Current News

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First Four people, including a career criminal, were arrested during a drug raid at 501 Pleasant Street in Newport City on Tuesday, police said. Jennifer L. Sanville, 40, and Matthew R. Prue, 46, were both lodged at the Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport on charges from the drug raid and on some unrelated criminal counts, Newport Police said. Sanville, with a long court record, is facing two unrelated charges of being a habitual offender with each count carrying a possible life sentence, records show. City Police arrested Prue and Sanville on charges of sale of cocaine, trafficking fentanyl, possession of cocaine, and possession of narcotic drugs as part of a significant one-month drug investigation in Newport Police Chief Travis Bingham told Vermont News First.

Vermont Business Magazine Twenty child care programs across Vermont will receive a total of $264,500 through the latest round of Make Way for Kids (MWFK) Infant and Toddler Capacity Building Grants, supporting projects that will open new programs, expand existing capacity, and preserve critical child care services for Vermont families. Funded by the Vermont Department for Children and Families Child Development Division and administered by First Children's Finance Vermont, the grants support projects in 10 counties and reflect the many ways communities are working to strengthen Vermont's child care system. 

Vermont Business Magazine On June 5, 2026, the Vermont Department of Libraries announced the recipients of the 2025–2026 Vermont Youth Book Awards. A total of 17,437 Vermont students voted to select the winners from a curated list of books published in 2024. Whalesong: The True Story of the Musician Who Talked to Orcas by Zachariah Ohora won the Red Clover Book Award, chosen by students in grades K-4; Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie, won the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award, picked by students in grades 4-8; and Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo won the Green Mountain Book Award, selected by high school students.

Vermont Business Magazine The San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) has officially announced its winners for 2026. A highly anticipated global event in the spirits industry, this year’s edition saw Village Garage Distillery from Bennington, Vermont, awarded two highly coveted medals: a gold for Village House Gin in the category of American Gin, and a Silver for Village Bourbon in the highly competitive Small-Batch Bourbon category. This announcement comes only a few months after Village Bonfire, the distillery’s signature smoked maple bourbon, was officially recognized by the Vermont state legislature for winning a silver medal at SFWSC in 2025. 

Vermont Business Magazine Fidium, recently named the Best Internet Provider by VermontBiz and honored with 62 top‑performance rankings statewide from Ookla, has expanded its all‑fiber internet service in Shelburne, making its 100% fiber internet network to more than 2,100 residents and businesses. Fidium completed a fiber build partnership with Chittenden County Communications District in 2025, which expanded service to several hundred previously unserved and underserved locations in town. While previous expansion in Shelburne was partially grant funded, Fidium’s fiber internet buildout in 2026 was completed through its own investment.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office Tuesday announced that Ronald Wright, 67, of Bellows Falls, Vermont, was arraigned on nine counts of felony Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials. The charges brought against Wright were the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of search warrants conducted by members of the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC). Wright pleaded not guilty at the arraignment Tuesday in Vermont Superior Court, Windham Criminal Division. The Court, Judge Elizabeth Mann presiding, set bail in the amount of $50,000 and ordered conditions of release which restrict Wright’s access to minors, electronic devices, and the Internet.

Vermont Business Magazine University of Vermont Health today informed employees that 142 positions have been eliminated. Of those, 76 positions have been permanently eliminated, and 66 will be posted as new roles with restructured job descriptions. The majority of these workforce reductions are in areas not providing direct patient care, with targeted clinical changes where necessary. UVM Health also notified additional employees that the health system is undertaking a reorganization of their positions or departments. These actions are part of a larger and urgent effort to address significant financial shortfalls, improve sustainability, and ensure long-term access to high-quality health care across the region.

Vermont Business Magazine The Snelling Center for Government has announced the graduates of the Vermont Leadership Institute Class of 2026. As the 31st cohort of the Vermont Leadership Institute, the Class of 2026 joins a professional network of over 1100 Snelling Center alumni, including more than 725 VLI graduates who continue to engage with Vermont’s local and statewide communities, positively impacting public policy, education, community development, and a wide range of volunteer and non-profit sector roles. 

Vermont League of Cities & Towns If you know a local official or legislator who is exceptionally dedicated to local government, nominate that person by Friday, July 31 for one of VLCT’s 2026 awards.Also, The Vermont Department of Labor is launching its new online reporting platform. Employers must file all new hire reports electronically in the new Unemployment Insurance system within 10 calendar days of the first date of employment. In the modernized unemployment insurance system, only one file format will be accepted for quarterly wage reporting. This format was developed by the Interstate Conference of Employment Security Agencies (ICESA) and is commonly referred to as the ICESA Format. Please review the ICESA format specifications and validations documents on the department’s website. The new system should be live effective with the Q2 reporting (open July 6), so expect to file your Q2 wage reports in the new system.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health has reported have COVID-19 hospitalizations remain at a negligible level. They are at a similar level to the levels seen last summer. There were no measles cases after one reported in Vermont in February in Washington County and the national outbreak is over. Meanwhile, RSV, Norovirus and Flu A, which had been elevated in some samples, have mostly disappeared. Flu B, which was prevalent in Vermont and across the US during the late winter and early spring, has quieted.

Vermont Business Magazine The Community College of Vermont (CCV) has announced that tuition for the 2027/2028 academic year will remain flat. At $290 per credit for in-state students, CCV offers the lowest tuition in Vermont. CCV’s commitment to access is the driving force behind multiple low- and no-cost tuition programs, including the 802Opportunity program, administered by the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), which provides free CCV tuition to Vermonters with a household income of $100,000 or less.

Vermont Business Magazine A final ruling was issued by the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts yesterday, finding the Trump Administration’s policy imposing a $100,000 tax payment on new H-1B visa petitions unlawful and vacating it. H-1B visas allow U.S. employers to hire highly skilled foreign national workers in roles that require specialized skills, including as teachers, physicians, researchers, nurses, and other vital workers, to alleviate nationwide labor shortages. The tax created a costly barrier for employers, weakened the economy, and disrupted essential services, especially for public sector and government employers trying to fill these positions. Attorney General Clark joined a multistate coalition in challenging the policy late last year.