Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region, (VNAHSR), one of the state’s largest providers of skilled home health and hospice services, recently announced the Employee of the Year and HEALTH Matters Award Winners. Brian Fleming, PT, was recognized as VNAHSR’s Employee of the Year.

by Michael Del Trecco, CEO, VAHHS My daughter, Jillian, will graduate from high school in a week. We’ll be “sort-of” empty nesters then. She’ll head to Quinnipiac in the fall with the ultimate goal of being a dentist. This is such a bittersweet time of year. These young people are full of so much hope and optimism, but also, being a kid these days isn’t easy, so there’s plenty of heartache and stress. Frankly, as I look around, I see similar juxtapositions everywhere. Wins and struggles; joy and loss. That’s the way it always is, but what determines our ultimate success is our resilience through the hard times. 

Vermont Business Magazine In conjunction with Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) and Umbrella, The Northeast Kingdom Prevention Center of Excellence invites the community to attend the Building Communities that Thrive Through Connection conference on Thursday, June 22, 2023. The conference, which is free and open to all community members 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Burke Mountain Resort, will focus on three topics: Youth Mattering, Community Resilience and Positive Childhood Experience (PCEs) research. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today signed S.100 – known as the Housing Opportunities Made for Everyone or HOME Act – which will enable more significant progress addressing Vermont’s housing shortage. The HOME Act modernizes local zoning and land use regulations by allowing higher density development in areas with sewer and water service, which will create more housing opportunities and affordable homes for more Vermonters. The bill includes additional provisions and directs funding to further address the needs of renters and homeowners, which will be finalized with the State Fiscal Year 2024 budget.

Vermont Business Magazine New England state air quality forecasters are predicting air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups, due to elevated concentrations of fine particle air pollution due to wildfires in Quebec and Northern Ontario.  Areas predicted to exceed the Federal air quality standard for 24-hour particle pollution level concentrations on June 6 are: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire (central, south and western parts of the state), Rhode Island, and Vermont.   

Vermont Business Magazine A new report puts forth a regional goal of producing and consuming 30% of New England’s food needs in the region by 2030. Commissioned by the New England State Food System Planners Partnership, a collaboration between Vermont Farm to Plate, five other state-level organizations and Food Solutions New England, it outlines the role New Englanders can play in making the region’s food system stronger and more self-reliant. The report - A Regional Approach to Food System Resilience - is a product of 16 researchers exploring the opportunities and needs along the food supply chain in New England.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.56 per gallon, up 2 cents per gallon from last week's $3.54/g. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 3.9 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.51/g today. The national average is down 1.7 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 134.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. OPEC+ is cutting oil output, which is expected to raise gasoline prices.

The Vermont State Police is investigating an incident in which one person was killed and a second person was injured Sunday night, June 4, 2023, in Leicester. The investigation began following a 911 call at about 9:55 p.m. Sunday reporting a disturbance on U.S. Route 7. Responding law-enforcement officers discovered one man dead at the scene and a second suffering from injuries. The injured man was taken to the hospital, and his condition is currently unknown.

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Transportation and Fish & Wildlife Department will host the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation. Members of the media are invited to attend the field trips for an exciting opportunity to hear directly from leading Vermont experts about their research and current projects. Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Most field trips are from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

by Vermont Agriculture Secretary, Anson Tebbetts Dairy contributes to our diet every day, and in June, we celebrate our delicious local dairy options. We fuel up at breakfast with fresh Vermont yogurt, at lunch with grilled cheese. For dinner, it's something from the grill—perhaps a juicy burger with Vermont cheese. Time for dessert? Don't forget the treats: cheesecake with Vermont cream cheese, cakes with fresh butter, and pudding with Vermont cream. Maybe it's visiting your favorite ice cream or creemee stand after a long day of work. It's the season to celebrate the farmers who make it possible.

by Mike Donoghue, VermontBiz Correspondent Vermont’s chief federal judge has struck down a request by former Jay Peak President William Stenger to have a $250,000 restitution order in his EB-5 immigration fraud case be forgiven due to claims of misconduct by state officials. Chief Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford ruled in an 8-page decision that recent claims by the defense were not new and that he considered the issue had been resolved during Stenger’s sentencing in April 2022 in Burlington.

Vermont Business Magazine The Community College of Vermont (CCV) held its graduation ceremony today at Norwich University’s Shapiro Field House. More than 450 students received associate degrees. Students representing all 14 Vermont counties graduated, along with students from 18 states and 6 countries. The youngest graduates are 18 and the oldest is 68. Also among the graduates are 37 veteran and military-connected students. The keynote address was delivered by Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of BETA Technologies, a Vermont-based company working to electrify aviation.