Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Teacher of the Year Award recipients and students from Vermont public schools holding hand-made art work urged the Governor and Legislature to listen to students and teachers before pushing forward with plans to radically transform public education in Vermont. After sharing their concerns, students delivered “Lesson Plans for good Public Schools and Fair Taxes and a Say in Both,” signed by hundreds of Vermonters in every county in the state to the Governor and Legislative leadership.  

by Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, VAHHS Legislative committees started taking up bills from the other chamber last week while multiple budget bills are on the move: Last week, the House passed the FY 2026 budget, H.493, which included the following hospital-related proposals: $4.4 million, as proposed by the governor, to transition participating hospitals from fee-for-service to a global payment system in preparation for the AHEAD model; $300,000 for 3 new positions to the Green Mountain Care Board, as recommended in the governor’s proposal; $866,000 to expand alternatives to emergency departments for mental health services.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.07 per gallon, down 2.0 cents per gallon from last week's $3.09/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.81/g while the highest was $3.27/g, a difference of 46.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 2.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.11/g today. 

Vermont State Police received final autopsies for decedents Lynn Gilman and Burton Richardson. The Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington  determined their cause of death to be carbon monoxide poisoning. The manner of death was classified as accidental from the inhalation of automobile exhaust. The vehicle was located on the shoulder of VT Route 14, in the town of Brookfield, just north of the intersection of Brown Drive. Ms. Gilman was located in the driver’s seat and Mr. Richardson was located in the front passenger seat.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Secretary of Administration Sarah Clark today released Vermont’s revenue results for February 2025. The General Fund, Transportation Fund and Education Fund all exceeded their respective monthly consensus cash flow target by a combined $202.3 million, exceeding the $196.8 million monthly consensus target by $5.6 million, or 2.8%. This is based on the annual consensus forecasts as adopted by the Emergency Board at its July 2024 meeting. Total General Fund revenues for February were $119.8 million, $2.2 million, or 1.9%, greater than the $117.6 million monthly consensus cash flow target. A combined -$4.5 million underperformance in the Personal Income Tax, Corporate Income Tax, Estate Tax and Liquor Tax offset the $6.7 million cumulative gains above target by all other revenue sources. 

by Maggie Lenz and Nick Charyk On Friday, the House Education Committee voted 7–4 to advance H.454, the bill that has become the Legislature’s vehicle for a broad restructuring of Vermont’s education system. It lays out a multi-year consolidation of school districts, sets new minimum class sizes, and tightens the rules for which independent schools can receive public tuition. It also proposes changes to the State Board of Education, which approves independent schools and adopts many of the rules that give these reforms shape. One section of the bill suggested rebalancing who sits on that board. What followed on Thursday was not a typical markup, but a six-hour seminar in constitutional law. Legislators were immersed in foundational questions about how government is structured in Vermont, who holds appointment power, and what the Constitution allows. The stakes were high, and so was the level of discourse. But in the end, it was not constitutional theory that determined the outcome. It was political reality.

by Lauren Milideo, UVM Living trees absorb carbon, aiding climate change mitigation. But what role do dead trees play in carbon storage? UVM researchers found that large, downed trees in streams tie up tremendous stores of carbon—and this pool of carbon storage is growing over time. Moreover, large trees in streamside forests proved important for recruiting carbon into streams over time—reflecting the environmental value of big, old trees. “Old-growth forests stored four to five times more carbon in the wood lying in the streams than mature forests did,” said lead author and University of Vermont Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources graduate student Stephen Peters-Collaer. “And in mature forests, this in-stream, dead-wood carbon pool is about 50 to 60% larger than that stored in downed wood in an area of equivalent size on the forest floor.”

by Olga Peters. Vermont Business Magazine Armstrong Walther explained the chamber staffs the project “so that it’s not reliant on really passionate volunteers, but we actually have some infrastructure to the organization that can support it.“ Dedicated staff is an important component of a successful organization, she added. This is how organizations survive beyond passionate volunteers. The need for consistent staffing demonstrates a trend Armstrong Walther has noticed. Volunteerism has yet to fully rebound since COVID. People are busier and retirees are still wary of getting sick from attending public events. Armstrong Walther said the dip in volunteers drives home how important it is for organizations to ensure volunteers understand their value.

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine What does it take to build a business ecosystem in Springfield? Officials at the nonprofit Black River Innovation Campus believe it requires surrounding entrepreneurs with a supportive network of training, community and — if all goes as planned — housing. BRIC, as the organization is known, is in the middle of a $7.2 million renovation at its headquarters, Springfield’s historic Park Street schoolhouse. Built in 1895 and expanded in 1929, the school retains much of its original architecture and woodwork, including a double central staircase. BRIC trains entrepreneurs to develop technology-driven businesses. It also provides co-working and incubation space for new businesses and STEAM programs for grades pre-K-12.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is making significant progress as an unusual Spring ice storm covers parts of central and southern Vermont in thick ice, damaging trees and power lines. Crews have restored more than 14,000 customers since early Saturday morning, when ice started to build up insome locations, and more rapidly Saturday night. In advance of this multi-day, region-wide storm, GMP had more than doubled its field force. In addition to the full GMP team, external field crews were on hand to assist GMP crews as needed.

Vermont Business Magazine National Doctors’ Day is celebrated annually on March 30. It is a day to honor and recognize the contributions of physicians in providing high-quality healthcare, and each year in late March the halls and breakrooms at Rutland Regional Medical Center are decorated with colorful drawings and messages of appreciation from hundreds of Rutland County students from kindergarten through 4th grade. This annual tradition is a creative and unique part of the hospital’s celebration of Doctors’ Day.

Vermont Business Magazine Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc, King Arthur Baking Company and Burton Snowboards are the three "Most Coveted Employers" in Vermont, with Ben & Jerry's ranking third nationally, behind only Google and Coca-Cola. When it comes to why people jump ship to a new job, a fatter paycheck often steals the spotlight. It’s the obvious draw - who doesn’t want more money? But dig a little deeper, and it’s clear that salary isn’t the whole story. Benefits like stellar health insurance, paid time off, or even quirky extras like free snacks can tip the scales just as much. In a world where top-tier positions with sky-high wages aren’t always up for grabs, employers are left wondering: What else can convince workers to stick around? What makes a job feel less like a grind and more like a place worth staying for?