Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the federal Environmental Protection Agency proposed its first national drinking water standards for six of the thousands of PFAS chemicals. The proposal would regulate two of these harmful chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, at 4 parts per trillion (ppt), and it also sets a hazard-based standard for a mix of four other PFAS chemicals - PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX. This rule is now open for public comment before being finalized later this year. Once this rule is adopted, water systems would have to monitor for these six specific PFAS chemicals. If they are detected, the public would need to be notified and work would be required to clean up the contaminated water. Vermont already has drinking water standards in place for five PFAS chemicals, at a combined limit of 20 parts per trillion. These new federal standards, if adopted, would be more health protective than the current Vermont regulations.

Vermont Business Magazine The need for more Service Supported Housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) is the centerpiece of a new study that will be released by the Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council at a State House press conference on Wednesday, March 15 at noon in the Cedar Creek Room. Resources exist to build, rehabilitate, subsidize, and enhance housing for financially eligible Vermonters, including those with I/DD, but disability service providers and housing developers have not traditionally worked together in Vermont, according to the report. During the 2022 legislative session, parents of adults with I/DD came forward to advocate that more housing options be created for their sons and daughters. The result was Act 186, which commissioned the Council to prepare the report and set aside $500,000 for pilot planning grants for new housing models. The grants will be awarded later this spring.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is now accepting applications for the Vermont Produce Improvement Grant program. Produce Safety Improvement Grants can support the costs of implementing on-farm food safety practices to help vegetable and fruit growers transition to compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule, address compliance with new Produce Safety Rule harvest and post-harvest water requirements, or meet market demands for on-farm food safety. Awards will range from $5,000 to $20,000. Applicants must grow, harvest, pack, or hold “covered produce” as defined by the federal FSMA Produce Safety Rule and have average annual produce sales of greater than $29,245 over the past three years.

Vermont Business Magazine Nutrition is important but it’s something that can be forgotten and taken for granted. “People can get on a good track, get healthy, then become overwhelmed,” said Community Health Dietician Maria Durkee, MS, RDN, CD. National Nutrition Month brings focus back to nutrition. “It’s a whole month to celebrate nutrition and it’s helpful for remembering to make healthy choices,” she said. “It’s also about recognizing nutrition around the world. It’s about cultures and eating patterns.” “Fuel for the Future” is the theme of National Nutrition Month 2023, a reminder to be resourceful and pay attention to the environment, reduce food waste, learn to eat on a budget and feed your community. “Eating what’s in season is cheaper and helps to sustain local growers and businesses,” Durkee said.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Tuesday announced David Reynolds, his former health policy advisor and a longtime health care leader in Vermont, has rejoined the office as Sanders takes up the gavel as chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Reynolds will be focusing on policy to strengthen access to primary health care and address workforce shortages across the country. Reynolds founded and led Northern Counties Health Care (NCHC) in 1976, Vermont’s first Federally Qualified Health Center. Today, NCHC provides quality care to more than one-third of Vermonters in its region, including dental care, primary care, home health care, and hospice services.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and Agency of Commerce and Community Development today announced the first round of approved grant applications for projects that spur economic recovery through the Community Recovery and Revitalization Program. The program, being administered by the Department of Economic Development, aims to strengthen communities across the state by reversing the harm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through assistance with capital investments that will help businesses, nonprofits, and municipalities to recover, retain existing jobs, and grow the economy. Thirty-one projects have been approved by an inter-agency committee, resulting in a proposed award amount of $10,328,196 which is expected to support $153,515,054 in total project costs. The 31 projects are expected to support 354 existing jobs and enable the creation of 205 new jobs, 79 new affordable housing units, and 196 new childcare slots for low- to moderate-income families.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is alerting customers that forecasters have now expanded the Winter Storm Warning to a larger section of Vermont, including Addison, Lamoille, Essex, and Caledonia Counties with Advisories expanded to Eastern Franklin and Eastern Chittenden Counties, as a long-duration storm event dumps heavy, wet snow across the state and entire Northeast region. Crews have restored power to more than 21,000 customers since the storm began last night, as the water-laden snow from this region-wide Nor’easter takes down trees and lines. Travel is expected to be difficult throughout the day, and more outages are expected as the wet heavy snow is forecasted to keep falling into Wednesday. Windham and Windsor Counties have been especially hard hit.

Vermont Business Magazine Keri LeCompte of Hinesburg, Vermont has been named the first Program Director for Lifestyle Medicine at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, the state’s only local, non-profit health plan. In this new role, Keri will lead the planning, development, evaluation and implementation of effective lifestyle medicine strategies, initiatives, programs, and procedures that address the root cause of the growing problem of chronic disease for our members. Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based educational approach that can address up to 80% of chronic disease, while empowering and motivating patients to take control of their own health through sustainable behavior change. Implementing these practices have also shown a reduction in provider burnout.

Vermont Business Magazine The City of Burlington calls on Vermont lawmakers to prioritize long-term public investment in Vermont’s child care system in 2023 to better support children, families, businesses, and early childhood educators statewide. The City Council passed a resolution Monday night that the Mayor will sign, which urges action from the Legislature to advance legislation that would make child care more accessible and affordable.

The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of a man who had been jailed at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield. Alexander Kelley, 34, of Putney was found unresponsive in his cell by prison staff during a routine check at 1:08 a.m. Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Prison staff provided emergency medical care and called first responders to the prison. Lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful, and Kelley was pronounced dead at 1:42 a.m. Following standard procedure, the Department of Corrections notified the Vermont State Police of Kelley’s death, and a detective responded to Southern State to perform a death investigation. An autopsy will be performed at the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington to determine the cause and manner of death. Preliminary information obtained by VSP indicates Kelley’s health was being monitored by prison staff, and he was alone in a cell.