Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott delivered his 10th budget address to the General Assembly at the State House Tuesday afternoon, which reduces the property tax burden, shores up the transportation fund all while without raising taxes or fees on already overburdened Vermonters. The governor asked lawmakers to fix, not just fund, the systems which are no longer working while also continuing to strengthen education, housing, affordability and public safety to increase our workforce, and reverse demographic trends. Along with a $9.4 billion total budget request, Scott is asking lawmakers to direct $105 million from existing funds and expected surplus toward buying down about half of an expected property tax shortfall. The Legislature did the same last year.

Vermont Business Magazine On January 14th, Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak announced the launch of Burlington’s 2026 Housing Strategy. This marks a major step forward on one of the mayor’s top priorities: creating ample, safe, and affordable housing for the Burlington community. “Burlington has always dared to imagine a city where housing serves people, not just markets,” Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak said. “We are at a crossroads. We can accept a future where only a few can afford to live in Burlington, or we can choose to lead, as we have before. My administration will build on that proud progressive legacy with a housing strategy that meets this moment — one that puts residents first, expands opportunity, and ensures Burlington remains a place where people can stay, grow, and belong.”

Vermont Business Magazine Six University of Vermont Grossman School of Business students are stepping into full-time, paid Co-op roles at leading employers this January—marking the launch of Vermont’s first undergraduate business Co-op program. The Grossman Co-op Program, supported by a $15 million gift from the Grossman Family Foundation announced in September 2024, transforms classroom learning into immersive, career-building experiences. Students work full-time for four to six months in roles aligned with their academic focus, then return to campus to complete their degrees equipped with real-world skills and insights.

Senator Bernie Sanders Over the past several years, one of my top legislative priorities as Chairman, and now Ranking Member, of the Senate HELP Committee has been to address the primary care crisis in America, the massive shortage of doctors, nurses, dentists and mental health professionals in our nation, and to lower the outrageous cost of prescription drugs. Given the extremely dysfunctional political environment in Congress, I am proud that we were able to reach a bipartisan health care deal to begin to provide meaningful relief to the American people on all of these major crises. Under this agreement, community health centers will receive the largest increase in mandatory funding in a decade, equivalent to a rate of $4.6 billion through the end of the year — nearly $1.2 billion more than Republicans put on the table. Community health centers are the backbone of our primary care system, providing high-quality care to over 32 million Americans, including 9 million children.

Vermont Department of Economic Development The Vermont APEX Accelerator is part of a nation-wide program established to strengthen U.S. supply chains by helping businesses pursue and perform on contracts with federal agencies, state and local governments, and government prime contractors. Find us online: The Vermont APEX Accelerator. Through one-on-one business counseling, customized bid matching, bid preparation and eBusiness support, training, and partnership networking, the Vermont APEX equips companies to compete effectively in the government marketplace. For one Vermont APEX client in the video production industry, that support was transformative.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University has officially appointed Dr. Lea M. Williams as Provost and Dean of the Faculty following her service as interim provost. A 20-year member of the Norwich community, Provost Williams now serves as the University’s chief academic officer, overseeing academic programs, faculty affairs, and institutional learning initiatives. “Dr. Williams has demonstrated, time and again, that she understands the heart of Norwich University — our faculty, our students, and our mission,” said LtGen John J. Broadmeadow ’83, USMC (Ret.), 25th President of Norwich University. “Her appointment as Provost reflects both her exceptional qualifications and the trust she has earned across this institution.” 

by Devon Green, VAHHS Week 2 at the legislature kept the focus on health care affordability. It began with the Senate Health and Welfare Committee hearing from Shawn Tester, CEO of Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital and VAHHS Board Chair. He presented the VAHHS Affordability Action Plan and highlighted the work done at his hospital, including eliminating administrative positions, to achieve significant operational savings for FY 2026. House Health Care wrapped up the week by delving into the hospital budget process with testimony from the regulator, the regulated, and the public advocate. To start, the Green Mountain Care Board, as the regulator, provided background on how hospital budgets work and noted future plans.

Vermont Business Magazine VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR) proudly marks its 80th anniversary in 2026, celebrating eight decades of delivering high-quality home health care, hospice, and community services to families across Rutland, Bennington, and Franklin counties. Since its founding in 1946, the agency has been committed to its mission to promote health, independence, dignity, and comfort for individuals of all ages in the communities it serves. Over the past 80 years, the agency has grown from a small group of dedicated community members into a trusted nonprofit home health and hospice provider. 

Vermont Business Magazine Hundreds of mental health advocates and 43 co-sponsoring organizations and their network will rally together for the 11th Annual Mental Health Advocacy Day on Thursday, January 29th at the Vermont Supreme Courthouse Auditorium (9:00 am-12 pm - in-person and live-streamed) and the Vermont State House Capitol (1-3 pm – in-person). The central focus is “Together for Dignity, United for Change: Reclaiming Mental Health in Vermont”. The community can join the morning program either by live-stream or in-person at the Vermont Supreme Courthouse Auditorium from 9 am-12 pm. The agenda includes welcome remarks from Vermont state leaders and two keynote presenters: Rep. Daisy Berbeco and Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak.

Vermont Business Magazine Two transformative nursing programs launched in partnership with Norwich University and Vermont State University, and supported by federal and state grant funding, celebrated the graduation of 31 students between August and the end of December. Ten of the students earned Bachelor’s of Science degrees in Nursing, and 21 received Master’s of Science degrees in Nursing. The programs are part of an ongoing larger effort to address Vermont’s nursing workforce shortage. The graduations are the result of two years of collaboration between University of Vermont Health and the universities, which received more than $1.5 million in grant funding from the Vermont Agency of Human Services (AHS) and the federal government to support students’ tuition, books and more.

The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of a woman who was in the custody of the Vermont Department of Corrections. VSP was notified at about 11:40 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, that Alexis Lesage, 28, of South Burlington had died earlier that day at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. She had been incarcerated at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington. Per standard protocol, a detective from the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations was assigned to the case and began a death investigation. 

Vermont business Magazine On Martin Luther King Day, Democratic leaders and voting rights advocates gathered to announced the Vermont Voting Rights Act, legislation that will safeguard the voting rights of all Vermonters amid growing threats to the federal Voting Rights Act. The Supreme Court plans to rehear Louisiana v. Callais prior to the 2026 midterms, which is widely expected to determine the fate of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was instrumental in passing. The Vermont Voting Rights Act would prohibit racial gerrymandering, expand language assistance and disability access, strengthen voter education, and enhance protections against voter intimidation and misinformation. It would forbid discrimination in voting and election procedures based on race, color, or membership in a language-minority group, and will prevent suppression practices that reduce the voting power of protected communities.