Current News

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. 

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.