Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott recently proclaimed November as Adoption Month in Vermont. “Adoption makes a significant difference in the lives of children who need a permanent, loving home to grow up in,” said Governor Phil Scott. “I am appreciative of those who have stepped up and opened their homes to offer a stable and safe environment and encourage others to do the same.” Project Family, a partnership between Lund and DCF, works to find permanent families for children and youth. However, more families are needed, especially for teens, since the chances of a child under 8 years old being adopted are almost nine times greater than for one over 14.

by Lori Fisher, LCC Executive Director In late October Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) community science volunteer Ashley Leemans tossed an aquatic rake into Lake Champlain and pulled in a clam while doing a routine monitoring check for aquatic invasive species (AIS) at the South Bay Boat Launch in Whitehall, New York. Ashley immediately reported her finding complete with photos to LCC and we followed up with state agencies who conducted further analysis and confirmed our suspicions that the mollusk was golden clam (Corbicula fluminea). The aggressive AIS has been documented in the region since 2008, but the October 2024 sighting is the first known confirmation in Lake Champlain. Native to the eastern Mediterranean, Asia, Africa, and Australia golden clam is hermaphroditic, meaning a single individual can reproduce and start a new population. The species is known to reproduce quickly in other waterbodies in northeastern North America.

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that a federal grand jury returned an indictment on October 16, 2024 charging Michael Robistow, 49, of Willis, Texas, with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Robistow entered a plea of not guilty to the charges today during an arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. According to court records and statements made at today’s arraignment, on June 9, 2024, U.S. Coast Guard personnel on Lake Champlain boarded Robistow’s vessel, the “Sonata,” to conduct a safety inspection. Robistow and his wife were the only two people aboard the vessel at the time of the Coast Guard boarding. During the inspection, Coast Guard personnel learned of the presence of a firearm in a cabinet in the helm of the vessel. That firearm was temporarily detained for the safety of Coast Guard personnel. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the UVM Health Network (UVMHN) announced its plans to shutter many essential patient care services around the state, including mental health care, primary care clinics, and dialysis centers. The decision comes on the heels of the Green Mountain Care Board’s order to reign in administrative and managerial bloat, citing data that UVMHN ranks among the worst in the nation in these areas when compared with similarly sized health networks. 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.11 per gallon, down 1 cent per gallon from last week. They're down 7 cents/g from last month and down 41 cents/g from last year. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.86/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 43.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.08/g today. The national average is down 12 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 27 cents per gallon lower than a year ago

Vermont Business Magazine Lieutenant Governor-elect John Rodgers announced today the appointment of Elizabeth Brown of Waterbury as his chief of staff. “Elizabeth has demonstrated a strong commitment of service to Vermont and Vermonters.” Rodgers said. “A gifted team leader and trusted administrator, she brings valuable experience from the private sector to her new role, and I’m grateful for her willingness to serve Vermonters alongside me.” Brown was a Democratic candidate for Vermont House of Representatives from Waterbury. She came up short in last summer's primary against incumbents Theresa Wood and Tom Stevens.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) announced today that Sarah Hofmann as a new Board Member. Hofmann was appointed to fill the vacancy resulting from the October resignation of former VCBB Board Member Holly Groschner. Hofmann was appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Jill Krowinski, to fill a three-year term from February 2024 to February 2027. Hofmann served on the Vermont Public Utility Commission from 2015 to 2021. She served on the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Board of Directors and as a member of the Executive Committee, the Telecommunications Committee and the Subcommittee on Nuclear Issues.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s healthcare system, for patients, providers across the spectrum, and payers, is severely strained. While Vermonters struggle with a healthcare affordability crisis, those providing us critical care face financial uncertainty. Vermont’s demographic and housing challenges create a difficult environment for our healthcare system, and today’s announcement by UVMMC reflects the seriousness of these issues. The Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) is deeply concerned about the impact of UVMMC’s decisions on patients, its dedicated staff, and the broader healthcare system. Yesterday, the GMCB learned of UVMMC’s decisions to reduce services and positions. The GMCB was not consulted on, and did not approve, these reductions. The GMCB is reaching out to UVMMC to better understand UVMMC’s rationale and how it evaluated alternatives, such as those identified in the GMCB’s budget and enforcement orders.

Vermont Business Magazine University of Vermont Health Network is moving forward with reductions to administrative and clinical services to comply with Vermont state budget orders and enforcement actions issued by the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB), the health care regulator in Vermont. These actions will have both an immediate and long-term impact on patients served in the region and, based on current information, will ultimately result in a workforce reduction estimated to be as many as 200 people who currently serve the health care system, including both employed staff and temporary/travel staff. Changes will take place both immediately and over the next several months. Patients will be informed when the timelines and care transitions for impacted services are clear.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Business Magazine BETA Technologies, an electric aerospace company based in Vermont, has successfully completed the first flight of an electric aircraft built on its new rate production line. This marks another significant step in the company’s accelerating production efforts and path toward customer deliveries. The aircraft, an ALIA CTOL, was manufactured at BETA’s production facility in South Burlington. On November 13th, BETA’s CEO, Founder, and Test Pilot, Kyle Clark, conducted the first flight of the production aircraft. The flight, which lasted nearly an hour, included a takeoff, climb to 7000 ft, handling qualities evaluation, stability and control test points and initial airspeed expansion prior to flying several approaches and a normal landing.    

Vermont business Magazine The Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance (VOBA)  that the fourth annual U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy Trailblazer Legacy Award goes to Mike Solimano, President and CEO of Killington Resort & Pico Mountain. The award, first given to and named for Sen. Patrick Leahy, honors an individual’s lifetime of service in Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy with special recognition for advancing sustainability and equity, investing in local communities and growing the Vermont economy. The award was presented in front of the 165 registrants at VOBA’s sixth annual Vermont Outdoor Economy Summit and annual meeting, held at The Woodstock Inn and Resort.

Vermont Business Magazine TIME has recognized Sunrun CEO Mary Powell for her impactful climate leadership, advancing residential clean energy adoption to reduce fossil fuel usage and strengthen the nation’s energy grid. Powell previously was the CEO of Green Mountain Power, based in Colchester, Vermont. During Powell’s three-year tenure at Sunrun, the company has rapidly grown its impact, adding over 400,000 new customers and achieving a nearly 500% increase in battery installations with 112,000 new storage customers. This growth has contributed to generating approximately 21 billion kilowatt-hours of solar energy, helping to enable the avoidance of nearly 10 million metric tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere.