Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont Senate passed S.100, the Housing Opportunities Made for Everyone (HOME) bill, on a vote of 27-2-1. This bill proposes to increase the supply of affordable housing in the state, promote homeownership and broaden housing opportunities for all Vermonters. The Senate did not make substantial changes to Act 250, despite amendments offered to do so. S.100 proposes to reduce regulatory barriers in designated growth areas and in areas served by municipal water and sewer to enable the development of more dense, multi-family housing. This bill was intentionally crafted to strike a critical balance between housing development and conservation.

The Vermont State Police on Friday, March 31, 2023, received autopsy findings from the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington regarding the death of Russell Giroux. The 60-year-old Alburgh resident died Jan. 31 at Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans just over two hours after he was involved in an altercation among multiple spectators at a middle-school basketball game. The medical examiner determined Giroux’s cause of death was an “acute cardiac event following altercation in an individual with coronary artery atherosclerosis.” The manner of death will be listed as “undetermined.”

Vermont Business Magazine Following an internal investigation, the Vermont State Police today announces the resignation of two troopers assigned to the Westminster Barracks. The voluntary resignations of Nathan Greco and Nathan Jensen were effective Friday, March 31, 2023. The Vermont State Police began investigating the troopers’ conduct in early February after VSP and Department of Public Safety leadership received complaints that the troopers had used inappropriate and racist comments as they played an online game while off duty. The comprehensive investigation was unable to substantiate every allegation raised against the troopers, but the information that was corroborated represented a serious violation of the Vermont State Police Code of Conduct.

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont Senate passed S.56, an act relating to child care and early childhood education. The bill passed by voice vote, after passing second reading yesterday on a vote of 24-6. This bill would transform Vermont’s child care system, making child care more accessible and affordable for thousands of Vermonters and improving compensation for early childhood educators. S.56 would increase access to quality child care services throughout Vermont, provide financial stability to child care programs, support and stabilize Vermont’s child care workforce, address the workforce needs of Vermont employers. It would also create a Prekindergarten Education Study Committee to provide policy recommendations for how to improve and expand accessible, affordable and high-quality prekindergarten education. JFO estimates the bill would: Increase new expenditures by $39.2 million in FY 2024 and $114.6 million in FY 2025; Repeal the Vermont Child Tax Credit which was estimated to reduce State revenues by $31.8 million in FY 2024 and in future years; Raise approximately $83 million annually in new revenues by instituting a 0.42% tax on wages and self-employment income up to the Social Security taxable maximum.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced he’s appointed 85 individuals to State boards and commissions this month. Boards and commissions serve an important role in state government, giving Vermonters numerous opportunities to serve their state and communities. The governor’s office is currently soliciting applications to fill vacancies and upcoming term expirations. All those interested in serving on a board or commission should visit the Governor’s website.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) invites municipalities to participate in the Municipal Roads Grants-in-Aid Program, which provides funding for municipalities to implement best management practices (BMPs) in accordance with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Municipal Roads General Permit (MRGP). Grants-in-Aid awards will be made available through AOT and will total approximately $3.6 million dollars in this grant cycle. Municipalities will submit reimbursement requests directly to AOT for work completed, and AOT will reimburse up to 80% of the municipality’s documented construction expenses, including in-kind support, for BMPs on hydrologically connected roads.

Vermont State Police Rebecca Ball, 17, of Middlebury was last seen at about 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, 2023, near the southern end of Wright Park and the TAM trailhead in the vicinity of Seymour Street Extension, Pinewood Road and Jackson Lane in Middlebury. She is reported to have walked away following an appointment in the area. Her disappearance is not considered suspicious, but there are concerns for her welfare. Rebecca is white, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 104 pounds, and has blue eyes and short, light-brown hair. She was last seen wearing a red plaid shirt, a green plaid necktie, skinny dark pants, and brown boots.

Vermont State Police The investigation is continuing Friday into a suspicious death in Brattleboro. The Vermont State Police Crime Scene Search Team arrived this morning at the residence on Birge Street, and the team’s work is ongoing. Capt. Scott Dunlap, commander of the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit, will be available to speak with members of the media about this investigation at 1 p.m. at the Brattleboro Police Department, 62 Black Mountain Road. VSP will provide further updates as the investigation proceeds.

Vermont Business Magazine Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance have awarded Barrett Insurance Agency a 2023 Make More Happen Award for its volunteerism with Northeast Kingdom Cancer Action Network, Inc. (NEKCAN), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing grants to those fighting cancer while raising awareness and supporting cancer research in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The award includes an initial donation of $5,000 for Northeast Kingdom Cancer Action Network, which can be doubled to $10,000 just by having community supporters vote online. Starting Saturday, April 1, the Barrett Insurance Agency and NEKCAN Agent Giving story will be highlighted on the official Make More Happen microsite at www.agentgiving.com/barrett-insurance-agency where supporters can vote to help the team reach their donation goal. If the featured story receives a mix of at least 500 votes and comments, the $5,000 donation will be raised to $10,000.

Vermont Business Magazine iSun reported fourth quarter 2022 revenue of $25.9 million, compared to $27.0 million in the same period in 2021. Full year 2022 revenue was $76.5 million, representing a $31.2 million or 69% increase over the same period in 2021. This year’s revenue growth was driven primarily by the fulfillment of increased residential consumer demand and expanded services across all markets, as well as execution of the commercial and industrial backlog; total backlog was $164.2 million as of December 31, 2022. iSun also generated new future demand by adding $11.0 million in new business during the fourth quarter. Williston-based iSun, Inc (NASDAQ: ISUN), a leading solar energy and clean mobility infrastructure company with 50 years of experience accelerating the adoption of innovative electrical technologies, has announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine On March 29, 2023, the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) voted unanimously to approve hospital budget guidance for the 2024 Fiscal Year (FY). The approved hospital budget guidance maintains an ambitious two-year revenue growth cap of 8.6% for Vermont hospitals and adds objective, national benchmarks for evaluating hospital budget requests. The GMCB also reviewed FY22 year-end actuals for Vermont’s 14 community hospitals. Last year, the GMCB adopted a two-year revenue trend, which was carried forward in the FY24 guidance. In accordance with the approved guidance, the GMCB will consider factors driving hospital expense growth, hospitals’ ability to manage those expenses, and how Vermont hospitals perform relative to peers based on national benchmarks.