Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Corissa Laws, 38, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced for stealing another person’s identity in order to illegally practice as a nurse in Vermont. In 2022, Ms. Laws impersonated a licensed Florida nurse to receive a pandemic-related emergency authorization to fraudulently register as a licensed nurse in Vermont and New Hampshire. Ms. Laws then worked in residential care facilities in Vermont and other states, at a level of care that she had not been trained or certified to safely perform.

Vermont State Police On 4/10/25, at approximately 1454 hours, troopers from the Shaftsbury barracks responded to a report of a single vehicle crash on Maple Hill Road in the town of Arlington, VT. Upon arrival, it was learned the operator was entrapped in the vehicle and unresponsive. Investigation revealed Vehicle 1 was traveling northbound and left the roadway for an unknown reason. After leaving the roadway, Vehicle 1 collided with a tree. Members from Arlington Fire Department and Arlington Rescue Squad responded to the scene to assist. Once Raymond Ostrander was removed from the vehicle he was transported to SVMC, where he was pronounced deceased.

Vermont Business Magazine Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity (CVHFH) has received a $150,000 grant from the M&T Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB). The funding is part of the third round of grants from the Amplify Fund, which is awarding over $4.9 million to 51 nonprofit organizations across New England, Long Island, and Rockland County, NY. CVHFH strengthens Vermont communities through affordable, mortgaged homeownership, critical home repairs, and disaster response. The organization also operates a ReStore in Waterbury, which sells donated goods at discounted prices. Profits directly support CVHFH’s housing programs, while also providing low-cost essentials and reducing landfill waste.

Vermont Business Magazine Capstone Community Action is launching a search for a new Executive Director to lead the Central Vermont organization with overall strategic and operational responsibility. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will oversee the organization’s mission-driven programs, staff, and business affairs while fostering community impact and growth. Capstone is seeking a dynamic leader with a strong background in financial oversight, strategic planning, program development, and advocacy. The ideal candidate will bring at least seven years of senior leadership in regional or statewide organizations, and a proven track record of advancing strategic initiatives. In December, after six years at the helm, Sue Minter stepped down as Capstone’s Executive Director.

Vermont Business Magazine National Life Group’s Independent Distribution sales team raised over $29,000 for Circle, a shelter and hotline resource for victims of domestic violence in Washington County. At their annual kickoff meeting, members of the field leadership team staged a friendly competition to support victims of family violence in both Dallas and Vermont, where the company has home offices. Circle serves anyone experiencing intimate partner and/or sexual violence in the Washington County area answering hotline calls, providing confidential shelter, legal advocacy, support groups and community presentations.

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine A federal jury in Burlington ordered Dartmouth Health on Thursday to pay more than $1.1 million to a fertility doctor from Windsor County after ruling the defendants fired her because of her disability. Dr. Misty Blanchette Porter of Norwich was awarded $1 million in economic damages for lost income and expenses. The jurors said Dr. Porter also was entitled to $125,000 in non-economic damages for the loss of enjoyment in life, mental anguish or pain and suffering, according to the 7-page verdict form. 

Vermont Business Magazine Make-A-Wish Vermont & Northeast New York has announced that the 17th Annual Beat the Winter Blues event, held annually by volunteers in Franklin County, raised $105,577.86 to support wishes for children with critical illnesses, setting a new fundraising record for the community-driven event. Event organizers Adam Kane and Andrea Sartwell presented the check to Jamie Hathaway, President & CEO of Make-A-Wish Vermont & Northeast New York, during a special ceremony at the Vermont Wishing Space located in the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory in Shelburne. Representatives from Haddad Subaru, a major event sponsor, along with Make-A-Wish staff and board members, were in attendance. The April 5th event, held at Highgate Arena in Highgate, Vermont, attracted more than 500 attendees, its largest crowd to date. 

Vermont Business Magazine Census Bureau data indicates that Vermont was the nation’s leader in income growth from 2022 to 2023. Vermont median income grew 5.4% year-over-year, while the national median stayed roughly flat with a .15% decrease. Vermont’s median income increase represents a jump from below to above the national median. Vermont ranks 17th in household income. Vermont's median income in 2023 was $81,200. Washington, DC, had the highest median at $108.2K, but among the states, Massachusetts was highest at $99.9K, closely followed by New Jersey ($99.8K) and Hawaii ($95.3K). The lowest were Mississippi ($54.2K) and West Virginia ($55.9K).

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont House of Representatives gave preliminary approval to H.454, the House’s comprehensive education reform bill. The legislation marks a major step in building a more equitable and student-centered public education system and a more stable, cost-effective financing system. “Today’s vote is an important step in seizing the best chance we’ve had in a generation to modernize a system that hasn’t kept up – not because our teachers or students are failing, but because the structure around them hasn’t changed,” said Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski. “This plan was built with input from Vermonters, including; educators, school leaders, finance experts, parents, and Vermonters. And it reflects what we’ve heard in every corner of the state: the system needs to be more predictable for taxpayers and better for our kids.”

Vermont Business Magazine ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property, and real estate data, today released its Q1 2025 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows a total of 93,953 U.S. properties with a foreclosure filings during the first quarter of 2025, up 11 percent from the previous quarter but down 2 percent from a year ago. Vermont had the second fewest foreclosures with 45 (1 in 7,490 housing units, third lowest), while South Dakota had only 20 (also the lowest rate at 1 in 19,945). Montana had the second lowest at 1 in 8,495, while Delaware (1 in 857), Illinois (1 in 857), Nevada (1 in 874) and Indiana (1 in 976) had the highest rates. The report also shows a total of 35,890 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings in March 2025, up 11 percent from the previous month and up 9 percent from a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) formally introduced bipartisan legislation to repeal Donald Trump’s global tariffs and reassert Congress’s trade authorities. The Senators’ resolution would terminate the emergency that Trump declared in order to apply tariffs of up to 49% on products Americans buy from other countries. In the wake of Trump’s tariff declaration, markets have cratered, manufacturers have laid off thousands of workers and foreign countries have retaliated by imposing their own tariffs on U.S. agricultural and manufactured goods, the senators said. 

by Vermont Tax Commissioner Bill Shouldice This year the governor submitted a proposal to the legislature to provide $13.5 million in much-needed, targeted tax relief for Vermonters. We’ve seen some initial momentum on the proposal, but we need to make sure these tax breaks cross the finish line. We know that right now many Vermonters are struggling. And we know that the most straightforward way we can help is simply by keeping more money in their pockets. Now we need the legislature to do their part to keep Vermont affordable. The governor’s tax relief package would increase tax credits and exemptions for thousands of Vermonters through four major proposals.