Current News

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.

Vermont Business Magazine New research has revealed the states with the highest and lowest vacancy rates for rental properties, with Oregon coming out on top at 11.9%. The study by Eden Emerald Mortgages identified the states with the highest and lowest vacancy rates across America using data for the first quarter of 2025 from the US Census. Vermont ranked fourth lowest with a rental vacancy rate at 3.4% and a homeowner vacancy rate of 0.6%. Rhode Island had the lowest rental rate at 2.1% and Minnesota had the lowest homeowner rate at 0.1%. Florida had the highest homeowner rate at 2.2%.

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday, June 17, Casella Chairman and CEO John Casella, President Ned Coletta, and Founder and Vice Chairman Doug Casella rang the Opening Bell at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square in recognition of Casella's 50th Anniversary. The day also marked Global Garbageman Day and the official start to National Waste and Recycling Workers Week and was specifically chosen to recognize the hard work and dedication of the more than 5,000 Casella employees throughout our company.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the ACLU of Vermont issued legal guidance detailing how public and private institutions should respond to unlawful federal directives or threats to withhold funding. In making this guidance available as a letter open to the public, the ACLU seeks to empower organizations of all sizes to resist voluntary compliance with federal abuses of power that undermine state and federal law. It is essential that Vermont institutions pause and scrutinize any directive or request from the federal government before reflexively complying with what may ultimately prove to be an unlawful attempt to gain leverage.

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine A cryptocurrency trader from Rutland County is facing a federal charge of bilking the Internal Revenue Service out of more than $1 million in income taxes, penalties and interest, according to a new federal indictment filed in Burlington. John Caleb Wright, who is in his 40s, is due for arraignment on July 22 in U.S. District Court in Burlington before Federal Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, Vermont News First has learned. The indictment maintains between February and May 2021, the defendant, who also is known as Caleb Wright, willfully attempted to evade and defeat the IRS in Vermont and elsewhere for money that was properly owed to the government, court records show.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations are close to zero statewide, after a spike during the winter. Wastewater testing indicates that 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. There are also new charts on the full range of pathogens in three Vermont test sites (see below). RSV is high at the Montpelier test site. The Vermont pandemic death total stands at 1,296 as of June 7, 2025, with 2 reported death from the previous week (the most recent data available from the CDC). WHO also reported that global COVID-19 deaths keep declining.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) in introducing the Maximizing Opioid Recovery Emergency (MORE) Savings Act, legislation to make it easier for individuals struggling with an opioid-use disorder (OUD) to access evidence-based treatment. The Senators’ legislation would eliminate costs for opioid treatment and recovery support services for people with private insurance plans and for people enrolled under a new Medicare pilot program, while increasing federal funding for Medicaid treatment programs.  

Vermont Business Magazine University of Vermont Children’s Hospital is being recognized for the outstanding pediatric care it provides to patients, as well as the exceptional experiences and communication reported by family members and loved ones while at the hospital. Money magazine, which evaluated thousands of hospitals nationwide, has ranked UVM Children’s Hospital 16th on its 2025 list of Best Hospitals for Pediatric Care. The hospital received an ‘A’ grade overall and an ‘A’ grade for price transparency, which the magazine rates as part of its mission to empower people with education and information that helps them take control of their personal health care finances.

Vermont Business Magazine The charitable giving arm of National Life Group, the National Life Group Foundation, has awarded over $1.56 million in grants to 132 nonprofit organizations. This marks the largest single-year contribution in the Foundation’s history, following a board-approved increase in its giving budget to $2.8 million. Since its founding in 2006, the Foundation has focused on supporting community organizations in central and northern Vermont and the Dallas–Fort Worth area, where National Life Group maintains corporate offices. The 2025 funding prioritizes efforts to end childhood hunger and support youth mental health—two pillars of the Foundation’s mission.

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine A federal judge in Burlington has ruled he wants to have a competency determination for an out-of-state man who is charged with torching a historic Vermont building that included the office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders in Burlington last year. Shant M. Soghomonian, 35, formerly of Northridge, CA, is charged with maliciously setting an April 5, 2024, fire to the former Masonic Temple at 1 Church Street that housed several offices, including the law firm of Paul Frank & Collins. Soghomonian has not cooperated with authorities in other efforts to get a competency evaluation