Current News

by Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak First, let me get right into the problem. Burlington is facing another structural budget gap, which we estimate will be roughly $10-12 million for FY27. I want to emphasize that this is not an anomaly. A structural budget gap means that, year after year, the City’s expenses cost more than the money we bring in, even when there are no emergencies or surprises. The gap can’t fix itself, and closing it requires long-term solutions, not temporary fixes. Burlington’s recurring budget gaps point to a long-building problem in the City’s general fund operating budget. The challenge is three-fold: Significant growth in the city workforce and services prior to my administration; increased reliance on temporary funding sources to support ongoing costs; slow growth in the City’s grand list (average of 1% in recent years) combined with limited taxable land.

Vermont State Police On November 18th, 2025, Vermont state police began investigating Bryce King (24) of Barton for the crime of Embezzlement after coworkers had noticed missing funds. King was an employee at Circle K gas station located at 252 Main St in the Town of Barton, Vermont. Investigation revealed King had stolen approximately $5,000 from the store in a three-month time period.

Vermont Business Magazine Alexa Valyou has faced more health care in her eight years than most people do in a lifetime. Born with DiGeorge syndrome — a condition caused by the absence of her twenty-second chromosome — she underwent her first heart procedure less than 24 hours after being born and her first open heart surgery when she was less than a month old. Since then, she’s had four more, along with 17 other heart procedures, two major surgeries on her pulmonary arteries, near fatal brain bleeds, emergency brain surgery and two strokes. For many children, a single traumatic medical experience – especially those involving needles – can leave lasting emotional and psychological scars.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Veterinary Medical Association (VVMA) is proud to announce the launch of a comprehensive online Certified Veterinary Assistant (CVA) training program, designed to support the professional growth of current and aspiring veterinary assistants across the state. This program is available to individuals already working in veterinary practices as well as those seeking to enter the field. Anyone 16 years of age or older is eligible to enroll. The CVA program was developed in partnership with the Texas Veterinary Medical Association and Patterson Veterinary Academy, and has been successfully implemented in hundreds of veterinary hospitals nationwide. Since its inception, the program has led to the certification of more than a thousand veterinary assistants, strengthening veterinary teams and improving patient care across the country.

Vermont Business Magazine The American Red Cross urges donors to make an appointment to give blood or platelets now to keep the blood supply as strong as possible in the final days of the year and into 2026. Types O, A negative and B negative blood donors are especially needed now. Record-setting travel is happening across the country. With more people headed away from home, blood and platelet donations can dip at a crucial time when patients count on care. Bad weather or shifting travel schedules could force donors to cancel or reschedule donation appointments and tighten the blood supply. Make time to give before you go — it’s a simple way to make a lifesaving impact.

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on December 18, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Brian Wood, 23, of Hartford, Vermont, with Production of Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM, also known as child pornography) and Possession of CSAM. Wood entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on December 19, 2025 before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered that Wood be detained pending a detention hearing currently scheduled for December 24, 2025. Wood’s unlawful interactions with minors remains the focus of a continued law enforcement investigation. Anyone with information should contact the Hartford, Vermont, Police Department. 

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today joined a coalition of attorneys general in suing the Trump Administration to stop the complete defunding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which has returned more than $21 billion improperly taken from over 205 million Americans throughout its 14-year existence. The CFPB’s current acting director, Russel Vought, is attempting to completely defund the agency by refusing to request any funding from the Federal Reserve, which will virtually guarantee the agency runs out of money in January 2026. As Attorney General Clark and the coalition argue in their lawsuit, defunding the CFPB will have devastating impacts on consumers and severely disrupt states’ consumer protection abilities, which rely on consumer complaints and data from the agency.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 18, 2025, Douglas Reynolds, 37, of, Dalton, New Hampshire, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 120 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Reynolds previously pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, specifically assaulting federal law enforcement using a deadly weapon. According to court records, members of the United States Marshals Service attempted to serve an outstanding state arrest warrant on Reynolds near Dalton, New Hampshire. Reynolds spotted law enforcement and fled in his black Jetta sedan. Reynolds led law enforcement north on Interstate 93 to Saint Johnsbury, Vermont, before turning south on Interstate 91. The chase reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour. 

Vermont Business Magazine A Vermont judge on December 17, 2025, ruled on the defendants’ motions to dismiss in A.V. v. Vermont Dept. for Children and Families, Copley Hospital, and Lund, allowing claims to move forward against all three defendants. The case stems from an inappropriate DCF “assessment” of expectant parent A.V. in 2022. Based on unsubstantiated claims about her mental health and without ever speaking to her, the state obtained access to her confidential medical records, lied to a court to obtain custody of A.V.’s fetus, and attempted to force her to undergo an involuntary c-section. Immediately after A.V. had given birth—and before she could even hold her newborn daughter—the state took custody of her child and fought for seven months to sever A.V.’s parental rights, until a judge finally reunited the family. 

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today joined a bipartisan coalition of 49 other attorneys general in announcing a settlement with Mercedes-Benz USA and Daimler AG for violating state laws prohibiting unfair or deceptive trade practices by marketing, selling, and leasing vehicles equipped with illegal and undisclosed emissions defeat devices designed to circumvent emissions standards. The settlement, of which Vermont will receive $295,000, also includes more than $200 million in potential consumer relief.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Lottery and the Multi-State Lottery Association expect Monday’s Powerball jackpot to hit $1.6 billion, with an estimated cash value of $735.3 million, making it the fourth largest Powerball jackpot ever and the fifth largest U.S. lottery jackpot. Powerball jackpot winners may choose to receive their prize as an annuity or a lump sum payment (cash option). Both advertised prize options are prior to federal and jurisdictional taxes. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.

Vermont Business Magazine Federal actions have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost support to individuals and the state when Vermonters are struggling to meet their basic needs. The State of Working Vermont 2025, released today by the Montpelier-based nonpartisan nonprofit Public Assets Institute, analyzes U.S. Census and other data including costs, income, and wages in Vermont. It looks at how residents are doing and pinpoints the areas where the state can act to protect Vermonters’ wellbeing and economic security. Half of single adult Vermonters and a third of families with kids do not have enough income to meet basic needs. Two people earning minimum wage in Vermont will not be able to afford a standard two-bedroom apartment in 2026—and that shortfall between their rent and their earnings will be more than $25,000 annually, or $6 more income hourly per earner.