Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual "Heart of The Shires Luncheon" at the beautiful Lincoln Hall at Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, on November 6th, honoring remarkable individuals and organizations that have made significant impacts across the region. The event, featuring keynote speaker Matt Dunne of the Center on Rural Innovation, gathered over 90 attendees, including local leaders, nonprofits, and social sector representatives, to celebrate community service and leadership in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will be collaborating with the Vermont Safe Driver Program this holiday season to display a “Red Ribbon Tree” in six DMV locations around the state from November 10 until the end of the year. The Red Ribbon Tree is a reminder never to drive impaired or distracted. Each ribbon on the tree represents a person who lost their life on Vermont’s roads and highways due to an impaired or distracted driver. In Vermont, from 2019 to 2023, 56% of fatal vehicle crashes involved an impaired driver (impaired includes both drugs and alcohol), and 237 children were involved in crashes with impaired drivers. In 2023, there were 42 fatalities involving an impaired driver. Between 2019 and 2023, 10.7% of fatal crashes in Vermont involved a distracted driver.

Vermont Business Magazine Building Bright Futures (BBF) has announced a new round of grant recipients for the Vermont Early Childhood Fund (VECF), totaling $1.9 million for projects focused on Vermont children and families. VECF is now funded by the Vermont Integration Project: Building Integration in Vermont’s Birth–5 Early Childhood Systems (VIP B–5) Preschool Development Grant. Thanks to this federal grant, VECF expanded its funding substantially this year, from $105,000 for projects carried out in 2023 to $3.2 million for grants awarded in December 2023 and May 2024, and $1.9 million for this round of projects. VECF supports creative solutions to improve the well-being of children through age 8, their families, and the Vermont communities where they live. VECF was established in 2021 thanks to a generous grant from a private donor and was able to continue to fund projects in 2022 and 2023 with support from the Sunflower Fund at the VCF. 

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark, along with Franklin County State’s Attorney Bram Kranichfeld, will host a free expungement clinic on Thursday, December 12, 2024, with appointments available from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Expungements wipe from your criminal record specific convictions and dismissed charges after a certain period of time has passed. Under Vermont law, most misdemeanors, 14 different felony offenses, and all dismissed charges can be expunged or sealed. The free clinic will focus on expunging and sealing criminal charges and convictions from Franklin County and will be open to the public by appointment only.  

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports was awarded the prestigious 2024 Bill McCollom Community Award by the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum, recognizing its transformative contributions to Vermont’s skiing and riding community. The award celebrates Vermont Adaptive’s commitment to accessibility, and empowering youth and adults with disabilities to experience outdoor sports and recreation.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Paul A. Williams, 59, of Morrisville, Vermont, was arraigned Thursday on one count of felony Sexual Abuse of a Vulnerable Adult. The charge brought against Mr. Williams was the result of an investigation conducted by the Morrisville Police Department and the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU), which allege that Mr. Williams, a licensed nursing assistant, sexually assaulted a 95-year-old vulnerable adult who was a resident of The Manor nursing home in Morrisville, where he was employed. Mr. Williams pleaded not guilty at the arraignment Thursday in Vermont Superior Court, Lamoille Criminal Division.

Vermont Business Magazine The average gasoline price in Vermont is $3.12 per gallon, down 2 cents per gallon from last week, down 6 cents/g from last month and down 46 cents from a year ago. The lowest price in the state today is $2.38/g in West Brattleboro while the highest was $3.34/g in Lyndonville. For the third straight week, the national average price of gasoline declined over the last week, falling 2.2 cents compared to a week ago, and stands at $3.05 per gallon today.

by Beth Parent, CSWD With America Recycles Day just around the corner on November 15, we at the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) want to celebrate you for your commitment to the three R’s — reducing, reusing, and recycling. By giving materials a second chance at life instead of sending them to the landfill, you’re helping to build a more sustainable future. According to our own Waste Diversion Report, Chittenden County residents and businesses are making impressive strides in diverting waste from Vermont’s only landfill: 51% of all waste generated in our county was reused or recycled and kept out of the landfill last year. It might not sound like much, but with only 80% of the total waste stream actually able to be diverted, reaching a 51% diversion rate is a significant achievement.

Vermont Business Magazine There are not enough mental health professionals to support Vermont youth, particularly in rural areas. But a new program—the Catamount Counseling Collaborative for Rural Schools—run by an interdisciplinary team from the University of Vermont (UVM), will train and place 52 school counselors, social workers, and clinical mental health counselors in rural Vermont schools over the next five years. The project is supported by a $3.8 million Mental Health Service Professional demonstration grant from the U.S. Department of Education and addresses the state’s mental health workforce shortage by building a sustainable pathway for teaching and retaining professionals in areas of high need. The effort strengthens the pipeline between Vermont’s community colleges and UVM graduate programs, diversifies the workforce, and funds individuals to remain in their placement schools.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine OneCare Vermont, a pioneering Accountable Care Organization (ACO) dedicated to improving Vermont’s healthcare system, has announced plans to wind down its operations at the conclusion of 2025. This decision comes as the Vermont All-Payer ACO Model (VTAPM), a state-led initiative designed specifically for Vermont, is set to conclude at the end of the calendar year 2025. This pivotal moment in the region's healthcare reform journey follows nearly a decade of successful collaboration among healthcare providers to improve quality and reduce spending. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) announced that it has received $4.5 million for affordable housing through its third federal Capital Magnet Fund award. The funds will be invested in VHFA’s Housing Investments for Vermont (HIVE) Fund, which has now raised over $20 million from private and public investments. The new award will support the development and preservation of over 240 permanently affordable apartments for Vermonters. The $4.5 million award is VHFA’s third consecutive award from the Capital Magnet Fund, a program of the U.S. Treasury. This year the program awarded $246 million in funding to 48 nonprofits and financial institutions. The program is highly competitive, having received requests for over four times the available funding this year.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) is updating its County Forester service areas to better support landowners statewide. Effective November 12, 2024, County Forester responsibilities will be redistributed on a regional basis, no longer restricted by county boundaries. This change aims to provide more equitable access to forestry services. County Foresters have long been key to providing forest management, stewardship guidance, technical assistance, and outreach to Vermont landowners, fostering lasting relationships. They offer expertise on topics ranging from forest management to wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation.