Current News

Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) “Like many Vermonters and Americans, I’m stunned and furious by the news that a federal judge has ruled against the personal medical decisions that should be made between a patient and their doctor. This decision sets a dangerous precedent. Mifepristone is safe and effective and has been for more than two decades. What other safe and effective drugs will be removed because of political and ideological extremism? This is an assault on reproductive rights and women’s freedom.

Vermont Business Magazine The message from high school and college students about their future work expectations is loud and clear: they don’t want to work for someone else. In fact, 60% of teenagers are more interested in someday starting their own business rather than work in a traditional job, according to a new survey from Junior Achievement USA. CFES Brilliant Pathways has been hearing the same mantra from its students across the country who want advice on how to launch their own startups. In response, CFES is hosting a new webinar series “Insights from Entrepreneurs,” featuring individuals who started small, medium and large businesses in a broad range of fields.

Vermont Business Magazine The Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) has announced that the Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation, Water Quality Division has recently awarded RRPC a contract to administer water quality improvement programs to the 11 Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) in the State of Vermont. The grant is funded through the 604B program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and is intended to promote water quality planning and improvements. Last year’s 604b funding was used to identify and review more than 300 water quality improvements across the state, many of which were high priority projects. These projects were entered into the state’s database and, as a result, are now eligible to receive priority funding under Vermont Clean Water Act grants.

Vermont Business Magazine Emerge Vermont announced Wednesday that 18 of 24 women who have trained with the organization won their elections to local office during the Town Meeting Day 2023 election cycle. Fifteen of the candidates who ran are alums of the Signature Training program and eight have participated in other campaign trainings offered by Emerge Vermont. Of the 24 alums and trainees on the Town Meeting Day ballot in communities across Vermont, 18 won their elections, a 75% win rate.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Public has partnered with the award-winning PBS science series NOVA, a production of GBH, to produce and distribute multiplatform, climate-focused content as part of the series’ national Climate Across America initiative. Vermont Public is one of 10 public media stations working closely with NOVA to create, share, and amplify solutions-oriented climate content including short-form videos, audio stories, articles, e-newsletters, and social media posts. Vermont Public has produced two short digital films as part of this project. In the first, climate reporter Abagael Giles visits Panton, Vt., which hosts a community microgrid able to run exclusively on renewable power, without backup from fossil fuels. The piece is available now at vermontpublic.org and on the station’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has released the Vermont Master Angler Program 2022 Annual Report with 1,064 entries and 79 Master Angler Award recipients. Vermont’s wealth of waters and abundant fish populations provide many opportunities to experience outstanding fishing. The Vermont Master Angler Program recognizes the achievements of anglers who catch trophy-sized fish from Vermont waters and celebrates the clean water and healthy habitats that allow these fish to survive and grow to exceptional sizes. The Vermont Master Angler program is a length-based program that sets “trophy sized” benchmarks for 33 eligible fish species.

Vermont Business Magazine This Earth Month, show the planet some love by keeping old, unwanted clothes out of the landfill. Casella Waste Systems, Inc, a regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company, in partnership with TerraCycle, an innovative recycling company that specializes in hard-to-recycle materials, is offering consumers a sustainable way to dispose of well-loved clothing and shoes that local recycling services won't accept curbside. In America alone, an estimated 11.3 million tons of textile waste – equivalent to 85% of all textiles – end up in landfills on a yearly basis. Casella and TerraCycle have announced a subscription-based pickup home service for all brands of well-loved clothes and shoes that can no longer be passed on or donated.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington-based Pomerleau Real Estate has reported their first quarter transactions. Pomerleau announced that 520 Avenue D in Williston has been leased. This 11,600 SF warehouse building will be fully occupied by HWPO Training. Matt Fraser and his team are planning to open their doors in Spring 2023. Kendra Kenney represented the Tenants and John Beal of Vt Commercial represented the building owner.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, well over 500 children, parents, grandparents, early childhood educators, employers, and community leaders packed the Vermont State House steps and lawn to rally with dozens of lawmakers from every corner of Vermont and of every political affiliation, uniting together to show support for solving Vermont’s child care crisis. According to Let's Grow Kids, today’s Courage to Care Rally was among the largest legislative rallies in recent years and a testament to the growing and intensifying support for progress to address the state’s child care crisis. The rally which took place in Montpelier today, comes on the heels of the Vermont Senate’s historic passage of S.56, the 2023 Child Care Bill earlier this month. The bill, if passed, would be the state’s most significant step towards solving the child care crisis by making child care more accessible and affordable for thousands of Vermont families and by improving program quality by increasing compensation and professional training for early childhood educators.

Vermont Business Magazine Barr Hill Gin, the most awarded gin in the United States and #1 gin in Vermont, whose product is distilled by Vermont-based Caledonia Spirits, announces the launch and distribution of its first-ever canned cocktail — a Gin & Tonic – through a partnership with The Beer Guy, the distribution arm of the revered Vermont brewery Lawson’s Finest Liquids. The canned cocktail will only be available in Vermont starting the week of April 17, 2023. Barr Hill Gin’s canned Gin & Tonic will be the first non-beer, non-Lawson’s Finest product to be distributed by The Beer Guy.