Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark will hold a press conference tomorrow to discuss their actions to restore $7 billion in Solar for All funding that the Trump administration illegally canceled. Clark has filed multiple lawsuits to defend Solar for All, the program Sanders created to slash utility bills for working families, create thousands of good-paying jobs and take bold action to combat the existential threat of climate change. Solar for All would help lower residential electricity bills by up to 80% for more than 900,000 households nationwide, saving working families more than $8.7 billion over the lifetime of the panels. 

Vermont Business Magazine Grizzly MEP, a commercial mechanical, electrical and plumbing platform based in Atlanta, GA, has announced the expansion of its platform through a new partnership with Vermont Mechanical Incorporated, a full-service mechanical contractor headquartered in Williston, with a second office in Lebanon, NH. Founded in 1988, Vermont Mechanical designs, engineers, fabricates, installs and services high quality and cost-effective mechanical systems for commercial HVAC and plumbing customers in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York. As Grizzly’s fourth partnership since launching in May 2025, Vermont Mechanical will serve as a key pillar of the platform and a catalyst for expansion in the New England region.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) spoke in support of legislation led by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to reform and right-size the Insurrection Act, an emergency, near-wartime authority measure President Trump has expressed interest in invoking in order to use the U.S. military to harass American citizens attending peaceful protests. In his remarks, Senator Welch demanded reforms to limit current and future administrations from abusing the Insurrection Act and deploying U.S. troops to police Americans exercising their right to free speech. The resolution was blocked by Senate Republicans.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) State Highway Safety Office (SHSO) held the annual Highway Safety Awards ceremony at the Vermont State House today. These awards are presented to highway safety professionals around the state for their exceptional work and commitment to keeping Vermont’s roadways safe for all users. “Today we honor these professionals whose hard work and dedication helps to keep people safe on our roads,” said Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn. “We wish to thank all those who were presented with awards as well as every Vermont highway safety professional working in law enforcement, education, engineering, and emergency medical services for their life-saving work.” 

Vermont Business Magazine The Department for Children and Families (DCF) has received federal guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) requiring all states to pause issuance of 3SquaresVT (SNAP) benefits until further notice as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown. Due to the current lack of funding, Vermonters receiving benefits are encouraged to plan ahead and to stay up to date as more information becomes available. DCF is committed to helping Vermonters through this uncertain time.

Vermont State Police At the request of the Middlebury Police Department, the Vermont State Police will activate its Search and Rescue Team and other resources to join the ongoing search for missing Middlebury College student Lia Smith, 21, of California. The first full-scale search involving the VSP team will take place Thursday, Oct. 23. In addition, the state police’s Victim Services Unit is working closely with Lia’s family. Meanwhile, efforts led by the Middlebury Police Department to locate Lia are continuing. 

Vermont State Police The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of a 71-year-old canoeist after the boat he was using capsized Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, on Lake Champlain in North Hero. VSP’s initial investigation has determined the incident began at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday when two men who were related set out in the canoe from North Hero near the Hero’s Welcome store. While near Knight Island State Park, the canoe reportedly overturned. Both occupants were wearing personal flotation devices. 

Vermont Business Magazine Lightshift Energy, a developer, owner and operator of battery energy storage projects across the U.S., and KeyBanc Capital Markets, the corporate and investment banking arm of Cleveland based KeyCorp, announced the close of a $75 million credit facility that will support Lightshift’s rapidly growing pipeline of energy storage projects across the East Coast. The initial portfolio includes Lightshift’s project with GlobalFoundries in Vermont, which will deliver critical power services and significantly reduce electric transmission and capacity costs at their semiconductor manufacturing plant. The project will highlight the potential of co-located energy storage and, once operational in 2026, will be the largest battery project in Vermont. 

Vermont Business Magazine Mamava has released its 2025 ranking of the top airports in the US for breastfeeding parents, welcoming several newcomers to this year’s list. From Boston to Phoenix, airports coast to coast are stepping up their lactation amenities—showing growing momentum to make travel more comfortable and inclusive for breastfeeding families. This yearly ranking puts a spotlight on airports making a dedicated effort to go beyond the conditions of the Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Acts—which require all large, medium, and small hub airports to provide one lactation space in each terminal—to ensure a truly welcoming and accessible environment for breastfeeding and pumping parents. ORD, SFO and MCO lead the way.

Jonah Richard, Village Ventures Governor Phil Scott held a press conference (October 14, 2025, in Fairlee) on the site of our future 26-unit mixed-use project in Fairlee to announce this year’s Downtown Tax Credit awards. Thanks to Austin Meehan, two of our projects made the cut. First, our historic quadplex from 1836 received $210,000 in state tax credits, along with $130,000 in federal historic credits. Paired with low-interest debt from Vermont Housing Finance Agency, this will allow us to bring the building back to life as workforce housing — with construction slated to start this winter. Our 19-unit LIHTC project also received $225,000, just days after landing a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant. With those pieces in place, we’ve now closed $4.5m of a $7m capital stack.

Vermont Business Magazine A new report from The Sentencing Project, Voting from Prison: Lessons from Maine and Vermont, highlights that incarcerated citizens in Maine and Vermont still face significant barriers to casting a ballot. The report reveals a troubling disconnect: having the legal right to vote while incarcerated does not guarantee the ability to exercise that right. This webinar will explore key insights from the report, featuring perspectives from currently and formerly incarcerated individuals, advocates, reform leaders, and Department of Corrections staff, offering a deeper understanding of accessing democracy during incarceration.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont has made progress helping future early childhood educators access higher ed programs. At the same time, Act 76—passed in 2023 to expand the state’s child care capacity—has created new classrooms that need qualified educators. Yet many students don't complete the credentials they need to lead these classrooms. A new report from the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC) shows where students are stopping or leaving programs and highlights ways the system can better support them so more can enter Vermont’s child care workforce.