Current News

Vermont State Police The quick actions and teamwork of community members and first responders from the Waterbury Ambulance Service and Vermont State Police saved the life of a woman who experienced a medical emergency at a Waterbury golf course earlier this summer. The incident occurred July 3 at the Blush Hill Country Club when the 68-year-old woman collapsed and became unresponsive while walking to the first hole with her group. Her party called 911, and several bystanders began performing CPR while emergency services were en route. Waterbury Ambulance Service arrived swiftly, and volunteer Brian Lindner, a former Vermont State Police trooper, immediately began CPR. Trooper Mae Murdock was among several troopers from the Berlin Barracks to reach the scene minutes later. She took over chest compressions and tirelessly administered CPR until first responders set up an automated device known as a LUCAS machine to continue resuscitation.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) announced that Denise Smith has been selected as its Executive Director, a role she will assume on September 3, 2024. The announcement was made at the Vermont Community Leadership Summit on August 6, a VCRD event where hundreds of community builders from across the state came together to develop skills, capacity, and connections to improve their local communities. Denise has over 20 years of leadership, non-profit management, community development, and business experience. Since 2017, she has served as Director of Population Health Programs and Strategies at Northwestern Medical Center, a role that allowed her to work alongside community change makers on improving the health of Vermonters. While there, she led community health initiatives such as the Blueprint for Health in Franklin County.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.40/g, down 1.3 cents per gallon from last week's $3.41/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.04/g while the highest was $3.79/g, a difference of 75.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 3.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.41/g today. The national average is down 11.6 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 42.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets has grant funds available through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Program to support specialized equipment purchases that will strengthen the middle of the food supply chain in Vermont. The Request for Applications for this RFSI Equipment-only Grant is now available. The grant can fund eligible equipment purchases that help Vermont farms and food businesses to increase market access, diversify product offerings, and/or increase production quantities. Awards will range from $30,000 to $100,000, with no match commitment. Approximately $1 million in total funds are available for this grant round. 

Vermont State Police On 08/10/2024, at approximately time 1103 hours, the Vermont State Police - Westminster Barracks received several 911 calls about a pedestrian that had been struck by a motor vehicle on VT-9, in Marlboro, Vermont in the area of the Hogback Mountain Scenic Overlook. Troopers responded to the scene along with Deerfield Valley Rescue and Marlboro Fire Department. The victim/pedestrian was pronounced deceased at the scene of the crash. The crash remains under investigation.

Vermont Business Magazine At around 10 AM Saturday, August 10 on Ennis Hill Road in Marshfield, VT the 4,500 square foot Grassroots Center community space burned to the ground. No people or animals were inside at the time of the fire, which fully engulfed the building in minutes. Emergency personnel responded in full force and kept the blaze from spreading to any surrounding residences and outbuildings. Early evidence points to an electrical short as the likely cause of the structure fire. 

Vermont State Police Search and recovery efforts continued Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, to locate a missing swimmer in Warren Falls. Due to the conditions of the Mad River with high and swift water, recovery was unsuccessful. The missing swimmer is identified as Tuan Baldino, 35, of Paramus, New Jersey. Search efforts are expected to resume when river conditions allow, potentially as early as Monday, Aug. 12.

by Kate Kampner, Community News Service Fair skies one Thursday a couple weeks ago might’ve suggested a good day on the lake for boaters. But toward the mouth of the Winooski River, a clear cut of gray across the blue waves was hard to miss. Flooding again caused the river to overflow into Lake Champlain and with it came an influx of phosphorus and sediment such as dirt and bits of landscape. Together, fine particles from the debris created a string of murky, chocolate-colored plumes across the water. The cloudy water will likely take about two weeks to clear up. That was according to several researchers hosting the equivalent of a floating press conference on the lake that morning. The researchers also announced the Lake Champlain Sea Grant was awarded just under $300,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to launch a community-action coalition focused on reducing plastic pollution into Lake Champlain.

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies David Aronoff, a native of Lyndon, Vermont, has been supporting VCET’s board since 2008. In this Q&A, he reflects on his pivotal four years at UVM, his experience working at early-stage startups, and passion for venture capital. Now at My Climate Journey (MCJ), David focuses on climate innovation, while also giving back to Vermont through his involvement with VCET.

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 12, 2024. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.    

by Katrina Menard, Public Assets Institute As Vermont recovers from yet another round of flooding and braces for what’s left of Tropical Storm Debby, it may come as no surprise that Vermont is ranked seventh in the nation for the most federal disaster declarations due to extreme weather since 2011. And some parts are harder hit than others: Washington County is tied for second as the most disaster-prone county in the country, while Lamoille, Chittenden, Orange, Orleans and Essex are all tied for fourth. In addition to the very real emotional toll, these disasters cost the state money. Damage estimates from last summer’s flooding exceed $600 million—and over $90 million of that fell on state and local government. In other words: disasters are expensive, and the state needs to start accounting for unanticipated costs from flooding and other disasters.

Vermont Business Magazine There is no denying the energy surrounding the upcoming presidential election suddenly jumped off the charts which is why Ben & Jerry's is doing what it does best: launching a new ice cream. No, it's not a coconut flavor, but it does celebrate childless cat ladies everywhere…. and it's called: Churn Out the Vote. The Limited Batch flavor is packed with pretzel swirls, fudge chips, and ripples of chocolate mousse in a creamy vanilla ice cream and is proudly presented in partnership with the company's longtime friends at Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute (BVM). Inspired by the delicious optimism surrounding this election, Churn Out the Vote is part of a larger campaign to celebrate and activate young voters, especially young voters of color, to participate in this historically important election and join the growing movement to protect democracy and be a voter.