Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Economic Conference returns on Tuesday, January 27, with a compelling, speaker-driven agenda designed to help business and policy leaders understand the forces shaping Vermont’s economy and what comes next. Presented by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the conference brings together nationally recognized voices and trusted Vermont experts for a full day of insight, analysis, and perspective. In addition to its robust agenda, the Vermont Economic Conference will include the presentation of the Outstanding Business of the Year Award, recognizing Birnn Chocolates for its enduring commitment to quality, innovation, and community leadership.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Public Service announced Thursday that on December 23, 2025, Consolidated Communications of Vermont Company (CCVT), LLC, which does business as Fidium, filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The petition requests permission to discontinue traditional landline phone service (also known as legacy voice service) in certain areas of Vermont, in the following exchanges: Jacksonville, Jamaica, St. Johnsbury, Newfane (including Williamsville) and Wardsboro. Where fiber service is available, Fidium proposes to transition customers from traditional landline phone service to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service. VoIP phone service uses an internet connection instead of copper phone lines.

Vermont Business Magazine The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on Wednesday announced that it has initiated investigations into 18 educational entities in 10 states based on complaints submitted to OCR alleging that they have violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). This includes Champlain Valley School District (Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg, Vermont). The complaints assert that these entities, which range from K-12 school districts to postsecondary education institutions to state departments of education, maintain policies or practices that discriminate on the basis of sex by permitting students to participate in sports based on their ‘gender identity,’ not biological sex.

Vermont Business Magazine MENTOR Vermont, in partnership with youth mentoring programs, youth mentees, volunteer mentors, legislators, and business supporters, encourages all Vermonters to join us in celebrating National Mentoring Month this January, and the theme of Belonging, and to consider becoming a mentor in your community this year. Belonging is the foundation of connection. When young people feel seen, heard, and valued, they are more likely to engage in school, build confidence, and take positive risks that help them grow. At a time of widespread isolation and division, focusing on belonging reframes mentoring as a solution that builds empathy and stronger communities.

Vermont Business Magazine The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC), the region’s transportation and land use planning and policy organization, is seeking public input on planning ideas and projects for its annual work program beginning on July 1, 2026, and ending on June 30, 2027. The public is invited to help develop new transportation, land use planning, climate adaptation, water quality, energy, and other similar types of projects. Residents should coordinate ideas with their municipality, since most projects require local match funding and support.

Vermont Business Magazine Let’s Build Homes (LBH), a statewide coalition of nearly 900 Vermonters and 270 organizations, today unveiled its 2026 legislative agenda aimed at addressing Vermont’s crippling housing shortage and accelerating the production of 30,000 new homes by 2030 - the figure that the state’s own Housing Needs Assessment says we need. At a State House press conference, Vermont employers joined health care and education leaders to sound the alarm on the state’s housing shortage, calling it one of the most urgent threats to Vermont’s economy, workforce, and health care system - warning that incremental reforms will not solve the shortage.

Vermont Business Magazine As the new year begins, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is offering a few tips on what not to flush down toilets and sinks, and how to better dispose of that waste. For toilets, only flush human waste, toilet paper, and cleaning products in moderation. For sinks, small amounts of liquid food waste, like soup, can be safely flushed without affecting septic systems; however, it is discouraged. Never pour fats, oils, or grease down drains regardless of if you are on a sewer system or have a septic system. Never flush tissues, cotton swabs, floss, diapers, feminine hygiene products, coffee grounds, cat litter, wipes, excessive household cleaners, cigarette butts, or medications. Flushing these items can clog septic and sewer systems, cause sewage backups into your home, and result in costly maintenance and repairs both for property owners and municipalities.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $2.99 per gallon, down 3 cents per gallon, down 10 cents/g from last month and down 11 cents/g from a year ago, according to AAA. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.65/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 64.0 cents per gallon. Prices are lowest in Bennington ($2.82/g) and Rutland ($2.90/g) counties and highest in Essex ($3.06/g), Chittenden ($3.06/g), and Washington ($3.07/g). The national average price of gasoline is up 3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.84/g today, down 6 cents/g from last month and down 24 cents/g from a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today celebrated the advancement of the Conflict-free Leaving Employment and Activity Restrictions (CLEAR) Path Act, bipartisan legislation introduced alongside Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), which would mitigate foreign influence on U.S. policymaking by prohibiting former Senate-confirmed government employees from lobbying on behalf of countries of concern. The bill advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support.

Vermont State Police Through continued investigation, the Vermont State Police identified two suspects in the Dec. 3, 2025, home-invasion armed robbery in Highgate. The suspects were identified as 41-year-old Eric Smith and his 31-year-old girlfriend, Sabrena Murray, both of Swanton. At about 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, Smith and Murray were located and arrested at a home in Swanton. VSP’s Tactical Services Unit, Bomb Squad, Crisis Negotiation Unit and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Programs took part in the arrest. Smith and Murray surrendered without incident and were jailed pending arraignment. Smith’s bail was set at $10,000 bail, and Murray’s was set at $2,500.

Vermont Business Magazine The adorable Southern bog lemming, delicate small whorled pogonia orchid, mysterious lake sturgeon and humble wood turtle may not seem to have much in common. But all four are classified as “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” (SGCN) in a newly drafted update to Vermont’s Wildlife Action Plan, which is now available for public comment. To qualify for special biodiversity conservation funding from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, every state is required to have a Wildlife Action Plan. The plans are written by each state’s fish and wildlife agency—in Vermont, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department—and revised every decade. Vermont is now in the final stages of updating its Wildlife Action Plan for the next 10 years, following an extensive review and drafting process in partnership with top wildlife experts from around the Northeast.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) released a new report Tuesday that outlines a clear path to reducing Vermont’s reliance on harmful pesticides, which will improve protections for public health, clean water, and wildlife. The report, A Roadmap for Reducing Pesticide Use in Vermont, finds that pesticide use remains widespread across the state, despite mounting evidence of serious risks to human health, pollinators, aquatic ecosystems, and drinking water. Monitoring data collected by state agencies show pesticide contamination in Vermont rivers and streams at levels that exceed federal regulatory benchmarks, yet current oversight and data collection remain limited.