Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A Ukrainian national pleaded guilty February 15 to his role in two separate and wide-ranging malware schemes involving tens of millions of dollars in losses. The cyberattacks included the one against the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington in October 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The UVMMC attack affected about 5,000 computers and cost the hospital about $30 million in recovery and repair. Medical staff reverted to using paper charts, but there were no negative medical consequences reported as a result of the cyberattack. Nor did the hospital pay out any ransom or even receive a demand for it. According to court documents, Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, also known as Vyacheslav Igoravich Andreev and Tank, 37, of Donetsk, Ukraine, helped lead a wide-ranging racketeering enterprise and conspiracy that infected thousands of business computers with malicious software known as “Zeus” beginning in May 2009. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) recently entered into a settlement with TradeStation Crypto, Inc. (TradeStation) to resolve Vermont’s securities investigation into TradeStation’s crypto interest-earning program. TradeStation, a Florida corporation formed in 2018, provides crypto-asset-related financial services to retail and institutional customers in the United States, including investing and trading services. From August 2020 to June 2022, TradeStation offered a crypto interest-earning program to Vermont investors. Under this program, investors passively earned interest on crypto assets by loaning them to TradeStation. 

Vermont Business Magazine United Way of Northwest Vermont (UWNWVT) is issuing $372,000 in subgrants to 19 organizations to support substance misuse prevention efforts in Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle, and Washington Counties. The funding comes from the State of Vermont Department of Health Division of Substance Use Programs (DSU) and is part of the state’s new framework for regional funding to advance a statewide system of substance misuse prevention. UWNWVT is one of four Lead Prevention Organizations selected by DSU to lead regional substance misuse prevention activities and subgrant funds to community prevention partners.

Vermont Business Magazine The M&T Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of M&T Bank (NYSE:MTB), announced that it has awarded $450,000 to Cathedral Square. The grant is part of the second round of giving through the Amplify Fund providing more than $8.2 million to 68 lead nonprofit organizations throughout New England, Long Island, and Rockland County, NY. Now in its second year, the SASH (Support and Services at Home) for All pilot is bringing SASH programs and resources to families and individuals living in affordable housing communities in Brattleboro and Putney, in collaboration with Brattleboro Housing Partnerships and the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State University Interim President David Bergh received a petition Wednesday night requesting the Black Lives Matter and Pride Progress flags be removed from the flagpole that was installed via a student-led initiative for the express purpose of flying them. Bergh responded that the flags will continue to fly and explained the relationship the university has with Vermont National Guard at the Lyndon campus and the Veterans Park there

Vermont Business Magazine Overburdened security teams need smarter solutions to efficiently detect unrelenting threats and effectively investigate anomalies without succumbing to alert fatigue. In response, NuHarbor Security, trusted managed security provider to hundreds of clients in both the public and private sectors based in Colchester, Vermont, has launched a Microsoft Sentinel Managed Extended Detection and Response (MXDR) service. This fully managed service provides threat detection, expert-led analysis and actionable response recommendations for organizations using the Microsoft Sentinel security information and event management (SIEM) platform.

Vermont Business Magazine Feed Every Need, a newly formed 501(c)3 in Northfield, has recently begun providing nutritious, prepared meals, for distribution to those facing food insecurity throughout greater-Central Vermont. For the past 3 years, Jonathan and Lisa Burr, (owners of The Woods Lodge), have been developing and perfecting systems, processes and recipes designed to meet the needs of those being served by the Vermont Everyone- and Emergency-Eats programs. Their involvement in these programs allowed for a first-hand look at the incredible impact that making prepared meals available to the community has had, and also revealed to them that a reliable and sustainable resource was needed to address this, now and well into the future. 

VermontBiz Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company, today reported its financial results for the three and twelve month periods ended December 31, 2023. The Company also provided guidance for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 ("fiscal year 2024").

VermontBiz Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Chair of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, celebrated the ribbon cutting for the Fairbanks Museum Science Annex with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Farah Ahmad and local leaders. The project was funded in part by $2.5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) for a USDA Rural Development (RD) Community Facilities grant secured by Senator Welch, along with a grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC). 

VermontBiz Effective from 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 15, 2024  

Statewide Road Conditions: Drivers will start out the afternoon and early evening with pleasant skies and mostly bare and dry pavement. These conditions will rapidly change to snow covered around 8pm. Widespread snow showers will develop brining rapid snowfall in a short period. This weather front will move through the area quickly and be mostly out of the state by late morning tomorrow (2/15) Drivers out on the roads late tonight should expect to encounter difficult conditions and low visibility and be prepared for it. Pavement temps well above freezing will dip down to around 30°f after nightfall.  

VTrans Response: VTrans crews will be out throughout the storm plowing and treating roads as needed. Please allow ample space for maintenance vehicles to perform their jobs and avoid crowding plows. Drive with caution.   

Department of Fish and Wildlife Vermont state law requires that ice fishing shanties be removed from the ice before the ice weakens, according the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. The shanty must be removed before the ice becomes unsafe or loses its ability to support the shanty out of the water, or before the last Sunday in March -- the 31st this year -- whichever comes first.  All contents, debris, wood, and supports must also be removed so they do not become a hazard to navigation in the spring. Leaving your ice fishing shanty on the ice can result in a fine and points on your license, and shanties may not be left at state fishing access areas. 

VermontBiz Vermont State Parks is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, marking a century of conserving and interpreting the state's natural, cultural, and scenic heritage while providing recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike. The anniversary celebration will kick-off at the Vermont State House on February 15, 2024.

Vermont State Parks’ journey began in 1924 when Frances Humphreys donated land for the creation of Mt. Philo State Park in Charlotte, the first state park in Vermont. Over the years, the park system grew through land donations, Civilian Conservation Corps projects, and the efforts of dedicated individuals and organizations. Today, Vermont State Parks encompasses 55 parks, spanning the entire state and connecting people to the outdoors through a diverse range of activities, from camping and hiking to swimming and boating, and nature education.