Current News

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, celebrated the Senate’s passage of the Conflict-free Leaving Employment and Activity Restrictions (CLEAR) Path Act, bipartisan legislation introduced alongside Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), which would mitigate foreign influence on U.S. policymaking by prohibiting former Senate-confirmed government employees from lobbying on behalf of countries of concern. The bill passed the Senate with unanimous bipartisan support.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, FEMA announced nearly $2.2 million in funding to support recovery for past disasters in Vermont for Public Assistance projects. Through Public Assistance, FEMA empowers state and local-led recovery following a major disaster, including debris removal, emergency protective measures and the repair or replacement of public infrastructure damaged by recent disasters. This funding is part of the $1.2 billion that FEMA announced today for over 200 large Public Assistance projects nationwide.

Vermont Business Magazine On April 23, 2026, the Vermont General Assembly read into public record a Resolution recognizing University of Vermont (UVM) Distinguished Professor and Vermont State Climatologist Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux for her many years of service to the State of Vermont and her recent receipt of the Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement in Science, awarded earlier this year by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The Resolution celebrates Dr. Dupigny-Giroux’s distinguished career as a scientist, educator, and public servant, as well as her nationally recognized leadership in climate science and public engagement.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Speaker Jill Krowinski issued the following statement after the appointment of Kate Webb to the State Board of Education: “I am pleased to announce I have appointed Kate Webb to the State Board of Education,” says Krowinski. “Kate is an ideal candidate, bringing nearly 30 years of experience as a special educator in Vermont schools, and 14 years in the State Legislature, spending four of those years as Chair of the House Committee on Education. She currently sits on the Champlain Valley School District Board of Directors.”

Public Assets Institute Vermont’s federal workforce decreased by over 600 workers—or 11 percent—between the end of the fiscal year in September 2024 and February 2026. This count includes personnel at federal agencies but excludes the U.S. Postal Service. It is the lowest number of federal employees in at least 10 years. Vermont’s rate of decline is slightly lower than the country’s as a whole. Washington D.C. and Western states such as Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming saw losses closer to 20 percent over the period.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $4.03 per gallon, down 5 cents per gallon from last week, up 17 cents/g from last month and up 94 cents/g from this time last year. The lowest price in the state this week was $3.83/g while the highest was $4.19/g, a difference of 36.0 cents per gallon. Prices are lowest in Windham ($3.98/g) and Addison ($3.98/g) counties and highest in Grand Isle ($4.06/g), Washington ($4.07/g) and Essex ($4.21/g), according to AAA. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.03/g today.

by Kristen Munson, UVM Scientists are homing in on a mysterious wasting disease that has killed billions of sea stars along the Pacific coast of North America since 2013. Sea star wasting disease can rapidly wipe out entire populations, leaving gooey puddles of tissue in its wake. A new study by University of Vermont researchers may unlock the pathways for infection by identifying early biomarkers of illness in wild sea stars. Crucially, the UVM team detected early signs of immune and neurological disruption in sunflower sea stars even before showing physical signs of wasting. “Sea star wasting disease is a really sad, gruesome disease,” says McCracken. “The starfish melt and literally walk away from their limbs. I have seen them pull themselves apart.”

Vermont Business Magazine In a Senate Finance Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) took Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to task for the Trump Administration’s failure to lower prescription drug prices for everyday Americans. Senator Welch grilled Secretary Kennedy on how TrumpRx—the Trump Administration’s new direct-to-consumer prescription drug platform—has made Big Pharma richer without meaningfully lowering drug prices for American families.

by Steven Berbeco Ready, set, pause? Vermont’s education reform debate has the distinct energy of a race that never quite starts. Lawmakers stretch, posture, check their laces, and then… linger at the line. Governance overhaul, funding fixes, bold ideas about consolidation in the name of equity all circle the track, but none break into a sustained stride. The result is a stumbling inertia dressed up in policy language. Last weekend, I ran a half marathon along the lake. Thirteen miles of rhythm, discomfort, small decisions, and forward motion. No one at mile eight gets to call a timeout to rethink the entire premise of running. You keep going even when your legs start filing complaints. That’s what is missing in Montpelier

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Council will hold the 2026 Eagle Scout Recognition Day at the Vermont State House on Friday, honoring the remarkable achievements of Vermont youth who earned Scouting’s highest rank in 2025.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board will hold two more public hearings on May 5 and 7 to solicit input on deer and the department’s 2026 Antlerless Deer Harvest Recommendation. The hearings are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. at the following locations: Tuesday, May 5 – U-32 Middle & High School, 930 Gallison Hill Rd., Montpelier, VT; Thursday, May 7 – Kehoe Conservation Camp, 636 Point of Pines Rd., Castleton , VT.

Vermont Business Magazine If you’re a wildlife enthusiast itching for spring then be sure to check out the Herricks Cove Wildlife Festival on Sunday, May 3, at beautiful Herricks Cove on the Connecticut River in Rockingham, Vermont. The festival is presented by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society (AMAS), and Great River Hydro in partnership with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and Audubon Vermont. This is a family-friendly festival with emphasis on the wildlife and natural resources of Vermont.