Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that James Beam, 29, of Springfield, Vermont, was arraigned today on one felony count of Attempted Luring of a Child. The charge brought against Mr. Beam is the result of an undercover criminal investigation conducted by the Hartford Police Department and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC) during which Mr. Beam initiated contact online via the Grindr application with a Hartford investigator posing as a 14-year-old minor. Mr. Beam engaged in sexual conversations with the undercover investigator and set up a meeting to engage in sexual acts.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) has added 62 acres to Camel’s Hump State Park in Duxbury through the Ridley Brook Conservation Project. The project aligns with the goals of Vermont’s Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection Act by protecting biodiversity and the many co-benefits that come with it. Notedly, it supports flood resilience and water quality in the Winooski River watershed by slowing down, absorbing, and filtering future flood events. The Ridley Brook Conservation Project is also part of a priority connectivity block, helping link the northern Green Mountains and Canada to the southern Green Mountains and the Berkshires. This corridor is important for the north-south movement of moose, bear, and other large mammals along the spine of the Green Mountains.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Parks Forever is partnering with GeerGarage, a leading outdoor gear sharing platform. This partnership brings a wider variety of outdoor gear rentals to the growing community in Vermont, all facilitated through a peer-to-peer rental model. Vermont’s outdoor enthusiasts of all experience levels can now tap into GeerGarage’s platform to rent quality gear directly from their neighbors. This partnership expands access to essential outdoor equipment for activities like backpacking, camping, day hikes, kayaking, and paddle boarding in a cost-effective and sustainable way.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Economic Development (DED) is requesting businesses that endured damage as a result of the July 2024 flooding events to complete DED’s Flood Damage Survey for Businesses to capture the type and scale of the flood-related damage. Survey data will be used to help advocate for future relief and recovery programs for businesses and nonprofit organizations. Non-profit and for-profit organizations that sustained physical property damage suffered by the July 2024 floods should answer questions to the best of their ability. If multiple properties are damaged, a new survey should be submitted for each location.  

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.42 per gallon, down 2 cents per gallon from last week, unchanged from last month and down 33 cents/g from last year. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.94/g in West Brattleboro, while the highest was $3.79/g in Westminster. This is the first time this year that the lowest price has been under $3/g. The national average price of gasoline is down 6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.46/g today. The national average is down 3 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 31 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. However, fears of an expanding war in the Middle East between Israel and Iran have increased the price of oil, which typically will increase the price of gasoline.

Vermont Business Magazine As previously announced, the Department is highlighting changes to the availability of sub-state data through our Labor Market Information division. The federal government has discontinued using New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs). This change will affect the Burlington-South Burlington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), all Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Labor Market Areas in Vermont. These Statistical Areas will now be delineated based on counties rather than towns. For the past 20 years, New England States have operated with county and NECTA-based Statistical Areas, whereas the rest of the country has only used county-based areas. 

Northeastern Vermont Development Association There are $50-100K Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) available for Vermont municipalities. This funding opportunity, made possible by the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, aims to assist local governments in enhancing energy efficiency and reducing fossil fuel emissions, particularly in the transportation and building sectors. The deadline to apply is August 9 at 4:30 PM. 

Northeastern Vermont Development Association  Join hundreds of community builders from across the state on August 6th. The theme is Forge Forward, Thrive Together! Attendees are invited to participate in any session of interest, or follow themed "participation pathways" with optional sessions related to Climate Resilience & Long-term Recovery; Youth Leadership & Engagement; or Understanding & Solving Vermont's Persistent Challenges.

by LAUREN MILIDEO, UVM At least 20 times in the past 70 years, part of the hill by Burlington’s Riverside Avenue has tumbled into the Winooski River, according to new UVM research. With structures atop the unstable slope, it’s just a matter of time before the next landslide, with the potential for property and environmental damage, the researchers say. It started with a walk. In May 2019, UVM professor Paul Bierman strolled down Burlington’s Riverside Avenue on his way home from work. The river was beautiful, the day mild after a long Vermont winter. But as a geologist, Bierman was more interested in dumped materials in cracks splitting open on the riverside slope. He photographed them, which became a weekly habit.

by Kate Kampner, Community News Service Julie Parker-Dickinson, a master gardener and a second-grade teacher, was encouraging kids about their futures back in 2017 when she realized something: She didn’t feel she was doing anything to ensure a bright future would still be there for them. She decided to plant a garden at Quinlan’s Covered Bridge in Charlotte, where she lives, the first of many around town that she would fill with native species. The idea was to build a better food source for local pollinators, who play a vital role in helping plants reproduce. One day, she heard from Bethany Barry, who wanted to help pollinators in Addison County. She thought Parker-Dickinson could be a good partner.

Vermont Business Magazine If you or someone you know would like to go hunting this fall but have never taken a hunter education course, this is the time to act.  Vermont’s volunteer hunter education instructors are now holding a limited number of courses throughout the state. A person must pass the basic hunter education course before they can purchase their first hunting license.

Vermont Business Magazine In its latest effort to ensure state leaders are held accountable and follow their own climate laws, Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) last week sent a notice of alleged violation to Vermont’s Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources for failing to meet her legal responsibilities set by the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), ensuring the state is on track to reduce climate-damaging emissions.