Current News

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.

Vermont Business Magazine As the Vermont House Commerce and Economic Development Committee prepares to vote on S.71, the Vermont Data Privacy and Online Surveillance Act, a coalition of more than 1,400 Vermonters from every county and more than 150 towns across the state, including more than 100 Vermont businesses, has delivered an open letter today demanding the Committee pass Draft 2.3 without weakening amendments. The letter, organized through the People vs Big Tech town hall series, represents one of the largest grassroots mobilizations around data privacy in Vermont history. Signatories span every county in the state and include farmers, small business owners, health care workers, educators, veterans, parents, and neighbors united by a single message: our data is not for sale.

Vermont Business Magazine The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) is pleased to announce the next sessions of its Funding Fundamentals program, a series of educational offerings designed to help small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs better understand and access capital. The series begins with an in-person workshop, Funding Fundamentals: Lenders and Finance 101, on Wednesday, June 3 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at 76 Cotton Mill Hill Brattleboro, VT 05301. This session will provide participants with a foundational introduction to business finance, including common lending terminology, an overview of financing options, and guidance on how to prepare for meeting with lenders.

Vermont Business Magazine Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Vermont Mutual Charitable Giving Fund. The funds will support CVHHH’s Adult Home Health Care program, which provides intermittent, short-term medical care, education, and support to Central Vermonters recovering from a hospital stay, injury, or surgery, and those who need assistance managing their chronic disease. Due to ongoing cuts to home health services, the annual value of the care provided by CVHHH clinicians exceeds what the organization receives in reimbursements from CVHHH’s primary payor, Medicare. CVHHH will use the grant funding to help cover this gap in funding.

Vermont Business Magazine Omni Measurement Systems, Inc, d.b.a. Omni Defense Tech in Colchester, has developed and supplied specially designed life preserver units for Artemis II astronauts. Based on Omni’s proven OTFD flotation device technology, the custom devices were prepared to support astronaut safety during post-splashdown operations as crews transitioned from the Orion spacecraft to recovery vessels. Artemis II, the first crewed lunar flyby mission in more than 50 years, launched April 1, 2026. The 9-day mission sent four astronauts on a free-return trajectory around the Moon before returning to Earth, validating spacecraft systems, crew operations, and procedures required for future deep-space missions.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross VT is again hosting its annual Mountain Days event this Saturday, May 9 from 10am-2pm at Mt. Wantastiquet. All Vermonters are invited to hike and connect with neighbors and friends. The event promotes physical activity and social connection and is part of Blue Cross VT’s ongoing commitment to create a healthier Vermont. 

Vermont Business Magazine Building on an early-stage pilot already demonstrating success, a collaborative workforce development initiative is expanding across Orleans and Lamoille Counties, led by Madison Perry, Oliver D’Orazio, and Mickey Wiles. The initiative focuses on creating sustainable employment opportunities through comprehensive, wraparound support. The collaboration brings together Next Chapter Workforce Development Services L3C, High Top Cleaning Services LLC, and regional workforce leaders to build systems that not only connect individuals to jobs, but support them in maintaining long-term, meaningful employment. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Captive Insurance Association (VCIA), the world’s largest captive insurance trade association, today opened registration for VCIA 26, the 41st VCIA Annual Conference, to be held August 11–13, 2026, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in South Burlington, Vermont. VCIA 26 marks the first annual conference under the leadership of new VCIA President Ian Davis and introduces a new evergreen conference logo and tagline –– “Where the Captive World Comes Together”  –– reflecting the convergence of the captive industry, the momentum of the VCIA community,  and Vermont’s continued rise as the world’s leading domicile.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Buildings and General Services will be auctioning a large assortment of State vehicles and equipment to the public beginning at 10 AM on Saturday, May 9, 2026. This in-person physical auction of State vehicles and equipment is expected to be very well attended. A major collection of state vehicles and equipment will be auctioned off to the highest bidder including dump trucks, plow trucks, loaders, pick-up trucks, vans, fleet passenger vehicles, boats, trailers, mowers and trimmers, tools, tires, miscellaneous parts and more. In addition to the auction, there will be a sales booth set up from 8 AM – 10 AM for the surplus “airport sharps."

Vermont Business Magazine A new round of funding and support will soon be available to help a third cohort of small Vermont towns breathe new life into the historic buildings and shared spaces at the heart of their communities. The Village Trust Initiative (VTI) — a partnership of Preservation Trust of Vermont, Vermont Council on Rural Development and Vermont Community Foundation — is a multi-year program that is currently supporting 12 small towns across Vermont in creating or bolstering a community focused local non-profit organization to advance a transformational redevelopment project in their village.