Current News

Vermont Business Magazine In the midst of 2020 Covid measures, another change took place in Vermont: A law went into effect banning businesses from offering plastic bags to customers, with paper bags only available for a fee. A 2023 analysis of a survey of hundreds of Vermonters found the law appeared to have worked. Plastic bag use in the state dropped 91%, and three-quarters of those surveyed approved of the approach. Now, researchers at the University of Vermont have dug deeper into the 745-person survey conducted by the University of Vermont Center for Rural Studies. The researchers found the law’s strongest effect, by far, was a near-complete elimination of plastic bag use following the ban’s implementation—a 91% drop. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Care Board today issued its decision on BlueCross and BlueShield of Vermont’s (BCBSVT) large group insurance filing, which establishes the formula, manual rate, and associated factors the insurer will use to set premiums for large group renewals. BCBSVT provides health insurance coverage to individuals, small and large employer groups, and Medicare enrollees in Vermont. GMCB’s decision applies to the BCBSVT’s large group products, which are used to determine premium rates for employer groups with over 100 employees. GMCB ordered BCBSVT to make three adjustments, which are projected to lower the proposed rate increase from 17.3% to approximately 13.7%.

Local Motion Our work in the 2025 legislative session has wrapped up and we are excited to tell you about several significant wins for Vermont’s biking community. The major win from this session, starting in July 2026, people on bikes will be able to legally proceed through a signalized intersection when the pedestrian signal is active in their direction of travel, even if the light is red. Many people already do this, and it has been legal in Burlington for several years. This practice enhances safety for people biking by allowing us to clear intersections before cars begin moving. It also enhances visibility, as a person on a bike who uses it can position themselves in drivers’ line of sight, rather than being to their side, often in blind spots. Bicycle use of pedestrian signals is legal in California, D.C., New York City, and Burlington. This provision goes into effect on July 1, 2026.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has announced the   2025-2026 migratory game bird hunting season dates and bag limits. A printable copy of the Migratory Bird Syllabus can be downloaded from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website  under “Hunt” – “Waterfowl.”  A printed version also will be available from license agents and post offices in August. A statewide Vermont open hunting season for resident Canada geese will occur September 1-25.  The daily bag limit is five Canada geese in the Connecticut River Zone and eight in the rest of the state during this September season.  The purpose of the September season is to help control Vermont’s resident Canada goose population prior to the arrival of Canada geese migrating south from Canada. 

Vermont Business Magazine AARP has announced seven organizations throughout Vermont will receive 2025 Community Challenge grants. The grants are part of AARP’s $4.2 million commitment to fund 383 quick-action projects aimed at making communities more livable for people of all ages, with a focus on the needs of older adults. The funds will support efforts to improve public places, transportation, housing, digital connections, and other key areas. Now in its ninth year, the Challenge has awarded $426,533 through 40 grants in Vermont since 2017 to nonprofit organizations and local government entities across the state. Grant projects will be funded in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Vermont State Police On 06/18/2025 at approximately 0743 hours, the Vermont State Police responded to a single ATV crash on North Hollow Rd, Granville, VT. Upon arrival on scene, the operator, Johnathan Belisle (35) of Hancock, VT was pronounced deceased. The initial investigation determined that Belisle was driving the ATV northbound on North Hollow Rd when his vehicle went off the left side of the roadway and struck a tree head on. 

Vermont Business Magazine With this year’s boating season underway, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is reminding all boaters that it is critical to properly inspect and clean (or decontaminate) boats and other watercraft. This helps protect the state’s waterways from the spread of aquatic invasive species like zebra mussels or Eurasian watermilfoil plants. Aquatic invasive species are organisms that live in lakes and ponds and can have negative impacts when introduced to natural lake habitats. Boaters must follow the aquatic nuisance control transport prohibition law. That means they must decontaminate boats and other watercraft before moving between waterbodies. Volunteers at public boat launches, also known as public access greeters, can help boaters inspect their boats at no cost to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) today announced the awards for the SFY26 Municipal Roads Grants-in-Aid Program, which provides funding for municipalities to implement best management practices in accordance with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Municipal Roads General Permit. This year, 233 municipalities are participating. A total of $5,273,500 in awards will be granted in this cycle. 

Vermont Business Magazine A New Hampshire couple pleaded guilty in federal court last week to robbery charges stemming from a crime spree in August of 2024. On June 10, 2025, Christopher Boisvert entered a plea of guilty to the charge of armed bank robbery during a plea hearing before Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss. On June 12, 2025, Meghan Cox entered a plea of guilty to the charge of conspiring with her accomplice to interfere with commerce by robbery during a plea hearing before Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss. At sentencing, if the District Court accepts the plea agreements Boisvert and Cox each face up to 20 years’ imprisonment.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Johan Green, 54, of Williamstown, Vermont, was sentenced in Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to two counts of misdemeanor Medicaid Fraud. The convictions are the result of an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU) which found that Mr. Green billed Vermont Medicaid for services he had not provided as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor. The Court, Judge David R. Fenster presiding, sentenced the defendant to complete two years of supervised probation and to pay $24,000 in restitution to Vermont Medicaid.

Vermont Business Magazine Advanced Conversion, based in Barre, has announced the successful startup of its newly established High Temperature Film production line featuring GORE High Temperature Film, proven for applications up to 200°C. This milestone follows a strategic partnership agreement signed with W. L. Gore & Associates in June 2024. Since then, the two companies have collaborated closely to transfer specialized production know-how, replicate critical processes, qualify capacitors from the new line, and provide seamless support to key customers throughout the transition. High Temperature Film capacitors are now in active production, with capacity steadily ramping up.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced today that Laura L. Paige, 42, of Randolph, Vermont, was arraigned on two counts of felony Medicaid Fraud. The charges brought against Paige are the result of an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU), which found Paige, a former employee of Upper Valley Services, had falsely billed Medicaid for travel reimbursements and training hours, defrauding Vermont Medicaid of over $18,000 in public health care funds.