Current News

Vermont Business Magazine GasBuddy today released its annual Labor Day travel forecast, predicting the average price of gas will continue its recent downward trend, falling to $3.27 per gallon on Labor Day, the lowest Labor Day price since 2021. At $3.27 per gallon, this Labor Day’s national average would be 50 cents per gallon, or 13% below last year’s $3.77 tally, saving Americans a combined $750 million over the Friday-through-Monday travel period. Average gasoline prices in the US today are $3.33/g, down 2 cents/g from last week. In Vermont they are $3.36 per gallon, down 2 cents per gallon from last week. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.89/g while the highest was $3.79/g, a difference of 90.0 cents per gallon.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) has been awarded a $300,000 Wood Innovations Grant from the United States Forest Service to help working lands businesses install new or upgrade existing advanced wood heating (AWH) systems. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis. Grant funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and will reimburse up to 50% of project costs (maximum grant amount of $25,000). AWH systems are automated central heating systems that use pellets, chips, or cord wood to provide heat and meet certain high efficiency and low emission requirements.

Vermont Business Magazine The Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP) application portal is now open. Businesses and nonprofits (including landlords and farms) with damaged property from the 2023 and/or 2024 floods are encouraged to visit the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program page to learn how the program works and what they need to have on hand before they begin the online application process. A pre-recorded webinar walks applicants step-by-step through the process and answers several FAQ’s. All applicants seeking assistance in preparing to submit this grant application can receive help from the Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation (CVEDC). CVEDC is the statewide technical assistance provider for BEGAP. Fill out their support request form and they will follow up with resources to help.  and they will follow up with resources to help. 

Vermont Business Magazine Michael Costa will join Gifford Health Care as president and chief executive officer on Oct. 14, Gifford’s Board of Directors announced today. Costa will succeed Dan Bennett, who will retire from the role at the Randolph hospital on Oct. 11. Costa currently serves as the CEO of Northern Counties Health Care in St. Johnsbury, Vt., a role he has been in since 2019. He previously served as the deputy commissioner for the Department of Vermont Health Access, the state agency responsible for administering Vermont’s Medicaid health insurance program, and as deputy director of health care reform for the State of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Electric Department (BED) was awarded a $4,890,821 Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration to deploy electric vehicle (EV) chargers throughout the City of Burlington. In implementing its “Charging to Net Zero Energy” project, BED plans to use the grant funds to install 153 Level 2 and 47 Level 3 fast chargers at approximately 85 publicly accessible sites. The project will expand by six times BED’s existing public charging network, encourage EV adoption, promote accessibility of EVs by including locations that will serve high numbers of renters, New Americans, Refugees, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and help the city meet its Net Zero Energy (NZE) climate goal. BED was the only Vermont recipient of federal grant funds in this latest funding announcement.

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) has released a draft rule to guide the management planning process for lands owned and managed by ANR. The public is invited to comment on the draft rule until November 1, 2024. ANR owns and manages approximately 375,000 acres of public lands across the State of Vermont through its three departments: the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR); Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (FWD); Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). These lands provide immense value by supporting diverse wildlife habitats, offering abundant recreational opportunities, preserving vital natural resources, enhancing the state’s resilience to climate change, and contributing significantly to the well-being of our environment and the prosperity of our communities.

Vermont Business Magazine As the state continues to experience the impacts of climate change, Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas promoted an upcoming “Day of Learning” event, supported by her office, on Tuesday September 17 at the Elks Lodge in Barre, VT. This event will be hosted by the Vermont Arts & Culture Disaster and Resilience Network (VACDaRN), founded in 2019 as a partnership of the Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA), which is a division of the Secretary of State’s office. VACDaRN provides resources and training in disaster preparedness for arts and cultural institutions.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Wednesday made a formal request to President Joe Biden for a Major Disaster Declaration to help communities and individuals in Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties recover from damages incurred in the storms and floods of July 29-31, 2024. The declaration requests funding under the Public Assistance (PA) and Individual Assistance (IA) programs. A federal damage assessment identified more than $3.7 million in public infrastructure damage because of that storm. Floodwaters also destroyed or damaged 85 homes across the three counties, according to the initial assessment.

Vermont Business Magazine Following advocacy by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont), the Town of Rockingham has been awarded $749,983 from the National Park Service to preserve the historic Rockingham Meeting House, a Vermont and New England landmark and rare eighteenth-century meeting house built in 1787. Last year, Sanders also secured $360,000 for the preservation of the Rockingham Meeting House in FY2023 Congressionally Directed Spending funds.

Vermont Business Magazine A suspect has been arrested on murder charges related to the fatal shooting more than two years ago of a 38-year-old man from Springfield, Vermont. The Vermont State Police obtained an arrest warrant Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, for Paul Lachapelle Jr., 28, of Littleton, New Hampshire, on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The charges arise from the homicide of Justin Gilliam, who was found deceased June 6, 2022, on Greeley Road in Springfield. Lachapelle, who lived in Springfield, Vermont, at the time of Gilliam’s killing, was jailed pending an initial court appearance in New Hampshire that is expected to be held sometime Thursday, Aug. 29. Further details will be provided when available by the New Hampshire State Police.

Vermont Business Magazine Health officials are strongly recommending people in towns at high risk for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) avoid spending time outdoors as much as possible between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. to avoid mosquitoes that could carry the virus. If going outdoors, taking steps to prevent mosquito bites is essential. High-risk towns currently include Alburgh, Burlington, Colchester and Swanton. The recommendation will be in place until the first hard frost that kills mosquitoes. Vermont continues to see much higher numbers of mosquitoes testing positive for EEE virus this year compared to previous years, affecting more areas of the state. Risk levels are based on the sustained numbers of EEE-positive tests of mosquitoes in these towns, in addition to the person infected with EEE in Chittenden County.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Colleges System (VSC) Board of Trustees, in consultation with VSC Chancellor Elizabeth Mauch, is pleased to announce that David Bergh, who has been serving as interim president since November 2023, will continue in his leadership role as president of Vermont State University through June 2026. This decision reflects the confidence and unanimous support of the Board of Trustees.  The Board will initiate a national search for a new president to include broad stakeholder participation from faculty, staff, students, and community partners during the 2025-2026 academic year.