Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney announced that Jodi Lathrop, 53, of Bristol, Vermont, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in Burlington to charges of wire fraud and tax evasion. U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III released Lathrop on conditions pending sentencing, which is set for April 1, 2024. On January 24, 2023, the United States Attorney filed an indictment charging Lathrop with committing a scheme to embezzle from Claire Lathrop Band Mill (CLBM) d/b/a Lathrop Forest Products, a wood-logging and wood-chipping company based in Bristol, Vermont and co-owned by Lathrop’s husband and Lathrop’s brother-in-law. Lathrop served as CLBM’s bookkeeper, handling accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll. 

Vermont Business Magazine In response to the recent findings by the Vermont Criminal Justice Council, the Vermont Sheriff's Association calls for the immediate resignation of Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore. All of the following may be attributed to Sheriff Mark Anderson, President of the Vermont Sheriff’s Association.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Congressional Delegation, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont), today announced the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will receive a combined $1 million to develop long-range plans to improve existing passenger rail services and expand services in Vermont from the Department of Transportation (DOT). This funding will be used to identify and plan for projects that will compete for Federal Railroad Administration grants under the Corridor Identification Program. 

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont has officially announced the Vermont Pitch Challenge, a new entrepreneurial-focused competition that gives high school students from across the world in grades 10-12 a chance to pitch innovative and impactful business plans – all while competing for individual cash prizes and full tuition scholarships to UVM, valued at up to $180,000. The new program is free to enter and offers young students a unique opportunity to learn from UVM faculty and alumni as well as top entrepreneurial experts about how to write a business plan, create a compelling pitch, and achieve their ultimate career goals.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) announced it received $7.5 million for housing through a federal award and a generous philanthropic donation. Together, these awards will support the development or preservation of over 300 affordable rental homes, as well as establishing an innovative pilot project to support smaller-scale community housing projects. The recent awards demonstrate how investments from philanthropic donors can help attract new federal funding to meet Vermont’s housing needs.

Vermont Business Magazine The Grafton Village Cheese Company, a subsidiary of the Windham Foundation, announces that Curt Alpeter has stepped into the position of CEO. He is leading the historic and award-winning handmade cheese business, including operations, retail, and wholesale distribution. Alpeter was most recently President of Runamok Maple, based in Fairfax, VT, where helped build the company into a nationally recognized specialty food brand.  

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont is $3.38 per gallon. This is 5 cents/g lower than last week, 16 cents lower than last month and 20 cents lower than this time last year. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.13/g while the highest was $3.59/g, a difference of 46.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 9.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.11/g today. 

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Impact Grant pre-applications are open now through January 19th. There are two types of impact grants: ARPA Primary Producer Impact Grant and the Supply Chain Impact Grant. Both grants can cover market development, research and development, infrastructure, and workforce training and development. Awards range from $50,000-$250,000. The Supply Chain Impact Grant projects must also either benefit the applicant and additional organizations or enable the applicant to access new or larger markets (for example, product aggregation, co-branding, vertical or horizontal efficiencies). The ARPA Primary Producer Grant is limited to just primary producers of farm or forest products (for example: dairy, livestock for meat, sugaring, logging) that have been in business since before January 2020. 

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is urging customers to stay alert to changing weather conditions through Monday evening, as a large and evolving storm packing significant precipitation heads towards the East Coast today. Forecasters say Vermont will see rainfall starting this afternoon, and with temperatures expected to drop late tonight, it will turn to heavy wet snow which can damage trees and lines, bringing the possibility of outages early Monday. Gusty winds are also expected. Travel conditions are expected to be extremely difficult for the Monday morning commute.

by Lindsay Foxwell, Community News Service As Burlington International Airport braces for the holidays, officials with the city’s vehicle-for-hire licensing board want to see more action on a slew of proposals to improve peoples’ experience going to and from the airport.

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies Meet Shaneall Ferron, a serial entrepreneur from Jamaica who began to make her mark in Vermont just three years ago. Impressive isn’t the word—she’s not only established one, not two, but three flourishing businesses from homecare, to travel, to food industries. Join us on this episode of Start Here to uncover Shaneall’s secrets to managing it all.

by Ali Jalili Various groups are once again calling for Vermont’s wealthiest to “pay their fair share of taxes” to raise revenues for worthy social goals. While I agree with this thinking on the national level, I believe it would be a big mistake for the state. On the national level, there are few rich democracies with lower tax burdens. If you raise taxes on the wealthiest households, very few would give up their citizenship and move to another country. On a state level however, it’s a completely different picture.