Current News

VermontBiz A federal two year grant of $400,000 has been awarded to VMEC to assist Vermont small and medium-sized manufacturers in building their supply chain initiatives. The funding comes from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) who's been VMEC’s federal partner since its inception in 1995. VMEC is the official representative of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network in Vermont.

VermontBiz This summer, the Vermont Lakes and Ponds Program is seeking volunteers to help monitor and collect information about lakes and ponds in the state. With over 800 lakes and ponds, volunteers are key to the success of the program’s lake monitoring efforts. Volunteers can be found statewide greeting lake visitors, inspecting boats, collecting water samples, tracking algal or cyanobacteria blooms, reporting aquatic invasive species, and more.

“State scientists use the information volunteers collect to understand the health of Vermont’s lakes and ponds,” said Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner John Beling. “Thanks to our dedicated and hardworking volunteers, we can better protect the many benefits of these special places.”

VermontBiz Vermont Everyone Eats (VEE), the innovative, statewide, $49 million pandemic relief program that increased food security, economic stabilization, and agricultural resilience within a single initiative, recently released an economic report showing that the program also stimulated significant lasting economic impact in Vermont. Between August 2020 and March 2023, nearly four million meals were produced by Vermont restaurants and distributed statewide to local meal recipients negatively affected by the pandemic. Meals were made by over 320 Vermont restaurants using ingredients from over 270 Vermont farmers and food producers.

Vermont Business Magazine In a continued effort to expand and strengthen access to dental care for veterans through the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) joined with Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) to introduce legislation yesterday that would establish a new pilot program to provide comprehensive dental care to veterans diagnosed with diabetes and ischemic heart disease. Funded for four years, the program would also study the health outcomes and cost effectiveness of such care, as well as provide loan reimbursement opportunities for qualified dental care professionals who agree to serve for the duration of the pilot at a VA dental clinic deemed high need.

Vermont Business Magazine This year, Champlain College had the most successful fundraising year in its 145-year history. The college has received over $23.8 million in financial support in the fiscal year 2023, including an anonymous $5 million donation – the second-largest gift ever received. Champlain's record fundraising year paves the way for the College to continue to make courageous investments in groundbreaking academic programs that set the standard for career-focused higher education. 

VermontBiz Today, Mayor Weinberger announced the launch of a new and expanded BTVstat Data Hub on the City’s website, and released the 2023 Housing Report, prepared by the Burlington Planning Department with collaboration from the Burlington Department of Planning and Inspection and the Burlington Community and Economic Development Office.  

VermontBiz The bourbon world has evolved dramatically in the 21st century. Once in steep decline, bourbon has been reborn and is more popular than it has been in half a century. That has led to the proliferation of bourbon producers across the country, making America’s signature spirit in places where it was never made before. Great bourbon now comes from across the United States, from Nevada's arid deserts to Texas' sprawling plains, from the snowbelt of Ohio, to the rugged mountains of Colorado, and, of course, from its historic heartland of Kentucky.

VermontBiz Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) joined the Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, & Federal Rights yesterday to call for the passage of the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act of 2023, legislation that would establish a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justice. The bill’s introductionfollows numerous reported instances of ethical misconduct by Justice Clarence Thomas and public confidence in the Supreme Court at an all-time low. At present, the Supreme Court does not abide by a formal code of conduct. 

VermontBiz The Agency of Education is announcing the availability of summer meal sites providing meals to children, 18 and under, through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). This vital initiative ensures that children across the state have access to nutritious meals throughout the summer. Families are encouraged to access these meals to help support children's growth, health, and academic success. This program bridges the gap between school years, giving children the fuel they need to play and grow throughout the summer months and return to school ready to learn.

VermontBiz On Tuesday, Brenda Siegel along with Recovery Vermont, Vermont Center For Independent Living (VCIL) and Rebecca Duprey held a press conference today outlining the data collected about the evictions of motel participants scheduled this week and to ask leaders to focus on the needs of the nearly 900 individuals who are experiencing homelessness and about to or already have experienced Vermont’s state sponsored unsheltering. 

“Throw away politics. This is the time for strong leaders to own up that we are failing people right now and we need to fund the sheltering needs. What are the lessons learned? We need to be honest about the people we’re throwing out on the street and step in and care,” sSaid Sarah Launderville, Executive Director of VCIL. 

Vermont Business Magazine In the past year, several battery fires have occurred at transfer stations throughout the Northeast. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that lithium-ion batteries caused over 240 fires at 64 facilities between 2013 and 2020. Common sources included consumer devices like cell phones, tablets, laptops, hoverboards, and e-cigarettes. To help solid waste and recycling workers safely collect batteries and reduce the risk of fires, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Solid Waste Program has spent $160,000 to purchase and distribute battery collection safety kits to over 160 public and private transfer stations and Household Hazardous Waste facilities.

Vermont Business Magazine The deadline to apply for a 2023 Vermont moose hunting permit is June 21. Moose permit applications are available on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website for the hunt limited to Vermont’s Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) E in the northeastern corner of the state. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board voted on April 5 to have 80 either-sex moose hunting permits and 100 antlerless moose hunting permits available this year. The science-based hunt will result in an estimated harvest of about 100 moose, or 10 percent of the more than 1,000 moose currently estimated to live in WMU E.