VTF&W
Yankee show
ESSEX JUNCTION — The annual Yankee Sportsman’s Classic show will be held from noon to 6 p.m. Jan. 19, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 20, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 21, at Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction. Visit yankeeclassic.net for more information.
BIRTHS
CVMC
A son, Killian James Lynch, was born Dec. 28, 2023, to Brittany and Adam Lynch, of Williamstown.
A daughter, Arya Jade Smith, was born Dec. 29, 2023, to Shaelyn and Andrew Smith, of Barre Town.
Copley Hospital
A son, Bentley Calno Williams, was born Dec. 25, 2023, to Connor Williams and Harlee Miller, of Orleans.
A son, Levi Mel Bear Eisenbaum, was born Dec. 28, 2023, to David and Claire (Marian) Eisenbaum, of Morristown.
NVRH
A daughter, Juniper Grace Arnold, was born Dec. 4, 2023, to Carmen Mears and Jeffery Arnold, of Bradford.
AROUND VT
Candidate training
Emerge Vermont announced a new online session for its regional training program, Emerge Vermont Local, an afternoon training program to enable Democratic women to run successful campaigns for school boards, select boards, city councils and village trustee boards on Town Meeting Day. The training will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13. Registration is open; cost of participation is $35 per person. Visit vt.emergeamerica.org/emerge-vermont-local for more information.
Health insurance
The open enrollment period for Vermont’s health insurance marketplace, known as Vermont Health Connect, is ending soon, but there is still time for eligible Vermonters to enroll or make changes to their plan. Any eligible Vermonter can enroll via Vermont Health Connect by Jan. 15 for coverage starting Feb. 1.
While Jan. 15 is a holiday, Vermonters can still make plan selections or edits online that day via www.VermontHealthConnect.gov where, in most cases, Vermonters can complete the application, from start to finish, online.
In order to assist as many Vermonters as possible through the end of open enrollment, the Customer Support Center (1-855-899-9600) will extend its hours. In addition to normal operating hours, the call center will also be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 11 and 12, and over the weekend from 8 a.m. to noon Jan. 13 and 14.
State appointments
Gov. Phil Scott announced two leadership appointments: Nate Formalarie as deputy commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development and Heather Pembrook as deputy commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Formalarie has been with the Agency of Commerce and Community Development since 2018, most recently as the director of communications and strategic initiatives, and previously in the Department of Tourism and Marketing. Prior to state government, Formalarie worked in communications roles at Cabot Creamery and Vermont Hard Cider Co. and was a news producer at WCAX-TV.
Pembrook has worked with the Department of Environmental Conservation since 1995 designing and implementing monitoring programs to better understand the chemical and biological health of Vermont’s lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.
Christmas tree safety
More than one-third of U.S. home fires involving Christmas trees occur in January. With this post-holiday fire hazard in mind, the National Fire Protection Association strongly encourages everyone to remove the hazards by disposing of Christmas trees promptly after the holiday season.
To safely dispose of a Christmas tree, NFPA recommends using the local community’s recycling program, if possible; trees should not be put in the garage or left outside. To safely remove lighting and decorations, use the gripping area on the plug when unplugging electrical decorations; throw out any lighting sets that have loose connections, broken sockets or cracked or bare wires; wrap each set of lights, put them in individual plastic bags or wrap them around a piece of cardboard; store electrical decorations in a dry place away from children and pets.
BUSINESS
Stoetzner added
MONTPELIER — Morris Strategies announced the addition of Erin Stoetzner to its government affairs and public relations team. Previously, Stoetzner focused on constituent communications, municipal event planning, policy research, project management and social media management for the Burlington Mayor’s Office. Additional experience includes working as a legal assistant for the Vermont Judiciary, and on a congressional campaign for Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal.
Healthy eating
Hannaford supermarkets’ customers interested in eating healthier and meeting their budget goals in the New Year will have the opportunity to receive free guidance and tips from registered dietitians in-store and online. January topics include Nutritious Meals on a Budget and Meal Planning Made Easy; February, which is Heart Health Month, webinars on heart healthy habits with tips to make label reading easier and premade heart healthy shopping lists; March, which is National Nutrition Month, will add a session on Naturally Plant-Based: Finding Plant-Based Foods in the Aisles. The upcoming webinar schedule is available at hannaford.com/health-wellness/dietitians online.
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