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.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison today named Shawn Loan to serve as the next Colonel of the Vermont State Police (VSP). Loan replaces Matthew Birmingham, who will retire next month after 28 years with the State Police, and 11 years as colonel. “Shawn has held many roles within the State Police and is well respected among his peers,” said Governor Phil Scott. Lieutenant Colonel Loan joined the Vermont State Police in July 2007 and was assigned as a trooper at the Derby Barracks following his graduation from the Vermont Police Academy.

Vermont Business Magazine Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee today released new data outlining how President Trump’s "reckless and illegal war" with Iran has driven up gasoline costs for Vermont families, farmers, and businesses. The new data shows that since the war began on February 28, Americans have spent a total of $56.4 billion more for gas. In Vermont, the increase in gas spending totals $113,105,145, with families spending $441 more on average, per household. 

Vermont Business Magazine Derby and Holland are the latest communities to gain access to high-speed fiber internet and WiFi home telephone service through NEK Broadband, joining a growing number of towns across the Northeast Kingdom. In fact, a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect Grant is funding the construction of fiber optic lines and network equipment in all of Essex County. The goal is to complete service availability there by the end of 2026.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today joined a coalition of 42 attorneys general in announcing a settlement with the bankruptcy trustee for 23andMe, resolving allegations stemming from a 2023 data breach that compromised the genetic data of 6.9 million customers worldwide. Under the settlement, 23andMe’s bankruptcy estate will pay $18 million to participating states, including $154,000 to the State of Vermont. 23andMe learned about the breach months after impacted personal information was publicly available. 23andMe first denied a breach and then, once it confirmed the breach, blamed consumers for how their accounts were set up or how passwords were used. 

Vermont Business Magazine Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor will share their plans for tackling Vermont's housing affordability crisis at a free, nonpartisan public forum on Wednesday, July 15. The forum comes just weeks before the August primary and gives voters a direct look at where the field stands on affordability, housing supply, land use reform, workforce development and homelessness.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont patients now have increased access to safe anesthesia care. The state is the latest to opt out of federal regulations that require physician supervision of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). With Gov. Phil Scott's letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on July 2, Vermont becomes the 26th state to opt-out of physician supervision.

by Joshua Brown, UVM Mesothelioma is a rare but aggressive cancer, usually caused by exposure to asbestos. Inhaled asbestos fibers become lodged in the lungs, causing inflammation that can lead to tumor formation decades later. Worldwide, about 30,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. Current treatments—immunotherapy and chemotherapy—offer limited benefit. Patients—often men who worked in shipbuilding, oil refining, and asbestos manufacturing—face a median survival of approximately 12 months and a five-year survival rate around 10 percent. A study published July 14 in Nature Communications by Cunniff, UVM research scientist Victoria Gibson, and an international team of collaborators reports a counterintuitive new approach to treating the disease—and perhaps other cancers too.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health has reported have COVID-19 hospitalizations remain at a negligible level total levels are nearly too low to measure. 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, Flu A and Flu B have essentially disappeared. There is still some strong samples Norovirus and Rotavirus showing up.

Vermont Business Magazine As you get ready to swim and play in Vermont’s lakes and ponds this summer, state health and environmental officials are offering tips on how to check the water for cyanobacteria blooms that can harm your health. Cyanobacteria – sometimes called blue-green algae – are microorganisms that live in natural waters. Under certain conditions, these bacteria can collect into a bloom that can lead to skin rashes, diarrhea, sore throat, stomach problems and more serious issues.

Vermont Business Magazine Retham Technologies, Inc. has announced the launch of its next-generation functional Retham Cryoplatelets, a novel solution designed to overcome longstanding challenges in platelet-based research. The company also named Prolytix, a leader in coagulation and hematology services and products in Essex Junction, to be the distributor of Retham Cryoplatelets. Reliable access to functional human platelets has long been a major barrier for academic laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, and contract research organizations (CROs). Dependence on freshly drawn donor platelets introduces logistical complexity, high costs, and significant donor variability—limiting reproducibility and scalability.