Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The 2023 Craft Beer Marketing Awards (CBMAs) "Crushie" winners were announced recently LIVE from the 2023 Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, TN. The ceremony was streamed on Facebook LIVE. The winning entries can be viewed on the 2023 Winners Gallery. Switchback Brewing Company in Burlington won a Platinum award and Burlington Beer Company won two Gold awards.

Vermont State Police The investigation into Friday afternoon’s fatal crash that killed a Rutland City Police Department officer remains active and ongoing. Numerous law-enforcement resources have been brought to bear on this complex case. The officer who died is identified as Jessica Ebbighausen, 19, of Ira. She started working with the Rutland Police Department on May 23 as a part-time, Level 2-certified officer. She was slated to begin training at the Vermont Police Academy next month to become a full-time officer.

UPDATE: Traffic is being redirected on the WB side up RT 100 N, on the EB side down VT RT 100A

Detours are in place. 

This incident is expected to last UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.  Specific details are not yet available and updates will be provided as appropriate.    

Motorists should avoid the area.   

Please drive carefully. 

VT RT 14 in the area of Vesper Rd  is CLOSED  due to road flooding.  Detours are in place. 

This incident is expected to last UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.  Specific details are not yet available and updates will be provided as appropriate.    

Motorists should expect delays in the area, or seek alternate routes.   

Please drive carefully. 

VermontBiz Today, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Rep. Becca Balint, and leaders of Vermont conservation and outdoor recreation organizations for a roundtable discussion on the conservation and climate initiatives within the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic Investing in America agenda that support Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy.  

VermontBiz The Vermont Department of Public Safety has released a guide on Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), aimed at providing prosecutors, law enforcement officers, family and household members, and community members with a clear understanding of the process to obtain an ERPO.

ERPOs, also known as “red flag laws,” allow courts to issue an order that temporarily restricts access to dangerous weapons for individuals who are deemed to be at an elevated risk of harming themselves or others. According to early research, ERPOs can be effective in preventing gun deaths, including suicides and mass shootings.

VermontBiz The Northwest Vermont REALTOR® Association (NVRA) hosted its fifth Annual Charity Golf Tournament on June 26 at Vermont National Country Club. 

REALTORS® and Affiliate members raise funds each year to fund charitable initiatives across Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties. This year’s tournament proceeds will fund Spectrum Youth and Family Services, Committee on Temporary Shelter (C.O.T.S), HomeShare VT, and Martha’s Community Kitchen. 

VermontBiz Troopers from the Williston Barracks received a report of a road rage incident around the area of I-89 N, Exit 15 in Winooski, VT. The complainant advised that Mark Bennett had brandished a firearm while on the interstate and on the off ramp. Troopers were able to interview all involved parties. During the investigation it was discovered that Mark Bennett was changing speeds and brake checking Robert Bechtold while traveling on the interstate and once Bechtold decided to pass Bennett displayed his firearm in a reckless manner towards Bechtold. Bechtold was later located in Warren, VT and was cited to appear in Chittenden County Court Criminal Division on August 22, 2023, at 0830 to answer to the charge of Reckless Endangerment.

VermontBiz Moving home can depend on several factors but perhaps the most important is how many properties are available at the time. 

Moving experts at MovingFeedback have used Zillow data to analyze the number of properties available to rent or buy in Vermont each month from 2020-2022.  

VermontBiz Bear activity in South Burlington has jumped this year, highlighting the need to prevent bear conflicts in densely populated areas around the state, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

“We have had 14 bear incident reports from South Burlington so far this year, compared to just three for all of 2022,” said Black Bear Project Leader Jaclyn Comeau.  “At least two yearling bears and their mother are becoming used to easy meals of birdseed and unsecured garbage in town.  This is a dangerous situation for these bears and for people, especially in a densely populated community like South Burlington where many residents may not be used to coexisting safely with bears.”

Vermont Business Magazine Hey there, job seekers! Are you ready to hit a home run in your career? For the second year in a row, the Vermont Department of Labor is thrilled to announce not one, but two, upcoming job fairs that will make your job search a hit! These two incredible events will take place during the action-packed Vermont Lake Monsters baseball games at Centennial Field in Burlington. Join us on July 19th and August 1st and don’t strike out on this opportunity! 

Vermont Business Magazine Evernorth closed its fourth multi-investor fund – Housing New England, Fund IV – on June 15, 2023. This fund will provide equity to finance affordable housing in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Fourteen investors committed a total of $54,050,000 in equity, making Housing New England, Fund IV (HNE Fund IV) a significant financial resource for the region’s critical affordable housing needs. Mascoma Bank invested $2.5 million into this fund. HNE Fund IV’s investors include community, regional, and national banks as well as one of the nation’s largest mortgage banking organizations.