Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont artist Noa Younse of Richmond has been selected as the artist to develop a public art design for the Windsor Superior Courthouse in White River Junction. Younse's preliminary concept includes tiles that can be added or removed to fit the space. The design aims to build movement and connection between the upper and lower floors of the courthouse's interior lobby. Younse's innovative concept was chosen from among five finalists who made public presentations of their concepts in March. Following a period of public input, a committee comprised of selected building employees, community members, and visual arts experts selected Younse to develop his design concept. The finalists were narrowed from an initial pool of 32 applicants.

Vermont Business Magazine Concepts NREC and ADS CFD have formed a partnership which will allow the combination of the Agile Engineering Design System® for Turbomachinery and the ADS GPU Accelerated CFD software suite to enable turbomachinery designers to perform Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations 15-120X faster than traditional solvers at a fraction of the hardware cost. The Agile Engineering Design System® (AEDS) is an integrated suite of software modules for Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) specialized for turbomachinery. The ADS GPU Accelerated CFD software suite consists of ADS Code WAND, an automated mesh generator for multistage turbomachinery, and ADS Code LEO, a CFD solver that has full steady and unsteady turbomachinery capabilities and has been optimized for GPU acceleration. ADS Code LEO is well validated with experimental data and in use at many of the world’s leading turbomachinery OEMs.

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, April 23, Judge Crawford will hear oral arguments in Burlington, Vermont regarding Mohsen Mahdawi’s habeas petition and motion for release on bail at 9:00 AM. Mr. Mahdawi is a lawful permanent resident of the United States who has lived in Vermont for 10 years and is set to graduate from Columbia University in May. ICE detained him during his long-awaited naturalization hearing on April 14. Mr. Mahdawi was targeted by the Trump administration in direct retaliation for his advocacy of Palestinian rights. 

Vermont Business Magazine First Children’s Finance VT (FCF) has announced the final recipients of the Vermont Planning Grant Project, a statewide initiative aimed at expanding future access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education. The grants provided support for a wide range of planning activities, from feasibility studies and financial analysis to architectural and engineering designs. Among the awardees is The Learning Tree, the onsite child care center at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), which will use the planning grant to develop plans for a possible renovation and expansion project at its Bennington location.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations remains low, at about 5 after a spike in January. Wastewater testing indicates that virus levels edged up in recent weeks but have fallen steeply after a surge also in January. The Vermont pandemic death total stands at 1,288 as of April 17, 2025, with 2 reported death from the previous week (the most recent data available from the CDC). The VDH is no longer reporting COVID fatalities and cases in Vermont. There were 2 outbreaks last week (2 the week before), with 2 in Long-Term Care Facilities and none in schools. 

Vermont Business Magazine As Vermont honors Earth Day and 55 years of celebrating our natural environment, the Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance (VOBA) is releasing their recent Federal Impacts on Vermont Outdoor Businesses Report - a compilation of the current and anticipated effects from sweeping changes at the federal level on Vermont’s outdoor businesses. Vermont’s $2.1 billion outdoor economy is a highly diversified sector that includes manufacturers, retailers, resorts, trail networks, trail builders, lodges, photographers, and guide services. It includes companies and destinations that attract visitors to recreate and stay in our Green Mountains, and benefits the health and resilience of our State.

Vermont Business Magazine Armed agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection entered a Vermont dairy farm Monday afternoon and detained eight farmworkers. The arrests in Franklin County constituted the largest single immigration enforcement actions against farmworkers – and one of the largest worksite enforcement actions – in recent Vermont history. They worked at the Pleasant Valley Farms in Berkshire. Governor Scott said Wednesday that he did not blame the Border Patrol officers and acknowledged that heightened tensions on immigration may have led to the incident. He added that if immigrant workers are living here peacefully, they should be allowed to stay.

Vermont Business Magazine This Earth Day, statewide elected leaders and members of Vermont’s environmental community gathered at the Vermont State House to highlight actions they’re taking to protect Vermonters from the Trump Administration’s intentional and systematic dismantling of environmental protections, human rights, and democratic institutions. “As Attorney General, I represent Vermont in lawsuits and other actions in court, including in environmental lawsuits. I have brought the Trump Administration to court when it has violated the Constitution and federal law — so far nine times — and have joined 19 amicus or friends of the court briefs,” said Attorney General Charity Clark. “I am proud to stand up for Vermont, our sovereign rights, our values, our environment, and our democracy in this moment.”

Vermont Business Magazine Last night, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) joined U.S. Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY-20) in hosting a rally to fight back against Congressional Republicans’ proposed cuts to Medicaid. Held in Plattsburgh, Sen. Welch and Rep. Tonko spoke to a crowd of more than 175 New Yorkers and Vermonters about the importance of protecting this essential health coverage program. They also called out Republicans’ attempts to kick seniors, children, and people with disabilities off Medicaid to pay for a tax cut for those who don’t pay their fair share.

Green Mountain Care Board Board Members and meeting presenters will participate virtually. The public can also join the meeting by using the meeting link or the call-in phone number listed below. Members of the public who cannot access the meeting remotely can view the meeting at 112 State Street, 5th floor, Montpelier, Vermont.  Please call (802) 828-2177 or email us at [email protected] for additional location details. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont House unanimously approved Senate Bill 27, a proposal to eliminate up to $100 million in medical debt for low- and moderate-income Vermonters and remove medical debt from credit scores. The bill earned unanimous support from the Senate and now heads to the Governor’s desk for signature. Treasurer Pieciak and Legislative leaders announced the proposal at a January press conference, highlighting medical debt relief as an important step toward protecting the health and financial security of Vermonters. The bill requires no additional taxes or fees. 

Vermont Business Magazine Bromley Mountain’s 22nd annual “Mom’s Day Off” event raised more than $11,000 on February 28, benefiting breast care services at the Dartmouth Cancer Center at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC). Bromley President and General Manager, Josh Witkin recently presented a check to SVMC’s President and CEO Thomas A. Dee, at the Peru, VT ski resort.