Current News

VermontBiz It is with great excitement that VermontBiz celebrates the remarkable achievements of all the individuals chosen as the second year of 91 Influencers here in Vermont. This prestigious honor highlights their unwavering dedication, innovation, and impact in their field and within the community, as they also inspire and lead those around them.

VermontBiz Vermont Mutual Insurance Group® has been named a Ward’s 50® top-performing U.S. property-casualty insurer for the 18th consecutive year, placing the Vermont-based insurer among the top 2% of approximately 3,000 insurers evaluated nationwide. The annual recognition from Ward Group, an Aon company and respected insurance benchmarking organization, reflects Vermont Mutual’s sustained financial strength, operating performance and consistency.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.95 per gallon, down 5 cents per gallon from last week, down 42 cents/g from last month and up 85 cents/g from this time last year, according to AAA. The lowest price in the state this week was $3.45/g. The national average price of gasoline has increased 1 cent per gallon in the last week, and 5 cents/g from yesterday, averaging $3.84/g today. The conflict in Iran caused oil prices to spike yesterday but renewed efforts at a ceasefire caused them to fall today.

VermontBiz The Vermont Agency of Education announced the availability of summer meal sites for all children, 18 and under, through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). This federally funded program ensures that children across the state have access to nutritious meals throughout the summer. Meals are served at a wide range of locations, including schools, parks, housing complexes, and libraries.

VermontBiz  U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today convened community and state leaders in Montpelier to highlight the importance of the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) program, flexible disaster recovery funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) dedicated to supporting housing reconstruction and rehabilitation, infrastructure redevelopment, and flood mitigation efforts. While in Montpelier, Senator Welch visited the location of a new housing project funded by the CDBG-DR program and discussed the importance of flexible funding for Vermont’s flood recovery. 

VermontBiz The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department will be offering Junior Warden Weekend to be held at the Kehoe Green Mountain Conservation Camp in Castleton on August 1 and 2.

“We are pleased to continue this fun and exciting opportunity for teens ages 15-17.  Junior Warden Weekend allows us to provide teens with a window into what we do as wardens and how we contribute to conservation in Vermont,” said Lieutenant Wes Butler.  “Our job duties are incredibly varied depending on the time of year and specific needs of our communities, and we are excited to share some of these experiences with the participants in this program.”

VermontBiz Governor Phil Scott has proclaimed July as Lakes Appreciation Month in Vermont. The Governor’s proclamation signifies the importance of the state’s over 800 lakes and ponds for this and future generations.

“Vermont’s lakes and ponds are vital natural resources that provide us with drinking water, recreational opportunities, fish and wildlife habitat, and so many more benefits,” said Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Misty Sinsigalli. “This Lakes Appreciation Month, we invite Vermonters to reflect on, appreciate, and enjoy our state’s lakes and their significant benefits.”

VermontBiz Attorney General Charity Clark today announced a settlement with two individuals over the State’s allegations that the individuals illegally constructed mountain bike trails in Mt. Mansfield State Forest in Stowe, Vermont.

Following an investigation by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, the State found that between 2016 and 2021, Cyril Brunner and Aaron Rice were responsible for unlawfully cutting approximately 327 trees to the ground and permanently altering rocks with drilled holes to anchor wooden trail crossings in Mt. Mansfield State Forest. The trail consisted of two loops of approximately 8,000 feet in length. To resolve the matter, Mr. Brunner and Mr. Rice agreed to pay $35,000 in timber trespass damages and remove any remaining constructed features associated with the trails.

VermontBiz Attorney General Charity Clark today announced Vermont will receive $1.3 million as part of a $45 million multistate settlement with Block, Inc., the company behind the popular peer-to-peer payments app Cash App. The settlement resolves allegations that Block misled consumers about the safety of Cash App, failed to protect users from fraud on the platform, and didn't provide the fraud protection and resolution that it promised and that was required by law.

VermontBiz The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) in Vermont today released the following statement regarding Governor Phil Scott’s Executive Order 05-26 (“Expanding Affordable Health Insurance Choices for Vermonters”):

“High healthcare costs are one of the biggest challenges facing small business owners in Vermont,” said John Reynolds, State Director for NFIB in Vermont. “For too long, Vermonters have struggled under the weight of failed healthcare policies that left them with higher prices and fewer choices. We are grateful that Governor Scott’s executive order expedites badly needed reforms and sets the stage for future action that will restore options and lower prices for small businesses, workers, and families.”

VermontBiz Governor Phil Scott today signed Executive Order 05-26, launching the first phase of a comprehensive Healthcare Affordability Initiative, because Vermont can no longer afford to continue healthcare policies that have produced some of the highest insurance costs and fewest affordable choices in the nation.

VermontBiz The Attorney General's Office announced that Christopher Camp, 34, of Moretown, Vermont, formerly of Waterbury, Vermont, was sentenced on Tuesday in Vermont Superior Court, Washington Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to two felony charges of Attempted Luring of a Child and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Mr. Camp also admitted to violating his probation from a 2017 case.