Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Gary Residence in Montpelier has recently adopted the groundbreaking Best Friends method for caring for people with memory loss by adding a Best Friends Certified Master Trainer (BF-CMT) to their staff. Dawn Palowski, Executive Director of The Gary Residence, recently completed her BF-CMT certification, demonstrating a commitment to providing high quality memory care.

Vermont Business Magazine Three nurses, two nursing assistants (LNAs) and one medical assistant (MA) at Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) were recently recognized for providing extraordinary patient care with DAISY and PETALS Awards, respectively, by the DAISY Foundation, an international organization founded to celebrate nurses. The DAISY Foundation award program’s nursing professional development and recognition council awarded Operating Room Nurse Manager Wendy Tetrault, RN, CNOR, the DAISY Nurse Leader Award. Tetrault supervises the operating room and same-day surgery programs.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Saturday vetoed the state budget and a voter change in Brattleboro, while letting one charter change in Burlington become law without his signature, while vetoing another. The Legislature has already set aside a "veto session" for June 21 in anticipation of the governor vetoing at least some bills. There are still several bills, including the childcare bill, upon which he has not acted. 

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth issued the following statement on Saturday regarding the veto: "At this point, Phil Scott has issued far more vetoes than any Governor in Vermont history, an increasingly unsettling aspect of his tenure.  And this veto of H.494 has to be the most flawed and harmful of any in recent memory. With one-time money subtracted, the Legislature's budget and the Governor's differ by about three percent -- with nearly all of that difference flowing to mental health, adult-days and other critical service providers. But more crucially, this veto also freezes expanded emergency funding to municipalities and agencies being asked to provide the actual transition plans for those exiting the General Assistance housing program. 

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets If you are a Vermont farm that rotationally grazes ruminant livestock, the VAAFM Farm Agronomic Practices (FAP) program may be right for you. The FAP program provides funding to help Vermont farms implement soil-based agronomic practices that improve soil quality, increase crop production, and reduce erosion and agricultural waste discharges. The program pays farmers $30 per acre for rotational grazing. 

The Middlebury College Class of 2023, whose first year of college was dramatically altered by the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrated their graduation on a picture-perfect May morning on the main quad. The College conferred degrees to 610 students, including those who graduated in February. President Laurie Patton welcomed the graduates, families and friends, congratulating the senior class for raising more than $100,000 in support of student access through the Seizing Opportunities Fund and the Student Emergency Fund. The funds ensure all students have access to the full Middlebury experience and help them to navigate through difficult times, regardless of their personal circumstances.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, The Vermont Flannel Company announced the Grand Opening of a new retail store in Freeport, Maine. Located in a charming brick building on 47 Main Street, Vermont Flannel’s first-ever Maine location will be open for business beginning Saturday, May 27, 2023, with current retail hours of Monday - Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 11-5. Visit the beautiful new store for an authentic Vermont Flannel experience. The public is invited to celebrate the occasion with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, May 31. The event will be held from 5:30-6:30 pm. Matt Bigelow, President of The Vermont Flannel Company, will kick off the ceremony. Vermont Flannel will be joined by the Freeport Chamber of Commerce as well as Ben & Jerry’s, who will be serving up the flavor of Vermont with scoops of their delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream.

Vermont Business Magazine Fans across the US shout out: visit Smugglers’ Notch Distillery for the best vodka, specialty spirits, and incredible tasting room experiences. For the sixth year in a row, Smugglers’ Notch Distillery has been chosen by enthusiasts across the country in the USA Today 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards, this year in three categories including top four Best Distillery Tasting Rooms in the US.

Vermont Agency of Transportation This report is a list of planned construction activities that will have traffic impacts on state highways throughout Vermont for the week of May 29, 2023. Crews will be off Monday, May 29 in observance of Memorial Day. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.

by Bill Schubart The Human Library movement has been with us since 2000. Human libraries have opened on six continents, with libraries in Louisiana and Indiana in this country and in Denmark, Ireland, France, England, and more opening around the world. Let’s start one here in Vermont. What is a human library? It’s a virtual library of people. People are the books. The movement originated to generate and enrich conversation, foster understanding, if not always agreement. Its motto is “Unjudge Someone.” Users can check out people for individual or group discussion.

Vermont Business Magazine Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) on Friday announced a $23,270 federal grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program to help in the installation of a roof-top solar array on a historic building in Brattleboro at the corner of High and Green Streets. The solar project will produce 112% of the current electrical usage, saving the building – which is home to a variety of small businesses – more than $11,000 annually.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger on Friday issued the following statement related to Governor Phil Scott's announcement of an expanded hotel/motel program for the homeless, which would expand eligibility and extend the benefits to those who qualify by 28 days, or until near the end of July: “I support an orderly end to the troubled pandemic-era motel program and Burlington is working in partnership with the State and our regional partners to quickly create new shelter opportunities – in addition to the two low-barrier emergency shelters Burlington has opened since late 2020 – to bring new homeless dedicated housing units online, and to expand services to meet the basic needs of the close to 200 adults in Chittenden County who will exit the program in June. However, for the State to, later this summer, turn out elderly Vermonters, people living with disabilities, and worst of all, young children and their families, to live in tents or in congregate shelters for months would be unacceptable."