Current News

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.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) will present this year’s VCV Environmental Rising Star Awards to Representative Chloe Tomlinson (P/D-Winooski) and Representative Dara Torre (D-Moretown). The VCV Environmental Rising Star Award is presented bi-annually to newer legislators who have stepped up to be effective champions of VCV priority issues in their first or second legislative session, and who have a bright future of environmental leadership. Tomlinson was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 2024, representing Winooski, in the Chittenden-21 district. She is clerk of the House Committee on Transportation and on the leadership team for the Climate Solutions Caucus. During her first year in the Vermont House, Tomlinson sponsored H.426, known as the CURTS).

Vermont Business Magazine Dairy farmers, processors, and stakeholders are invited to the second Northeast Dairy Innovation Summit, to be held on March 10-11 in Albany, NY.  Hosted by the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC), the Summit offers workshops on Dairy Farm Innovation and Modernization, Processing Modernization and Expansion, Dairy Workforce Development and other topics.  This year’s theme of Dynamic Dairy: Opportunities at Every Scale will highlight a range of opportunities for dairy farms and processors of all sizes. From forage and robotics to sensory training and dairy marketing, we’ll dig into the systems and factors driving innovation and growth on the farm and in the processing plant.

Vermont Business Magazine Each year, the transition from classroom to career brings a familiar set of challenges for college students, including how to present themselves professionally, how to prepare for interviews, and how to navigate early career expectations. For hundreds of Norwich University students, those challenges are addressed through an initiative that combines community generosity with practical career preparation. Now in its third year, the Dressing for Success event, an initiative of Norwich University’s Women Kicking Glass committee, continues to provide students with donated business attire at no cost. The event is designed to help students prepare for internship and job interviews, professional networking opportunities, and other career-related social and professional settings.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s new deer hunting regulation effective this year includes 16 additional days of archery hunting opportunity to help manage deer in eight targeted areas. High deer numbers in these areas are damaging property and native vegetation.  Most are developed areas where deer cannot be effectively managed with firearms. Archery deer hunting in these expanded archery zones begins September 15, and only antlerless deer may be taken in these areas until the regular archery deer season begins on October 1. Like in the regular archery season, an archery license is required, and all archery season regulations apply.