Current News

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.

Vermont Business Magazine ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Vermont’s science and nature museum, will complete a large-scale renovation of its well-known “Into the Lake” exhibit. The current gallery is twenty years old and hosts the museum’s largest aquarium, a 7,000-gallon freshwater habitat that displays Lake Champlain’s largest, most charismatic fish species, including lake sturgeon, bowfin, channel catfish, freshwater drum, and muskellunge. Lake Champlain is home to a robust freshwater ecosystem that provides benefits for the surrounding community and countless species of animals and plants. It requires protection to ensure it continues to benefit future generations. This $3.3 million project will upgrade ECHO’s “Into the Lake” exhibit gallery and enhance public education about native wildlife and stewardship of the Lake Champlain Basin ecosystem. The upgraded gallery will feature an expanded aquarium, updated exhibits, a new presentation space, and more. 

Vermont Business Magazine Beech Leaf Disease (BLD), a new disease affecting beech trees and caused by an invasive worm-like nematode (Litylenchus creatae mccannii), has been detected in four Vermont counties: Bennington, Chittenden, Windham, and Windsor. It has only recently been discovered, so much about this disease remains unknown, including the full cause and how it spreads. However, we do know that BLD can have catastrophic effects on forest ecosystems. The Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) needs the public's help in reporting potentially symptomatic beech trees to advance our understanding of the disease. BLD affects buds and foliage of all species of beech trees, leading to leaf striping and loss as well as reduced leaf and bud production. 

Vermont Business Magazine Ledyard Financial Group, Inc. (OTCQX: LFGP), the holding company for Ledyard National Bank with a branch in Norwich, Vermont, has announced financial results for Q2 2024. Quarter-over-quarter improvement in net income provides continued evidence that the Company’s strategic plan is beginning to bear fruit. By continuing to leverage the integration of its banking and wealth management businesses, the Company remains focused on promoting growth and the pursuit of making life better for its clients, its employees, its shareholders, and the communities it serves. Q2 2024 net income was $726 thousand ($0.22 per share), up $263 thousand over Q1 2024, and up $7 thousand from Q2 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Historical Society (VHS) is proud to announce that it has been selected to receive a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) 21st Century Museum Professionals Program (21MP). This grant program supports institutions across the country in preparing museum professionals to tackle contemporary challenges in the field. In this funding cycle, the IMLS has awarded a total of $2 million to eight institutions nationwide, with VHS receiving $175,029. This grant will allow VHS to work with local historical societies around the state to help develop advanced skills among staff at these mostly all-volunteer organizations. The project will help organizations find the right direction for their collections work, break daunting tasks down to doable sizes, and prepare for further work in digitization and collections access. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Interim Secretary of Administration Sarah Clark today released Vermont’s revenue results for June 2024. Led by the vital Personal Income Tax, the General Fund exceeded its monthly consensus cash flow target as adopted by the Emergency Board at its January 2024 meeting. The Transportation Fund and the Education Fund lagged their June targets. All three funds finished the fiscal year ahead of the cumulative consensus cash flow targets by a total of $143.6 million. The PI, the GF's most important revenue source, was nearly 17% above projections for the month and over $100 million ahead for the fiscal year, which ended June 30. Meanwhile, the other largest revenue sources had more modest results. The Corporate and Rooms & Meals taxes were right at their targets, while the Sales Tax fell below projections for the month and slightly for the year.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) in Bennington has announced next steps around the redevelopment of the former Southern Vermont College campus in Bennington. In March of 2023, SVHC, part of Dartmouth Health, entered into a purchase and sale agreement of the campus with Alfred Weissman Real Estate, LLC (AWRE). Since then, AWRE has been working toward the development of a five-star destination resort. The proposed five-star resort would include both fine and casual dining, a beauty and health spa, a fitness/wellness center, special events venue and other amenities. The project also includes an extensive historic restoration of the Everett Mansion for use as luxury accommodations and fine dining.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims fell last week to their lowest levels since last year. For the week ending July 30, 2024, new claims were 238, which is typical of summer lows. Service claims remain somewhat elevated, but Manufacturing claims are below their usual levels after a spike in June. For new and continuing UI claims, there were a total of 2,562 claims, down 253 from the week before and 701 fewer than last year.

Vermont Business Magazine UVM Medical Center’s plan to purchase the Colchester-based Fanny Allen campus, which is home to a wide array of essential clinical services used by tens of thousands of patients each year, has been approved by the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB). The written decision by the board comes after Fanny Allen’s current owners said they would sell the 22-acre campus. The GMCB, in approving the Certificate of Need application, said the $17.3 million purchase – financed over 15 years and included in the hospital’s FY25 budget submission – would serve the interests of patients and the community. By purchasing the Fanny Allen campus, UVM Medical Center expects to save about $6.1 million over the 15-year period of financing.