Current News

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine Three of the seven lawyers appointed to help find a replacement for Federal Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford have never appeared in US District Court in Vermont for any kind of cases, according to public records. And two of the lawyers on the screening committee are not even admitted to practice law in the federal courts in Vermont, the public records show. Senators Sanders and Welch, along with their staffs, have been conducting interviews in recent weeks, but no names have been released, a spokesman for Sanders previously said. In the past, staff members in Vermont and Washington from the Senate offices did preliminary interviews, followed by the eventual interviews by each senator. It is unclear when Vermont residents will be asked to offer public comments on the finalists for the lifetime appointment.

Vermont Business Magazine As the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) has previously reported, Change Healthcare, which operates Vermont's Medicaid pharmacy claims system, experienced a significant cyber security issue last week. Change Healthcare has confirmed that this issue is impacting pharmacies and providers across Vermont, New England, and the country. At this time, Change Healthcare’s systems remain down, and the company has not provided a timeframe for full restoration of services. The DVHA will continue to ensure that pharmacies have the resources and instructions they need to continue providing access to prescriptions for eligible Medicaid members. Last week, DVHA issued payments to pharmacies in order to ensure that they are able to remain operational while the Change Healthcare system is down.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Secretary of Administration Kristin Clouser today released Vermont’s revenue results for January 2024. The General Fund, Transportation Fund and Education Fund all exceeded their monthly consensus cash flow targets. Led by the Personal Income Tax, the state’s most important revenue source, the General Fund, Transportation Fund, and Education Fund receipts were a combined $362.4 million, exceeding the $324.4 million monthly consensus target by $38.0 million, or 11.7%. The Sales & Use tax was the most noticeable revenue source to miss its target, off by -$1.3 million. Sales is the second most vital revenue source. Combined receipts are $38 million, or 2%, above the updated $1,863.1 million target adopted at the most recent Emergency Board meeting. 

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on February 29, 2024, Brennan Bigelow, age 33, of Rutland, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 80 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Bigelow previously pleaded guilty to two robberies and, at the same change of plea hearing, admitted participation in two additional robberies and one attempted robbery all occurring from August to December 2022 at five Rutland, Vermont, businesses: a convenience store on Woodstock Avenue, a gas station on South Main Street, a restaurant and a gas station on U.S. Route 4 East, and a pharmacy on Woodstock Avenue. In each robbery, Bigelow threatened a store employee with violence, brandished a pellet gun that resembled a firearm, brandished a knife, simulated a concealed handgun or threatened to shoot the cashier. 

Vermont State Police The suspect in this case is scheduled to be arraigned at 2 p.m. Monday, March 4, 2024, by video in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in St. Johnsbury. The suspect was arrested in connection with the Jan. 23, 2024, fatal shooting of 38-year-old Christina Chatlos in St. Johnsbury. The suspect, a 15-year-old male from Springfield, Massachusetts, will be charged as an adult in Vermont with second-degree murder. He is accused of fatally shooting Chatlos during a confrontation outside 510 Portland St. in St. Johnsbury. The suspect initially was taken into custody after the shooting on an unrelated warrant from the state of Massachusetts. He was extradited there and remained in juvenile custody as the investigation into the St. Johnsbury homicide progressed. 

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Board of Trustees today re-elected Ron Lumbra to serve as chair and welcomed three new members following a special meeting. Lumbra, who is scheduled to serve on the board until March 2028, was re-elected as the board’s chair for a fifth one-year term. Lumbra is a partner in the CEO & Board Practice of Heidrick & Struggles and based in New York. Previously, Lumbra was managing partner of the firm’s Centers of Excellence and the Americas region. Lumbra has more than 25 years of executive search and succession consulting experience and an extensive track record of recruiting board directors and chief executive officers to a broad variety of clients. 

Vermont Business Magazine As of March 1, the Department for Children and Families (DCF) is pleased to announce the successful continuation of sheltering all Vermonters currently in a room and eligible for the General Assistance Emergency Housing program. This has been made possible through collaboration with hotels/motels that accepted the new negotiated rate of $80 per night. While a handful of hotels/motels opted not to accept the new rate, it is important to note that no Vermonter lost their room due to these negotiations. Individuals requiring relocation were moved to alternate hotels/motels within the same geographic area. 

Vermont Business Magazine Linda Rossi, State Director of the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC), has announced that VtSBDC has been awarded a one-year, $100,000 Portable Assistance Grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) dedicated to funding a comprehensive Business Resilience & Empowerment Program and accompanying Guide. The Program and Guide will be available to Vermont’s businesses, communities, and service organizations that are engaged in a collaborative, statewide approach to building resilience for natural disasters, climate change, and other threats to the business community including cyber and fraud.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Keurig Dr Pepper today issued a statement saying that they were closing their Williston manufacturing plant and moving those operations to their Essex Jct facility. The move would be executed during "the second quarter of 2024." The statement said all Williston employees will have "the opportunity to continue with the company at the Essex site." The large plant in Williston included a roasting facility and was well known for the rich smell of coffee when in operation. The Essex Jct plant will be the last of several facilities KDP has operated over the last 43 years in several locations and under the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Keurig brands. In total they have approximately 800 employees based in Vermont, of which 150 team members are currently in Williston.

Vermont Business Magazine UVM Health Network - Home Health & Hospice (HHH) is pleased to announce the receipt of two grants from the Vermont Agency of Human Services, totaling $1.18 million. Vermont received funding through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to enhance, expand, and strengthen home and community-based services (HCBS) and allocated a portion of those funds to offer grants to HCBS providers that serve Medicaid members. This funding, made possible by the federal government and distributed via VT AHS, recognizes the importance of home and community-based services to supporting the health needs of our population. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont organizations representing a broad spectrum of diverse interests including community school building, clean energy, flood resilience, regenerative agriculture and health care access will be lifted by a wave of support this spring when the first round of grant funding is administered by the University of Vermont’s Leahy Institute for Rural partnerships (LIRP). LIRP officials announced today that the institute has issued grants totaling over $1.7 million in funding to more than a dozen deserving projects around the state. The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships, officially launched late last year, is funded through a multi-year award from the USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Edwin Read, 31, formerly of Royalton and Barre, Vermont, was sentenced today in Vermont Superior Court, Windsor Criminal Division, after previously pleading guilty to one count of felony Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, one count of felony Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material  – Second Offense, one count of misdemeanor Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registry, and one count of misdemeanor Unlawful Mischief. Mr. Read was sentenced by the court to 25 years to life to serve.