Current News

VermontBiz RunVermont announced October 1, 2025, that registration is officially open for its two largest annual running events: the M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay and Half Marathon Unplugged presented by Switchback Brewing Co., along with the Memorial Day Weekend Youth Events (M&T Bank Vermont City Two Mile and Mini Marathon). These events draw thousands of runners and spectators to Burlington, VT, and the surrounding area each spring, celebrating community, fitness, and Vermont’s vibrant running culture for participants of all ages.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.17 per gallon, unchanged from last week, up 5 cents/g from last month and down 3 cents/g from last year. Prices were lowest in Bennington ($3.01/g) and Addison ($3.07/g) counties and highest in Essex ($3.26/g), Franklin ($3.26/g) and Grand Isle ($3.27/g), according to AAA. The national average price of gasoline is unchanged in the last week, averaging $3.16/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine With the fall ahead, shoreland residents are getting ready to close their lakeside camps for the season. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is urging residents to either remove their docks from the water or, if ice damage is not a concern, to let them freeze in place. DEC also recommends forgoing aeration devices that are designed to prevent ice buildup around your dock to help protect Vermont lakes and public safety. If you are planning to install an aeration device like a bubbler, ice eater, or de-icer near your dock, you will need to apply for a Lake Encroachment Permit. Bubblers and other aerators attach to docks and circulate air in the water. They are intended to reduce ice, aquatic plants, or sediment.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) and the Lamoille River Paddlers Trail will host a river cleanup on Saturday, Oct. 4. Volunteers are invited to join as both organizations continue efforts to remove trash and debris from the Lamoille River, much of which was deposited following severe flooding from the last several years. The Oct. 4 work will focus on the Jefferson/Johnson corridor. The cleanup will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m. The put-in is located off Vermont Route 15, near the Foote Drive access to the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail; the takeout is located about 4 miles downstream near Cambridge Junction. This stretch of the Lamoille is manageable for all paddling skill levels. 

Vermont Business Magazine Union Mutual announced it has raised over $147,000 in support of the Kelly Brush Foundation. The achievement was part of the Company’s participation in the 20th Annual Kelly Brush Ride, held in Middlebury, Vermont on September 6th, 2025. Union Mutual employees, their families, friends, and agency partners joined hundreds of riders for the event, with all funds raised directly through charitable donations made in support of the Team Union Mutual riders. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is reminding hunters of a regulation designed to help keep Vermont deer healthy by banning the use of any deer lure containing deer urine or other deer bodily fluids. The infectious agent of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a fatal disease of deer, is a mutant protein or “prion” that can be passed in urine.  Prions can bind to soils and remain infectious for many years.  Nearly all urine-based lures are produced in captive deer facilities, where CWD is most likely to occur.  There is no accepted way to test live animals, and infected animals can spread CWD for years before showing any symptoms. No amount of testing or special certification program can eliminate the risk of spreading CWD through urine lures. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Wednesday announced a major environmental restoration project involving the use of an aluminum compound to control phosphorus pollution and decrease toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms on Lake Carmi. The project started the week of September 22, 2025. Lake Carmi is the fourth largest natural lake that is entirely within Vermont. In 2018, it was designated the state’s only Lake in Crisis due to the long-term presence of toxic algal blooms. These blooms are caused by excess phosphorus, which runs off into the lake from a range of sources (such as shoreland development, agriculture, streambank and road erosion, and wastewater).

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to block new restrictions on federal funding that supports survivors of domestic violence and other violent crimes. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the District of Rhode Island, challenges a rule barring states from using Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne JAG), and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grant funds to provide services to undocumented immigrants, or other individuals who cannot prove their status. Attorney General Clark and the coalition argue that the new policy is unconstitutional and are asking the court to stop the rule from taking effect in their states.

Vermont Business Magazine Federal employees in Vermont who may be deemed “non-essential” and furloughed due to the temporary federal government shutdown may file for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits beginning the first day of the shutdown. Federal workers impacted by a shutdown have up to two weeks from the start of the shutdown to file an unemployment claim. Individuals can apply for UI by calling the UI Claims Center at 1-877-214-3330 (Monday – Thursday: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm / Friday: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm). Please note that calling later in the week will not affect eligibility for benefits.  

Vermont Business Magazine Vermonters receiving food assistance benefits through 3SquaresVT, the Vermont name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should continue using the program, Treasurer Pieciak and local food security leaders announced today at Capstone Community Action. As federal changes to the program take effect October 1, 3SquaresVT remains Vermont’s best tool to fight hunger and ensure families can put food on the table. Despite the federal government shutdown, all eligible Vermonters will receive their October 3SquaresVt benefits without delay. With cuts placing added pressure and demand on food banks and local service providers, officials asked Vermonters to help feed their neighbors by making a donation to the Vermont Foodbank and trusted local service providers like Capstone.   

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott’s office today announced a range of appointments made in the third quarter of 2025. Boards and commissions serve an important role in state government, giving Vermonters numerous opportunities to serve their state and communities. The Governor’s office is currently soliciting applications to fill vacancies and upcoming term expirations. All those interested in serving on a board or commission should visit the Governor’s website at https://governor.vermont.gov/boards-commissions to apply.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Robert Vaillancourt, 76, of Bethel, Vermont, was arraigned yesterday on four counts of felony Medicaid Fraud. The charges brought against Vaillancourt by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU) stem from an investigation into his work as a licensed psychologist. The investigation began after a referral was received from the Department of Vermont Health Access due to concerns with Vaillancourt’s overall therapeutic and billing practices. The investigation found that Vaillancourt had submitted claims for payment to Vermont Medicaid for psychotherapy sessions he had not provided, defrauding Vermont Medicaid of over $600,000 in public health care funds.