Current News

The Vermont State Police investigation Thursday morning’s shooting involving a member of the Ludlow Police Department is continuing Thursday night. Investigators continue to process the scene and have interviewed witnesses and reviewed video of the incident. The man who was shot has been transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where he is receiving treatment. His current condition is stable.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth, Representative Barbara Rachelson, Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, Everytown for Gun Safety, GunSense VT, Giffords, and more. They are calling for the passage of S.131, a bill that would amend the charter of the City of Burlington to prohibit guns in bars. In March, this charter change was supported by 86.6% of Burlington Town Meeting Day voters, and S.131 passed the Vermont Senate on a vote of 17-12-1 in April. It has since resided in the House Committee on Government Operations.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced his appointment of Republicans Val Taylor to represent the Rutland-11 district in the House of Representatives and John Benson to represent the Orange District in the Senate. Taylor replaces Representative Jim Harrison who will be resigning effective January 6, and Benson replaces Larry Hart, who resigned in October. By tradition the governor appoints members of the same party to fill vacated seats in the Legislature.

Vermont Business Magazine State Auditor Doug Hoffer has released an audit of the Vermont Department of Public Service’s handling of consumer utility complaints. The audit, the second of four the Auditor’s Office will release in the coming weeks relating to how State government responds to Vermonters’ complaints, assessed whether the Department investigates complaints within expected timeframes and whether data is used to identify trends in utility complaints. In addition, the audit evaluated whether the Department uses performance measurement to improve this important service for Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 29, 2025, Geison Reynoso, 27, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 60 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. His co-conspirator Davon Lee, 26, also of Springfield, was previously given the same sentence by Judge Reiss on October 16, 2025. Both men previously pleaded guilty to possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak announced that the City will open an extreme cold weather shelter in partnership with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) at the Miller Center at 130 Gosse Court in response to the dangerously cold weather forecasted this week. After reviewing weather modeling in consultation with the City’s Emergency Management Director, officials have determined the forecasted temperature on Thursday, January 1st meets the City’s criteria for operation of an extreme cold weather shelter.     

Vermont Business Magazine GlobalFoundries (Nasdaq: GFS) has reaffirmed its role as the presenting sponsor of the FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) program in Vermont for the 2025–2026 season. This ongoing partnership reflects GF’s deep commitment to community engagement, advancing K–12 STEM education and fostering future workforce development. For the second year in a row, GF will host the FLL Vermont State Championship at its Essex Junction facility on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, supported by dedicated GF volunteers, underscoring the company’s strong ties to the local community.

The Vermont State Police has completed its investigation into the May 8, 2025, hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a pedestrian in Pownal. As a result, troopers cited 21-year-old Nelsin Martin of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on a charge of grossly negligent operation resulting in serious bodily injury, and Seneca Bolte, 22, of Bennington, Vermont, on a charge of grossly negligent operation. The investigation determined that Martin and Bolte, who were co-workers, were driving in separate vehicles to work at about 6:40 a.m. when they began to race on U.S. Route 7 near the intersection with Vermont Route 346.

by Mike Del Trecco, President and CEO, VAHHS “The Rural Health Transformation Fund award represents a critical opportunity to help reshape the future of rural health care in Vermont. At a time when hospitals and health care providers across the state are under extraordinary pressure, this investment creates the capacity to make targeted, high-impact changes that strengthen access, improve quality, reduce costs and support communities to thrive. We appreciate the leadership of Governor Scott and the Agency of Human Services in securing these federal resources.

Montpelier Police Department On July 19, 2025 the Montpelier Police Department received a report regarding the misappropriation of company funds. The company, Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation (CVEDC), reported their Executive Director, Melissa Bounty (42) of Waitsfield, VT, had utilized company funds for personal gain. After a lengthy investigation, it was found that Bounty had embezzled approximately $71,151.73 from CVEDC during her tenure as Executive Director from 2022 to 2025.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Vermont will receive over $195 million in Rural Health Transformation Funds in 2026, which is among the highest award per capita in the nation: “This is good news for Vermont, and I’m appreciative to the Trump Administration for their partnership on this, as we work to advance our shared priorities of rural health transformation. While there are still implementation details to work out, this significant investment will help us build on the good work we’ve started to make rural healthcare more affordable and accessible.”  

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.05 per gallon, down 1.3 cents per gallon from last week's $3.06/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.59/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 70.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 4.0 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.75/g today. The national average is down 22.6 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 22.4 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.