Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Democrat Becca Balint officially launched her reelection campaign seeking a third term as Vermont’s Representative in the U.S. House, pledging to continue fighting for working families, protecting fundamental freedoms, and lowering costs. After filing candidacy paperwork and submitting signatures at the Vermont Secretary of State’s office, Balint spoke before supporters in Montpelier, highlighting her work in Congress to address the affordability crisis, defend reproductive and voting rights, stand up to corporate influence and corruption, protect Social Security and Medicare, strengthen rural healthcare, and address Vermont’s housing crisis.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Vermont Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski made the following statement on the House passage of S.325, an act relating to regional planning and Act 250 Tier jurisdiction: “Today’s vote to pass S.325 is a direct response to Vermonters and their concerns on the use of their property and land in their communities. S.325 updates many areas of Act 181 and includes the repeal of the Road Rule and Tier 3. The legislation also designs a public engagement plan to gather statewide input from Vermonters while ensuring comprehensive legislative oversight during the off session."

by Julie Lowell, Public Assets Institute In the last year we’ve seen firsthand the dangers of sharing and using people’s data without their consent. The Department of Homeland Security has used data from the IRS and Center on Medicaid Services to locate and detain people in many communities. This has had a chilling effect on people accessing services they are entitled to, like medical care, childcare and food assistance. In 2023 a poll by the Pew Research Center found that 67 percent of Americans had little knowledge about what companies do with the data they collect about them. While people share some information willingly on social media, data are also collected on search engines and websites, by automobiles and doorbells, and at the doctor’s office. The use of the data can lead to real economic harm—one example is surveillance-pricing, where companies use consumer data to set different costs for buyers.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Department of Health today announced deaths from drug overdose continue to decline in Vermont, according to new data from the Department of Health. The newly released 2025 Fatal Overdose Report shows that 170 Vermonters died from a drug overdose in 2025 which is a 37% decrease in overdose deaths following a historic peak in 2022 with 269 deaths. This is also the lowest number since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Opioid-involved overdoses continue to account for a significant share of drug-related fatalities, with 121 deaths recorded in 2025 compared to 183 in 2024. Fentanyl and cocaine remain the number one and number two substances involved in overdose deaths, often in combination.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont small businesses with two or more employees will soon receive instructions to register for Vermont Saves or certify their exemption from the program, Treasurer Pieciak highlighted today.  Earlier this year, the employer eligibility threshold for Vermont Saves was lowered from five employees to two, extending the program to thousands of small businesses.  In recognition of National Small Business Week, Treasurer Pieciak is reminding newly eligible employers to enroll in Vermont Saves and highlighting the unique benefits the program delivers to small businesses. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont lawmakers joined gun violence prevention advocates in Montpelier on Tuesday to call for swift action on key legislation aimed at strengthening public safety across the state. The proposed legislation represents a comprehensive approach to reducing gun violence in Vermont. Key provisions include keeping firearms out of bars, strengthening processes to ensure firearms are relinquished when required by law, and restricting access to firearms for individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $4.52 per gallon, up 28 cents per gallon from last week, up 41 cents/g from last month and up $1.45/g from this time last year, according to AAA. The lowest price in the state this week was $3.99/g. Prices are lowest in Windham ($4.44/g) and Bennington ($4.42/g) counties and highest in Lamoille ($4.57/g), Franklin ($4.54/g), and Chittenden ($4.52/g), according to AAA. The national average price of gasoline has risen 25 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.55/g today.

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.