Current News

by Charlotte Oliver, Community News Service Jason Struthers makes a living selling the cannabis he’s licensed to grow in his half-acre backyard in Essex Junction — but his growing and raising of ducks on his property has gotten him into tiffs with neighbors and tangled in legal ambiguity. In August, Vermont Superior Court Judge Thomas Walsh sought to put the question over the Taft Street backyard to rest, siding with Struthers after the Essex Junction resident sued when local officials tried to ban him from raising ducks last year. But now an appeal from Struthers’ neighbors could call the ruling — and legal precedent — into question again. It seems straightforward to next-door neighbors Stephen and Sharon Wille Padnos, who say they shouldn’t have to smell Struthers’ cannabis or hear his ducks in their residential neighborhood. In turn, it seems straightforward to Struthers, who has legal permission from the state to farm and cultivate in his yard. 

Vermont Business Magazine Nearly 50 acres along the Johns River in Derby—a tributary to Lake Memphremagog and nursery stream for wild trout—is now permanently protected and open to the public as part of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s Johns River Streambank Management Area (SMA). The department partnered with the Memphremagog Watershed Association (MWA) to work with four private landowners to protect properties along the river with high conservation value.  On top of their importance for wild brook, brown, and rainbow trout, the new additions to the Johns River SMA will help strengthen flood resilience in Derby and provide Vermonters with more places to enjoy fishing, hiking, and wildlife watching in the watershed.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Economic Development Authority, or VEDA, marked its 50th anniversary in the state through the release of its annual report at its annual meeting at the Essex Resort. VEDA CEO Cassie Polhemus was joined by Governor Phil Scott, Treasurer Mike Pieciak, industry leaders, lenders and friends at the luncheon event. Scott discussed the value VEDA has provided to the business community, especially for startups and entrepreneurs and Pieciak led a discussion on manufacturing with Chroma Technologies in Bellows Falls, OnLogic in South Burlington, Rigorous Technology in Williston and Vermont Precision Tools in Swanton.

Vermont Business Magazine This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will affect traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont for the week of October 28, 2024. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.  

Vermont Business Magazine The statistic for investments in women-owned businesses and start-ups is staggeringly low compared to their male counterparts. Leading Vermont business and philanthropic organizations aim to change that in our state. Currently in the United States, only around 13 percent of venture capital dollars go to startups with a woman on the founding team and the 30-year average of all-female founders’ share of venture capital is just 2.4 percent. The Vermont Women’s Fund, the Vermont Community Foundation, and Hula are proud to present the premiere Vermont screening of the documentary Show Her the Money at 6 p.m. Wednesday, October 30 at Hula’s Lakeside Avenue campus in Burlington. A discussion of our business landscape and the need for dramatic change will follow.

Local organizers will host a VERMONT WOMEN'S RALLY on the Statehouse Lawn in Montpelier on November 2, 2024, AT 10 A.M.  This event will be a sister event to the NATIONAL WOMEN’S MARCH in Washington, DC, on the same date. State parking lots will be open and free for public parking. Melinda Moulton is the Master of Ceremonies. Members of the Taiko Drummers will Awaken Montpelier and Greet Rally Goers. Singer-songwriter Patti Casey will open the Rally. Beverly Little Thunder and her daughter Lushanya Echeverria will speak together to honor the original Indigenous inhabitants with a land acknowledgement. Vermont Poet Laureate Bianca Stone will deliver a poem. Governor Madeleine Kunin and Representative Becca Balint will address the gathering.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Law and Graduate School continues to be a leader in addressing key challenges facing agriculture, environmental protection and energy policy. Through innovative programs, partnerships and academic events, the school emphasizes innovation in legal education, policy development and advocacy.

Vermont Business Magazine Smugglers’ Notch Distillery is once again, for the fifth year in a row, been chosen by fans across the country in the USA Today 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards! Nominated for this award by a panel of experts, SND extends many, many thanks to the extremely loyal customers who voted SND yet again as one of the top eight vodka distilleries in the USA, one of the top eight specialty distilleries, and most exciting, one of the top three distillery tasting rooms across the country – an inviting stop on anyone’s travels! Put the expert opinions aside, and what this vote confirms is what loyal fans have been saying for the last fourteen years – they love SND’s Vermont spirit, story, and attention to the extraordinary! 

Vermont State Police On October 25, 2024, at approximately 1641 hours, the Vermont State Police - Rutland Barracks responded to a report of a two-vehicle crash on US Route 7, near Channing Ln, in the Town of Pittsford, VT. On arrival, troopers located the vehicles at a position of uncontrolled rest off the roadway. Through investigation it was determined Vehicle #1 was traveling northbound on US Route 7 near the intersection of Channing Ln. Vehicle #1 crossed the solid double yellow line and entered into the southbound lane where it crashed into Vehicle #2 head on as it traveled south.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Board of Trustees set tuition for the 2024-25 academic year in conjunction with an expansion of the UVM Promise program as part of a focus on fiscal responsibility at its annual fall meeting Friday and Saturday at the Dudley H. Davis Center. Acknowledging the importance of fiscal responsibility in the face of economic challenges including ever-increasing health insurance costs, the Budget, Finance and Investment Committee set tuition set tuition to reflect a 4.5-percent increase for out-of-state students and a 2-percent increase for Vermonters, as well as a 3.5-percent increase for room and board, for the next academic year. Tuition was also set for the upcoming 2025 summer session. The Board was informed of the expansion of the UVM Promise program for Fall 2025. Under the new guidelines, students from Vermont households with a combined annual income up to $100,000 in adjusted gross income (AGI) will be allowed to attend the state’s flagship public university tuition-free. 

The Vermont State Police is investigating the deaths of two people whose bodies were found Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at a home in Newfane. Police received a call shortly after 5 p.m. from relatives who reported finding two family members dead in a home on South Wardsboro Road. First responders confirmed the deaths after arriving on scene. Initial investigation indicates this was an isolated event involving individuals who knew each other. Current indications are that everyone involved with this incident is accounted for. No one is in custody. The state police has not identified any threat to the public.

Vermont Business Magazine MatrixLabX and Matrix Marketing Group, based in Burlington, has announced the launch of AI Branch Models, a groundbreaking AI-first architecture designed to revolutionize marketing strategies for businesses across various industries. This innovative approach utilizes AI-powered systems to provide customized marketing solutions that are faster, better, and cheaper. At the core of AI Branch Models are three powerful AI agents: AIProdPadTM: Streamlines product development, launches, and marketing, aligning product life cycles with specific industry needs.