Current News

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. 

Vermont Business Magazine This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will have traffic impacts on state highways throughout Vermont for the week of June 5, 2023. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it. 

Vermont Business Magazine Six years into their new venture, the Keenes were named the 2023 Vermont Small Business Persons of the Year by the US Small Business Administration. In announcing the award, the SBA cited the center’s employment growth, recent expansion and community-oriented mission. Join VermontBiz and US Small Business Administration as we celebrate the 2023 Vermont SBA Award Winners on June 15.

by Dan Smith, President & CEO Since 1986, the Vermont Community Foundation has been a source of enduring philanthropy that supports the strength of Vermont communities. The ability to work over decades offers an important perspective on how conditions change over time. Given that scope of work, the question we try to stay focused on is what makes for strong communities today and in the years to come? 

Vermont Business Magazine KEEN Utility, a leader in safety footwear and the work boot division of KEEN Inc, has announced the six recipients of its 2023 She Builds Grant Program, including Vermont Works for Women. Launched by KEEN Utility in 2021, the She Builds Grant Program was created to help advance the empowerment of more women entering the skilled trades. Between 2021 and 2026, the program has pledged $1 million in product and financial support to nonprofit organizations in the United States and Canada that are leading the way to provide tradeskills education and support for the next generation of tradeswomen.

Vermont Business Magazine As spring turns to summer and the sun’s rays beat down, it’s tempting to relish afternoons splashing in warm waters – comfortable for an afternoon dip, but life threatening for wildlife. The eastern wild brook trout thrives in water up to 65* and can tolerate a few degrees more. 75* kills. Last year some of Vermont’s major waterways hit 79*. Too easily dismissed as an uncontrollable effect of climate change, shockingly warm waters are more so the result of how we all treat the land – the hundreds of dams that trap bathtub-warm water and the riverside lawns, fields, roads, and parking lots that deprive banks of shady trees. 

Vermont Business Magazine At the Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge (NFWR), we welcome people of all backgrounds and abilities to participate in recreational hunting and fishing as priority public uses of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Silvio O. Conte NFWR selected Alternative A with minor modifications for its final 2023 Hunting and Fishing Plan as outlined in the supplemental Environmental Assessment which was released for a 30-day public comment period on April 24, 2023. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express are announcing the 25 historic small restaurants that will each receive $40,000 in grants through the “Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program.” We’re excited to share that local Lyndonville restaurant Freighthouse Market & Café, is being recognized with a grant to support the growth of their business. This marks the third installment of the “Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program,” which awards $1 million in grants, administered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and funded by American Express, to 25 historic small restaurants throughout the country.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association NVDA is the recipient of $2 million for Brownfield Assessments of contaminated properties in the Northeast Kingdom. The award also includes Revolving low-interest Loan Funds to aid local communities or businesses as they clean up sites for redevelopment. NEK Broadband receives more than $17 million from USDA ReConnect Program. On May 22nd, a portion of St Johnsbury's Summerville neighborhood received designation as a Neighborhood Development Area. Designation benefits include Act 250 considerations, tax credits, relief from certain ANR fees, special permit and tax exemptions, and priority consideration for state grants.