Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont (UVM) Dining Services has received national recognition for its leadership in local food sourcing, earning the Gold Award for Sustainable Procurement from the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) as part of the 2025 Sustainability Awards. The award honors the impact of Vermont First, a Sodexo-led initiative developed at UVM that has reshaped how institutions approach food procurement. The first institutional program in the country to systematically prioritize and track local food purchasing across an entire state, Vermont First was launched in 2014 and has since helped establish a new standard in higher education dining.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, recently joined Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and 29 of his colleagues in filing an amicus brief in a key case, Oregon v. Department of Homeland Security, challenging the Trump Administration’s abuse of emergency powers to impose tariffs. The brief opposes the Administration’s request for a stay of a recent court decision that struck down these tariffs.  Vermont was a part of the twelve-state coalition that filed this legal challenge. In May, the U.S. Court of International Trade held that the Trump Administration lacked authority to issue the challenged tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)—a statute that no president prior to President Trump has ever tried to use to impose tariffs. The Senators’ amicus brief argues that a stay should be rejected.   

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor has announced the selection of pilot projects proposed by Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce and the Addison County Economic Development Corporation for the state’s new Workforce Expansion Program. As a result of the bipartisan Act 183 of 2022, the Workforce Expansion Program is a two-year initiative aimed at strengthening regional workforce systems by enhancing collaboration among employers, educators, and community partners. The program will provide dedicated hands-on staff support and seek to help participating regions address workforce shortages, connect priority populations with in-demand jobs, and support the long-term economic vitality of their communities.  

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today joined Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in introducing the Higher Wages for American Workers Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour and allow the federal minimum wage to increase with inflation in subsequent years. When adjusted for inflation, the current federal minimum wage is lower than at any point since the 1940s. Meanwhile, the cost of housing, health care, and education has skyrocketed, leaving millions of full-time workers struggling to make ends meet.  

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark joined a bipartisan coalition of 28 states in filing a lawsuit yesterday on behalf of consumers, objecting to the proposed sale of personal genetic information collected by 23andMe. The complaint and a separate objection to the bankruptcy sale, each filed in federal bankruptcy court, aim to stop 23andMe from auctioning off the private genetic data of roughly 15 million customers – including thousands of Vermonters – to the highest bidder without customers’ knowledge or consent.  23andMe, a direct-to-consumer DNA testing company, filed for bankruptcy and is now seeking to sell off its assets—including sensitive genetic and health data—in a high-stakes auction.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations remain low and falling statewide, after a spike during the winter. Wastewater testing indicates that virus levels also fell after they had spiked in January, with the exception of the Montpelier site, which showed an increase last week and has now fallen back. There are also new charts on the full range of pathogens in three Vermont test sites. RSV is high at the Montpelier test site. The Vermont pandemic death total stands at 1,294 as of May 31, 2025, with 1 reported death from the previous week (the most recent data available from the CDC). WHO also reported that COVID-19 deaths keep declining. The VDH is no longer reporting COVID fatalities and cases in Vermont. 

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (Blue Cross VT) and Terry Bicycles are welcoming the return of the Wellness Revolution Cycling Program in Rutland for the 2025 season. This free program serves those who identify as women to help them break through barriers that keep them from getting out on their bikes. This program builds community with other women in the pursuit of a healthy activity. We are proud to continue this partnership with Terry Bicycles and to work with an incredible local team who makes this program happen in the Rutland community year after year. The Wellness Revolution program starts on July 31st, 2025, in Rutland and will run through August 17th.  These programs often fill up fast and are completely free to participants. Once registered, Wellness Revolution Rutland 2025 Registration Survey participants will receive detailed information about the program schedule.

Vermont Business Magazine Barr Hill Gin, the most awarded gin in the United States and a pioneer of Landcrafted® spirits, launches its 9th annual Bee's Knees Week (June 13-22, 2025) with an ambitious target: 300,000 additional square feet of new pollinator habitat, equivalent to 22 football fields of flowering plants. The award-winning distillery's conservation initiative will push its cumulative impact past 1.3 million square feet of pollinator habitat created since the campaign began in 2017. This year's effort has been moved to June to coincide with Pollinator Week, hosted by Pollinator Partners, and comes at a critical time for North American pollinators. Bumblebee populations have plummeted nearly 50% since 1974, with over 70 pollinator species now listed as endangered or threatened by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Vermont Business Magazine Every spring and summer, independent organizations release hospital rankings, but the mix of letter grades, star ratings, and other reviews can leave patients and families unsure of what they really mean for their care. University of Vermont Health Network is committed to helping patients make sense of these ratings, and to demonstrating how the organization continually tracks and improves the quality and safety of the care it provides. 

Vermont Business Magazine A multi-sector regional partnership dedicated to improving public health through work on initiatives ranging from food security to digital equity has been honored as a Public Health Champion by Vermont Public Health Association. University of Vermont- Central Vermont Medical Center serves as the convener and fiscal sponsor for the collaborative. The award, presented last month at the Association’s annual meeting, highlights the work of THRIVE collaborative both in promoting public health and in crisis response – specifically the group’s “effective tactical flood response and collaboration to meet vital community needs” following regional flooding in the summer of 2024. 

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday, June 3, the Kraft Family and New England Patriots Foundation celebrated the 2025 Myra Kraft Community MVP Award Winners. They recognized 26 volunteers for their contributions to the New England community at an awards ceremony at Gillette Stadium. In total, $275,000 in donations were distributed to the nonprofits represented by each volunteer. Twenty-five organizations each received $10,000 and THE BASE received this year’s grand prize of $25,000.

Vermont Business Magazine Community Care Network-Rutland Mental Health Services (CCN-RMHS) has launched a Veteran Care Navigator program, designed to provide specialized support to Veterans and active-duty service members and their immediate families, ensuring timely and coordinated assistance for those who have served our country. CCN-RMHS Veteran Care Navigator services, facilitated by Brodie Johnson, will provide care coordination to individuals around mental health support, substance use treatment, Veterans’ benefits and housing assistance, among other supports.