Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak today announced that Chief of Staff Erin Jacobsen will be departing City Hall following a long-discussed decision to return to the practice of immigration law, where she will focus full time on addressing the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration actions. Since the start of Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak's first term, Erin Jacobsen has played an integral role in building the administration and advancing its priorities. Kara Alnasrawi, Director of the Burlington Office of Community & Economic Development (CEDO), will take over as Interim Chief of Staff, starting on February 7, 2026. 

Vermont Business Magazine Ski Vermont’s Specialty Food Day Tour returns for the 2026 season with 17 stops at ski areas across the state, bringing local food, beverages, and products directly to Vermont’s ski areas. The pop-up, marketplace-style events take place between January 23 and March 22, offering skiers and riders a chance to sample, shop, and connect with Vermont producers while enjoying a day on snow. The tour kicks off on January 23 at Jay Peak, coinciding with the resort’s annual Farmers Appreciation Day, before continuing to ski areas throughout the state. Three new stops join the tour this season—Stowe, Middlebury Snowbowl, and Bolton Valley—expanding the series to additional regions of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Sarah Pelkey will join CEDRR on February 2, 2026, as our new Director of Economic Development. Sarah brings strong regional experience in community and economic development, most recently serving in leadership roles with the Town of Poultney and in regional planning and outdoor recreation initiatives. As Director of Economic Development, Sarah will lead efforts to attract, retain, and expand businesses, manage grant and loan programs, and strengthen regional partnerships across Rutland County.

Vermont Business Magazine The Center for Community News at UVM has announced three new and expanded roles for its Burlington-based team as the organization continues to grow its ambitions here in Vermont and across the country. Courtney Lamdin joined CCN in January as CCN's Community News Service editor. Courtney was most recently a staff writer at Seven Days, covering politics, policy and public safety in Burlington. Scott Finn’s role at CCN expanded in 2026 as UVM’s first ever lecturer of journalism and democracy, in the Department of Sociology. Scott has worked closely with CCN Director Richard Watts and Managing Director Meg Little Reilly over the past two years. Sima Bhowmik has been hired as research assistant professor in the Department of Sociology after a prolific 17 months as CCN’s first post-doctoral research fellow.

Vermont Business Magazine The Manchester Business Association, in partnership with The Shires of Southwestern Vermont Destination Marketing Organization, proudly presented the Shires Holiday Inn Tours during the 2025 holiday season, marking a record-breaking year for fundraising in the event’s more than 30-year history. Held on Saturday, December 6, and Saturday, December 13, the beloved holiday tradition welcomed more than 310 attendees to tour 17 festively decorated lodging properties throughout Bennington County. Guests experienced the warmth and charm of historic hotels, cozy inns, welcoming bed-and-breakfasts, and scenic lodges, all while enjoying seasonal beverages, local treats, and the signature hospitality Vermont is known for.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, recently joined U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in introducing the Power for the People Act, legislation to rein in the rising electricity costs Americans are facing by addressing the huge amounts of energy required by data centers.  Amid the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI), corporations and big technology companies’ build out of data centers has exploded in the past decade and is projected to continue to rapidly increase. As more and more data centers aim to connect to the power grid, consumers are footing the bill for the infrastructure required to bring them online.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Representatives Becca Balint (VT-AL), Vice Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, have sent letters demanding answers from Meta and Google after reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using their platforms to run immigration enforcement recruitment for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) using “self-deportation” and other advertisements that rely on white nationalist imagery and rhetoric. In letters sent yesterday, the lawmakers warn that these advertising campaigns are part of an effort to massively expand ICE recruitment, including to surge ICE officers to cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Portland, and New Orleans. To meet these recruitment targets, ICE has lowered hiring standards and turned to paid digital ads across major platforms.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Nongame Wildlife Fund is essential to the conservation and restoration of some of Vermont’s most at-risk wildlife, from bumblebees to butterflies, and mussels to mammals. The Nongame Fund checkoff option on the Vermont state income tax form makes donating to the fund easy and impactful. Vermont’s Nongame Tax Checkoff helped to recover species that were once on the brink of extinction in Vermont, like the common loon, osprey and peregrine falcon. The bald eagle was one of the most recent species to be removed from Vermont’s list of endangered species. The Nongame Wildlife Fund continues to support nest monitoring to ensure that loon, peregrine and eagle populations remain robust. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $2.98/g, up 1 cents per gallon from last week, down 8 cents/g from last month and down 16 cents/g from a year ago. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.70/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 59.0 cents per gallon. Prices are lowest in Bennington ($2.80/g) and Rutland ($2.88/g) counties and highest in Essex ($3.15/g), Chittenden ($3.06/g), and Grand Isle ($3.07/g), according to AAA. The national average price of gasoline has risen 1 cent per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.85/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Electric Co-op is seeking candidates for the three board of directors’ seats that are up for election this year. VEC’s 12 board members represent towns across the co-op’s service territory and serve four-year terms. “VEC board members have a broad range of perspectives and enjoy learning about and influencing energy issues,” said Rebecca Towne, VEC’s chief executive officer. “If this describes you – and you want to support us in our mission to provide safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity across northern Vermont, we’d love to hear from you.”

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak issued a statement Thursday after the Burlington City Council Democratic Caucus voted unanimously on January 20 to block an advisory question on a homestead tax exemption from appearing on the Town Meeting Day ballot: (Tuesday's) vote by the seven Democratic City Councilors denied Burlington residents a basic democratic tool—the opportunity to weigh in on a well-researched, non-binding policy proposal affecting tax fairness and affordability. The proposal would apply a universal $30,000 homestead exemption to homestead properties in Burlington, reducing their taxable assessed value before the City’s property tax rate is applied. 

Vermont State Police The suspect in a New Year’s Day attack on Ludlow Police Chief Jeffrey Warfle has been extradited to Vermont to face charges. Jaime Gomez, 18, was discharged from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where he received treatment after Chief Warfle shot him during the 6:15 a.m. encounter Jan. 1, 2026. Gomez was returned to Vermont on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, to face charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and attempted second-degree murder.