Public Banking for Vermont Agriculture: The White River Natural Resources Conservation District is hosting a two-day Vermont Public Banking event Aug. 4–5, featuring Don Morgan of the Bank of North Dakota to discuss how state-owned public finance can support farms, disaster recovery, housing, infrastructure, and local economic development. Pipeline Permitting Fight: Vermont AG William Tong joined a multistate coalition urging FERC not to fast-track natural gas pipeline approvals via expanded blanket certificates, warning it could raise bills and pollution while weakening public safeguards. Manufacturing Support: NIST announced $46.5M to fund 14 new Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers aimed at helping small and mid-sized manufacturers adopt advanced production tech and build workforce capacity. Food Waste Rules and Impacts: New reporting highlights how Vermont’s food-waste ban is part of a broader push to cut landfill methane, while research flags potential downsides like microplastics from packaging. Rabies Vaccine Bait Drop: Vermont’s wildlife rabies bait program starts Aug. 1, with about 915,700 vaccine baits planned across multiple counties as cases remain elevated. Road Construction: Route 100 work continues with a Bridge 116 closure tentatively starting Aug. 12 for about 40 days, with lane closures and expected short delays. Local Business/Finance: NBT Bancorp reported stronger Q2 2026 earnings, noting loan growth and margin expansion following its Evans Bancorp acquisition. Workforce & Community: AmeriCorps awarded DREAM Program $375,000 to expand mentoring and enrichment for underserved youth across 38 low-income and rural communities. Mortgage Training Expansion: 24hourEDU says it now holds NMLS approval for self-paced MLO continuing education in all 50 states.