Current News

by Aubrey Weaver, Community News Service House legislators passed a bill that would legalize mobile sports betting last week, putting Vermont on the road to joining other states in legalizing the practice. And lawmakers don’t just want Vermont to join the club — they’re looking to its neighbors to figure a system out. One of the surrounding states that legalized mobile sports wagering back in 2019 was New Hampshire. Wendy Knight, Vermont liquor and lottery commissioner and chair of a Legislature-formed sports betting study committee, told the House Committee on Appropriations March 20 that the committee has been “picking their guidance and relying on New Hampshire a lot” when crafting Vermont’s legalization policy. A key difference between New Hampshire’s sports betting system and the proposed Vermont model is the number of operators — meaning mobile sports betting franchises — allowed to operate within the state. New Hampshire only has one operator, DraftKings, whereas the Vermont House bill allows between two and six operators through a competitive bidding process. Those could include DraftKings but might also include similar operators like Fanduel and Caesar’s.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported March 29, 2023, that COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations were down from last week. COVID-19 activity remains in the "Low" range, according to the VDH. Hospitalizations fell to 22 last week (the lowest since last fall). Total cases fell to 201. There were 3 COVID-related deaths in the last week for a pandemic total of 941 as of March 27 (this is the most recent update). March is on track to have the fewest COVID-related deaths since the summer of 2021.

Vermont Business Magazine Fidium Fiber’s multi-gig-speed internet is now available for more than 7,000 residents and small businesses in St. Albans, Swanton, and Georgia. Fidium Fiber delivers multi-gig-speed internet without contracts, installation fees or data caps. All Fidium plans offer reliable, symmetrical speeds from 50 Mbps to 2 Gigs (2000 Mbps). Fidium Fiber also offers VoIP phone service plans, and features speeds that allow customers to seamlessly stream their preferred TV and entertainment.

Vermont Business Magazine States that will see totality in the US are Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The full eclipse will cross northern Vermont on April 8, 2024, about 3:30 pm and last about three-and-a-half minutes. 31 million people already live inside the path and millions more will travel to the path of totality on eclipse day. Upwards of 208,000 could visit Vermont just to experience it.

Vermont Business Magazine Nine students from high schools around the world were selected as winners of Bennington College’s 2022-2023 Young Writers Awards. This annual competition, which accepts entries in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, is free to enter and open to high school students. A first-, second-, and third-place winner is selected in each of the categories, with cash prizes up to $1,000 awarded. Young Writers Award finalists and winners are also eligible for undergraduate scholarships at Bennington. Finalists who enroll at Bennington will receive a $10,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $40,000. Winners who enroll at Bennington will receive a $15,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $60,000.

Vermont Business Magazine National Life Group’s leadership spokesperson, four-time Olympian and record-holder in American women’s high jump Chaunté Lowe, has been named by President Joe Biden to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, the White House announced.

Lowe joins 26 other appointees to the Council, including Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim and professional basketball player Stephen Curry in promoting physical fitness and healthy nutrition to all regardless of background or ability.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and the CCC Legacy are proud to offer a lecture by award-winning author and historian Martin Podskoch on the history and legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Vermont. The lecture will take place on April 5 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM in the Pavilion Auditorium at 109 State Street, Montpelier. Questions, personal remembrances, and knowledge of CCC camps in Vermont is welcomed at the end of the evening. This program is presented in honor of the 90th Anniversary of the founding of the CCC, a significant public works program that gave meaningful work to unemployed young men during the Great Depression. The CCC operated from 1933 to 1942 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal to improve the nation’s public lands, forests, and parks.

Maria Lara Bregatta, et al There are over 77,000 small businesses in Vermont that employ 61 percent of the state’s private workforce. Small business success has always been the backbone of a functioning Vermont economy. As small business owners, we can confidently say that our success – and the success of our state’s economy – hinges on our employees’ access to child care.

The pandemic exacerbated issues that had previously hummed in the background – most notably a lack of accessible and affordable child care. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, fifty-seven percent of parents nationwide have recently said child care responsibilities had impacted their ability to work.

Of these parents, 73 percent missed more than eight hours of work in a month because of child care responsibilities.

by Todd Heyman On Friday, the Vermont Senate declined to exempt from Act 250 review the construction of up to 24 downtown housing units notwithstanding the undeniable housing crisis in Vermont. Once again, the Legislature is deferring action on reducing Act 250 jurisdiction in favor of writing reports (two were requested last session). It’s time to point out something you won’t read in the newspapers: for the most part, the people making these decisions understand very little about how Act 250 actually works. Legislators are very rarely Act 250 permit holders and probably couldn’t identify even 10 significant accomplishments of the Natural Resources Board last year.

Leonine Public Affairs On Friday, the Senate gave final approval to a bill meant to address the housing crisis in Vermont. S.100, also known as the HOME bill, is a culmination of efforts by housing advocates, and policy makers in both chambers, led by Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale who chairs the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs committee. After the bill left the committee, housing advocates expressed frustration with what they see as a good bill that was excessively diluted by the Senate Natural Resources committee and environmental advocates. This committee worried that some Act 250 reforms in the original bill would result in sprawl. Housing advocates don’t think the bill goes far enough to address the enormity of the housing crisis. The bill now heads to the Vermont House, where the tension between affordable housing and land use regulations will likely increase.

The Vermont State Police is able to identify the victim in this incident as Tamico Williams, 21, of Hartford, Connecticut.An autopsy was completed Saturday, April 1, 2023, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The cause of death was determined to be gunshot wounds to the torso, and the manner of death is a homicide. The investigation into this homicide is continuing, and no one is currently in custody. Information that detectives have developed so far indicates the shooting appears to be a targeted act.