Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Addison County Chamber of Commerce is honored to announce that former Vermont Governor Jim Douglas (2003-2011) will keynote the Chamber’s Annual Award and Hall of Fame Induction Dinner on Thursday evening October 26th at the Vergennes Opera House. This annual event will see business and non-profit leaders gather to honor the best and brightest in Addison County and those who have given so much to their community.

Vermont Business Magazine Commissioner Kevin Gaffney announced today that the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation and 43 other state financial agencies have reached settlements with ACI Payments, Inc, for erroneously initiating electronic transactions totaling $2.3 billion from the accounts of 480,000 mortgage-holders serviced by Mr. Cooper (formerly known as Nationstar Mortgage, LLC). State regulators levied $10 million in fines through a multistate enforcement action led by regulators from Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland and Texas with support from the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. Additionally, 50 state attorneys general, including the Vermont Attorney General, levied $10 million in fines to ACI, in coordination with state regulators. The administrative penalty payable to the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation will be $216,136.36.

Vermont Business Magazine State Treasurer Mike Pieciak will hold a series of virtual events for public stakeholder engagement to hear challenges, ideas and strategies for financing Vermont’s climate infrastructure. The virtual events will be held in connection with a legislative directive for the Treasurer to consider frameworks that would maximize collaboration and resources among state, federal, private and nonprofit entities to mitigate the impacts of climate change in Vermont. They begin October 24.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office and the Grand Isle County State’s Attorney’s Office today announced the conclusions of their independent reviews of the non-fatal officer-involved shooting incident that occurred on April 20, 2023, in Morrisville, Vermont. Both Attorney General Charity Clark and Grand Isle County State’s Attorney Douglas DiSabito, who reviewed the matter for the Lamoille County State’s Attorney’s Office, have declined to prosecute Morristown Police Department Officer Brian Tomlinson for his actions related to the non-fatal use of deadly force against Henry Lovell. In reaching their decisions, the Attorney General’s Office and the Grand Isle County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed all of the materials provided by Vermont State Police, who conducted the investigation.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have edged up in Vermont since the end of summer, continuing a trend that began in August. The Rutland Regional Medical Center and the UVM Health Network hospital in Plattsburgh, NY (CVPH), have recently tightened visitation guidelines. Meanwhile, the CDC has released a new vaccine booster. The Vermont Department of Health reported October 11, 2023, that COVID-19 hospitalizations fell to a statewide total of 31, down from 47 last week, they were 31 before that and 22 three weeks ago. COVID-19 activity remains in the "Low" range, according to the VDH. Reported cases last week were 287, up from 283 last week, 311 before that and 197 three weeks ago. 

Vermont Department of Economic Development As the seasons change and the leaves start to fall, at the Department of Economic Development (DED) we are working hard to distribute all Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP) funds to support Vermont flood damaged businesses and nonprofits. That $20 million grant program was launched in early August and we will be closing the application portal Monday, October 23. Then we will finalize all remaining applications in our queue. In total, more than 700 applications from businesses, landlords, not for profits, and farms were received.  As this program winds down, the work is not finished.  We will continue mid-to-long-term economic recovery efforts in the months and years ahead. 

The Vermont State Police is investigating the theft of a VSP cruiser and a patrol rifle that was taken from the vehicle. The cruiser was stolen from outside a residence in Rutland City between 2 a.m. and 4:40 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. The cruiser was subsequently located elsewhere in Rutland City, but the Sig Sauer patrol rifle that had been secured in the vehicle had been forcibly removed. The circumstances of the vehicle theft are under active investigation. Surveillance video in the area captured images of the suspect carrying the rifle. 

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. ET, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) will convene public health leaders in Arlington, VA, to discuss the health effects of extreme heat, wildfires and air quality, intensifying storms, infectious diseases, and more. The panelists will include Mark Levine, MD, commissioner of health, Vermont Department of Health.

Vermont Business Magazine In the period 2018-2022, more Lyme disease claim lines were filed for individuals in the 51-60 age group than any other group, according private insurance claims and released today by FAIR Health. Individuals aged 51 to 60 accounted for 23.5 percent of Lyme disease claim lines, compared to 18.8 percent in the next largest age group, 41-50. The remaining age groups studied, with their percentages of Lyme disease claim lines, were 31-40 (14.1 percent), 19-30 (14.0 percent), 61-70 (13.9 percent), 0-18 (11.3 percent) and over 70 (4.3 percent). In 2022, the top Lyme disease states, from highest to lowest, were New Jersey, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Vermont Business Magazine The Board of Directors for Heritage Family Credit Union in Rutland today announced the appointment of Christopher Gomez as the credit union’s next President/CEO. Gomez will take over the reins from the current retiring President/CEO Matthew Levandowski, on Monday, November 6, 2023. 

Vermont Business Magazine Following the 2023 Legislative session, the Vermont General Assembly has made changes to the unemployment insurance (UI) laws related to small non-profit organizations. Act 76, which became law on June 20, 2023, requires all non-profit organizations to participate in providing unemployment insurance coverage, regardless of size. Previously, these organizations with fewer than four employees were exempt from needing to provide unemployment insurance coverage for their employees. This change becomes effective July 1, 2024. 

It's not too late to Plan, Host or Find an event; visit MFG Day today! Many thanks to Chroma Technology Corp., Fab-Tech Inc., Fourbital Factory and Maple Landmark Woodcraft for opening their doors this month for tours and presentations. Still to come, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce: 2023 Manufacturing Supply Chain virtual summit on October 25 and 26.