Current News

Vermont Business Magazine If you are an avid Lake Champlain angler or someone who would like to learn more about the vast array of fish species that live in Lake Champlain, be sure to reserve March 23 to attend a meeting with fisheries biologists in Essex, New York. The Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative -- a working group of fisheries professionals from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service -- will host a ‘State of the Lake Fisheries’ meeting at Whallonsburg Grange, 1610 NY-22, Essex, New York from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 23.

Vermont Business Magazine Hiking Vermont’s hillsides is a great way to enjoy a spring day, but the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and Audubon Vermont recommend people check to see if the area they are planning to hike or climb is open.  In addition to trail closures to reduce impacts during mud season, several cliff areas are also closed to protect nesting peregrine falcons. Over the next couple months, biologists and community scientists will be identifying cliffs occupied by peregrines this year.  Sites listed will remain closed until August 1 or until Fish and Wildlife determines the risk to nesting falcons has passed. 

Vermont Business Magazine Taiga Motors Corporation (TSX: TAIG), a global leader in the electrification of powersports based in Montreal, has announced that it is now a supplier of electric snowmobiles for Alterra Mountain Company. Alterra is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and transitioning its snowmobiles to electric to achieve carbon neutrality across its North American mountain destinations. Alterra owns Stratton and Sugarbush resorts in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Farmers who had been denied federal loans won only 17 percent of appeals in the USDA’s National Appeals Division, according to new analysis by the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law and Graduate School, with partners Farm Aid and the Rural Advancement Foundation International. The report, “Appealing for Relief: An Analysis of Appealed Direct Farm Loan Decisions 2009-2022 and Opportunities for Reform,” analyzes National Appeals Division cases concerning direct farm ownership and farm operating loans between January 2009 and July 2022; spanning 14 years, three Farm Bills and three presidents. 

Vermont Business Magazine US Senators Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and Angus King (I-Maine) have introduced the Advancing Grid-Enhancing Technologies (GETs) Act, legislation to boost investments in grid-enhancing technologies (GETs), a type of transmission technology that expands capacity of existing transmission infrastructure. Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.-14), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.-20), and Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50). The bill comes a week after Welch and King and Castor and Tonko sent a letter to U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) leadership urging the Commission to implement shared savings incentive that promote the deployment of grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) to expand transmission capacity and meet rapid growth in electricity demand.  

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) and the Preservation Trust of Vermont (PTV) are pleased to announce the award of a $5,000 grant to the Town of Waitsfield’s Community Wastewater Project as part of the Small Grants for Smart Growth special round of funding. This collaborative grant aimed to support flood-impacted communities in building resilience within their historic centers. The Town of Waitsfield is in the midst of an ongoing initiative to establish a municipal wastewater system for both the historic Waitsfield Village and Irasville. The Small Grant award will help the town engage community members and communicate the significance of wastewater infrastructure to enhance both public and environmental health, including its ability to safeguard water quality, alleviate the financial burdens associated with replacing septic systems, and allow for expanded residential and commercial use within Waitsfield’s village centers.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the House gave final approval to H.766, a bill that creates greater access for patients to see health care providers and supports providers by removing many of the bureaucratic barriers they face every day. Today’s final vote passed unanimously with a 137-0 vote. From here, the bill moves to the Senate. “H.766 takes a giant step forward in aligning payer requirements to reduce provider burden and ensures health care decisions are made between a patient and their provider, not an insurance company.” 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott announced action on the following bills, passed by the General Assembly. H.516, An act relating to approval of amendments to the charter of the City of Essex Junction; H.839, An act relating to fiscal year 2024 budget adjustments. "I have signed H.839, An act relating to fiscal year 2024 budget adjustments, because of important initiatives included, some of which are time sensitive. However, as I have said, I’m deeply concerned this bill exceeds my proposed budget adjustment by almost $15 million. As the House Appropriations Chair has said herself, this leaves a $15 million gap in the fiscal year 2025 budget."

Vermont Business Magazine Following a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in late-February, US Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) submitted written questions for the record for Bureau of Prisons Director Collette Peters, continuing to push the Director on why Vermont remains one of only two states without a Residential Reentry Center (RRC) despite the support from the Vermont Congressional Delegation, federal stakeholders, and the Vermont’s legal community. In the hearing Sen. Welch reiterated his, and the Delegation’s, support for a Residential Reentry Center, and expressed his intention to continue advocating for an RRC in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), will lead the committee in a hearing this Thursday, March 14 at 10:00 a.m. ET titled “Workers Should Benefit from New Technology and Increased Productivity: The Need for a 32-Hour Work Week with No Loss in Pay.” 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Police arrested a suspect in connection with two suspicious deaths discovered Tuesday, March 12, 2024, in the village of Orleans. Cirell Brown, 23, of Orleans is facing two counts of second-degree murder. He was held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Newport. The incident was reported at about 5:05 p.m. Tuesday at a home on Water Street. First responders discovered the bodies of a man and a woman at the residence. Based on witness statements and preliminary evidence, the victims have been identified as the residents who lived in Apartment B at 22 Water Street, Paula Broe, 61, and Steven Luisi, 65.

Vermont Business Magazine The Community College of Vermont (CCV) has partnered with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and Microsoft to deliver a free cyber skills course for Vermonters. The course is made possible by a grant from AACC and Microsoft, and funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The one-credit class, Foundations of Information Security, will be offered in a Flex format, meaning students can participate remotely and at their own pace. Students will examine the issues of online threats, build cyber awareness, and learn personal and professional strategies for reducing vulnerabilities.