Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today addressed the projected double-digit property tax increase announced earlier this week by the Department of Taxes at his press conference. The governor also took issue with the "failure" of the Vermont education transformation task force to present at least three school redistricting plans. The task force concluded its tenure last month without presenting any plan. The task force was established to implement education reform, particularly in line with Act 73 of 2025, which mandates the creation of larger school districts and a weighted student funding formula.

Vermont Business Magazine Norfolk & Dedham Mutual Insurance (N&D), which is affiliated with Union Mutual of Vermont, is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2025, marking two centuries since its founding as Norfolk Mutual in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1825. o honor this historic milestone, N&D dedicated 2025 to an ambitious charitable giving initiative, reaffirming its long-standing commitment to the communities that have supported the company for generations.

Vermont Business Magazine The world’s first single-dose vaccine to prevent dengue fever was approved for licensure following 16 years of research contributions by scientists at the University of Vermont Vaccine Testing Center, in partnership with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH). In addition, a promising new anti-viral medication designed to prevent infection and illness in individuals exposed to dengue virus will advance, thanks to clinical trials at the UVM Vaccine Testing Center and JHSPH. Both achievements were announced on November 26.

Vermont Business Magazine Ledyard Bank, with a branch in Vermont, has been recognized as one of the 2025 Best Banks to Work For, awarded by American Banker and the Best Companies Group. This honor reflects our commitment to building a workplace where employees feel supported, valued, and empowered to thrive. The recognition is based on anonymous employee surveys and an extensive evaluation of the bank’s culture and benefits, demonstrating the bank’s dedication to its employees. 

Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) The learning opportunities we offer are overflowing - whether it's Advanced Manufacturing & Automation, Operational Excellence, People Development, Quality & Compliance, Innovation & Growth or Cybersecurity & Supply Chain, we can help. Our publicly scheduled events (we will announce a few soon and post to our Training and Events page) have been designed to boost you or your teams’ skills for a variety of manufacturing-focused opportunities. Are you looking for specific solutions and tools or would you like to bring VMEC into your company for a service or project tailored for your team or entire company?  VMEC works directly with organizations to develop capability in systems and people and to collaborate on events for the manufacturing community. Contact us today to bring existing, tailored or new training to you.

Vermont Business Magazine SoundExchange announced today that Vermonter Noah Kahan's "Stick Season" has earned a SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award. The honor recognizes the two-time Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum artist's breakthrough single as one of the most streamed tracks in the organization's 20-plus year history of administering digital performance royalties. "Noah Kahan arrived like a bolt of lightning, with deeply personal and emotionally introspective lyrics set to anthemic melodies that connect deeply with listeners."

Vermont Economic Development Authority Another Thanksgiving is in the books and it is definitely looking like December! I was fortunate to enjoy some turkey with family in Michigan this year. I hope you were all able to spend the holiday with loved ones. November was a very successful month at VEDA. We continued to support Vermont businesses, farms, foresters, and nonprofits as they pursue their dreams and contribute to Vermont’s economic success. As you read on you will learn about some of these new investments. The race is on to the end of 2025. This is the busiest time of year for many of our clients in the retail sector. We hope that when you do your holiday shopping you will consider buying Vermont products.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced it has filed federal lawsuits against six states — Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington — for failure to produce their statewide voter registration lists upon request. "Accurate voter rolls are the cornerstone of fair and free elections, and too many states have fallen into a pattern of noncompliance with basic voter roll maintenance," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "The Department of Justice will continue filing proactive election integrity litigation until states comply with basic election safeguards."

Vermont Humanities Council We are delighted to award $66,000 in Project Grants to 15 different organizations! Awards included $5,000 to The Civic Standard, to host “Hardwick State 2026: A Town-Wide Free University” in April, 2026. We were pleased to support the inaugural Hardwick State program last March with a special Vermont Reads grant. In addition, the Vermont Arts Council, working in partnership with Vermont Humanities and the Vermont 250th Commission, has awarded an additional $24,800 to five qualified applicants using funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Vermont 250th Commission.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 2, 2025, Jason McGrath, 45, of South Burlington, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 120 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 10-year term of supervised release. McGrath previously pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor to produce child sexual abuse materials (CSAM, also known as child pornography). McGrath has been detained since his guilty plea. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement: “Many of our Afghan friends and neighbors served side by side with Americans fighting terrorists in their homeland and both they and their families faced extreme danger in doing so. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with members of the Afghan refugee community and continue to believe we’ve done the right thing and should continue to welcome vetted refugees to Vermont and encourage them to pursue citizenship. These individuals have an extraordinary track record of achieving economic independence and making positive contributions in our communities. I’m proud of them and of the Vermonters who have stepped up to help them build stable, independent lives."

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced his appointment of Michael Hoyt, of West Hartford, to fill the vacant Windsor-4 seat in the Vermont House of Representatives. Hoyt replaces Heather Surprenant who resigned in September 2025. Hoyt grew up in Norwich before attending the University of Vermont and Vanderbilt University Law School. He has worked as an attorney for the Vermont Legislature and the Vermont Department of Labor and currently works at Dartmouth College. Hoyt was elected to the Hartford Selectboard in 2021 and is currently Vice-Chair of the Selectboard, having served as Chair the three years prior. He and his wife Natalie currently reside in West Hartford.