Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) today celebrated the grand opening of its Burlington location and the new legal aid clinic that will be housed there. Funded by a $975,000 federal grant secured by Sen. Bernie Sanders, the new Center for Justice Reform Clinic at VLGS – Burlington will merge the school’s immigration assistance work and broader justice reform work to reduce recidivism, address mass incarceration, and improve community-based restorative alternatives at all intercept points. It will also host the school’s fully ABA-accredited Online Hybrid JD program, an admissions office, and classes through the school’s Center for Justice Reform and the National Center on Restorative Justice.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Jeffrey Kittredge, Sr., 57, of Montpelier, Vermont, was sentenced yesterday in Vermont Superior Court, Washington Criminal Division, to 3 to 5 years imprisonment with 18 months to serve and the rest suspended, and 5 years of probation, after pleading guilty to one felony count of Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult, and one felony count of Medicaid Fraud. Mr. Kittredge failed to bring the young man to various medical appointments on more than eight occasions and failed to otherwise obtain medical assistance for the young man’s obvious and life-threatening skin ulcerations. As a result of Mr. Kittredge’s neglect, the young man’s injuries progressed to the point of irreversible infection and ultimately caused the young man’s death. 

Vermont Business Magazine The end of pandemic-era funding coupled with workforce challenges and increasing demand for services has Howard Center adjusting its budget for the coming year. Howard Center’s new budget, which takes effect on July 1, includes a 1 percent expense reduction in all agency programs and departments (staff salaries and benefits were not impacted), and reflects the difficult decision to phase out four programs. Slated to end later this year are the Autism Spectrum Program center-based services for toddlers, Intensive Family Based Services which supports families towards the goals of stabilization and reunification, a public inebriate program in St Albans, and Howard Center’s affiliation with the closing Centerpoint program, a provider of services for teens and young adults and their families.

Leonine Public Affairs During an unexpectedly speedy veto session, Democratic supermajorities in the House and Senate successfully overrode five vetoes on key legislation. The veto session marks a significant victory for House and Senate Democrats, who were able to enact their top priorities over the objection of Republican Governor Phil Scott. Since adjournment in mid-May, Democratic leaders have been grappling to develop a plan to provide support for the people who would lose their state-funded housing as the pandemic-era motel program came to an end. Legislative leaders were able to hammer out a deal that drew support from state officials across the political spectrum - including the governor. The deal utilizes $19 million that was earmarked for housing in the FY2024 budget to extend the motel program until spring 2024.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Stowe Mountain Resort announced Shannon Buhler as Vice President and General Manager, effective July 17. Most recently, Buhler led mountain operations as Senior Director of Mountain Operations at Northstar California in the Lake Tahoe region.   Buhler began her career with Vail Resorts nearly 20 years ago in Product Sales and Services at Breckenridge Mountain. Since then, she’s led various departments at additional mountains within the Vail Resorts network, including Vail Mountain and Keystone Resort, before being appointed General Manager at Snow Creek in Missouri. 

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced three bills to limit toxic substance exposure among veterans, educate servicemembers on the impact of burn pits and other airborne hazards, and improve data collection on veterans affected by toxic exposure. The bills build on passage of the landmark Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022, a bipartisan bill to expand health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances, which Senator Welch helped pass as a Member of the House of Representatives.     

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Michael Dubois, 35, of Proctor, Vermont, was arraigned today on seven felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. The charges brought against Mr. Dubois are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of search warrants into Mr. Dubois’ residence and online data accounts, conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Manchester Police Department, Vermont State Police, and Homeland Security Investigations. 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline price in Vermont is $3.60/g, up 2 cents per gallon from last week, up 13 cents from last month and down $1.39 from a year ago. The lowest price in the state is $3.30/g in Middlebury, while the highest was $3.89/g in Island Pond. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 1 cent per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.55/g today. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is urging lake visitors to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species. Aquatic invasive species are organisms such as zebra mussels or water chestnuts that have spread or been introduced beyond their native range. These organisms can harm the environment, economy, and human health. Currently over 100 lakes and ponds in Vermont are infested with aquatic invasive species, with three new infestations in 2022.

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 significant frost in May that impacted Vermont farms. On May 17-18, 2023, Vermont suffered a damaging freeze early in our growing season when temperatures dropped to below freezing in every region and plummeted to at least as low as 20 degrees. In his letter to USDA secretary Thomas Vilsack, Governor Scott wrote, “The hard frost destroyed fruit blossoms and damaged vines throughout the state. We anticipate severe crop losses.” 

Vermont Business Magazine Engineers, contractors, landowners, and scientists gathered in late May for the pre-construction meeting for the removal of Connolly Pond Dam in Shrewsbury Vermont. This week the excavator and dozer arrived and work is underway. The dam is being removed in the interest of public safety to reduce flood risk, and reconnect and restore a headwater tributary to the Mill River, which ultimately flows to the Otter Creek and then Lake Champlain. A Dam Safety Inspection stated that, “Failure could result in damage and economic losses due to shallow flooding of property and overtopping of multiple road crossings."  

Vermont Business Magazine Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools is expanding its farm to school professional learning program nationwide, hosting teams from Kansas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Rhode Island as they adapt a Vermont-borne model—the Northeast Farm to School Institute—to strengthen food systems education and local purchasing in their states. From June 26–30, staff from the five states adapting the model will travel to Shelburne Farms for an intensive training to experience the Farm to School Institute in action.