Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported February 1, 2023, that COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations have risen over the last week. However, COVID-19 activity remains in the "Low" range, according to the VDH. Hospitalizations increased to 48 last week. Total cases increased to 501. Total COVID-19 deaths in Vermont are 894, as of January 31. Of those, 707 have been of Vermonters 70 or older. There have been 3 deaths of Vermonters under 30. With no deaths in the last week and 17 so far this month, January is on pace to have the fewest COVID-related fatalities since the summer of 2022.

The Vermont Cannabis Control Board (CCB) is issuing a consumer protection warning for flower produced by Holland Cannabis (license number CLTV0057-01), due to pesticide contamination. The CCB received a report of an adverse health impact allegedly related to the smoking of an unregistered strain of Holland Cannabis flower. The CCB obtained a sample of this product from the complainant and other samples of Holland Cannabis flower from a retail establishment and has verified that samples of multiple strains of Holland Cannabis flower tested above action limits for the active ingredient myclobutanil, a chemical used as a fungicide.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation announce the approval of $56,905 for seven historic preservation projects through the Certified Local Government (CLG) program to support community-based preservation initiatives. A second round of grant funding available to the seventeen designated CLGs will be awarded in May 2023. Among the seven communities receiving funding are Hartford for the National Register of Historic Places nomination of Taft’s Flat; Norwich for the Jones Circle National Register Historic District nomination; and the Town of Stowe in partnership with the Stowe Electrical Department for the Moscow Mill Revitalization Plan.

Vermont Business Magazine Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc (NYSE: BHLB), with branches in Southern Vermont, today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.18 per common share to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 16, 2023, payable on March 2, 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine Scott Administration officials will be visiting Windham County on Monday to continue their county tour to hear from community leaders about their unique infrastructure needs and to discuss the many funding opportunities available to them via federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. Officials will offer guidance on how communities can apply for assistance with tangible economic development, housing, water and sewer, climate change mitigation measures, and broadband projects.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Thursday announced the winners of his thirteenth annual State of the Union Essay Contest, which gives Vermont high school students of all backgrounds an opportunity to address a major issue facing the country and propose solutions. This year, 382 students from 31 Vermont high schools submitted essays. A panel of seven Vermont educators served as volunteer judges, ranking the essays and selecting twelve finalists and three winners. Since Sanders started the contest, more than 5,700 students throughout Vermont – representing almost every high school in the state – have written essays about critically important issues, including climate change, access to mental health care, political polarization, gun safety, disability rights, racial justice, and more.

Vermont Business Magazine The Emergent Media Center (EMC) at Champlain College, in collaboration with the Vermont Youth Orchestra (VYO) and Vermont Symphony Orchestra (VSO), is debuting two experimental film pieces during the winter concert, “¡La Fiesta!” conducted and programmed by Dr. Mark Alpízar at the Flynn Theater on Sunday, February 5. The combination of the students’ original film work and the orchestral music expands storytelling in the arts. The local partnership began in the spring of 2022, aspiring to create an engaging experience for young musicians and artists.

by John McClaughry Two months ago I published a column titled “Return of the Johnstown Flood.” That was my metaphor for the flood of legislation that was certain to occur, once the Democratic Party commanded a veto-proof majority in both House and Senate. It now does, and that Flood is proceeding at alarming velocity. Its foremost component is enacting the Clean Heat Standard bill, vetoed last May by Governor Scott. That bill, now shamelessly renamed the “Affordable Heating Act” (S.5), is a complex scheme to subsidize heat pumps, advanced wood pellet furnaces, and home weatherization. The most notable change in this year’s version is omitting any “check back” provision that would require legislators to vote to put this billion dollar program into effect. Instead, the bill empowers the Public Utility Commission to launch the program after filing reports with legislative committees that aren’t required to take any action. So much for accountability, which today’s Democrats try to avoid like the plague.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger and local leaders from healthcare and service organizations, labor unions, and the local business community gathered to speak to their concerns and share opposition to the proposed charter change on the Burlington Town Meeting Day Ballot. If passed, this would create a new independent department of the City for police oversight called the “community control board.” The proposal is a binding measure on the Town Meeting Day ballot that asks voters if the City should amend its Charter to create a new community control board for police oversight that would be an “independent department” of the City. The Control Board would be empowered to hire staff, investigate any incident, choose its jurisdiction, and discipline BPD staff without input from the Chief or any opportunity for appeal. Control board members cannot include anyone with experience in law enforcement, and would be appointed by a citizen appointment committee.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Public has hired two local media leaders to expand service on digital platforms and reach a broader and more diverse audience. April McCullum will join the newsroom as Digital Editor. Michael Dougherty will take on the role of Director of Digital Strategy. April McCullum brings extensive reporting and editing knowledge to the team from nine years at the Burlington Free Press, where she covered a range of topics including South Burlington, Burlington, state government and politics and Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaigns. Michael Dougherty was most recently a senior editor at VTDigger, leading the politics team.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recognizes World Wetlands Day and invites Vermonters to celebrate the value of wetlands. From fens and bogs to marshes and swamps, Vermont’s diverse wetlands mark where land and water meet. Spanning over 300,000 acres, wetlands may be saturated or flooded with water either year-round or for a few weeks of the year. First celebrated in 1997, World Wetlands Day raises awareness about wetlands and the functions and values they provide for people and for the health of the land. This year’s theme centers on wetland restoration and how to restore degraded wetlands.