Current News

Vermont State Police On the above date and approximate time, VSP Derby Troopers as well as Troopers from the Crash Reconstruction Team, members of the Orleans Fire Department, and the Orleans Ambulance Service responded to an automated notification of an airbag deployment on Willoughby Lake Rd in Barton.  Upon arrival, the above vehicle was located in contact with a tree.  The operator and lone occupant of the vehicle, Leblanc, was extricated from the vehicle and pronounced deceased at the scene.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) announces the 2023 Work-Based Learning and Training grants, a total sum of approximately $500,000, to diverse organizations across the state. These grants underline VDOL's commitment to enhancing Vermont's workforce by providing students and job seekers with the requisite skills and experience for professional success. Supported by the VDOL's statewide Work-Based Learning and Training Program, these grants help schools, colleges, and businesses facilitate the transition of secondary and postsecondary students to the workforce. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Police announces the appointment of two new professional staff members to assume leadership roles within the organization. Both of the positions were previously held by sworn members of law enforcement. The two new VSP leaders are Ron LaFond Jr. as director of the Vermont Intelligence Center, and Christian Pedoty as emergency communications director. LaFond and Pedoty have extensive experience within the Department of Public Safety and have worked closely with the state police throughout their careers.

Vermont Business Magazine The Community College of Vermont (CCV) is pleased to share that it was selected as a 2023 Progress, Accomplishment, Thriving, Hope (PATH) Scholarship recipient through the Ellucian Foundation. The PATH Scholarship program provided grants to two-year public institutions in 2023 with a focus on supporting students facing economic hardship. CCV’s $10,000 scholarship supported urgent student needs through CCV’s Life Gap Grant program. Life Gap Grants are small, just-in-time scholarships that help students get through challenging situations and stay in school. 

Vermont Business Magazine is preparing to publish our 37th annual Vermont 100+, a ranking of Vermont companies based on revenues. Last year we listed nearly 200 companies ranked by total revenues and also ranked by industry. The rankings will be published in our January 2024 issue. Your company will qualify if it has at least $3 million in annual revenue. We respectfully ask that you enter your 2023 revenue figure (or ESTIMATE) in the space below and mail, fax or email ([email protected]) back your survey. If you do not know and cannot estimate 2023's revenues, please enter the figure for the most recently completed fiscal year and note the year.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine COVID-19 cases rose and hospitalizations fell last week. There were also 8 fatalities reported by the Vermont Department of Health, for a pandemic total of 1,075. Fatalities had been running at about five per week during the fall, mostly among the very elderly. The VDH reported December 6, 2023, that COVID-19 hospitalizations were down 6 last week to a statewide total of 41. COVID-19 activity remains in the "Low" range. Reported cases last week were 353, up 63 for the week. 

Vermont Business Magazine Community Care Network (CCN) recently recognized 28 employees for their dedicated service to the organization and its clients at CCN’s annual service awards luncheon held in Rutland. “The Community Care Network team recognizes and thanks all of the staff members who this year hit various key service milestones,” said Dick Courcelle, Chief Executive Officer with Community Care Network. “Each and every one of these individuals have made significant, positive contributions not only to CCN and those we serve, but also to the greater community as a whole, and for that we are incredibly grateful.”

by Bill Schubart When I chaired Fletcher Allen many years ago, this was called the three-legged stool: clinical work (patient care), education (teaching) and research work at the UVM College of Medicine, largely funded by federal grants. It described the life of most doctors, but did not, nor does it today, address the universally understood concept of “population health.” “Population health” is a different three-legged stool, one defined by quality of patient care, access, and affordability as measured within a population not just an individual patient. So if the mission focuses on the institution rather than the population it serves, how do we measure its success? This is my question to the Board of Directors of the UVM Health Network.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) celebrated the announcement of over $220,000 in combined federal grant funding from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development office to support rural housing rehabilitation across Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and Windsor and Windham counties. The two USDA grants will help lower-income homeowners make home improvements that cut fuel and electric costs, bring their proprieties into compliance with standards and codes, and improve energy conservation measures. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Campaign for Vermont Prosperity (CFV) released poll results exploring Vermonter’s opinions on climate change, the Paris Climate Accords, and the Legislature’s Clean Heat Standard. The poll found that Vermonters are generally supportive of carbon reduction strategies to address climate change. Two-thirds approve of the state aiming for the Paris Climate Accord target of carbon-neutrality by 2050. However, most (50%) didn’t want to see any increased tax burden to support meeting that target. While Vermonters support incentives for electric vehicles and heat pumps, the Legislature’s Clean Heat Standard legislation and the Climate Council’s tax on transportation fuels found stiff opposition.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), today led the committee in marking up the SCREENS for Cancer Act of 2023, the Advancing Research in Education Act, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act, and the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources’ Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announces an update to the State's PFAS Roadmap, outlining continued efforts to address PFAS sources and contamination and to protect the well-being of Vermont residents. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of human-made chemicals known for their resistance to heat, water, oil, grease, and stains. These chemicals, prevalent since the 1950s in various industries and consumer products, are persistent and stable, meaning that once they are released, they do not break down and can build up in the environment, wildlife, and humans. For humans, exposure to these “forever chemicals” may lead to adverse health outcomes.