Current News

Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation The Community and Housing Infrastructure Program (CHIP) is launching soon. With this in mind, the Vermont Economic Progress Council (VEPC) is asking that all municipalities considering applying for CHIP fill out this mandatory interest form to provide a high-level overview of their proposed projects. This brief form is a required first step for all municipalities before they complete the official application and will help VEPC track program interest and anticipate incoming applications. As a reminder, CHIP lets municipalities keep a portion of future property tax growth within a housing development to pay for water, wastewater, roads, broadband, site prep, and other public-benefit improvements.

Department of Motor Vehicles On January 6, 2026, at approximately 3:18 p.m., Inspectors Lindor and Cotnoir responded to 1266 Perini Road in Newbury for a single-vehicle rollover involving a school bus with unknown injuries or hazards while students were on board. The investigation revealed that the operator of the bus, Cynthia Clemence, 72, of Newbury, was operating a yellow 2017 Freightliner B2 Bus owned by Butler’s Bus Service (USDOT: 1633191) and heading north on Perini Road, driving too close to the edge of the roadway, which caused the bus to sink into the right-side ditch and partially overturn on its passenger side. There were 21 student passengers, none of whom were injured, and one paraprofessional, who sustained suspected minor injuries.

Vermont State Police Today, January 7, 2026, Troopers assigned to the Vermont State Police-Williston Barracks received numerous reports of vehicle break-ins/thefts in the Mt Philo area in the Town of Charlotte. The Vermont State Police would like to urge the public to ensure that their vehicles are locked and valuable items are removed to prevent thefts.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Labor released data on the Vermont economy for the time period covering November 2025. According to household data, the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for November was 2.6 percent. This reflects an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point from September’s revised estimate. The civilian labor force participation rate was 64.2 percent in November, a decrease of two-tenths of one percentage point from September’s revised estimate. All three major indices showed weakness. The seasonally adjusted Vermont data for November show the Vermont civilian labor force decreased by 1,337 from September’s revised estimate. The number of employed persons decreased by 1,414 and the number of unemployed persons increased by 77 over the same time period.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association The NEK Collaborative hosted 152 regional, state, federal, nonprofit and business leaders at their 2025 NEK Together Conference. The gathering reaffirmed the organization's role as a neutral convener within the framework of the region's Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP Zone) and USDA Rural Development. The participants reflected on the NEK's shared identity, celebrated collaborative successes, and identified pressing challenges shaping the region's future: housing, healthcare, affordability, and flood & climate resilience. These priorities will guide the Collaborative's work in the coming year under the leadership of Abby Long, Interim Executive Director.

Vermont Business Magazine Funding is now available from the Vermont Women’s Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation for programs that address systemic barriers to economic wellbeing and recognize the disproportionate impact of these barriers on women and girls based on race, gender identity, sexuality, class, age, and ability. The competitive grant program will award grants of up to $15,000. The Vermont Women’s Fund awards single or multi-year grants that support programmatic expenses for pilot or established programs and/or general operating costs. It is committed to addressing the needs of women and girls across all areas of the state and prioritizing statewide geographical representation.

Vermont Business Magazine Polly, the Vermont-based leading embedded auto insurance platform for automotive retail, today released its Q3 2025 Quarterly Embedded Auto Insurance Report, revealing that dealerships integrating an insurance solution into their sales process continue to see higher F&I gross profitability than those who do not have one.

by State Representative Gina Galfetti (R-Barre Town) Buckle up, it is that time of the year again--the time when your duly elected State Legislators return to Montpelier to face the challenges that are at hand. And I am writing today to let the people know that some of us hear you loud and clear. Governor Scott proposed a sweeping education reform bill, and many of us went out on a limb to give it a shot. What has happened thus far is that the special committee comprised of a mix of legislators and non-legislators that was tasked with drawing new districts over the summer refused to do their assigned task, with Democrat members that are in the majority refusing to do it. That is the reality of what happened over the summer. And let’s face it: not everyone is going to be happy with school and administrative consolidations, because at the end of the day the idea is to save taxpayers money, which means we need to optimize, streamline, and cut. Yes, I said it: CUT.

Vermont Business Magazine On the fifth anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, joined Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) in introducing a pair of bills to prevent January 6 rioters from receiving payouts from the federal government. Roughly 400 people who the Trump Administration pardoned or granted clemency to after their involvement in the January 6 attacks are currently seeking millions of dollars in taxpayer funds because they were prosecuted for their criminal actions.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Health Commissioner Rick Hildebrant, MD, provides the following statement on yesterday's update by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the federal Childhood Immunization Schedule: “In Vermont, vaccine policy will continue to be guided by scientific evidence and informed by trusted medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. Vermont will continue to follow its established Childhood Immunization Schedule.

by Maggie Lenz and Gwynn Zakov Lawmakers returned to the State House on January 6 to gavel in for the 2026 Legislative Session. As Act 73, the so-called education transformation initiative moves into its first full legislative session since passage, most of the public conversation continues to focus on governance and redistricting. After months of study and hearing widespread public opposition to forced consolidation, the Redistricting Task Force declined to propose new maps. Instead they recommended a model built around shared services and cross-district collaboration, all voluntary. Governor Scott has made no secret of his (to put it mildly) dissatisfaction with this outcome. The administration, including Education Secretary Zoie Saunders continues to push for a significant reduction in Vermont’s 119 districts. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s physicians and other medical professionals reaffirm our unwavering commitment to evidence-based preventive care for children and adolescents in response to recent changes to the national childhood immunization schedule. On January 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced revisions to the federal childhood vaccine recommendations. These changes reduce the number of vaccines routinely recommended for all children and shift several immunizations—including those for influenza, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and others—to categories of “shared clinical decision-making” or recommendations limited to specific high-risk populations.