Current News

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets The Capital Equipment Assistance Program (CEAP) deadline has been extended to November 11th to give applicants more time to apply following harvest/seasonal delays due to flooding and wet weather. CEAP assists producers with purchasing new or used equipment that will improve Vermont's water quality, mitigate greenhouse gases, reduce odors from manure application, and reduce costs to farmers. CEAP provides up to 90% cost share to awarded grantees. Examples of equipment include grain drills, manure injection toolbars, wastewater irrigation equipment, no till planters, and more. 

Vermont Business Magazine National Life Group, one of the fastest-growing life insurers in the U.S., and NTT DATA, a global leader in digital business and IT services, announced an extension of their longstanding strategic partnership for five more years. This extension of 20 years of partnership continues National Life’s digital transformation encompassing people, processes and technology across the Application, Data, Infrastructure and Security ecosystem. National Life and NTT DATA celebrated the 20-year anniversary of their strategic partnership with an event in Montpelier, Vermont.

The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of Dennis Mayotte, 37, of North Springfield, Vermont, who had been incarcerated at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield. The Department of Corrections notified the Vermont State Police at about 1:45 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, that Mayotte had died in an apparent suicide inside the facility. Department of Corrections staff attempted life-saving measures while emergency medical services responded to the facility. Arriving first responders pronounced Mayotte deceased at the scene. An autopsy will be performed at the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington to determine the cause and manner of death.

by Camila Van Order González, Community News Service The MINT is Rutland’s multifaceted makerspace, supplying the tools and materials necessary for almost any project an artisan wants to pursue. This July, the nonprofit expanded its Quality Lane space from 14,000 square feet to 22,000 square feet. Part of the expansion includes a playing field to train and practice robots — ones used by high school teams across the country in tournaments like the FIRST Robotics Competition. The events involve students pitting robots in some sort of physical game. 

Vermont Business Magazine William (Bill) Cleary, owner of Powderhorn Outdoor Sports in Williston, and a resident of Westford, was recently presented the Department of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award, for his support to now-former Vermont Army National Guard soldier, (Sergeant) Kevin Eng, of Cambridge. Eng moved unexpectedly from “Inactive” to Active Guard status for multiple deployments, and all the while the company maintained his vacation pay. 

Vermont Agency of Transportation This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will have traffic impacts on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont for the week of November 6, 2023. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.      

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Semiconductor, a Burlington-based design house involved in AI-related circuit design initiatives since 2014 and specializing in Custom Analog, Digital, and Mixed Signal Design with a focus on Memory (DRAM, SRAM, and Emerging NVM), has achieved a groundbreaking milestone on behalf of their client by unveiling an innovative AI processor architecture. This pioneering architecture boasts over 1000 cores, each equipped with its own memory, revolutionizing traditional Von Neumann computing paradigms and advancing the realm of ultra-low power in-memory computing. This milestone came about through Green Mountain’s work in support of New Hampshire based client company, Non-Von LLC, and their patented innovative chip design.

Vermont Business Magazine Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc (NYSE: BHLB), parent of Berkshire Bank with branches in southern Vermont, has reported results for the third quarter of 2023. Berkshire Hills has also announced that its Board of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.18 per common share to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 16, 2023, payable on November 30, 2023. Third quarter operating earnings were $21.5 million, decreasing $2.4 million linked quarter.  Net interest margin of 3.18 percent decreased 6 basis points linked quarter, which improved from the 34 basis point decrease posted in the prior quarter. Net interest income decreased $2.4 million, as funding cost increases outpaced loan yield expansion and average earning assets decreased 2%. Operating non-interest income advanced 2 percent quarter-over-quarter while operating non-interest expense was flat. GAAP non-interest expense included $2.6 million in non-operating restructuring charges primarily for branch consolidations. 

Vermont Business Magazine Gravel & Shea has announced that they have been recognized, once again, as a “Best Law Firm” in Burlington, Vermont in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms, as ranked by Best Lawyers. High ratings from clients and peers, as well as having “Best Lawyers” on the team, pave the way for this achievement. “We are proud to provide our clients with a top-quality law practice with a breadth of legal expertise across specialty areas,” says Managing Partner, Heather Hammond. The firm has been recognized in all 14 editions of Best Law Firms since the publication’s launch in 2010. 

by Alicia Wolfram, Community News Service Over 300 Vermonters braved the rain to learn about the landscape and its inhabitants at the 21st annual Dead Creek Wildlife Day in Addison. The event took place Oct. 7 at the Dead Creek Visitor Center in Addison, part of a 2,858-acre tract managed by the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, and ran from 9:30 a.m. through 4 p.m., with scheduled activities like nature walks, bird watching, decoy carving, face painting and deer processing. Around 10 organizations — including the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum, Let’s Go Fishing and state Endangered Species Committee — tabled underneath large tents just down the road from the visitor center.

Vermont Business Magazine Barr Hill, the esteemed brand known for producing award-winning gin crafted by Vermont-based Caledonia Spirits, continues to lead innovation in the world of distilling with the launch of its latest expression, Barr Hill Sherry Barrel Tom Cat Gin. This limited-edition offering, available exclusively at the brand’s distillery on Gin Lane, is part of the Barr Hill’s Distillery Selection series. An opportunity for the brand’s highly-experienced team to celebrate unique barrels, these Landcrafted small-batched blends showcase exceptional quality created for all barrel-aged spirit enthusiasts to enjoy. 

Vermont State Police On November 3, 2023, at approximately 8:50 AM the Greensboro, Hardwick, Woodbury, Walden, Craftsbury, Wolcott and Sheffield / Wheelock Fire Departments were dispatched to a structure fire at a single-family residence located at 108 Batchelder Rd in Stannard, VT. When fire crews arrived, they discovered the structure fully involved in fire.  Defensive firefighting actions were taken, and the fire was extinguished. During Greensboro Fire Chief David Brochu’s assessment of the scene, he learned an occupant was not accounted for and believed to be somewhere within the fire scene.