Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Early this morning, Rep. Becca Balint (D- Vermont-AL), member of the House Budget Committee, released the below statement after the passage of the Republican budget that guts Medicaid, food assistance and other critical programs that Americans rely on. The Republican plan includes over $800 billion in cuts that would decimate Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. These cuts will put rural hospitals at risk of immediate closure. It would kick nearly 14 million Americans off their health insurance and throw at least 3 million people off food assistance, all to bankroll tax breaks for billionaires and massive corporations. The bill passed the House with all Democrats voting no.  

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak announced her intention to appoint Deputy Chief Michael Curtin as the next Fire Chief Engineer of the Burlington Fire Department. Curtin joined the Burlington Fire Department as a firefighter in 2002. Throughout his more than two decades of service, Curtin has demonstrated capable leadership, serving in the ranks of Lieutenant, Captain, and Battalion Chief, prior to his promotion to Deputy Chief of Operations in August 2024. Since 2005, he has also served as an instructor at the Vermont Fire Academy, where he has delivered course material and conducted live fire training burns for firefighters across the State of Vermont.    

Vermont Business Magazine NBT Bank celebrated the unveiling of its new office Thursday at 1330 Shelburne Road in South Burlington. In addition to meeting space to connect with NBT financial experts, this new full-service office features a drive-through, 24-hour ATM and night drop services. Other local NBT offices are located in Burlington, Williston and Essex. NBT officials also presented a donation to the South Burlington Food Shelf, located nearby at 356 Dorset Street. The food shelf provides food assistance to South Burlington residents who struggle with hunger.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) today led U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in sending a letter to bipartisan leadership of the Senate Appropriations Committee urging Congress to provide robust federal funding for programs supporting the Lake Champlain basin. In their letter, the lawmakers emphasized the importance of federal programs to Lake Champlain that support critical work in the basin, from fostering a climate-resilient watershed to promoting outdoor recreation and wildlife conservation.   

Vermont Business Magazine Green River Reservoir State Park has received a generous donation of a new Esquif cargo canoe, equipped with a Torqeedo electric outboard motor and battery system from The Friends of Green River Reservoir State Park. This gift is a vital contribution to the park’s operations and will help protect its remote and ecologically sensitive environment. Green River Reservoir is a paddle-only park known for its undeveloped shoreline, remote campsites, and focus on low-impact recreation. Visitors cherish the wilderness-like feel, quiet coves, opportunities to observe nesting loons, and peaceful paddle-in camping experiences. The new canoe replaces an aging gas-powered craft, enabling park staff to patrol and maintain the reservoir while staying aligned with its conservation-centered mission.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) announced today that the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) has allocated $30.2 million in new emergency relief funding to the Vermont Agency of Transportation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help Vermont communities impacted by the July 2024 floods. The funding, allocated through DOT’s Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief Program, will reimburse the state for costs associated with repairing roads, culverts, headwalls, bridges, and trails.  

Vermont Business Magazine ISO New England, operator of the region’s electric grid, expects sufficient energy supply to meet consumer demand for electricity this summer. The ISO predicts electricity demand to reach 24,803 megawatts (MW) under normal weather conditions, and up to 25,886 MW during any periods of above-average summer weather, such as an extended heat wave. While the ISO anticipates adequate electricity for homes and businesses this summer, several consecutive days of hot and humid weather, loss of generation, or other factors could cause periods of tight supply margins. ISO New England grid operators have several tools available to manage these stresses and maintain reliability on the system. The ISO expects approximately 29,000 MW of capacity to be available to meet consumer demand for electricity and required reserves, this summer. 

Vermont Business Magazine Last week, the Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance (VOBA) hosted 50 small business leaders and service providers from across the State at Bolton Valley Resort for a workshop on immediate actions businesses can take to navigate tariffs, working capital, and visitor marketing to remain viable among the myriad of market challenges facing them today. Attendees came for networking, education, and technical assistance to support the outdoor sector on trade and tourism decision making, contingency planning, financing strategy, customs, human resources, and legal advice, and marketing analysis.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites the public to comment on draft updates to the state wetland maps in 107 towns. The map update covers over 20% of Vermont and shows the approximate location and shape of wetlands. It includes major parts of Washington, Chittenden, Addison, and Rutland counties and a lesser part of Lamoille, Orange, Caledonia and Bennington counties and the towns of Berkshire and Franklin. Using new technology and high-quality aerial images, DEC will continue to update maps for the entire state to better identify wetlands and thus protect, restore, and reduce impacts to them. The updates are required by the Flood Safety Act, Act 121, passed in 2024.

Vermont Business Magazine At his weekly press conference Wednesday, Governor Phil Scott and Housing and Community Development Commissioner Alex Farrell emphasized the importance of passing legislation this session to address Vermont’s housing crisis. Much of the discussion from the housing portion of the press conference involved regulatory reform, and in particular extending some Act 250 exemptions, and on implementing a new, localized TIF law for local infrastructure projects. "We can’t afford to nibble around the edges, especially when we need 41,000 more homes in 5 years - just to catch up. In the late 80s we were building about 4,800 homes a year. Now it's about 2,300."

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Ricky Sanville, Jr., 23, of Hartland, Vermont, was arraigned yesterday on six felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials. The charges brought against Mr. Sanville are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of search warrants conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included personnel from the Attorney General’s Office and the Hartford Police Department. The investigation was initiated when a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) was referred to VT-ICAC by the Grafton County Sheriff’s Department in New Hampshire. The report from the messaging platform Kik concerned child sexual abuse materials.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that David Donaldson, 53, formerly of Winooski, Vermont, was sentenced in Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to two felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material – Second or Subsequent Offense. Mr. Donaldson was subject to an enhanced sentence as a habitual offender, having previously pled guilty to felony possession of child pornography (now known as child sexual abuse materials). After a contested hearing, the Court, Judge John Pacht presiding, sentenced Mr. Donaldson to five years to 15 years in prison with credit for time served.