Current News

Vermont State Police The Vermont State Police’s investigation into a Burlington police officer’s shooting Sunday evening remains active and ongoing. The state police is identifying the officer who fired his duty weapon as Officer Brady McGee. Officer McGee is currently assigned to the Uniformed Services Bureau. Officer McGee began his career with BPD in June of 2018, left to join the Darrien, Connecticut Police Department in March of 2022 but returned to BPD in November of 2022. He has been placed on paid leave, per standard procedure. The state police is identifying the subject who was shot as Aaron Loucks, 32, of Burlington

Vermont Business Magazine Teamsters Local 597 bus drivers and monitors voted unanimously to ratify a new five-year agreement at Travel Kuz, a subsidiary of Beacon Mobility. The new contract delivers increased wages, stronger retirement and health care benefits, and key picket line protection language. This win comes after months of bargaining and a company-initiated lockout that kept workers away from their jobs for 12 days last month. Workers will gain an increase of over 20 percent in wages, as well as increased longevity and attendance bonuses for drivers.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College today announced a strategic partnership with Temple University that will broaden study abroad opportunities for Champlain students beginning Summer 2026. Through Temple’s global network, students will have access to semester-long programs in Japan, Italy, and Spain, as well as faculty-led summer programs around the world. This collaboration complements Champlain’s new academic model, launching with the incoming class of Fall 2026, which integrates 30 flexible credits into every degree. Together, these initiatives provide students with more choice to pursue co-ops, internships, global study, or cross-disciplinary projects while staying on track to graduate. As part of this evolution, Champlain will conclude operations at its Montreal and Dublin campuses on June 30, 2026. Students studying in Montreal or Dublin during Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 will complete their study abroad experiences with full institutional support. 

Vermont Business Magazine With a ribbon cutting, speeches, and tours of its extensive laboratory space, the formal opening of the BioLabs Innovation Center at UVM was celebrated on Tuesday, September 23. More than 50 representatives from the University of Vermont, the Larner College of Medicine, BioLabs, the city of Burlington, local industries, and the center’s first tenants attended the event at the University of Vermont Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine’s Colchester Research Facility in Colchester, Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Laura Brewer, 42, of Charlotte, Vermont, was arraigned on one count of felony embezzlement. The charge against Brewer was the result of an investigation conducted by the Vermont State Police, New Haven Barracks. The charge relates to Ms. Brewer’s former employment at the Ferrisburgh Jolley/Stewart’s Shops. Brewer pleaded not guilty at the arraignment Monday in Vermont Superior Court, Addison Criminal Division. The Court, Judge Alison Arms presiding, ordered Laura Brewer released on conditions including that she not enter the Stewart’s Shops property. 

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) joined U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and six of his Senate colleagues in calling on the President to recognize a Palestinian State. The resolution—the first of its kind in the United States Senate—calls for U.S. recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian State alongside a secure Israel, in accordance with international law and the principles of a two-state solution. It underscores how urgent U.S. action would preserve the best chance for peace, helping give both Palestinians and Israelis a future grounded in freedom, security, and prosperity. 

Vermont Business Magazine Nedde Real Estate in Burlington is reporting recent transactions. These include at Milton Commons, City Center Montpelier, Pine Street, Burlington, Hercules Dr., Colchester, and 10 Merchants Row, Middlebury, among several locations.

Vermont Business Magazine Kinney Drugs today introduced Ask Burt, a virtual assistant that helps individuals determine which vaccines they may be eligible to receive this year. Ask Burt is named after their founder, pharmacist Burt Orrin Kinney, who established the first Kinney Drugs in 1903 in Gouverneur, NY. When people use Ask Burt, they are tapping into a knowledge base that carries the latest updated guidance for vaccine eligibility for a range of vaccinations, including COVID, influenza (Flu), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), pneumonia, and shingles. As vaccine guidance continues to evolve, Burt helps patients to stay up to date.

Vermont Business Magazine The Osher Center for Integrative Health at University of Vermont (UVM) has announced that Dr. Helene M. Langevin, MD, a national leader in integrative health, will join its team in early 2026, to shape the Center’s mission-driven research efforts. Langevin brings unparalleled expertise and visionary leadership to the Osher Center, as it expands its role as a leader in the field of whole health. On September 18, Langevin announced her retirement as Director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she has overseen a $170 million annual portfolio that features whole-person research, positive health processes, and pain management.

Vermont Business Magazine Community Health in Rutland has been recognized for its leadership in heart health initiatives by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Heart disease affects 42,000 Vermonters each year and is a leading cause of death in Vermont and overall in the U.S. In Rutland County, heart disease deaths occur at a rate higher than the statewide average, supporting Community Health’s focus on heart health prevention. Having met or exceeded three target goals set in 2024 among primary care patients, the Community Health Quality Recognition Heart Health badge recognizes notable achievements in the areas of access, quality, health information technology, and health outcomes.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery (VAMHAR) today announced the launch of the Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) Initiative, a statewide effort to help employers strengthen their workforce, reduce stigma, and support employees affected by substance use and mental health challenges. The announcement comes during National Recovery Month, which celebrates recovery as a reality for millions of Americans and highlights the importance of health, home, community, and purpose in people’s lives. VAMHAR is building on two years of quiet progress. Over the last 24 months VAMHAR has been piloting the Recovery Friendly Workplace model with 18 Vermont employers. 

Vermont Business Magazine Patients in Vermont and northern New York will have access to vital local support before and after kidney transplant surgery through a new regional partnership between University of Vermont Health Network and Dartmouth Health. When University of Vermont Medical Center announced in late 2024 that the hospital’s Transplant Program would no longer perform kidney transplant surgeries, the organization began exploring a collaboration with Dartmouth Health – where UVM Medical Center would continue to provide medical care for patients before and after transplantation, with the actual transplant procedure taking place at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.