Current News

Vermont Business Magazine New research has revealed the states where your mail is most likely to be lost, with Vermont ranking fifth. Experts in digital mailboxes at iPostal1 analyzed the average number of monthly Google searches in each state for over 150 terms related to lost mail, including ‘USPS mail recovery’ and ‘FedEx lost mail.’ The number of searches in each state were compared to the population to determine which state has the most lost mail per 100,000 citizens. At the top of the list is Colorado, with 12,667 cases of lost mail per 100,000 citizens each month. The state least likely to lose your mail is Oklahoma, with just 8,974 monthly searches regarding missing mail per 100,000 residents.

Vermont Business Magazine President Joseph Biden today approved Governor Phil Scott’s request for a FEMA major disaster declaration for Vermont to assist individuals and communities in recovering from flooding that occurred from July 9 to 11, 2024. This FEMA major disaster declaration provides funding for individuals in Addison, Orleans, Washington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, and Essex counties to apply to FEMA for assistance. The Individual Assistance (IA) program helps people impacted by the disaster seek some reimbursement for necessary expenses and serious needs that cannot be met through insurance or other forms of assistance. Eligible expenses include rental assistance, home repair, home replacement, lodging, and other expenses.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak was joined by federal, state & city officials along with community partners to announce the opening of the middle segment of the Champlain Parkway. This segment includes a new multi-use path, pedestrian activated signalization, a stormwater detention pond and a newly constructed 25 MPH road between Home Avenue and Lakeside Avenue. “This section of the Parkway will alleviate truck traffic in front of Champlain Elementary School, unlock potential for more housing, take pressure off of the combined sewer system and give pedestrians and cyclists safer space to navigate our City. We will take the lessons learned from this project to improve community engagement, and advance infrastructure projects that make Burlington a walkable, bikeable, and climate resilient community.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC), University of Vermont (UVM), and Urban Institute today released the third and final round of survey findings from the Prison Research and Innovation Network (PRIN). With a 70% response rate from correctional staff, the March 2024 results showed large improvements in correctional staff job satisfaction and workplace culture. Sixty-five percent of staff respondents said they often or always look forward to coming to work, and 85% of respondents reported they agree or strongly agree they take pride in their job. The survey reiterated that mandatory overtime and staff mental health continue to be significant challenges at the facility. With an 83% response rate from incarcerated individuals, responses showed improvements in access to activities that promote well-being and growth and increased emotional support amongst incarcerated individuals. Preparation for release is still perceived negatively by those incarcerated, as is timely access to medical care and costs associated with phone calls and commissary. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas announced that the Statewide Canvass of Vermont 2024 Primary Election results will be delayed until tomorrow. The Canvass Committee Meeting originally scheduled for today will be held at 9AM on Wednesday, August 21 at the Secretary of State’s office at 128 State Street in Montpelier. The reason for the postponement was an issue with the election management system’s report-generation function. This issue was caught as staff performed checks while printing the official reports. To ensure that all reports precisely match the official return of votes submitted by clerks, the agency will delay the canvass committee and continue to work with its technology vendor and clerks to resolve the issue.

Vermont State Police and DMV Enforcement are on scene/ investigating a crash involving a TT Unit which has gone off the road and is in the Missisquoi River in Swanton. There are no injuries, and the driver has been removed from the truck, which sits partially submerged. Route 78 will now be completely closed in this area while crews work to remove this truck, which will last several hours. State Police are currently coordinating that closure this with VTrans. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine For the week ending August 10, the Vermont Department of Health reported that the number of COVID-19 cases in Vermont remains much higher than in the spring, and for the first time in several months, COVID-related deaths have increased. COVID fatalities increased by 7 in the last week and are at 1,168 since the beginning of the pandemic over four years ago. The weekly report also shows that hospitalizations and general "syndromic" cases remain low but have increased somewhat in the last few weeks to just over 10 people being treated at a Vermont hospital each week. The number of COVID cases is elevated and there were 244 cases reported last week. Cases had been falling in April and May and were as low as 31 at the beginning of May. 

Vermont Business Magazine Former state senator and longtime Professor of Political Science at Johnson State College Bill Doyle died last Thursday at Mayo Healthcare in Northfield. A Republican from Washington County (1969-2017), Doyle is perhaps best known for his statewide Town Meeting Day poll. The poll surveyed voters on both political and social issues. He was also known for his relentless community activity.

Vermont Business Magazine EVLO Energy Storage Inc, a fully integrated battery energy storage system (BESS) provider and wholly owned subsidiary of Hydro-Québec, today announced that it has completed the commissioning of a first utility-scale BESS project in the United States. The contracted 3 MW/12 MWh installation is in Troy, Vermont. The BESS will store energy during strong energy production times for later use during peak energy demand, helping to smooth out the intermittency of renewable power generation while delivering value to local utility customers.  The Troy project will also provide data to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Sandia National Laboratories to demonstrate how battery storage can enable the expansion of renewable energy production, while further integrating renewables into the New England grid.

by Catha Mayor, Dartmouth Dartmouth Engineering will lead one of the first eight teams announced today by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to receive an award through its Precision Surgical Interventions (PSI) program. An agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ARPA-H is committing up to $31.3 million over seven years to the Dartmouth-led team to create a laparoscope-integrating imaging solution that will be especially helpful in prostate cancer surgeries. The ARPA-H announcement builds on President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden's "Cancer Moonshot" with the goals of reducing the cancer death rate in the US by at least half—preventing more than 4 million cancer deaths—by 2047, and improving the experience of people who are touched by cancer.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The first major appointment of the previous president is now his successor. The University of Vermont Board of Trustees approved in a special meeting Monday the appointment of Patricia Prelock to serve as interim president of the university following the departure of current president Suresh Garimella. Garimella was announced as the next president of the University of Arizona on August 9, after a brisk search process. Garimella had appointed Prelock as the chief academic officer of UVM shortly after he took office in 2019. Speculation on who the interim president of UVM had centered on the well-regarded Prelock.

Vermont State Police The investigation is continuing into the disappearance of Matthew Houskeeper, 59, of Bennington. Crews will continue a limited search in the coming days. The Vermont State Police asks that anyone who might have seen or found a blue and white kayak on or near the Sherman Reservoir in Whitingham call the Westminster Barracks at 802-722-4600. People also can submit an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.