The Vermont Department of Taxes would like to remind Vermonters that the last date to file a Property Tax Adjustment or Renter Rebate Claim is Oct. 15, 2018. Personal Income Tax Returns filed on extension, as well as several corporate tax types are also due. The Vermont Property Tax Adjustment and Renter Rebate programs assist in making housing more affordable for thousands of Vermonters. These programs provide over $180 million in assistance to Vermonters annually.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has confirmed that insects collected from ash trees in South Hero, VT are larvae of the emerald ash borer (EAB). This location is about fifty miles from the closest confirmed EAB infestation in Vermont. This invasive insect was first discovered in Vermont in February, and has also been confirmed in Orange, Washington, Caledonia, and Bennington counties.

The Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is pleased to announce up to $1,000,000 is available in funding to improve water quality.

Governor Phil Scott today announced the second annual Innovation Spaces Conference, focused on creating a community among founders, users and supporters of innovation spaces in Vermont.

The Vermont Agency of Education announced results from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Program. These assessments are administered annually in the spring to students in grades three through nine. They are designed to measure students' mastery of the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

During his Orleans County Capitol for a Day tour this week, Governor Phil Scott announced a new grant program available to help Vermont communities use outdoor recreation opportunities to grow their local economies.

Consider this scenario: It's 2 o'clock in the morning. You and your family are fast asleep when you awaken to the smoke alarm sounding and the smell of smoke. What do you do? If you and your family don't have a plan in place, it could jeopardize your safety, or even prove deadly.

What does it look like when governments cooperate? That question is the premise for the 6th annual Municipal Day. The popular training, sponsored by the Agency of Natural Resources, is designed to empower and inform Vermont's local government officials and volunteers. Participants, who range from planning and zoning commissioners to town managers and selectboard members, walk away with practical skills and information that they'll be able to immediately apply to their day-to-day work in local government.

The Vermont Department of Public Safety is receiving $400,000 from the Department of Justice to fund new school safety initiatives. The federal grants will pay for programs that allow the whole community to play a role in protecting schools.

The Agency of Natural Resources has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Vermont’s new electric school and transit bus pilot program. The RFP is the next step in launching the pilot program. Results from the program will allow the state to determine whether this technology can be applied more broadly across Vermont.

The 2018 DRAFT White River Tactical Basin Plan (TBP) is now available for public comment. The Plan provides an overall assessment of the health of the White River basin and defines ongoing and future actions and strategies to address high-priority stressors such as encroachment, stream channel erosion, land erosion, and pathogens. The Plan presents the recommendations of State and Federal resource agencies, watershed partner organizations, planning commissions, municipalities, and individual citizens.

Governor Phil Scott signed a proclamation designating October 2018 as Manufacturing Month in Vermont, celebrating Vermont's manufacturing sector and recognizing the important role it plays in Vermont's economy.

Governor Phil Scott and the secretaries of Vermont's Agencies of Agriculture, Food and Markets, Natural Resources, and Commerce and Community Development today launched stage two of the Vermont Phosphorus Innovation Challenge (VPIC), which will award grants to innovators in phosphorus extraction and clean water.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, approximately 73 percent of Vermont is experiencing dry or drought conditions. Eight percent of the state, primarily in north central Vermont, is in severe drought while moderate drought conditions extend further west and south covering nearly 41 percent of the state. The State has a Drought Task Force that helps coordinate information and responds to emerging drought issues. Officials are asking Vermonters to be mindful of water use and take steps to conserve water.

Governor Phil Scott announced Wanda Minoli, of Montpelier, as the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Minoli has served as interim commissioner since December.

Every Vermonter with a cell phone turned on and within cell service will receive a test message from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at 2:18 p.m. on October 3. FEMA will conduct a nationwide test of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) at that time.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) announces grants totaling $332,632.61 for twelve projects to benefit Vermont producers of fruits, vegetables, nursery stock, maple, wine grapes, and value-added products and to increase consumer access to locally produced food. These grants, funded through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), were awarded to nine agricultural organizations to undertake a range of research, technology development, education, marketing, and program-building projects. The grants will leverage over $183,000 in additional matching funds.

Whether it's a favorite swimming hole, an iconic stream running through town, or a fishing spot along the shores of Lake Champlain, thousands of people use the Winooski River Watershed's lakes, ponds, wetlands, and streams. Every one of the watershed's residents can also play a meaningful role protecting or cleaning up Winooski's waterways.

The classic Vermont village of our imagination - the church with a steeple, the smell of a freshly mowed town green flanked by mature maples and stone walls; a babbling brook, a nearby historic general store, post office, and an assortment of authentic historic homes - exists today in Strafford, Vermont.

The Working Lands Enterprise Board announces the 2019 Business Grants request for application release date. The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative supports innovative entrepreneurs at the forefront of Vermont's Working Lands economy through technical and financial assistance to help growing businesses thrive. The program is made possible through the support of the state legislature, multiple state organizations and public/private donors. Interested Vermont entrepreneurs should visit the Working Lands Enterprise website to begin the application process.