Current News

Vermont Business Magazine HomeShare Vermont has announced a major expansion of its operations in the Northeast Kingdom, teaming with the Northeast Kingdom Council on Aging to serve the entire region. While the organization began serving Hardwick, Greensboro and Craftsbury in 2023, this marks the launch of services for residents across all of Orleans, Caledonia and Essex counties. HomeShare Vermont has trained two of the Council's case managers to create homeshare matches as part of their job responsibilities. This next step in the Northeast Kingdom follows a period of rapid growth for the non-profit organization, coinciding with the recent launch of services in Windham and Windsor counties.

Vermont Business Magazine The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) has been awarded a $3 million grant from the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development. These are disaster recovery funds that come through the state from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funds will be used to help towns as they buy out flood damaged properties from the 2023 floods. Most of this work will be concentrated in Lamoille and Washington counties but will also take place around the state where floods hit hard. As part of purchasing a site from an owner whose property was damaged, towns need to also ensure they are not unwittingly buying any soil contamination they will need to clean up. Sites with known or suspected contamination are called brownfields. 

Vermont Business Magazine Community College of Vermont (CCV) student Lea Henderson has been selected as the recipient of CCV’s 2025 Legacy Scholarship in the amount of $1,000. The Legacy Scholarship is given annually in honor of a current or past CCV faculty or staff member whose work has had a profound impact on students and colleagues. This year’s scholarship is given in honor of former Dean of Academic Affairs Deborah Stewart, who retired in June after 31 years at the College. Henderson is a student at CCV’s Upper Valley academic center working toward a degree in behavioral science. 

Vermont Business Magazine ReArch Construction is the construction manager for the new Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) for the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) in Williston. This groundbreaking project is not only a significant step toward strengthening Vermont’s recycling infrastructure but also a clear example of ReArch Construction’s commitment to supporting sustainable, impactful projects that benefit the community for generations to come. On the heels of America Recycles Day, CSWD officially broke ground on the $38 million, 74,000 SF facility in November, which will replace the current recycling facility that has been in operation since 1993.

Vermont Business Magazine NEKCV (dba NEK Broadband and CVFiber) is excited to congratulate the latest Broadband Technicians Training graduates and highlight the hard work of four of its employees: Chris Edrington, Pierce Thompson, Owen Carr and Juan Flores. All four have gone through a broadband training session and have now started to advance professionally within the NEKCV organization.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Robert Scott, 65, of Rutland, Vermont, was sentenced in Vermont Superior Court, Rutland Criminal Division, for a felony violation of the sex offender registry requirements. The Court, Judge Courtland Corsones presiding, sentenced Mr. Scott to one to five years to serve, all suspended, with ten years of probation. The probation conditions require Mr. Scott to complete sex offender programming and treatment, to submit to searches and periodic polygraphic examinations, not to own or possess a computer, not to access the internet, not to contact minors age sixteen or younger, and not to loiter in places where children congregate. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott, Senator Sanders, Senator Welch, Congresswoman Balint, and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) yesterday announced the first round of Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant awards in response to the July 2023 floods. These funds will benefit communities most impacted by the floods in regions designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in consultation with state officials. The designated Most Impacted and Distressed (MID) areas include Lamoille, Washington, Caledonia, Orleans, Rutland, Windham, and Windsor counties.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) joined Vermonter and Agence France-Presse (AFP) video journalist Dylan Collins, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont-At Large), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Amnesty International USA to demand justice for journalists killed and injured in the Middle East. Collins met separately with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). For the first time publicly, Senator Welch revealed that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government has closed a review into the Israeli military’s October 13, 2023, targeted double-tap strike on a clearly identifiable group of journalists in southern Lebanon, which wounded his constituent, U.S. citizen and AFP video journalist, Dylan Collins. Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah was killed in the first strike, and AFP photojournalist Christina Assi was gravely wounded, resulting in the amputation of her right leg.

Vermont Business Magazine The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released updated federal guidance on December 9 and 10, 2025, clarifying that specific non-citizen categories, including some Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders in the U.S. for fewer than five years are eligible for 3SquaresVT. "Based on our initial review, we estimate that approximately 90 individuals who are lawful permanent residents or special immigrant visa holders potentially meet criteria to regain eligibility under the updated federal guidance."

Vermont Business Magazine What do the communities of Ripton, Barre Town, Tunbridge, Newport Town, Berkshire, West Dover, Springfield, Barre, and West Rutland all have in common? Each town has removed a derelict dam this summer, restoring a river to its natural state. In fact, 9 dams were removed this past summer, which is the most planned dam removals ever completed in Vermont in a single year. These projects contribute to the local economy by engaging excavation contractors in almost $4 million worth of work, as well as enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities by making Vermont’s waters cleaner, safer, and more accessible.        

Vermont Business Magazine Through December 24, 2025, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is accepting public comment on a proposal to increase the tuition for its Green Mountain Conservation Camp (GMCC) from $250 to $300. In addition to the proposed GMCC tuition increase, the department is also proposing to increase day use fees for the buildings at its Buck Lake and Kehoe Education Centers. Day use rentals of Buck Lake and Kehoe would increase to $300 per day for partnering organizations and $600 per day for private entities.  Additional minor facility rental fee changes are also proposed. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing has announced the results of the latest study by Tourism Economics, which finds that the 16 million people who visited Vermont in 2024 spent a record $4.2 billion on goods and services.  Both visitation and spending numbers statewide showed a modest increase from 2023.  According to the report, visitor spending represents 9% of Vermont’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is significantly higher than the 2023 national state average of 3%. It also found the visitor economy directly supports 31,780 jobs (10% of Vermont’s workforce), compared to the national average of 4.6%.