Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Arts Council announces $3,220,000 in awards to 99 creative sector organizations and businesses in its second round of funding through the Creative Futures Grant program. The final round opens for applications today. Supported by $9 million from Vermont’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act, the program aims to provide relief to one of the state’s economic sectors hit hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic. Funding of up to $200,000 is available to Vermont-based creative economy nonprofits and for-profit entities, including sole proprietors, that can demonstrate economic harm caused by or exacerbated by the pandemic. It’s the first time that the Council has the ability to grant funds to the full creative sector, including for-profit businesses.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets City Market is excited to announce that applications for the community grants program are now open! If you have a project in mind that aligns with their mission to support local food systems, environmental sustainability, and community resilience, you are encouraged to apply. The deadline for submitting your grant application is Friday, June 23, 2023 at 5 pm. To apply, you can submit a digital application to [email protected], drop off a hard copy at the Customer Service desk in either our Downtown or South End locations, or mail it to City Market, Attn: Carrie Putscher, 82 South Winooski Avenue, Burlington VT 05401. A committee made up of City Market Members and staff will review the applications and make recommendations for grant awards to our Board of Directors. Grant requests can range from $500 to $7,500.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported April 26, 2023, that COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations were largely unchanged from the previous week. COVID-19 activity remains in the "Low" range, according to the VDH. Hospitalizations were up 2 to 17 last week (the lowest since last fall). Total cases were down 10 to 132. There were 3 COVID-related deaths in the last week for a pandemic total of 960 as of April 22 (this is the most recent update). VDH reported 15 COVID-related deaths in March, the fewest since the summer of 2021, and 14 so far in April.

Vermont Business Magazine A state trooper and members of The Richford Fire Department and Richford Rescue responded to a motor vehicle crash at the above location. Investigation into the incident revealed that operator # 1 was riding NB on Green Avenue on a riding lawn mower. (This street is steeply pitched downhill.) As Operator #1 approached the intersection of Province Street he reportedly lost his brakes and the lawn mower accelerated to an unknown speed. Vehicle #1 was unable to stop at the intersection of Province St and crashed into vehicle #2 as it was passing by traveling North.

by Ciara McEneany, Community News Service This legislative session’s major housing bill drew a lot of attention last month for its impacts on Act 250 reform and single-family zoning. But housing advocates also see the bill as a chance to protect people who would otherwise be homeless — by telling towns they can’t prevent hotels from renting rooms to those in a state emergency assistance program. The “Housing Opportunities Made for Everyone” — or HOME — bill would also prohibit municipalities from interfering with efforts to set up emergency shelters. The measure overwhelmingly passed the Senate last month and has been widely supported by housing groups looking to deal with the state’s persistent housing crisis. In recent weeks, legislators have been hearing testimony on the bill.

Vermont Business Magazine This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will have traffic impacts on state highways throughout Vermont beginning the week of May 1, 2023. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it. Also, VTrans announced on Friday that the Floating Bridge in Brookfield on VT-65 is now open for the season.

by Anson B. Tebbetts 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

by Jack Bell, Paul Lang, and Allen Fortier We at Long View Forest are writing in support of the Right to Repair legislation in the House this week. This bill would empower loggers and farmers like us to make faster and less expensive repairs to the machines we use to do our work. It would accomplish this by requiring original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to make all the necessary tools, parts, manuals and diagnostic equipment needed to perform repairs available to loggers, farmers, and the independent repair shops we often use. Long View Forest is an employee-owned Vermont company founded 24 years ago. We started as a three-person logging crew and have grown into a diversified operation with 35 employees providing complete services to owners and managers of forestland.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office, the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, and the Rutland Area NAACP will be co-hosting a Hate-Free Vermont Forum in Randolph on May 8, 2023, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. This forum will be the fourth held in an ongoing series; last month, a Hate-Free Vermont Forum was held in St. Albans. Last year, forums took place in Rutland and Bennington.

Vermont State Police On April 29, 2023, at approximately 0920 hours, the Vermont State Police were notified of a collision between a pick-up truck and bicyclist near the intersection of Brook Road and Carter Road in the Town of Burke. The preliminary investigation indicated the bicyclist was traveling south on Brook Road, while participating in a local bicycle race, when it entered into the northbound side of the roadway.

Vermont Business Magazine Lt. Col Enoch Woody Woodhouse, Jr., one of the last members of the all-Black World War II fighter pilot unit known as the Tuskegee Airmen, is honored with an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Norwich University during their 2023 Commencement Ceremony. The ceremony was held on Saturday, April 29, 2023, in Northfield, Vt.