports is accepting proposals for winter outdoor sports youth initiatives that foster access to sports and fitness activities, especially for youth from communities that historically have not participated in the activity primarily due to lack of access or feeling unwelcome or unsafe. The grant period, slated from January 31 through December 31, 2025, offers an opportunity for organizations to propose new or enhance existing programming that fosters inclusivity and accessibility in winter sports and fitness. A total of $8,000 is available for this award period, with the possibility of funding being split among multiple recipients. The total number of grants and amounts awarded will be based upon the number received and reviewer evaluations.

Vermont Business Magazine Nurses, support staff, and technical professionals at UVM Medical Center will march and rally on Thursday, condemning drastic cuts to health services that threaten to reduce the quality of patient care. Healthcare workers say the well-being of their patients and the community is at stake following UVM Health Network CEO Sunny Eappen’s Nov. 14th declaration of intent to sell off the network’s dialysis clinics and close the Mad River Health Center, transplant clinic at UVM Medical Center, and inpatient psychiatry at Central Vermont Medical Center.

Vermont Business Magazine ISO New England, the region’s electric grid operator, anticipates having sufficient resources to meet consumer demand for electricity this winter. Weather is the largest driver of energy use, and the ISO conducts seasonal weather forecasts to estimate the impact weather may have on the grid. This winter, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is projecting slightly above average temperatures in New England, with normal precipitation. Total ISONE resources available: 30,030 MW. Last winter’s demand peaked at 18,299 MW on January 17, 2024, when temperatures averaged 20°F. Winter peak forecast: 20,308 MW under normal weather conditions; 21,089 MW under below-average temperatures. 

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.