Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Amy Siegel, 48, of Middlesex, Vermont, was arraigned on two counts of felony Medicaid Fraud. The charges brought against Ms. Siegel are the result of an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU) and the Secretary of State’s Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), which found Ms. Seigel, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), had falsely billed Medicaid for psychotherapy services that she did not provide, defrauding Vermont Medicaid of over $40,000 in public health care funds. In addition, Ms. Siegel failed to maintain patient records as required under her Medicaid Provider agreement.

Vermont Business Magazine The American Dental Education Association announced the inaugural cohort of grantees for its Pathways to Smiles program. Generously funded by the Delta Dental Institute through the second cohort of its Future Workforce Fund, and in collaboration with the National Area Health Education Center Organization (NAO), Pathways to Smiles is a groundbreaking immersive training initiative. It is designed to expand oral health awareness and inspire the next generation of oral health professionals by engaging high school students from underserved and underrepresented communities where access to oral health education and resources may be limited. Among the grantees, Southern Vermont Area Heath Education Center (AHEC) received $8,000 to serve as an inaugural partner to implement the Pathways to Smiles oral health curriculum as part of its health professions training efforts. 

Vermont Business Magazine Fidium is expanding its all-fiber internet network in Chittenden County, in partnership with the Chittenden County Communications Union District (CCCUD). Fidium will bring symmetrical, multi-gig speed internet access to more than 1,800 homes and businesses, including unserved and underserved locations in Essex Town, Jericho, Shelburne, Westford and Williston. Fidium’s expansion is scheduled to begin as soon as May 12 in Shelburne and will continue for the CCCUD area this summer.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont leaders today launched the Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund, a new initiative to ensure no one in Vermont faces deportation, detention, or family separation without legal representation. Spearheaded by State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale, the campaign aims to raise $1 million to expand access to immigration legal defense and build long-term infrastructure to support immigrant families in Vermont. The United Way of Northwest Vermont is partnering with this effort to provide administrative support for the fund and to ensure donations to the fund are tax deductible.

Vermont Business Magazine Saint Michael’s College will hold its 118th Commencement ceremony on May 11, 2025, to celebrate graduates in the Class of 2025. The graduates, faculty, and administration will process through campus about 10 to 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony, led by bagpipers from Matthew Brouard Music. The ceremony will then begin promptly at 10 a.m. in the Ross Sports Center. Approximately 370 students will obtain bachelor's and master's degrees during the ceremony. The Class of 2025 graduates receiving bachelor's degrees represent 24 U.S states territories and 11 countries, while those receiving master's degrees represent 12 states and five countries. Sixteen students will also be recognized for completing graduate certificate programs.   

Vermont Business Magazine ATTOM today released its first quarter 2025 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report, which shows that 46.2 percent of mortgaged residential properties in the country were considered equity-rich in the first quarter, meaning the combined estimated amount of loan balances secured by those properties was no more than half of their estimated market value. Vermont again has the highest percent of equity-rich homes of any state at 85.8 percent, with New Hampshire second (60.5 percent). The proportion of equity rich homes was down from 47.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024 and has dropped each quarter since a peak of 49.2 percent in the second quarter of last year.  The lowest equity-rich rates states were Louisiana (20.3 percent), Maryland (31.4 percent), Illinois (31.5 percent), Alaska (31.7 percent), and North Dakota (31.9 percent).

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.07 per gallon, down 2 cents per gallon from last week's $3.09/g, according to AAA. Prices are down 7 cents/g from last month and down 57 cents/g from last year. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.84/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 45.0 cents per gallon. Bennington and Windham counties had the lowest averages ($2.99/g), while the highest were in Essex ($3.24/g), Lamoille ($3.15/g) and Grand Isle ($3.19/g) counties. The national average price of gasoline fell 3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.15/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine Easterly Government Properties, Inc (NYSE: DEA), a fully integrated real estate investment trust focused primarily on the acquisition, development and management of Class A commercial properties leased to the U.S. Government and its adjacent partners, announced today that it has acquired a 74,549-squarefoot facility primarily leased to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The building is located at 188 Harvest Lane, Williston (DHS - Burlington). The 74,549-square-foot facility was built to the exact specifications of the U.S. Government and meets Level IV security standards. The building is 100% leased to DHS and supports operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the ICE Law Enforcement Support Center, which operates 24/7.

Burke Mountain Resort Employees, pass holders, condo owners, residents and frequent visitors who stuck with this mountain through nine years of limbo, you are rock stars. You made it. For the first time in nearly a decade, Burke Mountain isn't the central player in an international investment scandal. But who's counting, right? Your staying with us is a testament not just to your patience but also to the strength of this community and this region. What is a community? It's not a tagline or slogan. It's knowing your neighbor will pull you out of a ditch in a snowstorm or share their generator when the power goes out. It's standing by someone when they're down. Through the last decade, you, the staff, guests and pass holders stood by Burke Mountain when it was down. That's community. That's the soul of skiing, and that's Burke.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Electric Co-op's (VEC) electricity procurement strategy will be a key topic at the VEC Annual Member meeting, to be held May 10 at Jay Peak Resort. The main presentation at the meeting, titled “Navigating a Clean Power Supply,” will examine how and why VEC chooses certain types of power—like wind, solar, natural gas, biomass, and others—from the regional wholesale electricity market keeping both climate-related goals and affordability top-of-mind. Two of VEC’s electric Ford F150 Lightning pickup trucks will also be on display and the VEC employees who use them for their daily work will be on hand to discuss the vehicles’ features and how they operate in Vermont conditions.   

Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT), along with the six other organizations comprising the NOFA Interstate Council (NOFA I.C.) in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont, joined a broad lawsuit to challenge the Trump administration’s unlawful reorganization of the federal government. The lawsuit was filed on April 28 by a multi-sector coalition that includes nationwide labor organizations, cities and counties, and vital non-profit groups. The NOFA I.C. supports over 2,500 farmers. Farmers have been raising alarms about cuts to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) staff since the executive order was signed in February. At the time of filing the lawsuit, USDA has not publicly shared their Agency Reduction in Force and Reorganization Plan. 

Join the Lake Champlain Committee this season to monitor aquatic invasive species through our community science initiative—the Champlain Aquatic Invasive Monitoring Program (CHAMP)! Now entering our third season of CHAMP, LCC recruits, trains, and supports volunteers to survey for aquatic invasive species (AIS) at sites throughout Lake Champlain. As a volunteer, you'll paddle or walk along a shoreline site, rake in samples of aquatic life, assess what you’ve gathered, and report your findings of key target invasive species to LCC via an online form.