Current News

Vermont Business Magazine April is Sexual Assault Awareness (SAAM) month, and The Safety Team, a Vermont-based nonprofit provider of comprehensive violence prevention and trauma recovery programs, is dedicated to raising awareness on risk reduction and empowered healing for all those at risk. To promote Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April), The Safety Team will host a COMMUNITY EVENT: Fostering Safety in an Unsafe World, a complimentary interactive presentation, Monday, April 14 at 6:00 p.m. at the Mainstreet Landing Performing Arts Center Film House (60 Lake Street, Burlington, VT 05401). The event will include a presentation and video as well as easy-to-learn strategies and techniques. A live demonstration from The Safety Team (all trained in martial arts with many earning black belts and beyond) will take place along with a Q&A session.

Vermont Business Magazine Creativity and community will be in high fashion this April, when dozens of oncology and infusion nurses and some cancer patients from University of Vermont Cancer Center take the stage at Higher Ground Ballroom as part of Infusion Fashions: A Chemo Gown Extravaganza. The event, which will be held from 5-9 pm on Saturday, April 12 at Higher Ground Ballroom, 1214 Williston Road, South Burlington, is the brainchild of Louise Friedeborn, RN, an oncology nurse at UVM Cancer Center. It brings nurses, patients and members of the community together to raise awareness and funding to support cancer patients and their families.

Vermont Business Magazine This March, Central Vermont Council On Aging (CVCOA) celebrates the amazing work of the 13 nutrition program sites we partner with and support. It takes the combined efforts of a small staff and dedicated volunteers to ensure hundreds of community members receive meals on a daily basis. Older adults (age 60+) can call CVCOA’s Helpline (1-800-642-5119) to sign up for Meals on Wheels and receive healthy meals delivered to their door. In addition, meal sites offer congregate meals where anyone can come enjoy a meal with neighbors. Monday through Friday, volunteers take to the roads to bring warm meals to their neighbors (a loose term when some routes cover more than 70 miles). Volunteers often share that part of their motivation comes from a sense they are “paying it forward” as one day they may rely on the service themselves. 

by Joshua Defibaugh, University of Vermont The University of Vermont’s office of Innovations hosted the final presentations of the second annual Joy and Jerry Meyers Cup this Saturday at the Alumni House’s Silver Maple Pavilion. Out of the three UVM undergraduate teams that presented their business ideas to a panel of judges, Campus Storage Solutions won the grand prize of $225,000 in cash, the largest undergraduate prize for a business pitch competition in the country. Israel, who served as the company’s CEO, was inspired to start Campus Storage Solutions with Logan Vaughan (’27) after facing their own personal challenges with storing and moving belongings over the summer while away from college. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today during President Trump’s Cabinet meeting, Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said, ‘We are going to eliminate FEMA.’ Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) released the following reaction: “The Trump Administration’s grand plan for victims of natural disasters is to abandon them—and it’s a complete non-starter. Eliminating FEMA’s ability to respond after a disaster hits would be catastrophic not only for flood victims in Vermont, but for hurricane victims in the Carolinas, tornado victims in Kansas, and wildfire victims in California."

Public Assets Institute, Montpelier The federal government is making massive cuts to government functions that Americans—and Vermonters—count on and is planning to make more cuts. Layoffs of federal workers, funding freezes, tariffs, and cuts to government programs, including public benefits for those most in need, could threaten the well-being of Vermont’s people and its economy. While we may not know the scale of these cuts, the timeline, or where cuts will occur, this crisis needs attention. To address funding gaps and ensure that families can meet their basic needs, now is the right time for the legislature to craft its response to federal actions before the end of the legislative session, which is rapidly approaching. By considering options to raise revenue and prepare to expand state benefits, the state can protect Vermonters and avoid the worst impacts of federal cuts.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark today announced she has been elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), a bipartisan organization of state attorneys general from across the country and U.S. territories. The Executive Committee oversees the management of NAAG and functions as the governing body of the association for the benefit of its members. Attorney General Clark was first nominated by the Democratic Party Caucus and then elected during the annual business meeting at the NAAG Capital Forum in December 2024. She has been serving in her new role since January 2025.

Vermont Business Magazine Philo Ridge Farm announced today that it has successfully completed its transition to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, establishing the farm as a permanent community asset dedicated to the future of food and agriculture in Vermont. The Philo Ridge Farm Foundation will focus on promoting organic regenerative agriculture through hands-on research, education, dining, and community engagement. This milestone marks the completion of a thoughtfully planned transition that began in November 2023, when Philo Ridge Farm first announced its intention to evolve from a for-profit business to a nonprofit organization. This change ensures Philo Ridge Farm will remain a multigenerational resource for farmers, researchers, and the community.

by Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, VAHHS I wouldn’t call last week light, but it offered a little bit of a breather from crossover as the health care committees wait for bills from the other chamber to land on their bulletin boards. The money committees, however, worked overtime on both the budget and BAA negotiations after the governor’s veto. We’ll have more information on those bills next week. Budget: One notable item for the FY 2026 budget is that the $1M towards paying down medical debt under S.27 is out for now. This could be a matter of crossed wires between the budget being in the House and the policy bill being in the Senate.

Vermont Business Magazine HomeShare Vermont has launched its 2025 Experience Vermont Raffle, with prizes including local getaways and unique experiences, to raise funds in support of the nonprofit's mission to create more opportunities for people to access homesharing in Vermont. For over 40 years, HomeShare Vermont has helped individuals stay in their homes, find affordable housing and strengthen local communities through shared living arrangements. In exchange for reasonable rent — an average of $360 per month — guests may provide services such as companionship, meal preparation or help getting to and from appointments.  

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.09 per gallon, unchanged from last week, as there has been little movement the last couple of weeks. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.82/g while the highest was $3.27/g, a difference of 45.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 6.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.08/g today. The national average is down 1.6 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 42.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine We are close to having all of the Spring workshops ready to be posted.  In the Meantime here are the workshops that are ready to go - Register online.  Registration for the Workshops will close two days before the Workshop Date, and a week before, the Game of Logging trainings. Still in the works is the Northern GOL Levels and the North and Southern "Maple - To Tap or Cut?" workshops. The State will be hosting its Forest Health Meeting as well.