Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Transportation (AOT) today continued to repair damage to state roads and bridges throughout the state from the heavy rain and flooding earlier this week. As of early Saturday evening, only 12 state roads remained closed, 12 state roads were partially open to one lane of traffic, and 87 state roads have been reopened that were previously closed. 

Vermont Business Magazine Wine Spectator, the world’s leading authority on wine, has unveiled the winners of the 2023 Restaurant Awards, which honor the world’s best restaurants for wine. This year’s awards program recognizes 3,505 dining destinations, including 17 from Vermont. Launched in 1981, the Restaurant Awards represent the world’s only program focused exclusively on restaurant wine service. They are assigned on three levels: the Award of Excellence, the Best of Award of Excellence and the Grand Award, with 2,001; 1,411; and 93 winners this year in each respective category.

Vermont Business Magazine Lawson’s Finest Liquids, the award-winning Vermont craft brewery with a commitment to quality and sustainability, is now accepting applications for its 2024 Sunshine Fund. Created to assist nonprofits that support the environment and the people of Vermont, the Sunshine Fund is at the heart of the brewery’s Social Impact Program, known as the SIP. A total of 24 local organizations will be recognized by Lawson’s Finest’s Sunshine Fund awards in 2024. Each Sunshine Fund awardee becomes the partner “On Tap” in the brewery’s Waitsfield, Vt., taproom for two weeks during the year and receives 100% of Sunshine Fund donations during that period. 

Vermont Business Magazine On July 14, 2023, President Biden approved Vermont’s Major Disaster Declaration request. This Declaration authorized Vermont to receive “individual assistance,” which includes Disaster Unemployment Assistance. Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is a federally funded program that provides temporary unemployment insurance benefits to individuals whose employment or self-employment has been lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster. This program is specifically tailored to individuals who are not eligible for traditional unemployment insurance benefits.

Vermont Business Magazine The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, announced on Friday a grant of $150,000 to support flood relief efforts in Vermont. The funds will support Vermont Community Foundation for the VT Flood Response and Recovery Fund, which will disperse funds to communities and small businesses of greatest need. TD colleagues also can contribute directly to the VT Flood Response and Recovery Fund efforts through an internal portal. TD Bank's community support also includes offering financial assistance to its customers in Vermont impacted by recent severe flooding through TD Cares. TD Cares is a relief program that includes fee refunds and other support for eligible consumer and business customers.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Mutual Insurance Group has again been recognized as one of the Top 50 Property and Casualty insurers in the U.S. by Ward Group, an Aon company, and one of the industry’s most respected benchmarking organizations. This is the 15th consecutive year that the Vermont-based insurer has been designated as a Ward Top 50 P & C insurer. Every year Ward Group identifies the industry’s top insurance companies through a comprehensive financial analysis of nearly 3,000 U.S. property and casualty insurers. The “Ward’s 50” designation recognizes insurers for their consistency, safety and superior financial performance.

Vermont Business Magazine Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch and Congresswoman Becca Balint sent a letter today, urging United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to approve Governor Phil Scott’s request for a Secretarial Disaster Designation for the State of Vermont following catastrophic flooding to farms and rural farming communities. The letter also asked Secretary Vilsack to take steps to expand USDA workforce capacity in Vermont to support loss assessment documentation and the provision of technical assistance to our farmers, residents, and communities.

Saint Michael's College Near the end of June, members of the summer Farm crew at Saint Michael's College and other volunteers were at work at center-campus between Joyce and Alliot Halls as they installed raised beds -- conceived and constructed through the Center for the Environment and the initiative of leaders Kristyn Achilich '05 and Christine Gall, with a goal of greater accessibility for members of the community faced with challenges of access to ground-level gardens and plots. 

Vermont Business Magazine President Joseph Biden has approved Governor Phil Scott’s request for a major disaster declaration for Vermont to assist individuals and communities recover from historic flood from July 7-12, 2023. The approval was given in under 24 hours. The declaration provides funding under the federal Public Assistance (PA) and Individual Assistance (IA) programs. A Public Assistance disaster declaration allows communities to receive at least 75% reimbursement for emergency storm repairs to public infrastructure. A further declaration for recovery repairs is pending an official Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA)

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has requested that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issue a disaster designation for the State of Vermont in response to severe July flooding. A Secretarial Disaster Designation would open the availability of financial assistance, including low-interest USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans for eligible producers in the approved counties. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is encouraging all those who sustained losses to report their damages to their local Farm Services Agency office with USDA.

by Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger As the stormwaters recede, the City team has been hard at work assessing and repairing damages and supporting community members and other Vermont towns impacted by the floods. The major impacts of this emergency on Burlington and our local recovery efforts are focused on two serious events, a sewer line break under the Winooski River which brings wastewater from the east-side of the New North End to the City’s North Plant, and substantial flooding at the Intervale – which has devastated several small farms in our community with a near total loss at the height of their productive growing season.  

Vermont Business Magazine As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service Administrator Dr. Karama Neal today announced that USDA is making $21 million in technical assistance grants available through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses access federal funds for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements. This works out to roughly $450,000 per state.