Current News

Vermont Business Magazine This summer, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is launching the Automotive Emissions Repair Assistance Program Pilot with partner repair facilities in Shelburne and Bennington. As a small-scale pilot, this program will help low-income vehicle owners with repairs required to pass the emissions portion of the annual state inspection. The pilot can provide funding for vehicle emissions systems repairs, covering up to 50% of the vehicle’s fair market value, with a maximum limit of $2,500. Examples of eligible repairs include fixing a faulty catalytic converter or replacing a sensor.

Vermont State Police The search continued Sunday for Matthew Houskeeper, 59, of Bennington. He remains missing. Anyone with information that could assist investigators is asked to call the Westminster Barracks at 802-722-4600; the Bennington Police Department at 802-442-1030; or provide an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit. 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.38 per gallon, down 1.5 cents per gallon from last week's $3.40/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.99/g while the highest was $3.89/g, a difference of 90.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 4.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.37/g today. 

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets Are you a farmer looking for assistance on your farm to improve soil health, increase flood resilience, or be climate smart? If so, you should consider applying for NRCS-VT funding for 2025. The deadline to enroll for assistance from NRCS programs in 2025 has been moved up this year. Farmers interested in applying for NRCS-VT funding for 2025 must enroll with NRCS by August 23, 2024. Once enrolled with NRCS, farmers will be eligible to apply for NRCS funded programs in 2025, including but not limited to: Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP); Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP); and Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). 

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine Gone are the days of simply returning to pre-pandemic normalcy for Addison County businesses. Their sights are set firmly on the future, actively seeking the next stage of growth. “Our goal at the chamber, and I believe for all business organizations here in the county, is to move beyond pre-pandemic levels,“ said Phil Summers, executive director of the Addison County Chamber of Commerce.

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine Addison County has challenges related to housing, workforce, and child care, and organizations and municipalities are working towards solutions. “So the good news is, the challenges are, in most cases, balanced by some good news and the projects that are happening,” said Fred Kenney, executive director of the Addison County Economic Development Corp.

Vermont Business Magazine Search efforts continued in the vicinity of the Sherman Reservoir throughout the day Saturday, Aug. 17, for Matthew Houskeeper, 59, of Bennington, Vermont. He was not located, and crews intend to return Sunday. Teams that participated in Saturday’s search included the Vermont State Police Search and Rescue Team and the Underwater Recovery Team; the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife; New England K9 Search and Rescue; and Rescue Inc.

Vermont Business Magazine This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will affect traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont for the week of August 19, 2024. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.    

Champlain Valley Down Syndrome Group The 14th Annual Champlain Valley Buddy Walk will take place at Burlington's Battery Park on Sunday, September 29, 2024, with on-site registration opening at noon and the walk commencing at 1 PM. More than 150 people are expected to attend the event, which is one of 250 Walks across the country this fall to raise awareness and funds for programs that benefit people with Down syndrome and their families. The Buddy Walk Program was established in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) to promote acceptance and inclusion for people with Down syndrome. It is still the premier walk program for our community in the United States. This year's walk will begin and end in Battery Park, and will trace an approximately 1-mile loop through adjacent Waterfront Park.

Vermont Business Magazine Twenty-five attorneys from the northern New England law firm Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC (DRM) have been recognized in the 2025 editions of The Best Lawyers in America. Three of the firm’s lawyers were recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” honorees, and five were named to the Best Lawyers Ones to Watch in America 2025 list. Lawyers are neither required nor allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, recognition by Best Lawyers® is considered a singular honor.

Vermont Business Magazine Smokey House Center is excited to announce they will host the inaugural Northeast Forest Farming Conference in partnership with the Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition from September 6th through the 8th. The conference is made possible by support from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number LNE21-423. The conference will offer a comprehensive exploration of forest farming featuring workshops including a Medicine Walk with Stockbridge-Munsee herbalist, Misty Cook, a field session on the propagation of woodland botanicals with Margaret Bloomquist, an applied personhood, contextual sanctity and stewardship poultice workshop with Two-Spirit Curandere Eltón García-Sosa, wild-simulated ginseng production by Anna Plattner and Justin Wexler of Wild Hudson Valley, and a shiitake inoculation workshop with Corinna Steinrueck, among others. 

The Vermont State Police and the Bennington Police Department are investigating a missing-persons case involving Matthew Housekeeper, 59, of Bennington, Vermont. Mr. Housekeeper has not been seen or heard from since Wednesday morning, Aug. 14, 2024. The Bennington Police Department initiated an investigation Thursday, Aug. 15, after he failed to show up at work and was reported missing. At about 11:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 16, Mr. Housekeeper’s vehicle, a white 2023 Subaru Crosstrek, was located abandoned in the vicinity of 2445 Tunnel. St. in Whitingham, near the Sherman Reservoir, in VSP’s coverage area. Troopers responded to process the scene and initiate a search. Mr. Housekeeper was not located before the search ended at nightfall. Crews plan to resume search efforts Saturday morning.