Governor Phil Scott has issued an executive order creating the Governor’s Commission on the Future of Vermont Agriculture to study and strategize how best to grow agriculture in the Green Mountain State. The commission’s charge will focus on ensuring the viability and adaptability of this sector, including recommendations for more cross-sector collaboration, increasing production and promotion, reducing…

  Vermont Green Building Network’s (VGBN) ninth annual Vermont’s Greenest Building Awards Competition is now open for submissions. This statewide competition recognizes exemplary residential and commercial buildings that excel in green building strategies – including water, health, transportation, and affordability – and meet the highest standard of demonstrated energy performance. Submissions are due on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at…

Up to $1,000 in rebates help customers reduce carbon with efficient, clean heating Green Mountain Power (GMP) launched extra rebates on heat pumps for low- and moderate-income customers today to make it easier for more Vermonters to cut carbon and increase comfort. GMP is adding to the success of its $400 rebate for each heat pump condenser…

By Rep. Jim Harrison Legislating via Zoom has pluses and minuses. It has enabled the Legislature to meet virtually in a safe manner and get necessary work done. Of course, what is necessary is in the eyes of the beholder. On the other hand, it has definite limitations on developing dialogs and understandings between individual…

The Small Business Administration (SBA) began rolling out the Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance (EIDL) Feb. 1, which provides businesses located in low-income communities with additional funding. Applicants located in low-income communities who previously received an EIDL Advance for less than $10,000 will have first priority to apply and will be the first group…

Governor Phil Scott announced Feb. 10 that the state will provide a suite of identity protection services to all unemployment insurance claimants who will receive a 2020 1099-G from the Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL). This service is being provided in response to the inadvertent disclosure that occurred on Jan. 29 when VDOL mailed incorrect…

The Vermont State Police is hiring a new victim services specialist to work with people who have experienced the trauma of a crime, helping victims and witnesses navigate challenging circumstances and access needed resources while cases are under investigation. The new position, housed in the Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), is the result of the…

By Xander Landen/VTDigger Vermont lawmakers on Thursday, Feb. 11, approved a plan to use nearly $100 million worth of federal funding to help low-income Vermonters who are struggling to pay their rent during the pandemic. The money comes out of a $200 million pot of funding for housing and utility assistance included in the $1.3 billion Vermont received from Congress’…

The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund through its farm to plate initiative, and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) have released the Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan 2021-2030. With over 1,500 Vermonters providing input and helping to shape its content over an 18-month period, the plan lays out a vision, 15…

By Brooke Geery On Feb. 6 at 11:06 a.m. a 911 call was received regarding a snowmobile fire on the River Road Covered Bridge on Veilleux Road in Troy, a small town on the Vermont/Quebec border. Several local fire departments responded, and the Troy Fire Chief, Robert Jacobs, contacted the Dept. of Public Safety Fire…

By Sen. Alison Clarkson Given all that the Vermont Dept. of Labor (VDOL) has experienced with processing the vast numbers of Covid Unemployment claims, it was very discouraging to have the VDOL face a significant data security breach early last week. VDOL had mailed out about half of the 1099G tax forms only to discover…

By Rep. Jim Harrison Under Vermont law, the governor can make certain changes to how the executive branch is structured through an executive order by Jan. 15 in the first year in a new term. The Legislature then has 90 days to intervene if it chooses. If the Legislature takes no action, then the restructuring…

Local Vermont donor steps forward with a new, time-limited fundraising match In just six days, people from across the country raised nearly $20,000 for LGBTQ+ youth! It started when now world-famous Bernie-mitten-maker Jen Ellis gifted Outright Vermont one of three pairs of newly made mitts in a "coming out of hiatus" moment. In a recent…

Vermonters interested in conserving wildlife are encouraged to donate to the Nongame Wildlife Fund on their state income tax form this year, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. stated this week. The fund helps protect some of Vermont’s most threatened wildlife such as bald eagles, lake sturgeon, spruce grouse, and Indiana bats. Donations are leveraged…

Over the past two years, Vermont’s Natural Resources Conservation Districts (NRCDs) installed 14 acres of high-priority forested buffers along approximately 11,000 linear feet of streams and other surface waters through a Vermont Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) grant to improve water quality across the state. According to the department, the ecological and economic benefits of planting…