Current News

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.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.13 per gallon, down 1 cent per gallon from last week, down 1 cent/g from last month and down 26 cents/g from a year ago, according to AAA. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.81/g while the highest was $3.27/g, a difference of 46.0 cents per gallon. The lowest prices in the state were in Rutland ($3.01/g) and Bennington ($3.02/g) counties, while the highest were in Essex ($3.34/g), Lamoille ($3.24/g) and Grand Isle ($3.26/g) counties. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.22/g today.

Lake Champlain Committee Happy spring! We’re gearing up for another field season at the LCC and hope that you’ll join us in some of our upcoming work. If you like being on, in, and around water and have an hour or so to spare each week, please consider joining our Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program! We’ll train you in how to identify cyanobacteria and differentiate it from other floating phenomena and provide you with the resources and guidance you need to report on site conditions throughout the summer and early fall. We also invite you to explore another community science opportunity—our CHAMP Monitoring Program, which trains volunteers to identify aquatic invasive species. It's a great complement to cyanobacteria monitoring, especially if you’re already spending time on or near the water.

Vermont Business Magazine This spring, the Clean Water Initiative Program (CWIP) at the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is launching the second half of the 2025 Clean Water Conversation Series. These monthly webinars are free and open to the public. The series spotlights a variety of groups working on projects in your community to improve water quality in our rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands. Come learn with us about clean water successes making a difference across Vermont. DEC will host four talks this spring and summer.

Vermont Business Magazine Several days ago, a swastika was carved into a door at Sheldon Elementary School, part of the Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union (FNESU). This is a reprehensible act of hatred and cannot be ignored. Such symbols of violence have no place in our schools or communities, and immediate steps must be taken by FNESU to address this incident and prevent future occurrences. This is not the first time a Vermont school has been the canvas for antisemitic vandalism. Other schools across the state have experienced similar incidents, and the problem is not confined to one place. But because Sheldon Elementary is the most recent site, we are asking FNESU to act now. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is reminding Vermonters that the REAL ID requirement takes effect on May 7, 2025. This means that people aged 18 and older will need a REAL ID-compliant Driver’s License or Identification Card, or another form of identification accepted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), for domestic air travel and to enter certain federal facilities. The DMV began preparing Vermonters for the change in 2014, and approximately 92% of all current valid Vermont driver’s licenses are REAL ID.