Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Building on the success of last year’s launch, Howard Center is continuing its initiative to distribute free firearm cable locks as part of its comprehensive suicide prevention strategy in Chittenden County. Recognizing the critical link between suicide and firearm access, the program aims to encourage safer firearm storage practices. With firearms involved in over half of the suicides in Vermont, preventive measures are key to firearm safety. The majority of suicides occur within minutes or hours following the onset of suicidal thoughts. By increasing the number of barriers, such as secure firearm storage, individuals may have more time to seek help.

Vermont Business Magazine According to a new report, commissioned by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has failed yet again to take basic steps to combat fraud in its massive contracting enterprise. Among other findings, the report showed the DOD often fails to even utilize the bare minimum of publicly available data to vet information provided by contract bidders. These shortcomings are costing taxpayers billions in misused funds.

Vermont Business Magazine In a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing yesterday, Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) urged U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to help Vermont farmers impacted by natural disasters like this summer’s brutal flooding and May freeze. He discussed the need to streamline and expand programs to make crop insurance more responsive to farmers following natural disasters, bolster conservation and climate resiliency funding, make rural renewable energy programming more accessible, and support farmers with more technical assistance in times of disaster. 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.23 per gallon, unchanged from last week. Prices are 5 cents/g higher than a month ago and 19 cents/g lower than a year ago. While prices are holding now, they are soon expected to rise again, just as prices across the nation largely already have done. The Vermont average price per gallon is 10 cents/g lower than the US average at $3.33/g. 

Vermont Business Magazine In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) pressed U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Colette Peters on why Vermont remains one of only two states without a Residential Reentry Center (RRC), despite unanimous support for an RRC from the Vermont Congressional Delegation and other federal stakeholders in Vermont’s legal community. At a September committee hearing, Director Peters announced the development of an RRC but later stated she misspoke and intended to place another type of facility in Vermont. Crucially, Director Peters said she would reconsider her decision if the Vermont Delegation presented support for the facility, which it did in a December letter to the BOP. At the same time, Judge Geoffrey Crawford, Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, sent Director Peters a letter expressing the federal judiciary’s strong support for a residential facility in Vermont.

Department of Motor Vehicles On 2/28/24 at approximately 2:30 a.m., DMV Enforcement Inspectors were dispatched to a single vehicle commercial motor vehicle crash on Vermont Route 105 in Bloomfield. The tractor trailer was traveling east on VT 105 when it encountered black ice on a sharp curve. The vehicle left the roadway, and the trailer overturned. The tractor trailer was towed due to disabling damage. Three other vehicles subsequently were involved in crashes at the site.

Vermont Business Magazine Last week, Retreat Farm announced the opening of the Retreat Farm Market in June 2024. Located in the former Grafton Village Cheese Company facility, this high-traffic location sees over 90,000 visitors annually, providing a unique opportunity to showcase the intersection of the land, farmers, and food production. The 2,300-square-foot Retreat Farm Market will be part of a new Food Center at Retreat Farm that highlights regional food producers dedicated to stewarding the land and their communities through environmental leadership, employee commitment, community giving, and workplace culture. Since acquiring the facility from the Windham Foundation in 2022, Retreat Farm has drawn on expertise from a regional advisory committee and local partners to develop the museum-inspired retail concept and food center. Partners include the Brattleboro Food Co-Op and Food Connects. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Federal Nuclear Waste Policy Committee of the Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel will meet on Monday, March 4, 2024, from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM.  As permitted by ACT 1 of the 2023 Vermont Legislature, this meeting will be conducted solely as a webcast and teleconference. At this meeting, representatives from Vermont’s Congressional Delegation will discuss current and recent bills before Congress regarding spent nuclear fuel policies.  FNWP Committee members will provide feedback on these policy proposals and share concerns raised at recent VT NDCAP meetings about spent fuel legislation.  The Panel’s 2023 Annual Report will also be discussed with the Delegation representatives. 

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark wants to hear young Vermonters’ thoughts on the future of environmental advocacy. For the fourth year in a row, the Attorney General’s Office is holding an Earth Day Essay Challenge for fifth and sixth graders to submit essays on the environment. The Earth Day Essay Challenge is open to any fifth- or sixth-grade student in Vermont, including home-schooled students. The Challenge is currently open through April 5, 2024. Ideas for topics include things like: What do you love about Vermont’s environment? How do you enjoy Vermont’s environment? What do you care most about and what does Earth Day mean to you? What are your concerns about the future of Vermont’s environment? What do you think we should do to help protect the environment? 

Vermont Business Magazine NOMAD Transportable Power Systems of Waterbury has released the NOMAD PATHFINDER, a 200 kW/220 kWh system that brings unrivaled flexibility and application opportunities in the transportable power sector. The PATHFINDER is a complete battery energy system. For towing, the system and trailer total less than 10,000 pounds. The system can be a completely off-grid asset, charged by solar through 10 kW DC input. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation's Urban & Community Forestry Program (VT UCF) has announced the recipients of its 2024 grant program, supporting three key categories: Communities Caring for Canopy, Growing Urban Forests in the Face of Emerald Ash Borer, and Urban & Community Forestry Grants. This year, VT UCF is awarding over $710,000, marking the largest amount the program has ever distributed, made possible with funding from the USDA Forest Service.

Vermont Business Magazine At his weekly press conference today, Governor Phil Scott highlighted his concerns about additional costs associated with new proposals in the Legislature given the new budget reality the state faces. The Governor concluded by reminding Vermonters of the importance of making their voices heard. "As we prepare to head into Town Meeting Week – roughly halfway through the session – I want to remind you of the priorities I laid out in January: public safety, housing and affordability. As I said in the State of the State, these are issues that are affecting Vermonters every day, so we have an obligation to prioritize them for the people we serve."