Current News

by TJ Kingsbury, Kingsbury Companies For the second consecutive year – exactly one year to the day – Vermont has been struck by catastrophic flooding, wreaking havoc across our beautiful state. Kingsbury Companies, alongside many others, has been on the frontlines of cleanup and recovery efforts these past few weeks, and we are still supporting Vermonters in the aftermath of this relentless natural disaster. The repeated damage we’ve encountered – crumbling roadways, devastated driveways, infrastructure deterioration, and access-blocking debris – underscores an unpleasant reality: flooding in our home state is not an isolated incident, but a recurring challenge we need to address with foresight and strategy.

Vermont Business Magazine The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) held our 2024 Annual Meeting on June 26, 2024, outside of our offices in Woodstock, Vermont. Our Board of Representatives was joined by TRORC staff and community members for the election of officers, announcement of scholarships, and Volunteer of the Year award presentation. We are excited to announce that our Executive Committee Officers will continue their excellent service. The officers include William Emmons, Chair (Pomfret); John Echeverria, Vice Chair (Strafford); Peter Berger, Treasurer (Fairlee); and Nancy Jones, Secretary (Bradford). Brian Loeb (Norwich) will join Nancy Malmquist (West Fairlee) and Ken Alton as Executive Committee Members-At-Large. We are grateful for their strategic insight and community involvement.

Vermont Business Magazine American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation today announced the 2024 recipients of the Backing Historic Small Restaurants grant program. 50 small restaurants in the U.S. will receive a $50,000 grant each to help them upgrade, renovate and grow their businesses. The grant program significantly expanded its reach this year, doubling the number of grantees, including in 13 new states, and increasing the total grant funding to $2.5 million, up from $1 million in prior years. MKT: Grafton restaurant has received a $50,000 grant from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation as part of the “Backing Historic Small Restaurants” grant program.  

Vermont Business Magazine On July 15^th, three Vermont hospitals, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Brattleboro, Copley Hospital in Morrisville, and Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, signed an accord as founding member organizations of the New England Collaborative Health Network (NECHN). Each member committed to work inter-dependently for the long-term sustainability of independent community hospitals, health systems and community partners in care.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.43 per gallon, down 1.2 cents per gallon from last week's $3.44/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.19/g while the highest was $3.89/g, a difference of 70.0 cents per gallon. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Burlington was priced at $3.29/g yesterday while the most expensive was $3.55/g, a difference of 26.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 0.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.47/g today. The national average is down 0.8 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 25.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce recently conducted its annual State of the Commerce survey, providing valuable insights into the prevailing economic trends and sentiments about the regional economy. The survey, which saw participation from businesses and organizations across various sectors and towns in the region, highlighted both the challenges faced by businesses and their hopes for the future. The survey respondents represented a diverse mix of communities within Southwestern Vermont, with Bennington leading as the predominant town, comprising 61% of the respondents. Manchester followed with 27% of respondents, while Arlington, Dorset, Londonderry, and North Bennington made up 7% each. The survey showcased the collective voice of businesses and organizations from across the region, reflecting the Chamber's commitment to inclusivity and regional representation.

Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets The deadline to apply to the Farm Agronomic Practices (FAP) program is right around the corner! Don't miss your chance to receive payments for implementing conservation practices on your farm. The FAP program from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets supports hundreds of Vermont farmers every year to implement conservation practices, such as cover cropping, no till, rotational grazing, manure injection, crop to hay, and more. FAP is relatively flexible, easy to access, and provides flat per-acre payments to help support the cost of conservation practices. For example, FAP can provide $45/acre to support cover crops that are drilled or incorporated, or $30/acre to support manure injection or cover crops that are broadcast or inter-seeded. 

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine Who is Michael Monte, and why does everyone seem to love him? For one thing, over the 46 years that Monte has worked in Burlington, he has dramatically changed the city for the better. For another, at a time when almost the whole of the United States is experiencing a homelessness crisis and, on top of that, now a housing crisis as well, Monte, 71, is the CEO of the Champlain Housing Trust (CHT), the largest community land trust in the country. A community organizer at heart, Monte is leading a housing nonprofit with 153 employees and a $30 million budget, which oversees 2,300 apartments and 675 shared-equity houses. 

Vermont State Police On July 28th, 2024, at 0537 hours, Troopers from the St. Johnsbury Barracks were dispatched to a reported single vehicle crash on Wallace Hill Rd in the town of Newbury. Troopers responded to the scene and located a 2000 Jeep Wrangler with substantial damage near Stark Trail on Wallace Hill Road. Preliminary investigation determined that the operator was Daniel Sweet, age 22, of Newbury. Sweet succumbed to the injuries sustained in the crash.

Vermont State Police On Sunday morning at approximately 0504 am, Vermont State Police Berlin, Middlesex Fire Dept. and FAST Squad, Montpelier Fire Dept. and Ambulance Service responded to a crash on I-89, northbound in the town of Middlesex. Upon the arrival of first responders the vehicle was fully engulfed. The driver and front seat passenger were pronounced deceased at the scene.

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 July 29, 2024. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.    

by Interim Secretary of Education Zoie Saunders When I arrived in Vermont, I shared my intent to spend my first 100 days learning as much as possible about the state, our schools, and Vermonters’ education priorities. What I have learned gives me great hope about the work underway in our state. There is a real and shared desire to build consensus on how we can strengthen and sustain our education system for the benefit of all our state’s students and communities. We owe it to our students, Vermont’s future, to do this work together. I have traveled across the state visiting schools and speaking with community members from Southern Vermont to the Northeast Kingdom. The level of engagement and focus on schools demonstrates Vermont’s deep commitment to student success.