Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont is $2.97 per gallon, down 1.5 cents per gallon from last week's $2.99/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.63/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 66.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 1.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.88/g today. 

Vermont Business Magazine Beacon Financial Corporation (NYSE: BBT) today announced the successful combination of four storied financial institutions under one new brand, Beacon Bank, one of the 100 largest banks in the United States. This includes Berkshire Bank, with branches in southern Vermont. Beacon Bank has more than 145 branches and commercial centers across New England and New York. Beacon Bank will introduce additional components of its corporate identity as part of a multi-phase branding update at all locations.

Public Assets Institute Vermont’s migration trend last year continued a multi-decade pattern: international gains and domestic losses. Each year from 2005 to 2025, more people from abroad moved into the state than Vermonters left for other countries. Within the U.S., more Vermonters moved to other states than people in other states relocated to Vermont, resulting in net losses from domestic migration for 18 of the past 21 years. An outlier was 2021, during the pandemic, with a surge of nearly 5,000 people coming to Vermont through domestic migration.

Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets A unique opportunity is available to join a special New England to England Product Showcase at the September 2026 London Food and Drink Shows! Food Export’s Product Showcases offer a way to display your products at international trade shows by having Food Export take product samples and marketing materials to these events on your behalf, allowing you to gain leads, feedback, and market exposure with lower cost and risk than exhibiting yourself. The London Food & Drink Shows 2026, which includes the lunch! Show, National Restaurant, Pub & Bar Show, and Natural & Organic Food Show, are the premier destination for discovering innovative products you won’t find anywhere else, from organic foods and functional beverages to the latest in plant-based offerings.

by Kate Kampner, Community News Service As the sun began to set over Montpelier on Thursday evening, the verses of “We Shall Overcome” echoed across the State House lawn. The song was paired with hymns, moments of prayer and speeches from members of Vermont religious groups who believe their faith is a key force in climate change advocacy. This was the scene at the first-ever Earth Vigil, the coda to Faith Climate Action Day. The annual event drew about 20 people to Montpelier to learn about climate-based policy and engage directly with lawmakers. 

by Doug Hoffer, Vermont Auditor of Accounts Vermont schools should be healthy and safe environments in which to learn and work. To that end, the Vermont Legislature passed and the Governor signed into law a bill which required all public and approved independent schools to test for radon. In 2022 a second bill extended the testing deadline to June 30, 2025. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas found in rocks, soil, and water that has no color, smell, or taste. While radon is present in outdoor air, radon levels can build up inside buildings. Unless a radon test is performed, there is no way of knowing if radon is present in a building. Breathing air with radon increases the risk of developing lung cancer and is the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths in the United States after cigarette smoke. Its presence in school buildings poses risks to the adult staff who work in the schools year after year, and to children whose developing lungs can lead to higher absorption levels.

Vermont Business Magazine The Lake Champlain Chamber (LCC) has appointed Noragh Devlin as the new director of LaunchVT. This addition further strengthens the organization’s commitment to fostering Vermont’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and driving economic growth. In her new role, Devlin will lead LaunchVT’s work to provide strategic support, education, and coaching to high-growth startups throughout the state. By leveraging community partnerships and its proven flagship acceleration program, LaunchVT will continue to equip Vermont entrepreneurs with the tools and mentorship necessary to solve complex problems and create meaningful economic opportunities within their communities.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for the Vermont Economic Leadership & Impact Awards. Each year, the Vermont Chamber recognizes individuals whose leadership and service advance Vermont’s economy and strengthen our communities. The two award categories include ‘Citizen of the Year’ and ‘Above and Beyond.’

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies sat down with our friend Chelsea Bardot Lewis, the Executive Director of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR). She’s steering VBSR into its next chapter by doubling down on in-person connection, pragmatic advocacy around housing, healthcare, workforce, and climate resilience, and building a stronger, more generous Vermont business ecosystem.

by Jack Hoffman Some school districts are experiencing sticker shock heading into Town Meeting. Their projected tax increases for the next school year seem out of line with their proposed spending increases. A few different things can cause this, but one big factor was the Legislature’s decision last year to use one-time funds to lower tax rates for the current school year. School tax rates are determined by per-pupil spending. But from year to year, spending and tax rates don’t necessarily track one another. For one thing, property taxes are the shock-absorbers for the funding system. Tax rates for other sources of education revenue, such as the sales tax or rooms and meals tax, are fixed. So if they fall short in any given year, property taxes have to make up the difference and rates go up accordingly.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) visited the Rockingham Municipal Fire Department’s Bellows Falls Fire Station to celebrate new federal funding—championed and secured by the Senator—to help build a new fire station in Saxtons River with expanded emergency services. Senator Welch secured $598,000 for the Rockingham Municipal Fire Department’s Saxtons River Station in a recently passed funding bill, through the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) process. 

Vermont Business Magazine Major General Gregory Knight, Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard, delivered his final State of the Guard address Thursday to members of the Vermont Legislature, reflecting on seven years of organizational progress, reaffirming the Guard’s role as a civic institution, and expressing confidence in the future of the force and the State of Vermont. In remarks focused on partnership, accountability, and service, Maj. Gen. Knight emphasized that the strength of the Guard is inseparable from its relationship with civilian leadership and the communities it serves.