Current News

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. 

Public Assets Institute Vermont’s official jobless rate hit record lows last year as the state continued to recover from the pandemic. That is also true for the broadest measure of unemployment, called U-6, which counts people who have dropped out of the labor force and those who are underemployed. U-6 averaged 3.9 percent for 2023, Vermont’s lowest in 20 years, tying with South Dakota for the lowest rate in the country. The unemployment rates reported every month count only people who are out of work and actively looking for a job. But there are others who would like to work but have stopped looking, as well as part-time workers who would like more hours. These underemployed workers make up the bulk of people not captured in the official jobless rates.

Vermont Business Magazine The Champlain Valley Exposition today released the results of a community survey conducted to solicit feedback in response to its request for 15 additional event sound waivers, on top of the 20 it currently holds. These additional events will be crucial for generating the income needed to make essential updates to the grandstand. CVE relies on income from grandstand events to offer reduced or no-cost fees to nonprofit and community event organizers seeking to use the organization’s space. Without these upgrades, the quality and availability of events that enhance community life and promote a vibrant community spirit could be at risk.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today announced that she has joined an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation-Ticketmaster. The lawsuit, initially filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and state partners, alleges that Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, formed an illegal monopoly and engaged in anti-competitive conduct to maintain that monopoly. Attorney General Clark’s office has been investigating Live Nation-Ticketmaster since May. As a result of its conduct, music fans in the United States are deprived of ticketing innovation and forced to use outdated technology while paying more for tickets than fans in other countries.