Current News

by Robert Gamache, Community News Service In Tunbridge — just down the road from Judi Hoyt’s hometown of Chelsea — voters in 2022 approved hiring a community nurse who could serve townspeople by performing vitals screenings, coordinating health care, providing education and advocacy and planning wellness clinics. Intrigued and anxious to help, Hoyt, now 33, contacted town leaders, hoping she could serve their community. Around the start of the new year, she went to work. In Vermont's rural areas, community nurses like Hoyt are often lesser known as caretakers yet can be essential for health care. To figure out how easily people can seek health care, the state divides towns into 38 areas on a map based on how far residents would reasonably travel for medical services. Of those areas, four are designated as health professional shortage areas by federal officials — and Chelsea and Tunbridge belong to one of them.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) Monday evening gave remarks on the floor of the Senate on the accusations House Speaker Mike Johnson made against him on Fox News on Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s invitation to speak before Congress, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza where more and more children are starving to death.

Vermont State Police The fifth and final suspect facing charges in connection with a homicide in December 2022 in St. Johnsbury has been arrested. Danny Daniels, 32, of Philadelphia, was arrested Monday afternoon in New Orleans by members of the Louisiana State Police and other law-enforcement agencies on a host of Louisiana state charges. Daniels, along with a second man, was taken into custody following a vehicle pursuit and foot chase involving the Louisiana State Police, the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Port of New Orleans Harbor Police. Daniels is the subject of a Vermont state arrest warrant charging him with aiding in the commission of first-degree murder, aiding in the commission of assault and robbery with a weapon, and aiding in the commission of burglary.

Vermont Business Magazine The ACLU filed a lawsuit yesterday to obtain public records wrongfully withheld by the Essex County Sheriff’s Department (ECSD). At issue is the ECSD’s compliance with Vermont’s Fair and Impartial Policing Policy (FIPP)—which limits local police involvement in immigration enforcement. The Department failed to provide copies of the records as required by state law, instead insisting that the ACLU travel to the sheriff’s office to first “inspect” the records in person, thus compelling the ACLU to file suit. 

Vermont Business Magazine Hub International Limited (Hub), a leading global insurance brokerage and financial services firm, announced today that it has acquired The Essex Agency. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Located in Essex Junction, Vermont, The Essex Agency is an independent insurance agency specializing in personal and commercial insurance, including in the construction and real estate industries. This focus also supports Hub's Specialty practices by complementing and strengthening its existing capabilities. David Holton, President, and John Handy, Vice President, and The Essex Agency team will join Hub International New England.

Vermont Business Magazine On May 28, Governor Scott allowed S.102, An act relating to expanding employment protections and collective bargaining rights, to become law without his signature and allowed S.209, An act relating to prohibiting unserialized firearms and unserialized firearms frames and receivers, to become law without his signature. 

Vermont Business Magazine Steve Donahue of Donahue & Associates, assisted the landlord and tenant, at 1330 Shelburne Rd in South Burlington, for NBT Bank’s newest branch location. Donahue & Associates is a commercial real estate firm based in Burlington. Meg McGovern of Donahue & Associates, leased 110 Main St in Downtown Burlington to Pearl, woman owned and expertly curated women’s apparel store. Meg McGovern of Donahue & Associates, leased 25 Winooski Fall Way, in Winooski to Mattarello Baked Goods, the best custom cakes and fine deserts East of the Winooski River.

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on Saturday issued the following statement Saturday after Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the largest manufacturers of inhaler products in the United States, began its program to cap out-of-pocket costs at $35 per month for its asthma and COPD inhalers. "Today is the first day of a new program instituted by the major pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, which will allow people with asthma and COPD to purchase brand name inhalers at their local drugstore or pharmacy for only $35 dollars. This is a major reduction in cost, and I thank Boehringer Ingelheim for making their important products affordable for the millions of Americans who need them to breathe."

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced the sentencing of two defendants today in separate cases investigated by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC). Jason King, 46, of St. Albans, Vermont, was sentenced today in Vermont Superior Court, Franklin Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to one felony count of Luring a Child and one felony count of Promoting a Recording of Sexual Conduct by a Child. Chase Skinner, 29, of Essex Junction, Vermont, was sentenced today in Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to one felony count of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials and one misdemeanor count of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials.

Vermont State Police Following further investigation and the completion of autopsies, the Vermont State Police is able to confirm the identities of the two individuals killed in the Friday night rollover vehicle crash on East Lakeshore Drive in Colchester. They are: Damanuel McLeod, 19, of Brooklyn, New York and Tywon Parker, 28, of the Bronx, New York. In addition, the surviving individuals who were in the vehicle are identified as: Tayami Barnes, 31, of the Bronx, New York; Ron A. Thomas, 21, of Brooklyn, New York; and juvenile male, 18, of Richmond, Virginia.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain Valley Exposition has announced the 2024 Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame Inductees. With over 20 years of history and over 100 inductees, the Ag Hall of Fame is an honored tradition among Vermont farmers and growers, service providers, and dedicated employees. Over the last few years the categories have been expanded to include an Emerging Leader under the age of 40, an Ag Innovator and up to three inductees in the Lifetime Achievement category. The thoughtfulness of each nomination makes for competitive judging each year. The 2024 inductees will be celebrated during the Champlain Valley Fair later this summer. 

Vermont Business Magazine On Saturday, June 1, 2024, 122 members of Bennington College’s Class of 2024 gathered, along with their family members and friends, faculty, staff, and leadership on a green expanse of lawn at the southern end of campus to receive their degrees. Graduates hailed from twenty-eight states and eighteen countries, including Egypt, India, Kenya, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam, and ranged in age from 19 to 53. The institution conferred three master’s degrees, two in dance and one in public action, and 119 bachelor’s degrees. Undergraduate students studied Cultural Studies and Languages; Dance; Drama; Environmental Studies; Literature; Music; Science & Mathematics; Society, Culture & Thought; and Visual Arts.