Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The American Red Cross will open a third regional disaster shelter in White River Junction in response to catastrophic flooding. This shelter is located at Hartford High School (37 Highland Ave). It will open today at 5 pm. This shelter will be managed by the Red Cross – and pets are welcome. More than eight inches of rain has fallen in a matter of days and resulted in road closures and evacuations. Impacts in Vermont are being compared to Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. Many areas are still inaccessible due to flooding as rivers overflow. As it becomes safe to travel, we anticipate the number of shelters open and residents will grow. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Small Business Administration is alert to the flood damage throughout Vermont and is in communication with state officials and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Currently, the President of the United States has declared a state of emergency in Vermont. However, in order for SBA to provide disaster assistance, a federal disaster declaration needs to be in place which authorizes SBA disaster programs. SBA will work closely with FEMA and the state in support of the state’s request for a federal disaster declaration with individual assistance, including sending a team to Vermont with FEMA to conduct  preliminary damage assessment.  

Vermont Business Magazine Due to the historic flooding Vermont is currently experiencing and the continued recovery efforts that will be required in the weeks and months ahead, the decision has been made to postpone the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail Celebration, including the Governor’s end to end ride of the trail, previously scheduled for Saturday, July 15. The LVRT Celebration will be rescheduled, and we will announce a new date at the appropriate time. 

Vermont Business Magazine Globally recognized as a premier gathering of the world’s best regenerative medicine researchers, the 10th biennial Stem Cells, Cell Therapies, and Bioengineering in Lung Biology and Diseases Conference at the University of Vermont will take place from July 17-20, 2023. This year, several exceptional high school students will have the unique opportunity to participate in laboratory technique sessions alongside UVM Larner College of Medicine post-doctoral researchers, scientists and other worldwide experts.

Vermont Business Magazine The American Red Cross opens a second regional disaster shelter in Rutland at Rutland High School (22 Stratton Road). The shelter opened today at 9:30 a.m. This shelter will be managed by the Red Cross – and pets are welcome. The Red Cross continues to work closely with local and state emergency management and government officials to navigate disaster relief efforts following widespread severe flooding throughout the state. The Red Cross shelter at the Barre City Auditorium (16 Auditorium Hill, Barre) remains open. It saw an overnight population of 176 and has risen throughout the morning to more than 200 people. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and members of his administration updated Vermonters today on the effects of the rain storms that caused severe flooding across much of Vermont. In some cases and in some places, he said, the damage is equal to or greater than Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011. The governor called the storm and resultiing flooding "historic and catastrophic." He said, "We are not out of the woods... This is not over." In some cases rivers have not yet crested even as the rain has stopped. More rain could be on the way in coming days. However, President Biden has granted the state's request for emergency declaration.

by Michael Del Trecco, President and CEO, VAHHS I hope you all enjoyed the holiday and extended time with family and friends last week. In between time with our loved ones, we’ve been busy at VAHHS putting the finishing touches on two projects that I’m happy to share with you this week. First, we have a new website. If you visit vahhs.org, you’ll notice it has been refreshed with new content and additional information to keep you up to speed on our work on behalf of Vermont’s non-profit hospitals. We’ve prioritized bringing you the news we know you care most about including our legislative priorities, initiatives to end workplace violence and a helpful overview of our hospital landscape. 

Vermont Business Magazine Catastrophic flooding in Central Vermont has significantly impacted operations at UVM Health Network - Central Vermont Medical Center and its clinics. An incident command post has been established at the hospital to monitor events and ensure our patients and community continue to receive the care and treatment they need. The hospital and the emergency department remain open and operational. However, the outpatient dialysis unit and primary and specialty care practices are closed today with very limited phone access. 

Vermont Business Magazine FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Vermont to supplement state and local response efforts to the emergency conditions in the areas affected by flooding beginning on July 9, and continuing. 

VermontBiz Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management services company, and Waga Energy (EPA: WAGA), a global expert in the production of renewable natural gas (“RNG”) from landfills, announced the signing of a commercial agreement on July 10, 2023 to develop renewable natural gas facilities at three Casella landfills. As part of the commercial agreement, Waga Energy will deploy the capital required to fully fund construction of the projects and will own and operate the RNG infrastructure. Casella and Waga Energy will share in the revenue generated from the RNG facilities once operational.

VermontBiz New research has shown which states seek drug and alcohol rehabilitation the most, with some worrying trends revealed. The study by addiction treatment resource Addiction Treatment Magazine analyzed Google data for common terms associated with rehabilitation and rehabilitation facilities to determine the states seeking drug and alcohol rehabilitation the most.

Vermont Business Magazine Recently, six high school students from southern Vermont, spent five days immersed in activities like how to take blood pressures, start a peripheral IV, participate in a simulated Code Blue training exercise, spend time in a BOD POD to measure their body composition at Vermont State University Castleton Campus, and even observe how to safely administer Narcan when someone is overdosing.