Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announces revised wakesports rules under Vermont’s Use of Public Waters Rules that went into effect on June 11, 2026. The rules change where wakesports can occur and the decontamination (cleaning) requirements for all ballasted vessels, including wakeboats. Wakeboats are a type of motorboat that have one or more ballast tanks, ballast bags, or other devices or design features used to increase the size of the motorboat’s wake.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites the public to comment on the draft Tactical Basin Plan (TBP) for the Upper Connecticut River (also known as Basin 16). DEC completed the plan with local nonprofits, regional planners, town officials, and scientists. The plan outlines more than 40 ways to restore and protect rivers, lakes, and wetlands within a portion of Vermont’s Connecticut River Basin, covering towns from Waterford to Canaan. Members of the public can review and comment on the draft plan from June 15 to July 15, 2026.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Randy Shambo, 65, of Woodstock, Vermont, was arraigned on one felony count of luring a child. The charge brought against Shambo is the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of search warrants, conducted by the Hartford Police Department and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included personnel from the Attorney General’s Office. Shambo pleaded not guilty at the arraignment today in Vermont Superior Court, Windsor Unit, Criminal Division.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), the state's nonprofit business association dedicated to leveraging the power of business for positive social and environmental impact, announced that Twincraft Skincare and Vermont Mutual Insurance Group have joined as Champion Members. VBSR Champion Members set the standard for values-led business in Vermont and beyond. By stepping up to this level, these two organizations are demonstrating their commitment to VBSR's collective mission, their support for all 600+ VBSR member organizations, and their leadership in building a better Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Four the fourth year, Vermont Works for Women is bringing their week-long trades exploration program to Center for Technology, Essex this summer. Started in 2023, Launching Inclusive Futures in Trades (LIFT) is designed to provide high school girls and gender-expansive students with exposure to various trades fields in a safe, fun, and empowering environment. Through hands-on learning and projects, LIFT participants spend the week exploring trades like carpentry, electrical, welding, and automotive, taught by female instructors trained and working in their respective fields.

Vermont Business Magazine National Life Group announced today that the National Life Group Foundation donated $2,105,686 to nonprofits in Vermont and the Dallas, Texas, region, with a focus on addressing children’s mental health and ending childhood hunger, the company’s core causes.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Foundation Board of Directors has appointed Christopher D. Jacobsen, Ph.D., as its next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 3. A nationally recognized advancement leader with a record of transformational fundraising and collaborative leadership, Jacobsen will guide the Foundation’s efforts to advance the University of Vermont and its land-grant mission through philanthropy and alumni engagement. Jacobsen succeeds Kathleen Kelleher, who has served as the interim President and CEO of the UVM Foundation since July 2025. Former CEO Monica Delisa resigned to pursue other opportunities effective July 28, 2025. Delisa had served since June 1, 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott announced Tuesday evening action on the following bills, passed by the General Assembly. Along with 16 bills he signed into law, he vetoed the healthcare bill S.190, An act relating to reference-based pricing and the Green Mountain Care Board. In doing so he said in part: "Advocates for this bill have claimed it would generate significant healthcare savings.  According to analysis by the Department of Financial Regulation, those claims do not hold up.  The GMCB has authority to control or reduce hospital prices and revenue." He also said there were legal problems with the bill.

The Vermont State Police is investigating the deaths of two people whose bodies were found following a fire early Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at a house in Chelsea. The fire was reported at about 3:15 a.m. at a single-family residence at 5 North Common. Members of multiple fire departments including Chelsea and Tunbridge responded and extinguished the blaze after approximately 3.5 hours. The building is a total loss. During a subsequent search of the structure, investigators located the remains of two people.

Vermont Department of Economic Development In late May, ACCD Secretary Lindsay Kurrle, Commissioner Lyle Jepson, Director of Business Recruitment and International Trade Tim Tierney, and a crowd of stakeholders and partners celebrated a landmark business expansion in the Northeast Kingdom. Wiedmann Electrical Technology, which manufactures high-grade insulation for electrical transformers, opened a new facility in St. Johnsbury that will support an estimated 60-70 jobs. Weidmann invested more than $40 million in the project, with help from a $15 million tax credit courtesy of Evernorth Rural Ventures, and state programs like the Vermont Economic Growth Initiative (VEGI) and the Vermont Training Program (VTP).

Vermont Captive Insurance Association The VCIA 2026 education program is built for practitioners — not observers. Twenty sessions covering the full captive lifecycle, from feasibility through expansion, with 22 CPE, CRE, VT CLE, and ICCIE credits available. Plus several dynamic discussion group sessions. Early bird discounts ends June 30.

Vermont Business Magazine RunVermont's 37th annual M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay, Vermont’s largest single-day sporting event, took place on May 24, 2026. There were approximately 5,000 athletes registered for the individual marathon and 2 person and 3-5 person relay events and thousands of spectators cheering them on along the race course. This year’s Vermont City Marathon served as the Road Runner’s Club of America’s Eastern Region Marathon Championship, with RRCA awards bestowed to the first man and woman in certain age groups, the first non-binary participant overall, and the first male and female wheelchair athletes.