Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Center for Community News at the University of Vermont today announced its third annual cohort of CCN Faculty Champions, a national initiative to support the people running local news reporting programs at U.S. colleges and universities across the country. News-academic partnerships have emerged as a critical contributor to the national news landscape and one solution to the crisis facing local news. “The news coverage that these programs are providing in coordination with their local outlets is helping to meet critical information needs,” said CCN Director Richard Watts. “Most importantly, they offer students a chance to contribute to public life and develop skills that will serve them in journalism and far beyond.”

Vermont Business Magazine Johnson community members are encouraged to participate in the second part of the Re-Imagine Johnson process to discuss and vote for actions generated by the community to address the long term flood recovery in Johnson and review the Community Resilience Assessment outcomes. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 10th from 5:00-8:30 pm at the Johnson Elementary School with pizza from the Community Oven and childcare provided. This event is the second step of a three-step process that brings together community members, including those displaced from the July 2023 flooding and impacted in the 2024 flooding, to examine issues, decide top priorities, and develop action plans for the future of their town. During step two, the community will review ideas generated in step one, advocate for what is most important to their community, then select top priorities and sign up to begin moving those priorities forward.

Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance The Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP) application portal is now open to businesses and nonprofits that suffered physical damage from flooding and severe storms in 2023 and/or 2024. $7 million is available to provide rapid relief for physical damage from the 2024 events. An additional $5 million will be available for ongoing recovery from the 2023 floods. Businesses may be eligible for both 2023 and 2024 BEGAP funding. Up to three separate grant applications can be submitted for each year's funding, for each physical location. Businesses have until November 15 to apply to cover 30% of net uncovered damages up to $100,000 per business location. 10% of funds are for Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color applicants. Submissions will be considered on a rolling basis until all funds are expended. Also, nominations for the Patrick Leahy Trailblazer Legacy Award are being accepted.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association Governor Scott's request for FEMA disaster declaration to assist individuals and communities impacted by flooding from July 9-11, has been approved by the Biden Administration. This provides funding for individuals in Addison, Orleans, Washington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille and Essex counties to apply to FEMA for assistance. Register at DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362. The deadline to apply for FEMA's Public Assistance Program for July 9-11 flooding (DR-4810) is Sept 20th. This declaration also includes funding to help cities and towns receive reimbursement for emergency storm repairs to public infrastructure. Town briefings will be scheduled soon.

Vermont Business Magazine Ten lawyers from the Burlington, Vermont law firm Paul Frank + Collins P.C. were selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2025 Edition of Best Lawyers in America. In addition, Kerin E. Stackpole was named “Lawyer of the Year 2025” for her work in Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management.

Vermont Business Magazine Breeze Airways, the premium leisure low-cost carrier offering affordable nonstop service across the U.S., today announced that it will be offering 50% off of all roundtrip base fares in the airline’s nationwide network if the code ‘BIGDEAL’ is used at checkout on the Breeze app or at flybreeze.com.  The promotion is available until Thursday at 11:59pmPT for travel from September 18 through May 13, 2025. From Burlington International Airport, Breeze flies twice a week to: Fort Myers (RSW), Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), Orlando (MCO), Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), Tampa (TPA).

Vermont Business Magazine Bennington College welcomed a robust and diverse class of 222 new first-year and transfer students this fall. Twenty-seven percent of new students are domestic students of color. They hail from thirty-three states (and Washington DC) and twelve different countries. Of the incoming class, 6% of students have international citizenship, 14% of first-year students are the first students in their family to attend college, and 32% are Pell-grant eligible. This class continues Bennington’s commitment to making higher education accessible and affordable to students from a diverse array of backgrounds.  

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Works for Women and Vermont Adult Learning are excited to announce that a new collaborative workforce development program, Trailblazers: Energy Works, is coming to The MINT - Rutland’s Makerspace October 1 – November 23. The two non-profits will come together to offer a free eight-week joint training program for women and gender-expansive individuals ages 18+ who are interested in seeking employment in Vermont’s climate workforce. Through hands-on learning in a safe and supportive environment, participants will gain skills and industry-recognized credentials in basic construction, weatherization, heat pump installation, and more. 

Vermont Agency of Transportation On Friday, at approximately 12:21 p.m., DMV Inspectors responded to a crash involving a lawn mower and a tractor trailer on VT 110 in Tunbridge. Investigation determined that the lawn mower, operated by Islene Runningdeer, 75, of Tunbridge, drove onto the roadway and collided with the trailer portion of the tractor trailer. The tractor trailer was operated by Brigham Young, 40, of Essex, and owned by New Bern Transportation Corp. Runningdeer sustained minor, non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH. DMV was assisted by Tunbridge Fire Department.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center (AHMC) and The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) are requiring all employees to resume universal masking and asking patients and visitors to voluntarily do the same, as COVID infection rates rise in communities across both Clinton and Franklin counties and both hospitals see a rise in employee infections. Universal masking – or the practice of wearing an appropriate face covering for the entirety of an individual’s visit to a hospital, medical office or healthcare facility – has been shown to reduce individuals’ risk of exposure to airborne pathogens like COVID and influenza while indoors, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Vermont Business Magazine Finwave Semiconductor, Inc., a leading innovator in GaN (Gallium Nitride) technology, has announced a strategic technology development and licensing agreement with GlobalFoundries (GF), the world’s leading specialty foundry with a rich history of RF leadership. This partnership merges Finwave's cutting-edge GaN-on-Si technology with GF’s U.S.-based high-volume manufacturing capabilities and long legacy of RF innovation including industry-leading RF Silicon-On-Insulator and Silicon-Germanium solutions. The collaboration will focus on optimizing and scaling Finwave's innovative enhancement-mode (E-mode) MISHEMT technology to volume production at GF’s 200mm semiconductor manufacturing facility in Essex Jct, Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC) is pleased to announce the selection of second round sub-grant recipients of the Region 2 Vermont Prevention Lead Organization (VPLO) grant funds. The Region 2 service area includes Addison and Rutland Counties. The sub-grants will enhance and expand prevention efforts throughout the region, for all substances and populations, from July 2024 to June 2025.