Current News

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. 

Public Assets Institute Most Vermont counties saw an increase in jobs between 2023 and 2024, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But several were still struggling to make up the losses they suffered during the COVID pandemic. Ten of Vermont’s 14 counties added jobs last year; eight still had fewer jobs than in 2019. Rutland faced the largest gap. Even after adding 172 jobs in 2024, it had nearly 1,500 fewer jobs than before COVID. Windham County added the most jobs last year (703), followed by Washington County (484), and Caledonia County (142) was fourth after Rutland.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations increased slightly but are still close to zero statewide, after a spike during the winter. Wastewater testing indicates that COVID-19 virus levels also fell to very low levels after they had spiked in January, with the exception of the Montpelier site, which still shows a moderate level in test results. Most other pathogens in wastewater also show low indications, with the exception of the cold-like HMPV and the Norovirus, which is in the “High” category in the Montpelier test site, and in the “Medium” category in Essex Junction and South Burlington. The Vermont COVID-19 pandemic death total stands at 1,296 as of June 14, 2025, with 0 reported death from the previous week.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Burlington-area organizers launched Building Burlington’s Future (BBF), a new city-wide grassroots organization aimed at improving community health and safety, affordability, and housing, and supporting the local economy. BBF will focus on policy change and grassroots advocacy at the city level. The organization is made up of former city leaders, local employers, advocates, and activists. At a launch-day event held at ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain in downtown Burlington, BBF organizers outlined the organization’s vision to build a healthier, safer, and more inclusive city. BBF’s new executive director, Sam Donnelly, a long-time city activist, spoke about the importance and urgency of working beyond political divides to give residents the tools and resources they need to make their voice heard and have an impact across the city. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Treasurer Mike Pieciak announced an additional $20 million is available for public investment in housing and economic development through his office’s 10% in VT program. In April 2023, Treasurer Pieciak announced a dramatic expansion of the 10% in VT program and has since invested over $100 million in housing, economic development, and municipal flood recovery. $84 million has been invested to support housing and economic development, helping leverage an additional $345 million in private & public capital to support nearly 1,300 units of housing and over 100 permanent new jobs. Additionally, $20 million has been invested help 24 municipalities recover from the 2023 and 2024 summer flooding through Bond Bank’s Municipal Climate Recovery Fund.     

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Labor reported that the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for May was 2.6%. This reflects no change from April's revised estimate, and from December 2024, when it was 2.5%. However, the Labor Force and Employment have been losing ground slightly every month this year. Over the last two years, the Labor Force peaked at 357,467 in January 2025, as did the Labor Force at 348,340. The high point in Unemployment was just in April. Vermont has the third lowest jobless rate in the nation, behind South (1.8%) and North Dakota (2.5%). Nevada continues to have the highest rate, at 5.5%. The comparable United States rate in May was 4.2 percent, no change from the revised April estimate. 

Vermont Business Magazine With dangerous levels of heat and humidity entering their second day in Vermont and New York’s North Country, University of Vermont Health Network is urging residents to remain aware of the elevated risk of heat stroke and take steps to protect themselves and their loved ones. The Champlain Valley is expected to see the biggest impacts, according to the National Weather Service’s Burlington Forecast Office, with dangerously hot conditions and heat index values up to 106 degrees possible this afternoon in cities including Burlington, Ticonderoga, Middlebury, Plattsburgh, St. Albans and more. 

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Electric Department (BED) issued a peak alert for today, Tuesday, June 24, as part of its Defeat the Peak program launched during summer 2017, encouraging members of the Burlington community to reduce their energy usage from 5:00pm to 8:00pm today. The purpose of the Defeat the Peak program is to reduce our energy costs by reducing usage during a peak event. Burlingtonians can lend a hand by taking the following steps on what is projected to be an unusually hot summer day.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State University (VTSU) graduated 414 nurses into the health care workforce this year. Consistent with its ongoing, multi-year nursing program expansion, the university enrolled 713 nursing students this academic year, 90% of whom are Vermont residents hailing from every county in the state. This year, approximately 92% of VTSU’s nursing graduates tested for licensure in Vermont, with outstanding NCLEX pass rates, directly contributing to their local communities and addressing the state’s critical shortage of licensed nurses.

Vermont Business Magazine Electronic cigarettes have been sold in the U.S. for two decades, but their use by young adults has increased dramatically during the last few years. Many people aged 18-29 use e-cigarettes, also called vaping, in addition to smoking traditional cigarettes. This dual tobacco use changes how people use nicotine in ways that could affect long-term risks for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other tobacco-related harm. Despite rising dual use of smoking and vaping, there has been a notable lack of research on smoking cessation treatments for young adults.