Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) has reopened a 5.5-mile segment of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (LVRT) in St. Johnsbury that had been closed due to flood damage. The trail section from Mt. Vernon Street in St. Johnsbury at milepost (MP) 1.05 to Danville at MP 6.6 is now open. July 2024 flooding damaged numerous sites along the LVRT. During the 2024 and 2025 construction seasons, work was completed on sites that needed repairs, including a recent culvert replacement in St. Johnsbury at MP 1.42 and temporary repairs at multiple sites from MP 1.42 east to Mt. Vernon Street at MP 1.05.

Vermont Business Magazine Mamava, the category creator and market leader in lactation infrastructure and support, today announced the acquisition of TalkBox, a Colorado–based company that designs sound-resistant privacy booths for calls, meetings, telehealth, and wellness. The acquisition marks a major milestone in Mamava’s mission and responds to the growing demand for inclusive, human-centered spaces that provide comfort, privacy, and dignity in workplaces and public environments. Financial terms were not released.

Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity For many of the nearly 4,600 Vermonters without stable housing — including over 1,000 children — a warm place to sleep is not a guarantee. As temperatures drop, it is important to be aware of critical changes to Vermont's emergency housing this winter. Starting December 1, and continuing through March 31, Vermont's emergency motel voucher program will temporarily pause key limits. The usual 80-night cap is lifted during these months, meaning any household that has already reached their limit can re-apply, and any nights used during the winter won't count against their annual total. The overall room capacity limit is also lifted. However, rooms are extremely limited and fill quickly, so immediate action is essential.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Gallagher, Flynn & Company (GFC) will host a free year-end financial planning webinar, “Year-End Planning: What To Do Before the Clock Runs Out,” on Tuesday, December 9 from 12:00–1:00 p.m. The program will feature leading experts from GFC: Tax Partners Chelsea Condos, CPA and Angela Guinness, CPA, and Assurance & Advisory Senior Manager Fran Briand, CPA. With the final weeks of the year approaching, business owners can still take important steps to strengthen their financial position, reduce risk, and plan effectively for 2026. This session will provide clear, actionable guidance rooted in tax expertise, financial analysis, and best practices in year-end business planning.

Vermont Business Magazine Emerge Vermont, the state’s premier organization for recruiting and training Democratic women to run for office, announced that applications are now open for two training programs for candidates interested in running for local, legislative, or statewide office in 2026. Emerge Vermont’s annual Municipal Bootcamp is a one-day, online training happening Saturday, January 3rd, 2026. The program will provide skills and tools to enable participants from across Vermont to run successful campaigns for school boards, selectboards, city councils, and village trustee boards on Town Meeting Day. Registration is now open and the cost is $75 per person.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.10/g, down 3.4 cents per gallon from last week's $3.13/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.82/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 47.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 8.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.95/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine Communications and PR Specialist Kevin Lambert announced today that he has created a comprehensive economic-development funding calendar for the State of Vermont. He will introduce the prototype at the Monkton Town Hall on Tuesday, December 9th at 12:30pm. The Vermont calendar features roughly 350 unique programs offered by state nonprofits, philanthropic organizations and federal and state agencies. Lambert’s vision extends beyond the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain, however: a calendar of U.S. Government grant and loan programs is nearly complete, and versions for the 49 remaining states suggest more adventures in hardcore data entry may lie ahead. 

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) Agriculture Drought Impact Survey will be closing in two weeks! Please complete and submit a response to the survey before December 15th to ensure your experience and needs are captured. Your survey responses support a greater understanding of this drought's impact on Vermont's agricultural industries. We have 174 responses to date from producers across industries and operation size. Data from these businesses projects* over $14 million in losses from the 2025 drought. You can find highlights of aggregate responses on the Agriculture Drought Impact Survey dashboard on the VAAFM drought webpage.

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine As the leaves yellow and fall in Washington County, businesses turn their sights towards winter. For the retail sector, this change of seasons means the busy holiday shopping rush. Outdoor recreation businesses turn their attention to winter sports. Municipalities prepare for long hours of plowing and sanding. Montpelier and surrounding communities look ahead to January, the start of the new legislative session and the lawmakers who descend on the area for four intense months. But, for many in Washington County, the changing weather will not alter a sense of uncertainty permeating the economy.

by Amanda Kuhnert Since its opening in May 2025, Johnson General Store has truly been a labor of community love. Its success stands as a testament to the dedication and perseverance of owners Mike and Haley Mignone, and the unwavering support of the Greater Johnson community. Just one month after launching the business, the Mignones faced an almost catastrophic setback when a portion of the store’s inventory was lost during a townwide electrical outage. This difficulty followed an already challenging launch. Equipment issues and unexpected startup costs — financial strains exacerbated by the outage — had left the couple unsure if they could keep their doors open.

by Ben Kinsley Governor Scott says the Act 73 School Redistricting Task Force “failed” because it refused to deliver a mandatory consolidation map that would force Vermont into a handful of mega-districts. Respectfully, I disagree with this assessment. To assess if the task force failed its mission, we should agree on what that mission was. Was it to reduce the number of school boards? Create more opportunities for students? Or, generate cost savings? Those are three distinct goals. While some may argue that the former was the letter of the law (Act 73 in this case) most will agree that the latter two were the intent of the law. By those measures, the Task Force succeeded in its mission.

by Fiona Medeiros, Community News Service Winter rushed in last week with parts of Chittenden County seeing nearly a half a foot of snow. But that’s no obstacle for the year-round cyclists who see winter as merely an invitation to swap their nice, expensive rides for ‘beater bikes,’ and to remember to charge their bike lights. Whether it’s to and from work, picking up the kids or running errands, year-round cyclists prove that it can be done without using a car.