Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Rock Point School will host its 21st annual Ooky Spooky 5K fun run and walk, a family-friendly Halloween tradition that raises vital funds for COTS. The event will take place Saturday, Oct. 25, at Rock Point School, located on the scenic shores of Lake Champlain in Burlington. Each year, community members put on costumes, lace up their sneakers, and join Rock Point students, their families, and staff for a morning of fun and purpose. All proceeds from the race go directly to COTS, supporting the organization’s mission to provide emergency shelter, services, and long-term housing solutions for people experiencing homelessness in the Burlington area.

State Senator Samuel Douglass With this statement, I am seeking to explain more of the situation from earlier this week. As I stated in my initial statement, the comment attributed to me, was an unflattering remark about a specific individual, absolutely not a generalization. This was the context I provided in my initial statement. I love my state, my people, and I am deeply sorry for the offense this caused and that our state was dragged into this. The contents of the article do not reflect me or the values of our state. But for all concerned, me, my wife, my family, I must resign (effective Monday at noon). I know that this decision will upset many, and delight others, but in this political climate I must keep my family safe. And if my Governor asks me to do something, I will act, because I believe in what he’s trying to do for the state of Vermont. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont weekly unemployment claims for the week ending October 11, 2025, increased by a small amount for the third week. New claims were 300, up 38 claims from the week before and up 83 from last year at this time. Claims were 186 three weeks ago. Claims, which tend to be lowest in the summer, were 181 at the end of September 2024. Meanwhile, the government shutdown, federal layoffs and new export controls by China on "rare-earth" materials, and a subsequent threat from the White House to impose 100% tariffs on China, which led to a stock market plunge last Friday, were mostly shrugged off by the stock market this week, though a bank credit problem could be the next big issue. See below.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark joined a coalition of 20 state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for unlawfully cancelling $7 billion in federal grants awarded to the states through the Solar for All program. The complaint, filed late yesterday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, argues that the termination of the grants breached the grant terms and violated the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The coalition also filed a lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleging, among other things, that the EPA violated the Administrative Procedures Act and the U.S. Constitution’s Separation of Powers Doctrine in unlawfully cancelling the program.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the appointment of Karen Lueders, of Lincoln, to fill the vacant Addison-4 seat in the Vermont House of Representatives. Lueders replaces Mari Cordes, who resigned earlier this year. Lueders currently serves on the Board of Addison Housing Works and previously served on the Board of Addison County Home Health and Hospice and Habitat for Humanity, among other Addison County nonprofits. Since March 2025, she has served on a special committee with a group of thoughtful and dedicated community members appointed by the Lincoln Selectboard to study and recommend improvements to voting in Lincoln and Lincoln’s Annual Town Meeting.

Public Assets Institute The federal government shutdown began on October 1st—the start of the new federal fiscal year—after existing funding expired and Congress failed to approve new funding. Vermonters working for federal agencies, women and children receiving nutritional assistance, and Vermonters receiving enhanced premium tax credits to pay for healthcare coverage are all facing potential shutdown impacts on top of cuts to healthcare and food assistance as a result of the July 1st budget reconciliation bill. We are now (17) days into this shutdown, and there’s currently no indication of when it may end. The longest federal shutdown in history was 34 days in 2018-19.

Vermont Business Magazine To celebrate 200 years of KeyBank’s service to communities across the nation, KeyBank Foundation is awarding a $200,000 philanthropic grant to Cornerstone Housing Partners. This is part of Key’s special bicentennial grant program designed to strengthen Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and foundations that play a critical role in advancing affordable housing and small business development. Cornerstone Housing Partners is a CDFI that for more than 30 years has been moving people into quality housing across Vermont communities. This is accomplished through the development of new housing opportunities, rental housing, and mobile home parks. 

Vermont Business Magazine On the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, called on Republicans to come to the table and negotiate in good faith with Democrats to reopen the government and rescue hardworking Americans who rely on Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits to afford their health care. In his remarks, Senator Welch emphasized the urgency of extending the ACA subsidies, which help nearly 27,000 low- and moderate-income Vermonters access health coverage through the ACA marketplace. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Education and Vermont Lottery announced the winners of the 2025 Educate Innovate Award. The Enosburgh-Richford Unified Union School District and the Rutland Town School will each receive $15,000 to enhance educational technology programs that increase student engagement and proficiency. The Enosburgh-Richford Unified Union School District serves four schools: Richford Elementary School, Richford Junior-Senior High School, Enosburg Elementary School, and Enosburg Falls Middle and High School. Their purchase of 3D printers, a 3D scanner, a computer numerical control (CNC) router, and computers for 3D modeling will equip an advanced robotics lab and support a highly competitive FIRST Robotics team. 

Vermont Business Magazine NW Fiberworx, NWFiberworx.com, the Communications Union District (CUD) dedicated to expanding high-speed internet access across Northwestern Vermont, has promoted Mary Kay Raymond, PMP, from Network Operations Manager to Executive Director, effective October 6, 2025. This leadership transition comes at a pivotal moment for NW Fiberworx, as the organization officially begins construction on its community-owned fiber network. The project marks a major milestone in the region's effort to deliver reliable, affordable broadband to underserved towns and rural areas. Mary Kay Raymond has been a driving force behind NW Fiberworx's operational strategy and technical planning since its inception. Her promotion reflects the Board's confidence in her ability to lead the organization through its next phase of growth and infrastructure deployment.

Vermont Business Magazine In response to ongoing and worsening drought conditions across the state, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) is launching a 2025 Agriculture Drought Impact Survey to understand its effects on Vermont farms. This year's drought is the third consecutive season farmers have suffered severe weather impacts, including frost and floods, and now drought.  Many Vermont businesses, still not fully recovered from the 2023 and 2024 frosts and flooding, are once again facing uncertainty and impacts. VAAFM is asking Vermont's agricultural producers to participate in the 2025 Agriculture Drought Impact Survey. The purpose of this survey is to capture the scale and location of drought related impacts experienced throughout the state in 2025.  

Vermont Business Magazine Berkshire Bank Foundation invested nearly $400,000 in its communities through grants to 96 nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont from July to September. “We are committed to supporting the nonprofits in our communities that are doing important work to meet the needs of so many,” said Lori Kiely, managing director of the Berkshire Bank Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Berkshire Bank, a division of Beacon Bank & Trust.