Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College awarded its 2025 Distinguished Citizen Award to Lindsay DesLauriers, president of Bolton Valley Resort. Marking 64 years of tradition, the Distinguished Citizen Award celebrates leaders whose achievements leave a meaningful mark on their communities. DesLauriers has dedicated her career to strengthening Vermont through business leadership, civic engagement and a deep commitment to the state’s outdoor economy. As a member of the family that founded Bolton Valley, she returned to the resort in 2017 and has since led its revitalization, transforming it into a thriving four-season destination while honoring its strong community roots. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Treasurer Mike Pieciak announced his office will distribute a record $2.6 million from the Higher Education Endowment Trust Fund to support Vermonters seeking higher education. The Treasurer’s Office manages the Fund which earned an 11.4% return last year. The funds will be distributed to the University of Vermont, the Vermont State Colleges, and the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation to provide non-loan tuition assistance to Vermonters. The Legislature established the Higher Education Endowment Trust Fund in 1999. Its annual distribution is based on investment performance, which the Treasurer’s Office reports each year to the Legislature. Over the past 25 years, the Fund has distributed over $30 million to support Vermont students. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL) announced that David Scherr, State Director, will be departing the office and taking on a new role in Vermont. David has served as State Director, leading the Vermont offices, since day one of Rep. Balint’s tenure in Congress. Jessica Nordhaus, Director of Community Outreach, will serve as interim State Director. 

Vermont Business Magazine ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property, and real estate data, today released its Q3 2025 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows a total of 101,513 U.S. properties with a foreclosure filing during the third quarter of 2025, up less than 1 percent from the previous quarter and up 17 percent from a year ago. The report also shows a total of 35,602 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings in September 2025 (1 in 1,402 housing units), down 0.3 percent from the previous month and up 20 percent from a year ago. Vermont is second lowest at (1 in 6,741 housing units). South Dakota has the lowest rate (1 in 12,088 HU) and Florida (1 in 814 HU) and Nevada (1 in 831 HU) are the highest.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) released a statement following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a plan to end the war: I am deeply relieved that a peace agreement has been reached to stop the bombing and end the immense loss of innocent life that has plagued Israel and Gaza since October 7, 2023. I’m also immensely gratified that this peace agreement means Israeli families will at long-last be reunited with their loved ones, who have been so cruelly held hostage by brutal Hamas.

VermontBiz A professional trail crew teamed with local partners and volunteers this summer to enhance paddling and camping infrastructure along the Missisquoi River.

The work was performed by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail’s (NFCT) roving stewardship crew, with support from Swanton’s Public Works Department and a team of local volunteers. The projects included construction of a new boat ramp and tent pads at Marble Mill Park, as well as rehabilitation of a portage trail upstream from Swanton.

Vermont Business Magazine First Children’s Finance hosted Vermont’s child care business leaders, community partners, and advocates at Camp Meade on September 30 for the Planning for the Future of Child Care Symposium. The event highlighted the progress of the Child Care Accessibility Initiative and recognized providers who are planning for growth and long-term sustainability. The Initiative, funded by Let’s Grow Kids and supported by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), provided targeted business planning support and planning grants to 72 child care programs. Through this work, participants developed new business models, explored expansion projects, and strengthened the financial foundations of their programs — all steps toward building a stronger, more sustainable early childhood system.

Vermont Business Magazine The National Science Foundation has awarded a $400,000 grant to Saint Michael’s College, which will be used to build a pipeline to Vermont’s growing biotechnology industry. The grant was awarded through the NSF’s EPiiC (Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity) program. EPiiC grants support teams from multiple institutions in collaborating to build their capacity to engage their regions’ innovation systems. The grant will be in effect until 2028.   

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.15 per gallon, down 2 cents per gallon from last week, down 4 cents/g from last month and down 3 cents/g from last year. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.85/g while the highest was $3.39/g, a difference of 54.0 cents per gallon. Prices were lowest in Bennington ($2.98/g) and Addison ($3.05/g) counties and highest in Chittenden ($3.24/g), Franklin ($3.24/g) and Grand Isle ($3.25/g), according to AAA. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 0.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.11/g today.

Vermont State Police Search crews have finished their work at the Weidmann Electrical Technology campus in St. Johnsbury following a bomb threat, and nothing out of the ordinary was located. Crews have cleared the scene, and the business will reopen. The investigation into the threat is continuing.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Andrew Moffitt, 22, of Hartland, Vermont, was sentenced today in Vermont Superior Court, Windsor Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to one felony count of Luring a Child. The Court, Judge Elizabeth Mann presiding, sentenced the defendant to three to five years in prison, all suspended under a 10-year term of probation. Conditions of Moffitt’s probation include mandatory completion of sex offender programming, no contact with children under 18, and restricted access to the internet. If Moffitt violates the terms of his probation, he faces up to five years in prison. Moffitt is also required to register as a sex offender until 10 years have passed since the completion of his sentence.

Vermont Business Magazine On October 7, 2025, at approximately 11:25 a.m., Sergeant Jacobs, Inspector Johnson, and Inspector Lindor responded to a two-vehicle crash with injuries involving two commercial motor vehicles at the intersection of VT Route 105 and Lake Shore Drive in Island Pond. The investigation revealed that the operator, Nicholas Vanasse, 35, of Brownington, was operating a white 2013 Hino box truck loaded with clothing and traveling east on VT 105 at approximately 45 mph while inattentive and crossed over into the westbound lane of traffic. Vanasse attempted to swerve back into the eastbound lane to avoid a head on collision with a truck-tractor/semi-trailer combination, which was empty, identified as a blue 2023 Western Star with a white 2018 Great Dane Trailer, operated by Michael Provencher, 64, of Irasburg. Vanasse side-swiped the other vehicle, causing minor damage to both vehicles and minor injuries to Provencher, who was later transported to North Country Hospital.