Current News

Vermont Business Magazine In response to the State of Emergency declared July 9 by Governor Phil Scott following heavy rains and anticipated floodings, the Commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation announced July 12 that the Department is preemptively allowing property and casualty insurance carriers to use individual adjusters not licensed in Vermont. Insurers can contact the Department for further guidance. 

Vermont Business Magazine Polaris Inc (NYSE: PII), a global leader in powersports, in partnership with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) has announced the 2023 recipients of the Polaris Fund for Outdoor Recreation grants. The partnership between Polaris and NFF was established in 2021 with the Polaris Foundation pledging to donate $5 million to the NFF over five years to provide grants and project funding to support outdoor recreation and conservation work to help protect forests and surrounding lands for years to come. The Polaris Fund has allocated funds towards the Stagecoach Trail OHV project (Green Mountain National Forest). This project will address drainage issues and reduce erosion concerns to benefit users, safeguard water resources, and protect critical habitats for species.

Vermont Business Magazine In response to this week’s catastrophic flooding, National Life Group’s Do Good Fest® has shifted into a livestreamed event and global fundraiser to support rebuilding Vermont, viewable on Saturday, July 15 from 6 – 9 p.m. With the historic devastation Vermont is experiencing, it is National Life’s privilege to announce that we are moving Do Good Fest to an acoustic performance that will be livestreamed so that viewers across Vermont, the nation and globally can experience the good vibes and participate in supporting the rebuilding of Vermont through online donations.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Scott, at today's press update on the flooding across the state, emphasized that personal safety was the first concern as the state continues to deal with the ongoing flood. He said that infrastructure can and will be rebuilt, which is a lesson from Tropical Storm Irene. He also reiterated that the emergency is ongoing in the hardest hit areas in communities along the spine of the Green Mountains and that more rain is expected. Scott declared a State of Emergency on July 9.

by Grace Sherwood, Community News Service Come next election, if you’re 16 and live in Brattleboro, you’ll get a say in your town elections. For the second year in a row, Brattleboro residents made the case to legislators that the town’s 16- and 17-year-olds should be able to vote in local elections and run for selectboard. Gov. Phil Scott vetoed a bill to make that happen last year, and another this year. But this time around the plan has become reality. Lawmakers overrode Scott’s veto of H.386 in a special legislative session June 20 in a 110–37 vote. The charter change takes effect immediately.

by Michael Monte Before the rain began, we could see it on the sidewalks of Burlington and throughout communities across the state: people living on the streets, in our parks, and in make-shift camp sites everywhere. There are more people in shelters than ever before, and more people living precariously even after finding an apartment. The challenges of increasing housing costs coupled with the post-pandemic mental health crisis and a dramatic rise in different forms of addiction have impacted our community and have created these conditions. And for many who are experiencing homelessness, but not all, there needs to be a medical and treatment response to their addiction and trauma.

Vermont Business Magazine Widespread flooding in Vermont has caused many basements to fill with water and, in some cases, cause a release of oil from heating oil tanks in the basement. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is offering guidance for basement cleanup. If there is no evidence of oil in the water – such as an oil sheen (nothing floating on the water or no oil odor) – the water may be pumped out to the ground (preferably) or storm drains. When oil or petroleum is present floating on the water in a basement or container, report the situation to DEC at 800-641-5005 (24/7) or 802-828-1138 (during the workday).

Vermont Business Magazine Operations are returning to normal conditions at UVM Health Network - Central Vermont Medical Center following catastrophic flooding earlier this week that caused significant travel complications for patients and staff. As of Wednesday morning, all primary and specialty care clinics and Express Care in Berlin are opening today. The incident command established on Monday evening at CVMC remains in operation to monitor events and ensure our patients receive the care and service they need. The hospital and the emergency department were able to remain operational. Although it was initially closed, the dialysis unit is open and treating patients. 

by William Platt, Dartmouth College The extreme weather Monday that washed out roads and flooded homes and businesses across the White River Valley set Jordan Fields, Guarini (Dartmouth ’21), on a wild race across Vermont with a plastic water bottle on a stick to collect streamflow and sediment data from every tributary that was still accessible. Fields, a PhD student in Earth Sciences, studies the effects of a changing climate and human disturbance on river systems. A crucial question is, what if these events are becoming less rare? Monday’s flooding came just 12 years after Tropical Storm Irene devastated many of the same highways and towns in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine I Heart Mac & Cheese has announced that its first Williston location is opening on Monday, July 17, 2023, at 166 Sycamore Street at Mapletree Place, Suite 190, Williston, VT, 05485 at 11:00AM. The first 10 paying customers will win Free Mac & Cheese Bowl for a year.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Foundation announced Tuesday that it has created a fund to help the people and communities of the state recover from devastating flooding that constitutes one of the worst natural disasters Vermont has ever seen. Donations to the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund 2023 will help with immediate and longer-term efforts to assist Vermont people and communities. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest mountain resort in Eastern North America and a POWDR company, announced today it will reopen for summer operations on Wednesday, July 12, following the powerful storm that soaked the region in 7 plus inches of rain. Operations reopening Wednesday include Mountain Biking on Snowshed & Ramshead (The K-1 Gondola and Adventure Center are closed on Tuesday & Wednesday throughout the summer), Mountain Bike camps, The Pico Fitness Center, Daycare and Food and Beverage locations. The golf course is still being assessed but they anticipate reopening the front 9 on Wednesday.