Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships at UVM has awarded $2.5 million in funding to launch or expand 16 university-community partnerships targeting solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing Vermont. More than 31 public, private and nonprofit organizations and 25 UVM faculty, staff and students will participate in projects tackling rural health care access, energy costs, support for entrepreneurs, municipal capacity, and soil health. This is the Leahy Institute’s third round of grants supporting Vermont communities. 

Vermont Business Magazine Downstreet Housing & Community Development has been awarded nearly $14.5 million in Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding to support new affordable housing developments in Washington and Lamoille counties. With a regional strategy centered on communities most affected by the 2023 Vermont floods, Downstreet will advance four major housing developments across Barre, Montpelier, and Johnson. These communities experienced significant housing loss during the 2023 floods, and the new funding will help create flood-resilient, permanently affordable homes that allow Vermonters to remain in the places they live and work. A portion of the award will support Stevens Branch Apartments in downtown Barre, a partnership between Downstreet and Evernorth. Expected to create 31 affordable apartments

Vermont Business Magazine Malcolm Severance, age 101, passed away on November 24, 2025, a few miles from his birthplace in Colchester, Vt. Born in 1924 to J. Herbert Severance and Juanita Bombard Severance, he leaves behind daughter Lyn Severance (Bill Harvey) of Burlington, Vt.; son Mark Severance (Sarah Whitney) of Colchester; daughter Dawn Severance (George Schildge) of Colchester; four grandchildren, Jill Severance, Raychel Severance, Jackson Harvey and Henry Severance; along with seven nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by Gladys Severance, his wife of 66 years, and his three sisters, Wilma Patton, Joyce Sweeney and Jean Lawrence.

Vermont State Police On Jan. 8, 2025, the Vermont State Police, in coordination with the Vermont Department for Children and Families, received an intake report regarding allegations of sexual abuse that were reported to have occurred on multiple occasions in 2021. The accused was identified as Kane Smart, who was, at the time, an assistant soccer coach at Winooski High School. Smart was accused of committing a lewd and lascivious act with a child and luring a child while serving in his role as an assistant soccer coach. Upon notification of the allegation in 2025, the Winooski School District took administrative action and temporarily suspended Smart from having contact with children at the school pending the outcome of the investigation.

Vermont Business Magazine RuralEdge and its Board of Directors recently hosted state legislators, the Mayor of Newport, city council members, and Newport town selectboard members for “sneak peek” tours of both Newport Crossing apartment communities. Although the project is still under construction, the group got a preview of the former Sacred Heart Convent property in the City of Newport and the two newly constructed buildings in Newport Center.  The total development cost of Newport Crossing is $21,871,000, of which VHCB provided just under 45%, most of that from ARPA.

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday 66% of all eligible Health Professionals at Porter Medical Center (PMC) in Middlebury voted yes to formalize a union, the final vote was 53-12. Jon Ford, Physician Assistant, and union organizing committee member, said, “Today we voted to form our union to support each other, strengthen patient care, and secure a fair and sustainable future for our professions. These are the priorities we’ve been naming all along, and this vote is a step toward making them real.” PMC is part of the University of Vermont Health Network.

Vermont Business Magazine As the Senate prepares to vote this week on a Democratic proposal to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits so that premiums do not double, on average, for more than 20 million Americans, Republicans are advancing legislation introduced Monday by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) that would eliminate those tax credits and replace them with totally inadequate checks. In order to receive the checks proposed in the Cassidy-Crapo bill, which would total just $1,000 for younger adults and $1,500 for older adults, working families would be required to switch from gold or silver health insurance plans to bronze or catastrophic plans. The lower-quality health insurance plans that Cassidy and Crapo are encouraging come with outrageously high deductibles of $7,500 and $10,000 for individuals and up to $21,200 for households.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Association of Realtors (VAR) has announced the selection of 12 members for its 2026 Leadership Academy, an immersive, year-long professional development program designed to cultivate the next generation of association and community leaders.

Vermont Business Magazine XCharge North America, the North American subsidiary of XCHG Limited (Nasdaq: XCH) and a provider of high-power EV charging and battery-integrated solutions designed to strengthen the North American electrical grid, announced that Cellerate Power, a Vermont-based company building the state's fastest EV charging site, has selected its advanced solutions to help address the state’s critical need for reliable charging infrastructure. The site, operated by Cellerate Power in Winhall, VT, was opened to the public in late October 2025. XCharge NA's C7 Ultra-Fast Chargers will deliver 400kW charging speed—dramatically outpacing the current local charging infrastructure and 2-3 times faster than competing ultra-fast chargers. By expanding Vermont’s charging network with the state’s fastest 400kW chargers that offer both NACS and CCS connectors

Vermont Business Magazine Today at the Community Health Centers of Burlington, Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Chief Health Care Advocate Mike Fisher, legislative leaders, and healthcare coverage specialists held a press conference urging Vermonters to act as soon possible to secure their health insurance for 2026. As Congress lets the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire, and most Medicare Advantage plans pull out of the state, officials gathered to highlight deadlines, offer guidance, and provide resources to help Vermonters understand their options. The MA plans are now unavailable in most counties, representing about 50,000 Vermonters, while some plans are still available in a handful of counties in southern and eastern Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Peter Welch, and Congresswoman Becca Balint, along with the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), announced the recipients of the NBRC’s Fall 2025 Catalyst Program. Thirteen projects in Vermont will receive a cumulative $8.9 million in funding. Projects include mixed-use redevelopment planning, community spaces, childcare expansion, and upgrades to essential water, wastewater, and transportation municipal infrastructure to support workforce housing. Established in 2008, the NBRC is a Federal-State partnership in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York designed to stimulate economic growth and inspire collaboration to improve rural economic vitality across the NBRC region. NBRC encourages projects that take a creative approach to accomplishing those goals. 

Vermont State Police On December 9, 2025, at approximately 8:41 a.m., employees of Morrison’s Feed Bag reported the theft of multiple wood-pellet bags from the store overnight. The Vermont State Police are requesting the public’s assistance in identifying the individuals involved in this larceny.