Current News

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.

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.