Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department will be offering Junior Warden Weekend to be held at the Kehoe Green Mountain Conservation Camp in Castleton on August 1 and 2. Campers will arrive on Saturday morning and immediately jump into K-9 demos, mock crime scene investigations, game processing, and more.  “We are thrilled to be able to partner with the Warden Service on this exciting new program,” says Hannah Lafont, Green Mountain Conservation Camp Coordinator. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Food Security Coalition received an award at the Feeding America national conference in April for its “extraordinary commitment to supporting neighbors facing hunger.” The recognition includes a $10,000 gift. Feeding America - the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization - supports a network of food banks and other food access organizations that helped provide 5.9 billion meals in 2025. The Vermont Foodbank, a member of this network, and the Vermont Food Security Coalition were recognized for their collaborative development of a 10-year Food Security Roadmap.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today announced a settlement with Long Falls Paperboard to resolve a lawsuit alleging water quality, solid waste, and hazardous waste violations at the Long Falls Paperboard plant in Brattleboro. In addition to paying a civil penalty of $145,000, the plant will take corrective actions at the site. The Long Falls Paperboard plant, which was idled in 2023, holds a discharge permit from the Agency of Natural Resources to ensure that water from the plant’s wastewater treatment facility is properly treated before entering the Connecticut River.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) led eleven colleagues in requesting answers from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) regarding Israel’s practice of unilaterally declared mass evacuation orders in Lebanon and Iran, which likely contravene international law, in light of assertions from Israeli officials that American and Israeli forces are coordinating on military targeting actions in the current conflict in the Middle East. The letter comes ahead of congressional testimony by CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper.  

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont officially opened on Tuesday the first weather station in the Vermont Mesonet—a planned statewide network of automated weather stations — that will monitor and report real-time data to improve extreme weather preparedness, agricultural planning, and critical research in the Green Mountain State. Led by UVM’s Water Resources Institute, with partners including Vermont State University’s Lyndon Meteorological Program, the Vermont Mesonet aims to reduce significant gaps in the state's meteorological, river forecasting, and flood warning capabilities.

Vermont Business Magazine In recent years, New England’s electric grid has seen the highest energy demand in the summer, driven by air conditioning. But that pattern is starting to change. Over the next decade, winter electricity demand is expected to grow, and by 2035, it could match summer peaks as home heating systems and vehicles switch to electric power. That shift is one key finding from ISO New England’s newly released 2026-2035 CELT Report, which projects regional electricity consumption will increase roughly 9% over the next decade. The growth is driven largely by the electrification of heating systems and transportation.

by Kate Kampner, Community News Service A pellet a day keeps the rodents away, but also owls, hawks, coyotes and other wild animals. A rodent that ingests rodenticide becomes a toxic trap for the birds and mammals that prey on them, leading to thousands of wild animals being poisoned, sometimes lethally, every year. H.326 and H.758 were two bills in the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry that pushed to ban or regulate the use of rodenticides. The bills address anticoagulant rodenticides, which target a rodent’s vitamin K and cause internal hemorrhaging. Carnivores that hunt rodents become victims of secondary poisoning, also known as “relay toxicosis.” If the prey they’ve eaten has consumed a rodenticide, they too are affected by the pellet.

Vermont Business Magazine With spring cleaning underway in some parts of the state, the Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) want to remind Vermonters to follow a few guidelines for backyard open burning to protect not only environmental and public health but also public safety. “Open burning releases air toxics and particulate matter that can harm our health, air quality, and environment,” said DEC Commissioner Misty Sinsigalli. “By following a few simple guidelines, Vermonters can help reduce these health and environmental impacts.” “Burning debris is the leading cause of wildland fires in Vermont, underscoring the critical importance of proactive measures."

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott announced action on the following bills, passed by the General Assembly. "I agree with the bill’s intent and while we’ve made progress over the years, I believe we should continue to limit the amount of salt that eventually ends up in our waterways. However, I’m concerned about the liability and unintended consequences this bill creates. By requiring Vermont’s municipalities and commercial businesses to reduce the amount of salt and salt alternatives used to make roadways, parking lots, stairs and sidewalks safer during the winter months, it could result in more injuries and vehicle accidents leading to increased liability, risk of litigation, and expense."

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Labor reported that the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for March was 2.6 percent. This reflects no change from the prior month’s revised estimate. The comparable United States rate in March was 4.3 percent, a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised February estimate. The Vermont civilian labor force decreased by 1,523 from the prior month’s revised estimate. The number of employed persons decreased by 1,360 and the number of unemployed persons decreased by 163. The civilian labor force participation rate was 62.9 percent in March, a decrease of three-tenths of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. Vermont has the fourth lowest jobless rate in the nation, with South Dakota lowest (2.3%) and Delaware highest (5.4%).

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Senate gave its initial approval to H.739, landmark legislation to ban the toxic pesticide paraquat, which is linked to Parkinson’s disease. The bill must still be reconciled with a House-passed version of the legislation before it can go to Governor Phil Scott for his consideration. Health and environmental advocates celebrated the vote and now urge its enactment to protect farmworkers, rural communities, and Vermont families.

The Vermont State Police has received confirmation that human remains found in 2006 in Connecticut are those of a man who went missing while fishing in Vermont five years earlier. Vermont residents Brian Cranfield, 37, of Weathersfield and Terry Brinegar, 44, of Mount Holly were fishing together April 9, 2001, on a boat at Sumner Falls in Hartland when the vessel overturned. Both men were presumed drowned. Brinegar’s body was found April 24, 2001, at the Bellows Falls Dam, but Cranfield’s remains could not be located.