Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Stowe Electric Department has launched the Connected Homes Program, a new initiative designed to help residential customers better manage their energy use while supporting a more reliable and sustainable electric grid. Connected Homes is a demand response flexible load management program that works with Wi-Fi-connected devices in the home, including compatible smart thermostats, home batteries, heat pump water heaters, and mini-split controllers. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Wood Works Council (VWWC) is proud to announce the launch of its new Internship Program, a hands-on initiative designed to connect emerging woodworkers with professional makers, manufacturers, and artisans across the state. This program aims to strengthen Vermont’s wood economy by offering real-world experience in local shops to students, career changers, and anyone curious about working with wood. Internships are hosted by Vermont-based woodworking businesses and tailored to each shop’s unique style—whether it’s furniture, cabinetry, millwork, or modern manufacturing. The goal is to introduce the next generation of craftspeople to the skills, tools, and culture that define Vermont’s wood products industry.

by Georgie Rubens As the director of the Burlington Farmers Market I am deeply concerned about what’s happening in Congress right now and the potential to gut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid, two of the most essential programs that help people put food on the table and get the healthcare they need. At our farmers market, I see every week how these programs support both the dignity and health of our neighbors, and  the stability of our local economy. Programs like 3SquaresVT (Vermont’s SNAP program) and Crop Cash (Vermont’s SNAP incentive) allow customers to stretch their food dollars and buy fresh, local produce. Over the last two summers, more than $80,000 of food benefits were spent at the market. When families can afford to shop here, farmers earn income. SNAP isn’t just a nutrition program, it’s an economic engine that creates wins for all and creates inclusive community spaces.

by Auditor of Accounts Doug Hoffer In November 2021 we issued a report laying out a strategy to save substantial taxpayer money by implementing something called “reference-based pricing” for the State employee health care plan. Each year since, we have testified before legislative committees to encourage them to consider this strategy which would save millions annually and spur cost-saving health care reform more broadly. The most comprehensive analysis completed to date found that the state employee health care plan would have saved $48 million in 2022 alone using the least aggressive reference-based pricing approach. 

Vermont Business Magazine Nedde Real Estate held the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Sugar House Hotel on Wednesday at 11 Winooski Falls Way in Winooski. The unique 115-room Sugar House Hotel will be a part of the Marriott Tribute brand and offer a rooftop bar with views of the river, a restaurant, and event space. It is the first all-electric, net zero, no fossil fuel LEED Platinum certified hotel in the Marriott Global Family. As the last major lot in the City of Winooski’s 20-year downtown development project, The City of Winooski awarded Nedde Real Estate the task to design, permit, and build the parking garage with the obligation to construct a hotel. The City obtained voter approval in July 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today held a ceremony to sign S.51, An act relating to Vermont income tax exclusions and tax credits into law. He was joined by members of the legislature, current and former members of the military, and other supporters of the bill. In addition to exempting military retirement income up to $125,000 from state taxes, the bill also expands the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and exempts an additional $5,000 of Social Security income for seniors.

Vermont Business Magazine As Senate Republicans attempt to ram through legislation to cut health care for 16 million Americans in order to give tax breaks to billionaires without a single hearing or substantive debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released a new report detailing how Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” would create a national health care emergency, drawing on responses from more than 750 health care providers across 47 states and the District of Columbia. Specifically, the report finds that the bill would increase the number of uninsured Americans in every state in the country and nearly double the uninsured rate in some states — including Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Washington.

Vermont Business Magazine Nearly three dozen employees from hospitals throughout University of Vermont Health Network graduated from the health system’s Pathway Program this month. The size and scope of the class – 31 employees from hospitals across the health system – showcases the swift and dramatic evolution of a workforce development initiative that was once focused solely on nursing shortages at UVM Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center’s (CVMC) long-term care facility, Woodridge Nursing Home. 

Vermont Business Magazine On the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and the entire Senate Democratic caucus in introducing the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025, legislation to guarantee access to abortion across the country and restore the right to comprehensive reproductive health care for millions of Americans. The bill’s introduction comes as the Trump Administration further attacks a woman’s right to choose and Congressional Republicans barrel ahead with a tax cut bill that defunds Planned Parenthood. Put together, Trump and Congressional Republicans’ assault on Americans’ reproductive rights is a backdoor national abortion ban, ripping away millions of women’s access to abortion care and right to control their bodies.     

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Education announced the availability of summer meal sites providing meals to all children, 18 and under, through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). This program ensures that children across the state have access to nutritious meals throughout the summer. Families are encouraged to access these meals to help support children's growth, health, and academic success. In Summer 2024, Vermont served over 1 million meals at almost 300 sites across the state. Meals are served at a wide range of locations, such as schools, parks, housing complexes, and libraries.

Vermont Business Magazine Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) announced Tuesday that the City of South Burlington will receive an award of $700,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to improve the Bartlett Bay wastewater facility. Rep. Balint secured this funding, alongside fourteen other community projects, through the FY2024 appropriations bill.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Peter Welch, and Congresswoman Becca Balint, together with the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), today announced that 11 Vermont communities will be receiving a combined $13.6 million from NBRC’s Catalyst Program. When evaluating potential projects, the Catalyst Program considers project readiness, economic impacts, impacts on Vermont’s skilled workforce, project location, regional input and priorities, and the project’s transformational nature. Awarded projects in the 2025 Catalyst Spring Competition include renovating the historic Episcopal Church in Canaan into a community space, modernizing downtown Rutland’s wastewater system, and re-purposing the former Rochester High School into a multi-use community hub.