Current News

Vermont Business Magazine After major flooding in central and northern Vermont, the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Dam Safety Program is sharing how the State is keeping Vermonters safe from the effects of potential storm damage to dams. Vermont’s three Winooski River Valley flood control reservoirs are functioning as designed. They are effectively protecting downstream communities from what would have been more severe flooding effects. These reservoirs have plenty of remaining storage capacity and water levels are starting to become stable or recede. Engineers are actively monitoring all three dams: East Barre, Waterbury, and Wrightsville.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and other state officials held a press briefing last Thursday to discuss the state's ongoing response to last Wednesday's flooding. As the northern half of Vermont begins the clean-up and recovery process from flooding July 10-11, the Vermont Department of Labor stands by, ready to help businesses and individuals get back on their feet. 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.46 per gallon, up 1.5 cents per gallon from last week's $3.44/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.14/g while the highest was $3.89/g, a difference of 75.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 2.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.49/g today. The national average is up 5.2 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 5.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Police investigation into Sunday night’s trooper-involved shooting in Burke remains active and ongoing Monday afternoon, July 15, 2024. The man who was shot is identified as Brenden Sackal, 30, of Hopkinton, Rhode Island. He initially was treated at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury and subsequently transferred to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where he remains Monday afternoon. He was reported to be in critical condition with non-life-threatening injuries. The situation began Sunday evening when police in Rhode Island notified law-enforcement authorities in northern New Hampshire and Vermont that Sackal was believed to be traveling in the region and was the subject of an arrest warrant on charges related to possessing illegal high-capacity firearm magazines. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington will celebrate the Mass of Ordination and Installation of the Most Reverend John Joseph McDermott as the 11th Bishop of Burlington on July 15, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Burlington.

by Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts Well, here we are. It’s hard to imagine that just one year after extreme flooding we are again facing severe weather issues and more flooding. Many of our farmers, producers and citizens were once again hit with damage. All of us at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets are thinking of you during this difficult time. Our team is contacting the farm community, and we will continue to stay close once we arrive at the recovery stage.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Saturday signed an addendum to his Emergency Declaration, which updates the existing Declaration to include temporary regulatory relief in specific areas. These actions will help expedite the response to the July 2024 flooding. “This addendum to our existing State of Emergency will temporarily waive certain requirements to expedite response and recovery,” said Governor Phil Scott. “With so much infrastructure damage, this is critical for towns and Vermonters to access the tools needed to move forward with repairs to roads, bridges, homes and businesses.” Under authority provided by the state of emergency, the governor is providing specific, temporary regulatory relief critical to the immediate response and recovery work.

by Charlotte Oliver, Community News Service From the top of the Northeast Kingdom down toward the Berkshires, the VTXL carves a path across Vermont. The biking route takes cyclists along the chatter of dirt and gravel roads in a ride that stitches together the state’s character. Breathtaking views come after hard climbs, and tunnels of trees spit out riders into small towns. The trail demands much of the rider and offers rewards. Its 301 miles are peppered with 30,300 feet in total climb — all on public dirt roads between a dozen rocky Class IV sections. 

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies Matt Dunne, the king of rural innovation, joins the podcast to inspire us all. His deep roots in Vermont are intertwined with the community that shaped him. From being elected to the legislature at 22, to convincing Google to open an office in White River Junction, to founding the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), Matt’s ability to build community is remarkable. This podcast is essentially a crash course on how to create a thriving community anywhere. We’re big fans, can you tell?

Vermont Business Magazine This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will impact traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont for the week of July 15. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.    

Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center In-person quarterly meetings are taking place over an 18-month period across the six states NERDIC serves and represents. These meetings intend to bring the NERDIC Ecosystem members together to network, celebrate successes, share ideas, and discuss the future of NERDIC – bolstering the regional defense Industrial base, and the defense industry at large. This September, Vermont will play host to these important and informative meetings. NERDIC is a unique entity which coordinates the growth of defense-related businesses across the six states within the New England region. NERDIC focuses on an approach built around collaboration and multidisciplinary solutions to address the challenges identified by the New England defense manufacturing sector.

by Ben Kinsley Don Tinney’s “hit piece” on Governor Scott is nothing new for the VT-NEA, although I’m surprised by the shrillness of the tone. Perhaps he realizes how much Vermonters have lost patience with rising property taxes and declining outcomes and is hoping to deflect attention away from his organization. The basic facts are that we have more adults (per student) in our schools than any state in the country (and it’s not even close), resulting in the second highest cost per student. Over the past decades, we have seen steady spending increases, while staffing levels have persisted (despite Act 46). Further, and more alarming, test scores have declined compared to other states who spend less and have larger at-risk student populations.