Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Supreme Court and the Vermont Bar Association are pleased to host a Constitution Day presentation, featuring a panel including the Vermont Supreme Court Chief Justice, Superior Court Trial Judges, and a Constitutional Law Professor. The presentation will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 17 from 5 – 6 pm at the Chase Center at Vermont Law and Graduate School in South Royalton. The panel will provide an informative overview of the United States Constitution with a focus on landmark cases decided over the decades. 

Vermont Business Magazine Changing how one anesthesia gas is delivered to operating rooms at University of Vermont Medical Center is saving the hospital money and reducing emissions of one of the most potent man-made greenhouse gases – a key outcome for improving sustainability and reducing climate impacts in health care. The hospital recently switched from using centralized piping lines to convey nitrous oxide to operating rooms (OR) to an e-cylinder system. E-cylinders are self-contained tanks that are mounted directly onto anesthesia machines in the OR. The changes will save the hospital more than $10,000 each year, reducing nitrous oxide purchases by 88 percent. Moving to e-cylinders also eliminated the emissions equivalent of 483 metric tons of carbon dioxide – roughly the carbon footprint of 65 homes’ energy use for one year. 

Vermont Business Magazine Last week, Campaign for Vermont Prosperity (CFV) announced its research priorities for 2025. Topping the list were education, affordable housing, and health care. Similarly, housing costs have also increased rapidly. According to the Vermont Housing and Finance Agency (VHFA), the income required to purchase the median priced home on the market doubled from $60k per year to $120k per year since 2020. CFV points to the cost of construction for state-funded projects exceeding $500 per sq/ft as a critical area to address in order to make housing efforts truly affordable.

Vermont Business Magazine The State of Vermont has released the Green River Reservoir Dam and Dike Study, led by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) with technical support from GEI Consultants, Harvey Economics, and Hydro Consulting & Maintenance Services. The report confirms the Green River Reservoir Dam is structurally sound, that costs to responsibly maintain it are known and reasonable, and that the reservoir remains a cornerstone of Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy. Current owner Morrisville Water and Light is urging the state to take over ownership of the facility.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Lottery and the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) anticipate Wednesday’s (9/3) Powerball jackpot to reach $1.3 billion, the 􀏐ifth largest advertised jackpot in Powerball’s history. The billion-dollar-plus jackpot has increased Powerball ticket sales in Vermont by 171.34% in one week. Ticket sales for last Monday’s (8/25) Powerball draw were $163,947, compared to $445,008 in ticket sales for this Monday’s (9/1) Powerball drawing. The average ticket sales for Monday draws in FY26 were $55,732. Since all profits from the Vermont Lottery are directed to the state’s Education Fund, the uptick in lottery sales is a boost to the state’s Education Fund.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on August 29, 2025, Stephen Loewe, 43, of Springfield, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 45 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Loewe previously pleaded guilty to straw purchasing 19 firearms between December 2023 and May 2024, and admitted as part of his plea that he robbed the Claremont Savings Bank in Springfield on August 13, 2024, the M&T Bank in Springfield on August 13, 2024, and the M&T Bank in Putney, Vermont on August 14, 2024. According to court records, Loewe purchased the 19 firearms at a firearm store in New Hampshire, falsely stating that the firearms were being purchased for his own possession. Instead, Loewe provided the firearms to another person. 18 of the firearms were handguns that Loewe provided to his drug dealer in exchange for crack cocaine. 

Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center Join VMEC and Generator for their 2025 Advanced Manufacturing Day (AMD), a unique opportunity to celebrate Vermont manufacturing and its community of continuous improvement and innovation enthusiasts. This year’s Problem Solving Symposium is designed for Vermont manufacturers to come together to share challenges, explore solutions, and strengthen our statewide manufacturing ecosystem. AMD 2025 is more than a networking event – it’s a hands-on, high-energy forum to connect, learn, and get inspired. You’ll meet local innovators, see real-world applications of improvement methods, and engage in meaningful exchange with peers across business, education, and government. The event includes a dynamic poster session showcasing continuous improvement methods, engaging networking opportunities and focused learning from experienced problem solvers.

by Elizabeth Wohl In April of 2017, I woke up one morning with the feeling that my left ear was clogged. There was a strange whooshing sound, and I could no longer make out my children’s high-pitched speech from the other room. After ruling out earwax build up and nasal congestion, I eventually received a diagnosis of “sudden hearing loss of unknown etiology.” The loss of most of my hearing in one ear presents significant difficulties in some circumstances: put me in a noisy restaurant, and I cannot follow the conversation at all. In other contexts, like one-on-one conversations, or well-run meetings, or singing in an opera, it presents no difficulty at all, especially now that I have a hearing aid.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations fell slightly after there were at a near record-low number of cases statewide in the late spring. Overall COVID trends are elevated in the US and at the South Burlington wastewater testing site. The Vermont COVID-19 pandemic death total stands at 1,302 as of August 23, 2025, with 1 reported death from the previous week (the most recent data available from the CDC). This is the first COVID-related death in Vermont since mid-July. WHO also reported that global COVID-19 deaths are at a relatively low level and holding. 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont today are $3.10/g, up 1.8 cents per gallon from last week's $3.08/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.85/g while the highest was $3.28/g, a difference of 43.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 3.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.15/g today. 

Vermont Business Magazine Breeze Airways, the premium leisure carrier connecting underserved cities across the U.S., today announced an end of summer promotion of 35 percent* off all round-trip base fares by using code ‘GOLDEN’ at checkout. The promotion is valid for new bookings purchased by September 5, 2025, for travel between September 10, 2025, and January 31, 2026. Breeze provides service out of Leahy Burlington International Airport to Tampa (TPA), Raleigh-Durham (RDU), Orlando (MCO), Jacksonville (JAX), an Charleston (CHS).

by Melinda Moulton Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is making a mess of our healthcare system.  Personal to me is his attack on Americans with autism.  Just the other day he demanded a Danish paper that found no link between vaccines and autism retract their study.  This study which was “published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in July of 2025 is the most comprehensive of its kind and included 1.2 million children living during the past two decades in Denmark.”