Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Rutland community celebrated the groundbreaking of Maplewood Commons Apartments. Co-owners and co-developers Cornerstone Housing Partners and Evernorth have partnered to develop Maplewood Commons Apartments, the new construction of 30 permanently affordable homes in Rutland, Vermont. Maplewood Commons Apartments will transform a vacant industrial site into a vibrant, newly constructed three-story building with 30 energy efficient, permanently affordable apartments for families.

Vermont League of Cities & Towns Things are heating up under the golden dome as adjournment looms large. Last week, the $9.1 billion “Big Bill” for state appropriations was passed and the year’s premier housing proposal hit a roadblock. In this Weekly Legislative Report, we update you on the budget, a rollback on the electrification of heavy-duty trucks, legal trails, and more – and make an urgent call to action to support CHIP. The FY26 Appropriations bill, H.493, was passed and delivered to the governor for his signature on May 15. Governor Scott is expected to sign H.493, but always has five days excluding Sundays to sign, veto, or let passed bills become law without his signature. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Labor reported that the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for April was 2.7 percent. This reflects an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. The Labor Force and the number of Employed both fell, while the number of Unemployed increased slightly. The civilian labor force participation rate was 65.1 percent in April, a decrease of two-tenths of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. Vermont now is tied for the third lowest jobless rate in the US, after being second lowest for many months. Vermont is tied with Montana and is below South (1.8%) and North Dakota (2.6%). Nevada continues to have the highest rate (5.6%). The comparable United States rate in April was 4.2 percent, no change from the revised March estimate. 

Vermont Business Magazine This month, Vermont State University (VTSU) graduated 105 electricians and 80 plumbers from the university’s registered apprenticeship programs, offered in partnership with the Vermont Department of Labor. The university saw a nearly 30% increase in the number of apprenticeship graduates this year and a 20% increase in the number of employers represented in the graduating class. Across all four years in the plumbing and electrical apprenticeship programs, VTSU has 886 students enrolled, a headcount that has increased by over 200 apprentices in the last four years.

Pomerleau Real Estate Congratulations to the owners of The Old Lantern on the successful sale of their property and business. The 8,000-square-foot wedding venue and event barn has been purchased by Solomon Bayer-Patch, owner of Farmers & Foragers. Former owners Lisa and Roland Gaujac will continue to operate the charming bed and breakfast located behind the barn. Pomerleau Real Estate is pleased to announce a new lease at 261 Water Tower Hill in Colchester, Vermont. Detroit Mercy College, in partnership with the Vermont State Dental Society, has leased 20,000 square feet of space at the property. The Miller Realty Group LLP leased 60,000 sf of warehouse space at 6653 Shelburne Road, Shelburne VT to Green Mountain Animal. More.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Ayla Atherton, 30, of Richford, Vermont, was arraigned on one count of felony Medicaid Fraud. The charge brought against Ms. Atherton is the result of an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU), which found Ms. Atherton submitted false and inaccurate information on timesheets regarding the care she had reportedly provided to an individual. The submission of these false timesheets resulted in Ms. Atherton being repeatedly paid for services she did not actually provide, defrauding Vermont Medicaid of over $14,000 in public healthcare funds.  

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Medical Society (VMS) joined a group of nine medical organizations and public health nonprofits to sue the federal government to stop the deletion of vital public health and science data. Since January, the federal executive branch has deleted numerous websites that medical providers, scientists and public health professionals rely upon, on issues ranging from pregnancy risks to opioid-use disorder to the AIDS epidemic. The lawsuit, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, would enforce federal law and require the administration to restore deleted websites and stop any further removal of public health data. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Sunday morning in late January started off like any other for David Goodman and his wife, Ronda: coffee in the living room of their Montpelier home. But when Goodman, 70, got up to make breakfast, walking into the couple’s kitchen to retrieve a frying pan, things took a strange turn. As he reached down to pick up a pan from the cupboard, Goodman realized that he could not feel anything with his left hand. “What was that?” Goodman thought.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations remain low and under 5 cases statewide, after a spike during the winter. Wastewater testing indicates that virus levels, which had increased at the Montpelier facility recently, also fell after they had spiked in January. The Vermont pandemic death total stands at 1,291 as of May 10, 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. 

Vermont Business Magazine On May 19, 2025, Governor Scott signed into law the Department of Financial Regulation’s (DFR) 2025 housekeeping bill H.137, an act relating to the regulation of insurance products and services. The new law includes important updates identified by the DFR’s captive insurance division, with stakeholder input, particularly from the Vermont Captive Insurance Association (VCIA).

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Senate voted today to advance legislation already passed by the House (H.238) that would outlaw the use of toxic perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting gear, dental floss, cleaning products, and fluorine-treated containers—a critical step in reducing Vermonters’ exposure to these harmful substances. The Senate expanded the bill as passed by the House by adding a provision that prohibits PFAS in firefighting gear beginning in 2029. The specialized gear and equipment used by firefighters often results in repeated exposure to toxic PFAS. Massachusetts and Connecticut have already passed similar restrictions and Vermont’s professional firefighters have offered their support for H.238.

Vermont Business Magazine Recently, Rutland Regional Medical Center’s Education and Clinical Excellence Team and Nursing Shared Governance honored four extraordinary nurses with the DAISY Award. The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Foundation was started in Glen Allen, California by family members of J. Patrick Barnes, who died from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. As a way of thanking the nurses who cared for Barnes, his family established the DAISY award program to recognize nurses who demonstrate exceptional care and support.