Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine For the week ending October 5, 2024, the Vermont Department of Health reported that the number of COVID-19 cases in Vermont fell and are now under 300 cases and just under where they were a year ago. Hospitalizations also saw a drop in cases last week. Hospitalizations and general "syndromic" cases decreased to about 15 cases. The VDH reported 8 COVID-related fatalities last week, as COVID deaths are higher this fall than last so far. Overall, COVID results have been relatively high since the late summer. At the beginning of the summer there were only about 5 hospitalizations a week, but have been running, for the most part, at 20 or more for more than a month.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) State Highway Safety Office (SHSO) held the annual Highway Safety Awards ceremony at the Vermont State House today. These awards are presented to highway safety professionals around the state for their exceptional work and commitment to keeping Vermont’s roadways safe for all users.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Katrina LaFoe, 44, of Barton, Vermont, was arraigned in Orleans County on three counts of felony Medicaid Fraud. The charges brought against Ms. LaFoe are the result of an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which found that Ms. LaFoe had impermissibly billed Medicaid for services allegedly provided by another, defrauding Vermont Medicaid of over $18,000 in public health care funds.

Vermont Business Magazine The Li-Costa Foundation has awarded the Environmental Advocacy Clinic (EAC) at Vermont Law and Graduate School a $250,000 grant to advocate for protection of Vermont’s scenic Worcester Range as well as for a new direction for public management of Vermont public lands. The grant will allow the EAC to build on its partnership with its client Standing Trees, a grassroots membership organization that works to protect and restore New England’s public forests for the benefit of the climate, clean water and biodiversity. One of Vermont Law and Graduate School’s nine legal clinics, the EAC operates as a public interest environmental law firm. The EAC trains advanced law students in pro bono representation of local, regional and national organizations and clients under the supervision of experienced practitioners.  

by CEO Mike Del Trecco, VAHHS It has been about three weeks since the Green Mountain Care Board’s (GMCB) consultant, Oliver Wyman (OW), issued its report on the restructuring of our health care system. A lot has happened since then, as communities have read and digested the report’s recommendations and what they would mean for our state if this report were deemed credible and its findings implemented. What has become crystal clear is this report is not just about hospitals. It’s about the future of Vermont and the viability of all of our communities. I’ll try in this piece to break down the report by outlining the flaws, opportunities and what we view as next steps to not let this distract us from the real and urgent work needed in our state.

by Kevin Coburn Providing leadership, managing budgets and navigating the thicket of local and state regulations is just the beginning for town and city managers in Vermont. Town leaders are also facing novel challenges like coping with increasingly challenging climate and housing crises. Thanks to funding from UVM’s Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships, current and aspiring town managers in the state are getting new training and support through the new Vermont Local Government Institute, an eight-course certificate program that is imparting tangible skills, best practices, and sound advice from instructors, many of whom are, or have been, town managers themselves. The course was developed through a partnership with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT), the Vermont Town and City Management Association (VTCMA), and UVM Professional and Continuing Education (PACE).

Vermont Business Magazine In coordination with state and local partners, FEMA permanently closed the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in Island Pond at 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 12, 2024. The closures of these temporary centers are coordinated with state and local partners generally based on the volume of visitors and needs of the community. A new DRC in Newport is set to open Wednesday, October 16, 2024. Effective October 16, this new center will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturdays at: Newport City Municipal Building - 222 Main Street, Newport, VT 05855.

Vermont Business Magazine October is designated Health Care Career Awareness Month in Vermont (1 V.S.A. § 376), an opportunity to highlight the importance of health careers in our state. Annually, schools, hospitals, clinics, and an array of organizations and individuals are all encouraged to give special attention to health workforce development and promotion during the month of October. Participating in October Health Care Career Awareness Month amplifies a shared message about job opportunities in Vermont and cultivates the workforce needed now and into the future. The Vermont Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Network invites you to join us in this important work.

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center Arts Collective, in partnership with the Fleming Museum of Art at the University of Vermont, presents the exhibition Let the Fabric Speak! on display from September 3, 2024, through May 17, 2025. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, October 19, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Fleming Museum. One of the featured works is Tied, a collaborative piece by Lydia Littwin, created from donated fabrics like baby clothing, dresses, and curtains, symbolizing shared community experiences. This exhibition showcases art made from repurposed materials that tell both personal and collective stories. 

Vermont Business Magazine Northeast Delta Dental announced it has been awarded the esteemed national Baldrige Performance Excellence Award, recognizing the company's unwavering commitment to quality, service, and innovation. One of only five companies in the United States to receive this national award this year, and the first ever in New Hampshire, the organization impressed examiners with its outstanding 99% account retention, Guarantee of Service Excellence program, and March to Million initiative.

Vermont Business Magazine Price Chopper/Market 32 is raising funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. During the month of October, customers can round up their change at the checkout, 100% of which will go directly to local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Price Chopper will match all donations, up to $10,000. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals helps fund life-saving treatments, innovative research, vital medical equipment, and comforting child life services at 170 children’s hospitals across the U.S. and Canada. This includes The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital in Burlington, VT, and Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse, NY.

Vermont Business Magazine Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. (NYSE: SPH), a nationwide distributor of propane, renewable propane, renewable natural gas, fuel oil and related products and services volunteered at Rutland Community Cupboard in Rutland October 10 to unload, sort, and stock its shelves with pallets of food and pantry items, while also donating funds to purchase 2,778 fresh half gallons of milk for families in the local community.