Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Secretary of Administration Sarah Clark releases Vermont’s revenue results for May 2026. The General and Transportation Funds missed their monthly consensus targets while the Education Fund exceeded its monthly target. The State’s General Fund, Transportation Fund, and Education Fund receipts totaled a combined $222.0 million, narrowly missing the $222.7 million monthly consensus target by $0.8 million, or 0.4%. Total General Fund revenues were $134.5 million, which is -$2.9 million, or 2.1%, below the $137.4 million monthly consensus cash flow target. This monthly shortfall was driven primarily by the continued underperformance of the Corporate Tax (-$3.2M, or 50.3%, below target) and the Estate Tax (-$3.3M, or 91.43%, below target).

Vermont Business Magazine An estimated $25 million will soon be available for new housing and economic development through Treasurer Pieciak’s 10% in VT program. This year’s major housing bill (S.328) includes an expansion of the local investment program, authorizing Treasurer Pieciak to now invest 12.5% of the State’s cash on hand into projects that make Vermont more affordable and grow the state’s economy. The bill was recently signed into law by Governor Scott after earning unanimous approval from the Legislature. Treasurer Pieciak has already invested over $130 million through the program to jumpstart construction on over 1,700 housing units statewide, addressing a spectrum of Vermont’s housing needs without spending a single tax dollar.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) joined U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), John Kennedy (R-La.), and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) in celebrating the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s advancement of their Preventing Adversary Influence, Disinformation and Obscured Foreign Financing (PAID OFF) Act. The Senators’ bipartisan legislation would help close Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) loopholes that allow unregistered agents of foreign adversaries to lobby in the United States, passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Vermont Business Magazine At the base lodge of the East Coast's largest ski resort, seventeen graduates crossed the stage Saturday, marking the latest milestone for one of New England's most distinctive higher education partnerships between Killington Resort and Vermont State University (VTSU). The Resort & Hospitality Management (RHM) program class of 2026 received their diplomas on June 20, 2026, at Killington Resort's K-1 Lodge. The 17 graduates completed the three-year program this spring, eleven of whom have already secured jobs at Killington Resort. Collectively, the class completed 680 courses, achieved an impressive 3.58 average GPA, gained extensive professional experience across 59 different job titles, and contributed 38,702 hours of work, all while skiing a combined 2,019 days.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) is encouraging eligible Vermonters to take advantage of the Affordable Long Drop Program, which helps pay the cost of connecting homes to fiber broadband service. Funding for the program is currently scheduled to end in September, creating a limited-time opportunity for Vermonters that have delayed connecting because of installation costs. The Affordable Long Drop Program assists eligible providers to cover the cost of long or nonstandard broadband connections, including underground installations. These costs can sometimes reach thousands of dollars and may prevent households from connecting to available fiber broadband service.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Labor released the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for May of 2.6%. This reflects no change from the prior month’s revised estimate. However, the Labor Force fell steeply again and has now lost almost 10,000 workers from a year ago. The civilian labor force participation rate was 62.5% in May, a decrease of two-tenths of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. The comparable United States rate in May was 4.3%, no change from the revised April estimate. Vermont has the fourth lowest rate in the nation. The Labor Force is the denominator in the equation to determine the UI rate. South Dakota continues to have the lowest at 2.1%, while California has the highest at 5.3%.

by Isabelle Wightman, Community News Service Just behind the city’s firehouse, an unassuming Victorian building holds a doctor’s office that reimagines what healthcare can look like for neurodivergent people. All Brains Belong, a nonprofit that offers primary care for 450 patients, has a clinical model based around social connection and mutual aid. The practice is specifically tailored to people who are neurodivergent, a catchall term covering conditions such as autism and dyslexia where people process information differently than most. While the practice is currently closed to new patients, All Brains Belong also offers educational material and support for the public, including the weekly virtual Brain Club meeting, employer trainings and, coming out this fall, the clinic founder’s first published book.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Colleges (VSC) system has been selected for the inaugural Innovation Sandbox, a 12-month peer learning program convened by the Future Universities Alliance, a global learning network incubated by Duke University. This global learning network connects forward-thinking institutions through shared learning, coordination, and collective experimentation. The 12-month program will bring together 49 higher education institutions worldwide, from 23 countries spanning 5 continents. The inaugural cohort brings together startup institutions, established institutions advancing ambitious, institution-shaping work in higher education.

The Vermont State Police is able to identify the victims of last week’s fire in Chelsea as Max Quayle, 57, and Karen Snyder, 71, both of whom lived in the house where the fire occurred. The investigation into the origin and cause of the fire by the Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit remains active and ongoing.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $4.14/g, down 14.3 cents per gallon from last week's $4.29/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.59/g while the highest was $4.55/g, a difference of 96.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 14.1 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.85/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine Dakin Farm, the family-owned Vermont specialty food company known for its corn cob–smoked meats, hand-waxed aged cheddar, and pure Vermont maple syrup for 66 years, today announced the appointment of Katie Langrock as President. Second Generation Founder and longtime owner Sam Cutting becomes Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, where he will continue to guide the company's vision, new product development, and growing roster of Vermont artisan partnerships.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) have announced that the state has secured $31.7 million in federal funding through the USDA Farm Service Agency. This Agriculture and Timber Disaster Assistance Block Grant, created under the American Relief Act of 2025, will help producers recover from the severe storms, flooding, and weather extremes of 2023 and 2024. The funding will support a wide range of needs, including infrastructure repairs, timber losses, market disruptions, future economic losses, and bare‑ground practices that prevent land degradation.