by Mike Donoghue, Correspondent, Vermont Business Magazine A Bristol businessman, who authorities said defrauded more than 100 customers out of $165,000 for custom wood products he never delivered over the past year, has been arrested on federal wire fraud charges. David A. Conrad, 42, pleaded not guilty to the 5-count indictment when he appeared in US District Court in Burlington late Friday afternoon. Federal Magistrate Kevin Doyle agreed to release Conrad despite heavy objection by the prosecution, which noted the defendant had no stable place to live and may have serious mental health issues.  Conrad has been living in his truck in Burlington in recent days and it appeared he would continue to live there if released.

Vermont Business Magazine As Vermonters patiently wait for spring temperatures to arrive, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites the public to report when Vermont’s lakes and ponds lose their ice cover. Also known as the “ice-out date,” this date marks when lakes or ponds become ice-free from shore to shore. Tracking ice-out dates helps DEC scientists decide when to begin seasonal water quality sampling efforts. When ice covers lakes, the water below separates into layers based on temperature and density. When the surface ice fully melts in the spring, the heavy cold water sinks and the water column fully mixes. Water samples collected at this time of mixing show the baseline amount of phosphorus a lake will have available to fuel algae and aquatic plant growth during the spring and summer.

by Karen Colberg Vermont businesses large and small are pillars of our local communities: providing goods and services, offering local employment opportunities, contributing to the local economy, and advocating for the well-being of our people. Ensuring our current workforce and their families have what they need is more than just good business – it’s about creating a thriving future for our communities and state. By supporting kids’ physical, mental and emotional development today through proper nutrition, we are investing in tomorrow’s workers and leaders. It is our job to care for our state’s students, so students can focus on their job — showing up to class able to concentrate and ready to learn all they need to become the skilled and creative people who will power Vermont’s future. It’s simple: no student should learn what hunger feels like at school.

Vermont Business Magazine Meg York JD’15, professor and Family Law Project lead attorney and Jill Martin Diaz, professor and Vermont Immigrant Assistance (VIA) lead attorney, both part of the South Royalton Legal Clinic (SRLC) at Vermont Law and Graduate School, have been named as two of the 40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 in 2023 by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Each year, 40 LGBTQ+ legal professionals under the age of 40 are recognized by the LGBTQ+ Bar for demonstrating a profound commitment to LGBTQ+ equality in their field. York and Martin Diaz are among a distinguished group of lawyers receiving this award; both identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, extending their advocacy within this community and respective legal fields.

Leonine Public Affairs The budget adjustment bill was delivered to Governor Phil Scott on Tuesday. He has until Monday to act on the bill and there is much anticipation about whether he will sign or veto. He has raised concerns that the legislature included $50 million more than he had originally proposed. If he vetoes the bill, it will be the first test of the Democratic supermajority in the Legislature, and would set the tone for other disagreements between the two branches of government over spending and policy proposals currently being developed in the State House. The House Ways and Means Committee approved H.66, which would provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave for workers at 90 percent of their salary to care for a newborn and some other personal matters. The program would cost $112 million to start, $117 million annually, and would be paid for with payroll tax split between the employer and the employee.