Current News

Vermont Business Magazine On December 23rd, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI) announced Evernorth Rural Ventures, a subsidiary of Evernorth, was awarded a $70 million allocation of New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) to continue its successful economic and community development work in low-income areas. This is Evernorth Rural Ventures’ 8th award. The competition for the NMTC awards is rigorous, with a total of 216 applicants nationally. Of the 142 Community Development Entities (CDEs) receiving awards this round, 46% are national CDEs; 27% are multi-state CDEs; 17% are state-wide CDEs; and 10% are rural CDEs.

Vermont Business Magazine The annual Yankee Sportsman’s Classic show will be held January 16, 17 and 18 at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is inviting you to visit their exhibits and attend their seminars at the show. “We are looking forward to talking with as many people as possible at the show,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jason Batchelder. The 2026 hunting, fishing and trapping lawbooks will be available at Fish and Wildlife’s exhibit booth. Hunters, anglers and trappers will also be able to buy their 2026 licenses. Show hours are Noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont will host the 13th Annual Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition from Jan 7-10. This four-day event will feature over 100 student competitors and 21 teams from universities around the world. From succession planning to adapting to industry disruption, students will tackle complex real-world business cases, including: The Murdoch Family Succession: Leadership transition in a global media empire and its impact on governance and family dynamics; a Luxury Brand Transformation: A family-owned fashion house faces generational conflict over sustainability and digital innovation.

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today released a new report revealing that President Donald Trump has violated or likely violated the First Amendment in 17 cases related to college campuses, according to federal courts. 

Vermont Business Magazine Mascoma Community Development (MCD), based in Lebanon, NH, has announced an award of $85 million in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) authority from the U.S. Treasury's Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund. This NMTC award represents MCD’s eighth allocation, providing a total of $480 million to support projects since their first award in 2014, including projects in Vermont. The calendar year 2024-2025 round of the NMTC Program, which awarded $10 billion overall, is the largest allocation in the program’s history. The NMTC program allows MCD to direct capital to stimulate economic growth and empower private sector investment in distressed communities. MCD focuses primarily on northern New England.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today delivered the 2026 State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly, outlining the need, and obligation, to follow through on education transformation this session. “But things changed for the better the moment the majority of you had the resolve to pass Act 73 which does so much more than just rearrange the deck chairs. It will expand pre-K so our youngest students have a solid foundation. It will increase equity, so everyone is offered a wide range of courses and programs across the state. It will expand CTE so more kids have access to the trades and the great careers that come along with it. It will increase salaries for teachers who are paid less than their peers in more affluent areas.” The Governor highlighted the operational scale needed to unlock equitable opportunities for all students across Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine This morning, to celebrate National Bobblehead Day, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled an officially licensed University of Vermont Catamounts Bobblehead featuring the school’s mascot Rally. The limited-edition bobbleheads are being released in conjunction with National Bobblehead Day, which is celebrated annually on January 7th. The Museum is celebrating with dozens of new bobblehead releases including this new bobblehead. The special edition bobbleheads are being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, an official licensee of the University of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Today in Montpelier, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth, Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, Representative Barbara Rachelson, Burlington City Council Chair Ben Traverse, Laurel Papel of Students Demand Action, and Mary Sullivan of GunSense Vermont joined parents, students and gun safety advocates to call for the passage of S.131, a bill that would amend the charter of the City of Burlington to prohibit guns in bars. This past March, Burlington Town Meeting Day voters overwhelmingly voted in favor (86.6%) of this charter change. In 2014, Burlington voters also voted to support a similar measure but the bill enabling it did not pass the Legislature.

Vermont State Police At about 1:36 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, VSP Williston received a report of a wrong-way driver on Interstate 89 in Williston.  Multiple reports confirmed a vehicle was traveling north in the southbound lane of travel. The vehicle continued northbound in the southbound lanes, passing exits 13 through 16 while at times narrowly missing crashing into oncoming traffic. Trooper Jae Farnum-Boylan was traveling in the southbound lanes by Exit 17 in Milton, with emergency lights and siren fully activated.  As the vehicle approached it traveled straight toward the trooper.  The wrong-way vehicle, now traveling at slow speed, collided with the front driver’s side of the fully marked VSP cruiser.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and nine Senators in introducing the States’ Right to Regulate AI Act, legislation to prohibit the Trump Administration’s implementation of an Executive Order that attempts to block states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI). The legislation was also filed as an amendment to appropriations legislation that the Senate may consider in the coming days.

Vermont Business Magazine FOX Weather meteorologists Ian Oliver and Bayne Froney will present episode two of season two of FOX Weather Ski House live from Sugarbush Resort in Sugarbush, Vermont on Wednesday, January 7th from 3-6 PM/ET. Sponsored by VRBO, Oliver and Froney will broadcast live from the ski resort and provide a behind-the-scenes look at the offerings that visitors can enjoy at the resort. They will also discuss the local weather forecast at the resort to best prepare for the weather conditions during their winter getaway.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Dakota Larock, 23, of Castleton, Vermont, was sentenced yesterday, January 6, 2026, in Vermont Superior Court, Rutland Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to one misdemeanor charge of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. The Court, Judge Cortland T. Corsones presiding, sentenced the defendant to one to two years in prison, all suspended, with ten years of probation without the possibility of an early discharge from probation. Conditions of Larock’s probation include that he must complete individual sex offender treatment, must not have contact with children under the age of 16, and restrict his access to electronic devices.