Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Fidium Fiber’s expansion of fiber infrastructure in southern Vermont, slated to be completed this fall, will give the Southern Vermont Communications Union District (SoVT CUD) the distinction of becoming first in the state to achieve its universal broadband coverage goals. More than 14,000 additional homes and small businesses in southern Vermont, including those in SoVT CUD, will gain access to Fidium’s symmetrical multi-gig speeds and exceptional service through this expansion. Construction is currently underway for southern Vermont’s expansion, which will bring Fidium to the communities of Arlington, Dorset, Landgrove, Londonderry, Manchester, Peru, Pownall, Sandgate, Shaftsbury, South Londonderry, Sunderland, Rupert, Weston, and Winhall.

Vermont Business Magazine VGS (Vermont Gas) is launching a new program to install electric heat pumps in its customers’ homes, providing attractive sales and leasing options so more Vermonters can reduce their carbon footprint and enjoy the benefits of these highly-efficient heating and cooling systems. VGS’s new program is built around a centrally ducted heat pump concept that utilizes existing ductwork in a home. This configuration employs a smart thermostat to integrate a cold climate heat pump with a furnace. The heat pump is set as the primary heating source, while the gas furnace serves as an auxiliary backup system. The smart thermostat toggles between heat sources based upon outdoor temperature and the user’s desired comfort settings.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Environmental Conservation today announced $5.6 million in ARPA funding to help 193 low- to moderate-income Vermont households repair or replace failed or inadequate on-site water or wastewater systems like wells, springs, septic systems, and leach fields in 2022. This 2022 round of the Healthy Homes On-Site funding will help approximately 633 Vermonters – including 146 seniors and 156 children – gain access to safe drinking water and sanitation. To date, they have received approximately 1,200 applications and anticipate even more in the coming months and years. The state estimates that an additional 400 Vermont households will be served over the next two years, providing clean drinking water and proper sanitation for its residents.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) is inviting community leaders, volunteers, and partners committed to Vermont to join the inaugural “Community Social” June 13 at the Lake Bomoseen Lodge & Taproom. The event will include a short speaking program with updates on VCRD initiatives and issues vital to towns across Vermont, as well as lots of opportunity to connect with friends old and new on the shores of Lake Bomoseen. Rutland County community leader Melinda Humphrey will give the keynote address. Humphrey currently serves on the NeighborWorks of Western Vermont Board of Directors, Executive Committee/Assistant Treasurer for NAACP, and a foster/respite provider with the Vermont Department of Children & Families. In prior roles, Humphrey was on the Rutland City Board of Alderman and a founding member of Rutland Young Professionals.

Vermont Business Magazine Newton, Massachusetts, is the wellbeing capital of the United States, outranking other 561 cities and towns across the US. It scored top marks in seven of the 34 analyzed categories, including health insurance and lack of heart, kidney and pulmonary diseases. Sunnyvale, CA, Bellevue, WA, and Cambridge, MA, are the next best places in the US for wellbeing, with South Burlington 7th. At state level, Vermont ranked first, followed by Hawaii and Massachusetts. Youngstown, Ohio, ranked worst in the 2023 Wellbeing Index, with Ohio also ranking last as a state. Worrying data suggests that around one in three US residents in metro areas is likely obese or has high blood pressure and/or does not sleep enough at night.

by Ciara McEneany, Community News Service Vermont students may have more protections when it comes to discrimination and harassment in schools as advocates are urging lawmakers to include them in a bill that right now only focuses on workplaces and places of public accommodations. The bill, S.103, passed in the Senate late last month and is moving through the House. Its core goal is to get rid of the existing legal requirement that harassment or discrimination must be “severe or pervasive” to be considered unlawful. Members of several civil rights and education groups in recent weeks have told legislators that the bill is an opportunity to free students from that legal standard too.

Vermont Business Magazine The Cancer Patient Support Foundation (CPSF) has awarded $3 million to local cancer patients and their families. CPSF supports over five hundred local cancer patients each year, removing barriers to treatment and helping them meet their basic needs. For over 20 years, CPSF has been the only local statewide fund supporting patients and their families. Over 11,200 families have received over $3 million since the organization’s inception in 2001. Each year over $170,000 is awarded.

Vermont Business Magazine In recognition of the importance of the nursing profession to its members and the community, New England Federal Credit Union (NEFCU) annually awards three nursing scholarships of $3,000 each. As part of their application, candidates submit an original, 250-word essay describing how they will use their degree to contribute to their community.

Vermont Business Magazine Community Care Network (CCN) today announced the creation of the Larry Wildes Memorial Bowling Fund, a pool of supportive funding designed to enable individuals with developmental disabilities to participate in CCN-led bowling activities at a reduced cost. The fund, which aims to secure new donations moving forward to ensure long-term sustainability, was made possible by an initial, anonymous donation of $10,000 in memory of Larry Wildes, a long-time Community Care Network client and avid bowler who passed away in 2022 at the age of 59.

Vermont Business Magazine Advocates for improving end-of-life care options for terminally ill adults praised the Vermont legislature and Governor Phil Scott (R-Vermont) for becoming the first state to remove the residency requirement from its medical aid-in-dying law. The signing of the bill, H.190, into law removing the residency requirement means that people who reside in other states can seek medical aid in dying in Vermont. The governor’s signature today comes on the heels of strong tri-partisan support for H.190 in the legislature.

Vermont Business Magazine The latest Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Forecast Report (1990-2020) has been released today by the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) Climate Action Office (CAO). The report provides estimates of greenhouse gas emissions in various sectors of the Vermont economy. As in prior years, the largest emitting sectors of GHG emissions in 2020 were transportation, building energy use, and agriculture. Vermont’s GHG emissions declined 10% percent from 2017 to 2020, as shown in Figure 1. The decrease in transportation emissions was responsible for most of this decline and was largely due to the global pandemic and Vermonters staying home. However, it remains to be seen how much of those emission reductions will remain long-term due to policies like telework being more prevalent since the pandemic. In addition to providing sector-based estimates of greenhouse gas emissions, the GHG inventory is integral to assessing Vermont’s progress toward meeting the emission reduction requirements established in the 2020 Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA): 26% below 2005 levels by 2025, 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Law and Graduate School announced a new VLGS scholarship initiative to support the Indigenous people of Vermont. The First Nations scholarship is available to citizens of state or federally recognized tribes. The purpose of the scholarship is to enable Indigenous students to pursue careers in any of the many programs offered by Vermont Law and Graduate School, including legal degrees within the Law School and master’s degrees offered by the Graduate School and its School for the Environment.