Current News

by Charlotte Oliver, Community News Service The parents of the 3-year-old who drowned at Smugglers’ Notch Resort last summer are prepared to sue “potentially liable parties,” says their lawyer, including the manufacturer of the lid that should have prevented Tate Holtzman from falling into a 3,500-gallon cistern that July. “This was a preventable tragedy caused by an incredibly dangerous product lacking certain available safety features, made all the more dangerous by its improper installation and lack of warning,” family attorney Jennifer Denker told Community News Service via email last week. “The product was sold without an available safety feature that would have saved Tate’s life,” she said.

Vermont Business Magazine Labor union Scoopers United and Ben & Jerry’s, Burlington Vermont Scoop Shop have reached a historic first contract together. In a statement, the union said that: "This joint celebration is a testament to the leadership and collaboration required of both parties to create such a monumental first contract. It also speaks to the ease that follows working with a company that prioritizes workers' rights and their desires to unionize. While anti-union corporations such as Starbucks "state" we will bargain in good faith, which is the legal minimum that the law requires, they know that labor laws are weak and such statements about "good faith bargaining" are hollow at best. Ben and Jerry's did more than bargain in good faith. They showed up to sessions, listened to their workers – acting on their concerns– and reached an agreement that was unanimously celebrated and ratified."

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale and Representative Monique Priestley today announced their sponsorship and introduction of the Vermont Kids Code, legislation to make technology safer for young users and protect their privacy. Advocates including parents, families, educators and medical professionals hailed the lawmakers’ introduction of the age-appropriate design code bills (S.289 /H.712) as a landmark step in efforts to protect children and teens online.

Vermont State Police Shawn Conlon, the suspect in the February 2023 killing of Claudia Voight in Windham, was extradited to Vermont on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, following his appearance at a court hearing in Connecticut. Upon Conlon’s arrival in Vermont, he was taken to the Vermont State Police Westminster Barracks for processing. The court then ordered that be brought before a judge for arraignment prior to the close of business. That proceeding is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Brattleboro. On Dec. 20, 2023, he was arrested as a suspect in the Feb. 20 killing of Claudia M. Voight, 73, at her home in Windham.

Vermont Arts Council Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), published in October 2023, is the sixth national study of the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry in the United States. The study is conducted approximately every five years to gauge the economic impact (on employment, government revenue, and household income) of spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and the event-related spending by their audiences. In Vermont, the sector generated $158.6 million in economic activity during 2022—$103.2 million in spending by arts and culture organizations and an additional $55.4 million in event-related expenditures by their audiences. That economic activity supported 2,712 jobs, provided $112.8 million in personal income to residents, and generated $34.8 million in tax revenue to local, state, and federal governments. 

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest announced today that the District of Vermont collected $3,106,754.45 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2023. Of this amount, $2,072,930.23 was collected in criminal actions and $1,033,824.22 was collected in civil actions. Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $76,859,362.34 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount $22,239.05 was collected in criminal actions and $76,837,123.29 was collected in civil actions.

Vermont Business Magazine Phil Scott, governor of the State of Vermont, today issued the following statement from his personal email. Scott has hailed former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in the past as a candidate he would support. In the last presidential election, the Republican Scott said he voted for Democrat Joe Biden. “America has a decision to make, and our friends and neighbors in New Hampshire have an opportunity to showcase their deep-rooted independent streak. After years of controversy, violent rhetoric and growing polarization, the very last thing we need is four more years of Donald Trump."

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Senate took action today to help individuals and towns impacted by July flooding. S.160 will authorize the Commissioner of Taxes to reimburse municipalities for property tax abatements granted due to disruption to tax collections resulting from this summer’s flooding in Vermont’s federally declared disaster areas.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the appointment of Ed McNamara as chair of the Public Utility Commission (PUC). McNamara most recently served as general counsel for the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), where he worked on a range of legal issues reflecting the significant regulatory diversity covered by the Agency. McNamara replaces Anthony Roisman, who was appointed by Scott in 2017.

by Joan Goldstein, Commissioner, Department of Economic Development Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all were able to take a break during the holidays and unwind with family and friends. At the Vermont Department of Economic Development (DED) we kicked off the year announcing the final round of Community Recovery and Revitalization Program (CRRP) grants. This was the latest installment of $50 million allocated by the legislature in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money for CRRP and the Capital Investment Program (CIP) to help with projects around the state. Read on for more details about the 4th Round of CRRP at as well as an update on a hotel project in Randolph that was awarded a CIP grant. I recently spoke at an event in Burlington celebrating Vermont’s creative economy. 

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine The directors of the Woodstock Foundation, who are facing a major civil lawsuit over claims of mismanagement and malfeasance at the Woodstock Inn & Resort and the Billings Farm & Museum, have petitioned a state judge to delay the upcoming trial for another 6 months to allow them to seek a second independent investigation into the allegations. Foundation Directors James S. Sligar, David M. Simmons, Michael D. Nolan, John T. Hallowell, Douglas R. Horne, William S. Moody, Gail Waddell and Angela K. Ardolic say they want an “independent special litigation committee to review the derivative claims” and determine how to proceed, according to a new court filing. Two former top Woodstock Foundation leaders, Ellen R. C. Pomeroy and Salvatore Iannuzzi, filed their lawsuit a year ago maintaining they were privately dismissed from the board during a secret, unauthorized board meeting after they began to look into the employee complaints.

Vermont Business Magazine A new study has found the states in America that are struggling to fill online job postings, with Wyoming being named the worst state for employment. Vermont ranked 10th best in the report. A study by small business consulting organization Venture Smarter analyzed data from Indeed to determine which states have difficulties with recruitment, based on the number of current job postings listed in each area, and the proportion which remain active for an extended period. The data revealed that it was Wyoming that struggles to fill job positions the most, as almost two-fifths (39.7%) of all postings were active for more than three months. In fact, the findings also show that 54.7% of job listings in the state were over a month old.