Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Community Health Eye Care in Rutland now features a complete selection of fashionable frames for children and adults. We've also grown our team of qualified vision specialists. Community Health Eye Care offers a full range of services, including comprehensive eye exams, diagnostics, treatment for common and complex eye conditions, surgical consultations and eyewear, including safety glasses, sunglasses, and a special section just for kids!

by Devon Green, VAHHS It’s May, so now we’re all asking the same question—when exactly are we getting out of here? End of the month? Mid-month? I have yet to feel the same urgency that usually comes with May. At the same time, when the session feels interminable is often right when everything rapidly wraps up. With the budget voted out of the Senate and on its way to a conference committee, we’ll probably get a clearer picture on the timeline this week.

Vermont Business Magazine Marilyn J. Cipolla, Ph.D.’97, professor of neurological sciences at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, has received the Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke (NINDS). Dr. Cipolla is the first researcher from the Larner College of Medicine and the University of Vermont to receive this national honor. Cipolla also holds joint appointments in obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences and in pharmacology at the Larner College of Medicine and serves as professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering in UVM’s College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.

Vermont Economic Development Authority We kicked off the month of May at the Northeastern Forest Products Equipment Expo (also called The Loggers’ Expo) at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. It was well-attended and we enjoyed letting people know about our low rates for environmentally friendly, low-impact equipment. In April, we attended the NEK Chamber Annual Meeting in East Burke, the Vermont Community Development Association Spring Conference in Montpelier, the Food Funders Forum in Randolph Center, and the Lake Champlain Chamber Gala in Burlington where our partner Cairn Cross of FreshTracks Capital was named Leader of the Year.

Public Assets Institute On April 30th, Congress ended the longest partial government shutdown in history by approving funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The funding excludes appropriations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which accounted for roughly a third of DHS’s budget in Fiscal Year 2024, the last regular DHS funding bill enacted. Since then, Congress has funded the Department through a piecemeal approach, including appropriating $140 billion in supplemental funds for ICE and CBP last summer.

Vermont Business Magazine Scenic VT-108 (Smugglers’ Notch or the Notch Road) has reopened for the 2026 season as of 12:00 PM on Monday, May 4, 2026. Crews will open the gates on either side of the mountain, and message boards will be illuminated, indicating the reopening. The Notch Road is famous for its waterfalls, boulder-hugging narrows, and semi-tractor trailer trapping angles. Vehicles over 40-feet and combination vehicles over 45-feet in length are NOT permitted through this section of roadway.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $4.42 per gallon, up 29.7 cents per gallon from last week's $4.12/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.99/g while the highest was $4.59/g, a difference of 60.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 38.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.42/g today. The national average is up 32.6 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands $1.31/g higher than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today announced her campaign for re-election to a third term. Clark was first sworn in as Vermont’s Attorney General in 2023 and was re-elected in 2024. 

Vermont Business Magazine Southern Vermont community and business leaders: time is running out to register for the 9th annual Southern VT Economy Summit, taking place at Mount Snow in Dover, VT, on May 12. Join hosts Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) and Bennington County Regional Commission (BCRC) for this annual event, which brings together local, regional, state, and national presenters for a powerful day of ideas and action. The theme of this year’s Summit is “Envision. Act. Grow!” Attendees are urged to lean into these imperatives as they work together to tackle our region’s biggest challenges.

by Maggie Lenz and Gwynn Zakov Every day last week, the House Commerce Committee heard hours of testimony on S.71, the comprehensive data privacy bill that has been sitting on the House wall for more than a year after the Senate passed its version unanimously last session, modeled on Connecticut. The House is now working from a substantially different draft that layers in new combinations of definitions and restrictions that have not been widely tested in other states. There was no shortage of voices. Witnesses ranged from national advocates to health care leaders, retailers, and nonprofit organizations. 

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets is just over halfway through our pilot project to develop a Vermont Maple Sap and Syrup price reporting program. Are you producing and selling maple syrup or sap in bulk or wholesale? We are looking for producers to report volume and prices of sales monthly. In the fall, we will distribute a stipend of $25 for each submitted report. All submissions are kept confidential.

by Sumner Kravitz, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets The USDA funded Vermont Pay for Performance (VPFP) Pilot Program supported its fourth season of farm participants through the 2025 season.  A new state-funded version of the program will be open for applications from June 1, 2026 - July 15, 2026. The program has been updated based on feedback from farmers and service providers. The second round will be similar to the pilot version, with a few changes made to improve farmer experience, technical assistance service, and program contribution toward improving state water quality.