Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Following the closure of the Montpelier Post Office, which was caused by the devastating summer flooding in Vermont, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) on Tuesday sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy regarding the unacceptable response by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to serious worker safety concerns – including a lack of heat – and service disruptions.

Vermont Business Magazine Following a bipartisan push led by Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and 13 of his Senate colleagues, the Department of Commerce and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced today the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program would be expanded to be more inclusive to rural communities, allowing a waiver to bypass the burdensome Letter of Credit (LOC) requirement that has prevented Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in rural areas, like in Vermont, from participating in the BEAD program. 

Vermont Business Magazine Since its launch in July, Vermont Public’s car donation partnership with Good News Garage has yielded three vehicles to Vermonters in need. On September 27, the Burlington-based nonprofit Good News Garage awarded a 2009 Nissan Altima donated by a Vermont Public supporter to Warren Royea of Brattleboro. A second car, a 2008 Honda Civic, was awarded on September 29 to a recipient in Rutland.

Vermont Business Magazine Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) today sent a letter to President Biden expressing serious concern about what the invasion and potential occupation of Gaza could mean, both in terms of the long-term security of Israel and the well-being of the Palestinian residents of the territory.

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First A 14-year-old Burlington boy has pleaded not guilty in Vermont Superior Court in Middlebury to adult criminal charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a Chittenden County teen in a car outside a Bristol home on Monday night. Hussein S. Mohamed of Burlington denied a felony charge of second-degree murder of Madden Gouveia, 14, of Shelburne during the hearing Tuesday afternoon. Mohamed also denied charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault by waving around a loaded handgun with three other teens with him in the car.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s demographics are changing, with nearly a third of the state’s population now over the age of 60 — a 30% increase over the past decade. This shift presents challenges for how to address the needs of an aging population in a small state. To help ensure Vermont heads into the second half of the 21st Century as a healthy place to live, work, play, and grow older, state officials are asking the public to comment on a new 10-year action plan called Age Strong Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The Barre Disaster Recovery Center will close permanently at 6 pm Thursday, November 9. The center is currently open 8 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday (closed Saturday and Sunday). Until it closes, Vermonters can visit the center to get in-person help regarding disaster assistance. Specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration are available to help upload documents, answer questions and guide you through the appeals process.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the appointment of Sarah Clark, of Waterbury, as deputy secretary of the Agency of Administration and Alex Farrell, of South Burlington, as commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development. Farrell replaces former commissioner Josh Hanford, who left state government last month, and Clark replaces Doug Farnham, who was appointed Chief Recovery Officer in response to this summer’s floods.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that USDA is providing $1.1 billion in loans and grants to upgrade rural infrastructure throughout the country, and $145 million to help rural business owners and ag producers lower energy costs, generate income and expand operations. Regional funding includes $3,262,511 to Vermont and New Hampshire businesses through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The Agency is also investing $145 million in 697 renewable-energy and energy-efficiency projects across the U.S., including 12 in Vermont ($1,296,000) and 15 in New Hampshire ($1,966,511). 

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is supporting its first cohort of 26 local health care providers with a scholarship to Lifestyle Medicine education and training sessions. This effort is part of Blue Cross VT’s focus on planning, development, evaluation and implementation of effective lifestyle medicine strategies that address the root causes of chronic disease. Attending Vermont providers come from across the health spectrum, including doctors (MD), physician assistants (PA-C), advanced practice nurses (APRN), physical therapists (PT), and dieticians (RD). Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based educational approach that can address up to 80% of chronic disease, while empowering and motivating patients to take control of their own health through sustainable behavior change. 

Vermont Business Magazine Lost Lantern Whiskey Co-founders Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski announced today the opening of the award-winning independent bottler’s first tasting room. Located in Vergennes, Vermont, at 11 Main Street, the new space will open to the public on Friday, November 3, 2023, and will offer guests the opportunity to taste and purchase bottles of Lost Lantern, representing a wide range of whiskies from distilleries across the United States.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Kathryn Flynn, 69, of Essex, Vermont, and Yoanna Vaughan, 36, of South Burlington, Vermont, were each arraigned yesterday on charges stemming from the care they provided to a vulnerable adult receiving Medicaid-funded services. The investigation, conducted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU), began after concerns were raised with authorities about the neglect and abuse of a vulnerable adult for whom Flynn was the guardian.