Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations rose slightly after they fell to a near record-low number of cases statewide over the last two months since the beginning of the pandemic over five years ago. Overall COVID trends are declining in Vermont and across the US. The Vermont COVID-19 pandemic death total stands at 1,301 as of August 2, 2025, with 0 reported deaths from the previous week (the most recent data available from the CDC). WHO also reported that global COVID-19 deaths keep declining. The VDH is no longer reporting COVID fatalities and cases in Vermont. Wastewater testing generally indicates that COVID-19 virus levels in Vermont also has fallen to very low levels after they had spiked in January. 

Vermont Business Magazine Rootstock Publishing announces the August 26 release of Light: A Mother and Daughter Memoir of Anorexia by Nancy Y. Levine of Shelburne, co-written with Rachel Levine-Spates of Memphis, TN. Up to one in ten will die from anorexia. But Nancy Levine and her daughter Rachel didn’t know this when the disease slowly—then all too quickly—took root. While studying abroad, Rachel gave up junk food and began a new passion: running. Tanned and muscular, her family thought she looked healthy and fabulous. They didn’t notice that running and her “healthy diet” were controlling her life.  

Vermont State Police The Vermont State Police’s investigation into a Burlington police officer’s shooting at a motorist early Sunday morning remains active and ongoing. The state police is identifying the officer who fired his duty weapon as Jeffrey Baur. Officer Baur has served with the Burlington Police Department since 2022 and is currently assigned to the Uniform Services Bureau. He graduated from the Vermont Police Academy in 2017 and previously served with the Colchester, Vermont, Police Department and the Manchester, New Hampshire, Police Department. He has been placed on paid leave, per standard procedure.

Vermont Business Magazine In the long tradition of pioneering military education, Norwich University has once again stepped to the front of the line. Last month, the University hosted its first-ever Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) camp, a landmark program designed to introduce students to military operations within the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) as a maneuver space. With this initiative, Norwich affirms its role as a national leader in immersive EMSO education—preparing future professionals to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving spectrum environment.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Richard Gordon Love, 59, of Burlington, Vermont, was sentenced in Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to one misdemeanor count of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. The Court, Judge John Pacht presiding, sentenced Love to 18 months to two years in prison, all suspended, and a five-year term of probation with conditions that require completion of sex offender programming, limit his contact with children, and restrict his access to the internet. If Love violates the terms of his probation, he faces up to two years in prison. Love is also required to register as a sex offender for 10 years after his successful completion of probation.  

Vermont Business Magazine In partnership with the Town of West Rutland and in collaboration with landowners Russ and Ellen Green, is excited to celebrate the removal of the Youngs Brook dam in West Rutland, Vermont. After years of fundraising and regulatory review, the deconstruction process kicked off last week and will run through October 2025. Removal of the dam will not only eliminate a major safety hazard, but it will also significantly improve the ecology of the Youngs Brook watershed, restoring natural stream process including sediment and nutrient transport essential to maintaining healthy stream habitat and equilibrium, while also enhancing aquatic organism passage, and increasing flood storage.

Vermont Business Magazine Money Follows the Person (MFP) Vermont announces that as of August 1, 2025, all eligible and enrolled individuals will have access to $9,000 in MFP transition funds. This is an increase from the previous amount of $2,500. Money Follows the Person (MFP) Vermont is a state initiative that operates through the state’s Choices for Care Long Term Medicaid program and is dedicated to helping eligible individuals transition from institutional settings back into their homes and communities. MFP provides support and services to enhance independence, improve quality of life, and ensure access to community-based care options for older Vermonters and Vermonters with disabilities.

Vermont Business Magazine At School for International Training’s 59th commencement Saturday, 32 graduates received their master’s degrees during a ceremony that urged them to trust in the lessons they had learned to help them navigate challenges and “serve for the common good.” The ceremony took place on the front lawn of SIT’s Brattleboro campus, where staff and faculty members from around the world gathered with more than 100 guests to celebrate students who completed their master’s degrees in climate change, international relations, humanitarian assistance, international education, sustainable development, and intercultural service and leadership.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Captive Insurance Association, the largest captive membership association in the world, begins its 40th Anniversary Conference today at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Burlington. VCIA’s milestone event will host insurance professionals from 45 US states and 8 countries and features over 300 first timers and 350+ captive owners. 

Vermont Business Magazine Two new studies led by Vermont State University (VTSU) faculty and students reveal that ice climbing in New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Valley contributes more than $6.2 million annually to the regional economy, supporting 36 jobs and generating $4.4 million in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.08/g, down 1.2 cents per gallon from last week's $3.09/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.65/g while the highest was $3.25/g, a difference of 60.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 2.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.08/g today. 

by Maeve Fairfax, Community News Service Vermont’s dirt roads span 8,534 miles — more than the straight-line distance between Burlington and San Francisco three times over. They contribute to the state’s rustic charm, bring tourists looking for gravel biking and are beloved by rural residents. They are also particularly vulnerable to floods. Runoff from any type of road can harm water quality, but Vermont has some 1,300 more miles of dirt than pavement — and those dirt roads are subject to easy erosion.  With the state’s increase in flooding, those old roads are hitting waterways and their ecosystems hard.