Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Union Bankshares, Inc (NASDAQ - UNB), based in Morrisville, Vermont, on Wednesday announced results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, and declared a regular quarterly cash dividend. Consolidated net income for the three months ended June 30, 2025, was $2.4 million, or $0.53 per share, compared to $2.0 million, or $0.45 per share, for the same period in 2024, and $4.9 million, or $1.08 per share, for the six months ended June 30, 2025, compared to $4.4 million, or $0.98 per share, for the same period in 2024. UNB is the parent of Union Bank. The Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.36 per share for the quarter payable August 7, 2025, to shareholders of record as of July 26, 2025.

Vermont Business Magazine The movement to rethink America’s lawns has reached a powerful milestone. Throughout the month of May, the 2nd Annual Reduce Your Lawn Day inspired 11,550 pledges to replace turf grass with ecologically beneficial alternatives, resulting in over 36 million square feet of lawn pledged for transformation into wildflower gardens, native plant habitats, flowering lawns, and more. That’s 830 acres of newly created better lawn alternatives, or the equivalent of 98.5% of NYC’s Central Park filled with flowers. Reduce Your Lawn Day, launched in 2024 by American Meadows, High Country Gardens, and author Kathy Jentz (Groundcover Revolution), is a national day of action held each May 20 to rethink the role of turf grass in American yards and public spaces.

Vermont Business Magazine Affordability, diversity, and synergy are the principles that guide Vermont Electric Co-op when buying wholesale electricity, VEC Power Planning Analyst Dan Potter said during a recent webinar focusing on VEC’s power supply purchasing strategies. As VEC considers its purchases of power to supply the utility’s 33,000 members, Potter says the co-op also relies on input from the VEC Board of Directors, an annual member survey, as well as state requirements.

Vermont Business Magazine The winners of Vermont’s 2025 moose hunting permits were determined on July 15, at a lottery drawing at the Fish and Wildlife office in Montpelier. The drawing is done by a random sort of applications that were submitted by the June 18 deadline.  As part of the regular lottery drawing, a “special priority drawing” was held for five permits to go to applicants who are Vermont resident veterans. The unsuccessful applicants from the veteran drawing were included in the larger regular drawing that followed.  All applicants for both drawings who did not receive a permit were awarded a bonus point to improve their chances in future moose permit lotteries.

Vermont Business Magazine If you or someone you know would like to go hunting this fall but have never taken a hunter education course, this is the time to act.  Vermont’s volunteer hunter education instructors are now holding a limited number of courses throughout the state. A person must pass the basic hunter education course before they can purchase their first hunting license. 

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) today called for the resignation of Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, citing Secretary Noem’s mishandling of FEMA and record of undermining FEMA’s work, as well as her handling of President Trump’s cruel and illegal mass deportation campaign: “The Department of Homeland Security has a simple but extremely important mission: keep Americans safe. Under that mission, the department is tasked with two critical jobs—border security and disaster response. Our current Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, has failed both. In her short tenure, Secretary Noem has overstepped, under-performed, and endangered the lives of countless Americans,” said Senator Welch. “I believe it is time for Secretary Noem to resign or for her to be fired.” 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the City of Burlington announced cooling centers in response to the heat advisory issued by the National Weather Service. The forecast projects heat index values in the mid-to-upper 90s between noon and 8:00 PM on Wednesday, July 16, causing increased health risks during outdoor activities and for anyone without access to air conditioning. 

Vermont Business Magazine Are you ready to take your nonprofit career to the next level? Common Good Vermont is now accepting applications for the 2025–2026 Nonprofit Management Certificate Program, a leading professional development experience tailored for Vermont’s nonprofit leaders, changemakers, and aspiring executives.  Back for its sixth year as an independent, fully virtual program, the NPM Certificate dives deep into the essentials of nonprofit management—equipping participants with the tools, strategies, and connections needed to lead effectively in today’s ever-evolving nonprofit landscape. This dynamic, cohort-based experience is built for busy nonprofit professionals—whether they are a seasoned executive, emerging leader, or someone stepping into the sector for the first time. The program offers relevant, real-world learning in a flexible and engaging format.   

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today joined a coalition of 20 states in suing the Trump Administration over its decision to illegally shut down the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) bipartisan Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, designed to protect communities from natural disasters before they strike. Since 2020, the BRIC program has provided communities across the nation with resources to proactively strengthen their infrastructure against natural disasters. By focusing on preparation, the program has protected property, saved money that would have otherwise been spent on post-disaster costs, reduced injuries, and saved lives.   

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Gallium Nitride (V-GaN) Tech Hub has secured $3.4 million of funding from the Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC) for a cutting-edge microelectronics testing laboratory to bolster innovation and economic development in the Green Mountain State and the Northeast. The V-GaN Test and Characterization Lab will provide NEMC and V-GaN member businesses and researchers with advanced testing services for high power and high frequency devices, such as semiconductor chips used in motor controllers, power inverters, voltage regulators, battery chargers, and amplifiers and switches for 5G/6G devices and radar applications.

by Mike Donoghue The town constable in Eden was arrested Tuesday afternoon on a felony charge of animal cruelty after reportedly shooting a pig multiple times and dragging it down a road, Vermont News First has learned. Matthew Hill, 47, dragged a live screaming pig behind an ATV along Paronto Road near his residence, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department confirmed Tuesday evening.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on Tuesday teamed up to introduce the Eliminating Thickets to Improve Competition (ETHIC) Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to streamline drug patent litigation, encourage fair market competition, and lower prescription drug prices by making it easier for generic and biosimilar companies to enter the market. U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19) introduced companion legislation in the House.