Current News

VermontBiz The Working Lands Enterprise Board (WLEB) announces 51 awards to working lands businesses and organizations in 2024.  The $2,329,561 in awards will support those who are earning a living off the land.

“The challenges the farm and forest economy sectors face are significant, which is why my Administration continues to prioritize investments in the rural regions of our state,” said Governor Phil Scott. “These awards are important to growing our economy and making it more affordable for those working the land.”

VermontBiz The Wilson House shattered the organization’s event fundraising record on Wednesday, May 22nd during the 5th annual Wilson House Cup held at the Dorset Field Club. The event netted $50,000 in support of its general fund. 

“We are so grateful to our sponsors and all the participants who made this a day for our record books,” said Kim Norman, Wilson House Executive Director. “We exist thanks to the generosity of benefactors, small and large, that understand how important it is to sustain the Wilson House as a destination for people in recovery. Our programming as well as the upkeep and repair of this 172 year-old building is costly.”

VermontBiz Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the recipients of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, funded by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The rebates will help selectees purchase 18 clean school buses in six school districts across Vermont. The Clean School Bus Program will help Vermont accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles and replace older, diesel-fueled school buses, which have been linked to asthma and other conditions that harm the health of students and surrounding communities.

VermontBiz After 42 years, the Vermont State Police announces that the1982 Baby Doe death investigation is officially resolved, and no criminal charges will be filed.

On April 1, 1982, children waiting for a school bus on Mill Hill Road (now known as Gillespie Road) in Northfield located a deceased infant just off the roadway. A parent of the children contacted the Northfield Police Department, and subsequently the Northfield police chief requested investigative assistance from the Vermont State Police. Investigators confirmed that the deceased body was that of a recently born male infant. The identity of the infant was unknown, and therefore the name Baby Doe was used for investigative identity purposes.

VermontBiz Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore and the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) today announced 51 new recipients of the VOREC Community Grant Program. These projects mark an investment of over $6 million into Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy.

VermontBiz Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth today issued the following statement in response to the enactment of S.209, a bill to support public safety through the prohibition of unserialized firearms or “ghost guns” and the prohibition of firearms at polling places:

“Keeping Vermonters safe from gun violence is a top priority. This year, a tripartisan majority of the Vermont Senate voted in support of S.209 to protect Vermonters from an alarming increase in ghost guns and also from intimidation at the polls. Ghost guns are quickly becoming one of the most significant public safety concerns. No Vermonter should be able to 3D print a gun in their basement – or order a ready-to-assemble gun kit off the internet – without acquiring a serial number and a background check for that weapon. Vermonters of all political parties can agree on that. I’m grateful to Senator Dick Sears and the Senate Judiciary Committee for prioritizing this important issue.”

VermontBiz Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing today announced applications are now being accepted for Transformational Tourism, Events, and Regional Marketing (T-TERM) grants. These grants are funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration as part of a specific American Rescue Plan Act allocation designed to support the long-term economic recovery and sustainability of travel, tourism, and outdoor recreation in response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

VermontBiz  Voting is now open through June 2 for Beats for Good, a contest for Vermont high school musicians to win the opportunity to open the National Life Group Do Good Fest® on July 13 featuring Fitz and the Tantrums, Rachel Platten, Dishwalla, and Couch.

The winner will also receive a $5,000 donation to their school’s music program, a $1,000 personal cash prize and get exclusive backstage access with the acts. First and second runners-up receive $2,500 and $1,000 respectively for their school’s music program.

VermontBiz Vermont Public has partnered with StoryCorps, the national nonprofit dedicated to helping us believe in each other by illuminating the humanity and possibility in us all, one story at a time, as part of StoryCorps’ One Small Step (OSS) Radio Station Hubs project.

Vermont Public, then VPR and Vermont PBS, first participated in One Small Step in 2021. Vermont Public is one of seven stations across the country selected to receive training and production assistance to collaborate on StoryCorps’ OSSinitiative, an effort to bring strangers with different political beliefs together for a conversation—not to debate politics, but to get to know each other as people.

VermontBiz  On Tuesday, May 21, Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak convened a group of advisors with lived and professional community safety experience. This team of advisors will provide input on the City’s current approach to community safety and offer expertise and recommendations for immediate and long-term improvement. The team will play an advisory role to the Mayor and City staff responsible for implementing community safety systems, who will retain final decision-making power. The goal of this work is to ensure that our approach to community safety reflects the needs, values, and priorities of the City and its residents. 

VermontBiz 300 people gathered at the Mount Snow Grand Summit in Dover on May 21 for the 7th Annual Southern Vermont Economy Summit. Attendees represented a wide range of community stakeholders – business owners, community leaders, and elected officials – and included state, local, and regional economic and community development professionals.

Following an introduction by the Summit host organizations and the lead event sponsor, Brattleboro Savings and Loan, keynote speaker Chris Estes took the stage. Estes, Co-Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, framed the day with a call to action: rural communities must reclaim the narrative about the intrinsic value that exists in our communities. We must also identify, value, and measure effective collaboration as a way to chart progress in rural economic development. 

VermontBiz Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following statement on the passing of Vermont State Senator Richard “Dick” Mazza:

“For over forty years, Dick Mazza served our state with the values that shaped his life: he was practical, driven by cooperation and finding common ground, and always focused on Vermont. His passing is profoundly sad, not only because he was a champion who shaped our state for the better but because he changed so many lives through his friendship.

“No one in the past forty years has contributed more to the Vermont General Assembly than Dick Mazza. When he spoke, Governors listened. When he spoke, his colleagues knew his was the generous and practical voice of everyday Vermonters.

“Whether in the day-to-day operations of the General Store or a debate in the General Assembly, he was driven by a deeply embedded respect for his community and the Vermonters he served.

“Margaret and I extend our condolences to Dolly, Mike, Melissa, and the Mazza family, and the friends and loved ones in Dick’s life.

“Leaders—and friends—like Dick Mazza, are special, and Vermont is lucky to have had him.”