Current News

Vermont Business Magazine TD Bank today awarded 2 grants totaling in $325K to local Vermont non-profits, through its annual Housing for Everyone competition. TD Bank has branches across the state. The grants will support the following organizations to work to deliver rental assistance, rehabilitate affordable housing rental properties and build organizational capacity to address resident sustainability for the long-term: RuralEdge, awarded $150K; and Lamoille Housing Partnership, awarded $175K. This work is particularly important as affordable housing providers in Vermont and across the US face increased pressure as individuals and families grapple with inflation and an exponential rise in rental costs.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets As spring comes to the Green Mountains, shades of green slowly paint the contours of our rolling hills, valleys, and farm fields. Farmers are planting crops; gardeners are sowing seeds in earnest. Food and beverages are making their way to market. Visitors are traveling to Vermont for food, drink, experiences, and beauty. Vermont once again unfolds into a new season, and the Green Mountains continue to provide the backdrop for farmers, producers and those making their living off the land. Life meanders on - but clouds hang in the air as the Vermont Legislature, too, moves toward summer recess. If we do not invest in our food and farms, the system will suffer and along with it, the Vermont economy. Small communities in our rural regions are at risk. That is why the Governor, and the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets are proposing that the Legislature invest more in Vermont’s aging agriculture infrastructure. It’s our turn. The Legislature is considering a $14 million dollar package will help Vermont produce more food for the region and make our farmers more viable.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported May 3, 2023, that COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations both declined from the previous week. COVID-19 activity remains in the "Low" range, according to the VDH. Hospitalizations fell to 10 17 last week. Total cases were down 16 to 116. There were 2 COVID-related deaths in the last week for a pandemic total of 962 as of April 29 (this is the most recent update). VDH reported 15 COVID-related deaths in March, the fewest since the summer of 2021, and 16 so far in April.

by Greta Solsaa, Community News Service Vermont is the only state in the country where farmers cannot readily access a program meant to pay them back for restoring habitats around their farms. It’s called the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program — almost always referred to as CREP — and is run by the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. Farmers who agree to use some of their land for wildlife habitats, runoff buffer zones or other conservation-focused projects over a 15-year contract get reimbursed. But the program doesn’t pay for projects that are required by regulations, and because Vermont’s standards for conservation on farms mandate the same practices CREP covers, farmers here have to go through a separate application process with Washington, DC, to get the funds.

by Aubrey Weaver, Community News Service The Department for Children and Families has been in and out of the State House in recent weeks to initiate the process of building a new rehab and detention facility for juveniles in Vermont, the latest steps in a plan drafted back in December. Lawmakers in the Senate appropriations committee April 11 heard from recently appointed department commissioner Chris Winters and deputy commissioner Aryka Radke and adolescent service director Tyler Allen, who all testified about the significant need for a new juvenile facility. Then Radke joined Allen April 25 to urge members of the House judiciary committee not to increase the number of potential juvenile offenses as outlined in S.4, a nine-point bill more notable for its proposed gun control measures.

by Abby Carroll, Community News Service Changes may be coming to the admission process of publicly tuitioned students at approved independent schools with a bill legislators have been working on. The bill, H.483, looks to implement a nondiscriminatory admissions process for prospective students on public tuition. The approach would prevent approved independent schools from having mandatory interviews, campus visits or academic entrance exams, and it would bar those schools from reviewing students’ academic histories or considering their ability to pay as part of the admissions process. “There's a basic underpinning of a philosophy here that says a student who is on public dollars should not be told they're not the right fit.”

Vermont Business Magazine Starting Monday, May 8, the section of Home Avenue from just west of Foster Street to just east of Queen City Park Road will be closed starting at 7 am, as part of the Champlain Parkway project. The closure will be in effect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is anticipated to last approximately 6 to 8 weeks subject to change as weather and construction conditions dictate. Work will include the installation of water lines, stormwater infrastructure and drainage, utility duct bank, conduit, and traffic signal equipment and the reconstruction of a portion of Home Avenue and the railroad crossing. Utility service interruptions are anticipated. Impacted property owners will be notified in advance by the independent utility company.

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 May 8, 2023. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it. In addition to the list, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) announced Friday the closure of the U.S. 4 Bridge #33 over the Ottauquechee River along U.S. Route 4 between East Mountain Road and Mission Farm Road near the Skyeship Gondola, as part of the Killington U.S. 4 Bridge #33 Replacement Project. VTrans will be shifting traffic onto a temporary roadway and bridge constructed to carry vehicles over the Ottauquechee River during the closure period.

Vermont Business Magazine Stowe Area Association (SAA) celebrates the travel and tourism industry during National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) from May 7-13, an annual celebration of the contributions of the U.S. travel industry. The theme for this year's NTTW “Travel Forward” will spotlight the essential role that travel plays in driving economic growth and innovation. Celebrated annually the first full week in May, NTTW was created by Congress in 1983 to elevate the economic power of travel in the U.S. The 40th annual NTTW is a chance to celebrate and highlight those who make our industry what it is: business owners, town leadership, our visitors, and our community.

Every summer at Marlboro Music, an international, multi-generational community forms anew, comprised of some 80 professional musicians, as well as staff members, spouses, and children. For seven decades, it has been Marlboro's mission to mentor emerging artists, to provide nearly unlimited rehearsal time and artistic freedom, and to create a nurturing community with a joyful and loving spirit, surrounded by the verdant beauty of Southern Vermont. Known worldwide as an institution devoted to artistic excellence and to developing new leaders who illuminate all areas of music, Marlboro is where the concept of having master artists play together with exceptional young professionals was born—initiating a dynamic, collaborative approach to learning. Under the artistic direction of pianists Mitsuko Uchida and Jonathan Biss, the artists form more than 60 chamber music ensembles each week, working together intensively for seven weeks from late June until mid August.

Leonine Public Affairs House Speaker Jill Krowinski and other House leaders announced their intention on Thursday to form a special committee to investigate the conduct of two Vermont elected officials. Democratic Franklin County State’s Attorney John Lavoie is facing allegations of harassment and discrimination in his office. Republican Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore is facing charges for assaulting a person in custody last year. The impeachment process is very rare in Vermont, and the announcement that the House will move forward with an investigation adds an unexpected spin to the end of the 2023 legislative session. According to an analysis by House Clerk BetsyAnn Wrask, the last time the General Assembly conducted impeachment proceedings was in 1976, when the House impeached Washington County Sheriff Malcolm Mayo for multiple infractions, including allegedly falsifying records and assaulting someone in the Thrush Tavern in Montpelier.