Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Painter Terry Ekasala of West Burke has been selected as the second recipient of The Vermont Prize, an annual award aimed at celebrating and supporting the best visual art being made in Vermont today. A collaborative initiative of the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC), Burlington City Arts (BCA), The Current, and the Hall Art Foundation, The Vermont Prize is juried by one representative from each of the four partner organizations and one special guest juror.

Vermont Business Magazine Since 1997, the VHCB AmeriCorps Program has been serving Vermont communities, cultivating leaders and inspiring collaborative solutions to expand housing opportunities and steward our natural resources. Serving on the front lines of community-based organizations, VHCB AmeriCorps members energize, engage, and empower Vermonters to address unmet needs at a local level, collectively creating positive change statewide. On Wednesday, June 28th, nearly 50 VHCB staff and AmeriCorps members engaged in a variety of community service projects in celebration of the program’s 25th anniversary.

Vermont Business Magazine Ms Lee Fan Club, of South Burlington High School, has been named 2023’s Beats for Good winner by popular vote and will open for Plain White T’s at Do Good Fest on July 15. Beats for Good is a battle of the bands competition open to any current Vermont high school student and their classmates. This contest is open to musical acts of all sizes and genres, acoustic or electric. Once the video submission period closes, a panel of local music professionals and educators review the submissions and choose their favorites. This year’s top 10 choices were voted on by the public, with over 4,000 votes cast. As the grand prize winner, Ms Lee Fan Club will open Do Good Fest, has the opportunity to meet the local and national musicians, and receives a $5,000 donation to their school’s music program. 

Vermont Business Magazine At about 8 p.m. Friday, police deployed tear gas into the residence at 36 Seymour St. and successfully took the suspect into custody without further incident. Additional information will be provided by the Middlebury Police Department. Special teams from the Vermont State Police that responded to this incident included the Crisis Negotiation Unit, Tactical Services Unit and Bomb Squad. The Bristol and Vergennes police departments also provided assistance. 

Vermont Business Magazine On June 30, 2023, the Vermont Public Utility Commission issued two Orders to begin the process of designing a potential Clean Heat Standard program as directed by Act 18 of 2023 (the Affordable Heat Act). This marks the beginning of what will be an 18-month process of stakeholder engagement, public input, and rigorous analysis that will culminate in the Commission submitting proposed rules to the Legislature for approval. The aim of Act 18 is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the heating-fuel sector, in line with the State’s decarbonization requirements. 

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued a statement Friday in response to recent decisions handed down by the US Supreme Court to dismantle affirmative action, roll back LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination protections, and overturn the Biden-Harris Administration’s student debt relief program. US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and state Treasurer Mike Pieciak also weighed in on the Supreme Court decisions.

Vermont Business Magazine Effective July 1, 2023, several changes to the Vermont’s Workers’ Compensation Act will take effect. These changes, adopted during the 2023 legislative session as part of H. 217, will benefit individual Vermonters who are forced to leave work for a period of time due to a work-related injury. Vermonters who are out of work and have family members who rely on their income will see their weekly dependent benefits increase from $10 per dependent per week to $20 per dependent per week. In addition, low-income Vermonters receiving temporary partial disability will see their benefits increase.

Vermont Business Magazine New England state air quality forecasters are predicting elevated concentrations of fine particle air pollution due to wildfires in Quebec and Northern Ontario, according to the US EPA. The primary concern is high concentrations of fine particle air pollution that is unhealthy, especially for sensitive groups such as people with respiratory disease, the elderly, or people with compromised health. 

Vermont Business Magazine Funding is now available through the Samara Fund, which is directed by a group of Queer and Trans Vermonters committed to a vision of transformational grants and scholarships to the people and groups throughout Vermont who demonstrate their dedication to the empowerment, health, and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV positive (LGBTQ+) people. The Samara Fund will accept applications for LGBTQ+ led projects and organizations in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Warden Service and Vermont State Police are asking Vermonters to boat responsibly this Fourth of July weekend, as part of the nationwide Operation Dry Water campaign to reduce alcohol and drug related boating injuries through education and more visible deterrence. From July 1-3, the Vermont Warden Service and State Police are partnering with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard to focus on educating boaters about safe boating practices, which includes sober boating.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation, along with several other states, reached a settlement with Lear Capital regarding unregistered securities activity and misleading marketing. Pursuant to the Plan, Lear’s principal will contribute $5.5 million to the plan. Investors who filed proofs of claim in the bankruptcy case will receive a one-time distribution equal to the difference between the spread actually charged on a transaction and a hypothetical 12 percent fee. The Department does not believe that any Vermont investors filed proofs of claim.

Vermont Business Magazine AM Best, the global rating agency for the insurance industry, has affirmed the rating of the Union Mutual of Vermont Companies of “A” (Excellent) with a Stable Outlook. According to the report from AM Best, the rating indicates consistent profitable operating performance, and reflect Union Mutual’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.