Current News

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.

by Mike Del Trecco, CEO, VAHHS Happy Summer. It’s been a while since I wrote a column, but now feels like the right time for an update and restatement of how Vermont’s system of hospitals is approaching the challenges we face in health care in our rural state. I’ll cut right to it and share that the work is difficult, necessary and ripe with opportunity to better serve all of you and is why we are optimistic about the work ahead. Vermont’s hospitals are navigating one of the most challenging and transformational periods in modern health care – certainly in my career. One powerful example of this is Copley Hospital’s decision to close its birthing center after careful analysis. That announcement was met with deep emotion—disappointment, frustration, even anger—in the community. 

Vermont Business Magazine University of Vermont Health Network continues to make progress in recruiting dedicated health care professionals committed to delivering high-quality care across the region. Over the last several months, the health system has welcomed 18 new providers across a range of specialties to provide care as close to home as possible. At a time when the demand for health care providers continues to outpace supply nationally, especially in rural communities, UVM Health Network has made notable progress hiring physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs). APPs, health care professionals who have completed advanced training allowing them to provide a wide range of medical services, play a critical role in expanding access to quality care throughout the health care system.

Vermont Business Magazine Be it peanuts, bee stings, shellfish, or other triggers, many families live with the day-to-day risk that their child might experience a sudden and scary allergic reaction. In fact, pediatric emergency department visits in the United States to treat acute allergic reactions more than tripled from 2008 to 2016. But once they arrive at the hospital, many children are staying much longer than necessary, according to a study involving more than 5,000 children conducted at 31 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. Findings were published June 10, 2025, in Lancet: Child and Adolescent Health.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Electric Department (BED) issued a peak alert for tomorrow, 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 tomorrow. 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 The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on June 20, 2025, Barry Perez of Lebanon, New Hampshire, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 78 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release. The Court also ordered Perez to pay restitution in the amount of $44,626 and recommended that the Bureau of Prisons not give Perez credit for time Perez has been detained pending the sentencing date. Perez previously pleaded guilty to kidnapping an interstate trucker on January 13, 2023. 

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) joined Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) in writing a letter to Interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Jay Clayton requesting personnel records relevant to Emil Bove III, President Trump’s nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The Senators are all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. From 2012 to 2021, Mr. Bove served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. During his tenure at SDNY, Mr. Bove was promoted to Acting Deputy Chief for the Narcotics Unit in 2019 and, later, Co-Chief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit from 2019 to 2021. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont has hired Alicia Estey as Vice President for Finance and Administration following a national search. Estey brings two decades of leadership experience in higher education, most recently at Boise State University, where she served as chief financial and operating officer and vice president for finance and operations since February 2023. Boise State is nearly twice the size of UVM. At Boise State, Estey oversaw the university’s all-funds budget and led a team of professionals across finance, legal, compliance, facilities, capital projects, IT, and public health and safety. She has broad experience in governance, stakeholder engagement, and the alignment of financial stewardship with academic and public service missions.