Current News

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. Flooding caused by torrential rains over the past five days has put downtowns under water, forced residents to evacuate from their homes, washed out roads and bridges, destroyed crops, and threatened dams.

Vermont Business Magazine The devastating floods that struck our communities this week have left many small businesses and downtown centers in ruins. In response to this crisis, Todd Bailey, known for his successful efforts in providing grants to small businesses after Tropical Storm Irene, has organized new relief initiative. The Vermont Main Street Flood Relief Fund is commencing its fundraising campaign today, with the aim of extending financial assistance to those severely impacted by the recent flooding.

Vermont Business Magazine To help identify and address barriers workers face regarding access to state unemployment insurance benefits, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $9.5 million in equity grants to Arkansas, Louisiana and Vermont. Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the grants will allow states to implement projects that seek to remove barriers related to race, age, ethnicity, language proficiency, disability status, geographic location or other systemic issues that make it difficult for people to access unemployment insurance benefits.

Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles The DMV offices in Montpelier and St Johnsbury are closed. For customers impacted by the closures, we are opening the White River Junction office as an alternative site on Thursday, July 13, 2023. All other offices remain open currently. Appointments are strongly encouraged.

VermontBiz The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department will once again be offering Teen Conservation Weekend to be held at the Edward F. Kehoe Conservation Camp in Castleton on August 18–20.

“We are pleased to announce a fun and exciting opportunity for teens ages 15-17.  Teen Conservation Weekend allows us to provide teens with an exciting weekend of quality environmental education,” says Hannah Phelps, Camp Coordinator.  “Campers will arrive Friday evening and immediately begin participating in Let’s Go Fishing and Hunter Education programing before backpacking out to a remote pond for an evening of camping and fishing.”

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).