Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Deer hunters who applied for a Vermont muzzleloader season antlerless deer permit by the July 31 deadline can now go to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website to see if they won a permit. Fish and Wildlife announced the permit winners on September 11, after conducting a randomized computer drawing.  Permit winners are listed in two categories -- regular lottery winners and landowners.  Landowners who apply for a landowner antlerless permit are prohibited by law from posting their land against hunting. Permit recipients will need to reprint their licenses which have been reformatted to include their antlerless permits. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard destination in Eastern North America, announced today that tickets for the 2024 Stifel Killington Cup will be available for purchase starting September 17 at 10 a.m. ET at killington.com. Taking place November 29-December 1, the Audi FIS Ski World Cup will once again bring women’s giant slalom and slalom races to Vermont. The event is expected to attract Stifel U.S. Ski Team superstars, including seven-time Stifel Killington Cup slalom victor and winningest alpine skier in history, Mikaela Shiffrin, who may be going for her historic 100th victory. She’ll be joined by teammates, former University of Vermont skier Paula Moltzan, Olympian AJ Hurt and Nina O’Brien, who is making her return from injury this season. 

Vermont Business Magazine The buildout of broadband is well underway in Vermont, with eight out of the state’s ten Communications Union Districts (CUDs) currently connecting customers. But for Vermonters who live more than 400 feet from the fiber line along the road, that connection can come at a cost that’s unaffordable. On Monday, the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) approved a staff proposal to develop a new Long Drop Program later this year to address this issue and help low-income Vermonters get connected to broadband. The VCBB Board voted unanimously to allow staff to develop a program that would provide funds to qualified providers to cover the extra cost to connect low-income Vermonters who live more than 400 feet from the fiber that runs along their road, including underground drops. 

Vermont Business Magazine President Joe Biden has approved a Major Disaster Declaration to help communities in Lamoille County recover costs for repairing public infrastructure damage caused by rainfall and severe flooding on June 23, 2024. A June 23 rainstorm washed out roads and caused more than $1 million in damages in the town of Stowe alone, with lesser damage in surrounding communities. This is one of three separate events from June 23 to July 30 for which the state has sought federal disaster assistance. A federal Major Disaster Declaration unlocks Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Program funding to reimburse municipalities for 75% of funds already spent on things like debris removal, road and public building repairs, and staff overtime responding to and cleaning up after the storm.

Vermont Business Magazine Six state/federal Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) across Vermont will be changing their hours and days of operation. As of September 15, 2024, four DRCs will no longer be open on Sundays. The hours of operation from Monday to Saturday have been shortened to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) recently announced awards of approximately $7.19 million in grants to municipalities for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvement projects. The combination of construction projects and planning grants will benefit cities and towns statewide with improved transportation connectivity and safety, tangible economic benefits, and additional transportation options for commuters, visitors to the state, and recreational users. Vermont continues to prioritize making communities and streets more usable for all modes of transportation. In downtowns and village centers especially, municipalities are responding to the need for better walking and bicycling facilities. 

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department Hunting in Vermont continues to be a safe recreational pursuit and hunters can help keep it that way by choosing to wear hunter orange. Also, Vermont’s bear hunting season started September 1, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department wants to remind hunters that the sale of bear paws and internal organs of bears is prohibited by a new law.

Vermont Business Magazine Registration is now open for the 2024 Vermont Conservation Conference scheduled for Monday, October 7 at Vermont State University in Randolph. Dr. Carolyn Finney, author of “Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors” will deliver the keynote presentation, which will feature a question-and-answer session with the audience. Finney’s talk will highlight ongoing efforts to make nature more inclusive and rebuild equitable relationships in the outdoor and conservation communities.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Congressional Delegation, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) today welcomed $51 million in funding for Vermont from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Emergency Relief (ER) Program to reimburse Vermont for the costs of repairs caused by flooding in July and December 2023. “Devastating flooding has destroyed roads and highways across Vermont, and federal assistance is necessary to offset the extensive costs the State has incurred. When disaster strikes, states and localities act quickly—no matter the cost. This federal funding is an important part of the long process of rebuilding more resiliently after flooding, and underscores the need for our colleagues in Congress to act quickly to pass critically important disaster aid funding,” said the lawmakers. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced today that on August 8, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging William McLaughlin, 45, from Bennington, VT, Samantha Danforth, 35, from Bennington, VT, and Keahnard Rowell, also known as “Stacks,” 34, from New York, NY, with conspiring to distribute cocaine base and fentanyl in 2022. The indictment also charges McLaughlin with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Rowell was arraigned on the charges on September 9, 2024, and entered a plea of not guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered that Rowell continue to be detained during the pendency of this matter. McLaughlin’s and Danforth’s arraignment dates are yet to be set. 

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) today introduced the bicameral 340B Pharmaceutical Access To Invest in Essential, Needed Treatments & Support (PATIENTS) Act, legislation that would protect the 340B drug pricing program and ensure patients—especially those in lower income and rural communities—can continue care with providers who utilize the program. For over 30 years, the 340B program has helped safety-net providers like rural community hospitals, critical access hospitals, and community health centers purchase outpatient prescription drugs at reduced prices from drug manufacturers at no cost to the taxpayer. Savings from the 340B program help providers expand critical services such as mental health care, substance-use disorder treatments, and emergency services, to support the most vulnerable patients in their community without the need for additional federal funding.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Buildings and General Services (BGS) has announced that all communities that will have completed assessments through the Municipal Energy Resilience Program (MERP) during the grant application period are now eligible to apply for implementation grants of up to $500,000. All 14 Vermont counties are represented in this group of over 200 municipalities, with over 500 facility energy assessments completed to date. BGS expects the grant process to be very competitive, the enabling legislation established priorities to be considered in awarding the grants.