Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Request for Applications is now available for the 2025 Vermont Specialty Crop Block Grant Program! Approximately $180,000 in funds is available for projects that will strengthen Vermont’s specialty crop industries through research, consumer education, marketing, produce safety improvements, and more. Projects must benefit more than one producer. This year, awards will range from $15,000 to $45,000. What’s a specialty crop? The official USDA list includes fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticulture crops (including honey, hops, maple syrup, and mushrooms), and nursery crops (including Christmas trees and floriculture). The pre-application will be open from November 18th to January 8th. Select pre-applications will then be invited to submit a full application.

Vermont Business Magazine On 11/10/24, at approximately 0115 hours, Vermont State Police were notified of a single vehicle roll over crash on Searles Rd in the town of Newport Center. Upon arrival, Troopers located a single vehicle off the south side of the roadway. Through investigation it was determined vehicle 1 was traveling east on Searles Rd. Vehicle 1 crossed the west bound lane of travel prior to going off the southbound side of the roadway. Vehicle 1 struck several trees prior to overturning. The operator was found deceased upon the arrival of emergency responders.

Vermont State Police On 11/10/2024, at approximately 0406 hours, Troopers from the Vermont State Police – Rutland Barracks were notified of a motor vehicle crash on Cold River Road, near Upper Cold River Road, in the Town of Shrewsbury. Through investigation it was determined Operator #1 (Name withheld) was traveling south on Cold River Road and failed to maintain their lane of travel. Vehicle #1 crossed the centerlines, exited the roadway and struck a guardrail. Vehicle #1 continued on to strike a tree head on. Operator #1 (Name withheld) was pronounced deceased at the scene of the crash. There were no additional occupants of the vehicle.

by Noah Diedrich, Community News Service More than three in 10 people incarcerated at Southern State Correctional Facility thought about killing themselves in the last year, and over a quarter of staff at the Springfield prison thought the same, according to a recent state-sanctioned survey. The study, produced by the Prison Research and Innovation Network, found that a majority of both people confined in the facility and those who work there believe staffing and resources are inadequate, with particular consequences for their mental health. The Vermont Prison Climate Survey — a yearslong project by the Prison Research and Innovation Network between the University of Vermont and the Vermont Department of Corrections — aims to better understand the impacts of prison conditions on the health and wellbeing of staff and incarcerated people, said Abigail Crocker, co-author of the survey and a UVM associate professor.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont offers many stunning sights, from the predawn spectacle of snow guns blasting white trails across slopes still tinged with autumn color, to the après-ski bliss of a cold beer under the warm March sun on a slopeside deck. While these idyllic scenes are virtually guaranteed at Sugarbush, Mad River Glen and other Vermont ski resorts, consistent snowfall between these moments has become less certain. Recent weather patterns have presented significant challenges for central Vermont and the nation as a whole. Washington County and nearby regions experienced destructive summer storms in consecutive years, while recent winters have been unseasonably warm and rainy during the crucial holiday season.

By Theresa Golub and Charlotte Oliver. Theresa and Charlotte visited with voters at the polls in both communities Outside the polls at the Barre Auditorium, folks from four parties sat under white tents shoulder-to-shoulder, facing the doors through which voters walked. Across Democrats, Republicans, Progressives and independents, the Election Day sentiment seemed the same. In the morning, candidates and party workers helped each other set up tents and tables next to each other, and everyone exchanged hugs, said Dawes. By early afternoon, Barre City candidates Michael Boutin (R), Teddy Waszazak (D), Jonathan Williams (D), Cassidy Lang (I), Jeremy Spiro (I) and Dawes had all shown up outside with party supporters to greet voters. 

by CNS Staff Community News Service reporters were out and about across Vermont on Election Day to capture scenes from polling places. Many were paired up with partner news outlets and putting together stories for them, and another cohort was headed out to places in Chittenden County to provide live updates from the polls during the day. Here you can find those dispatches.

Vermont Business Magazine This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will affect traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont for the week of November 11, 2024. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.  This is the final report of the construction season. Most projects have completed or will soon be complete.

Vermont Business Magazine Sarah Copeland Hanzas announced that the Statewide Canvass of the Vermont 2024 General Election results will be held on Tuesday, November 12 at the Vermont State House. The canvass will begin at 10 am. Secretary Copeland Hanzas, along with the three major party (Democratic, Republican and Progressive) Chairs, or their designees, will be certifying vote totals and winners for federal and statewide offices. The Canvass is open to members of the public and the press. 

Vermont Business Magazine With daylight hours decreasing and holiday feasts fast approaching, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) and the Vermont Fresh Network (VFN) are looking towards a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that Vermont’s local farms can help prepare.  Ingredients from the turkey to the stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, pies, local beverages and spirits can be found at a farm, farmers market or store near you! The time to order your local bird is now! Vermont is home to many turkey farms and diversified farming operations raising turkeys across the state, just in time for Thanksgiving and the holiday season. According to the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 16 pounds, meaning that approximately 736 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the United States during Thanksgiving in 2016.  

Vermont Business Magazine Downs Rachlin Martin was named by Best Law Firms in 2025 for several practice areas. The first group is Metropolitan Tier 1, Burlington, VT for Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Commercial Litigation, Commercial Transactions/UCC Law, Copyright Law, Corporate Law, Labor Law, Labor Law – Management, Land Use & Zoning Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Land Use & Zoning Law, Litigation – Real Estate, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Real Estate Law, Tax Law and Trademark Law. DRM was also recognized for Metropolitan Tier 1, Concord, NH for Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor & Employment and Trusts & Estates Law, and Metropolitan Tier 1, Montpelier, VT for Energy Law, Environmental Law, Real Estate Law, and Trusts & Estates Law.

Vermont Business Magazine Smugglers’ Notch Distillery is honored to have been chosen to represent Vermont as a partner with Princess Cruises in their “Cocktails with a Story” program. This culturally meaningful initiative delights passengers with top-shelf regional spirits and specialty beverages, helping to make destination cruises a distinctive experience to be remembered. Smugglers’ Notch Distillery’s Maple Gin and Maple Cream Liqueur will be featured as a distinctive Northeast brand on the cocktail menu and in the coffee bars for the cruise line’s fourteen Canada and New England cruises that charter guests from New York, Newport, Boston and Portland in the USA to St. Johns’s (for the Bay of Fundy), Halifax, Sydney, Charlottetown, Saguenay, and Quebec City in Canada.