Current News

Vermont Business Magazine This winter, Community Bank partnered with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) to match $25,000 in donations to the Warmth Support Program, which provides emergency funding to help households pay for heating, fuel and basic electrical needs during Vermont’s coldest months. Community Bank recently presented CVOEO with the $25,000 matching donation to mark the conclusion of this year’s campaign, which raised $55,263 to support neighbors in need.

by Sarah Lyons, Public Assets More than 3,000 Vermonters are caught in the on-again, off-again firings and layoffs of federal employees by the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). It is challenging to keep track of who has a job and who doesn’t, or even of which departments still exist. During the first two months of Trump’s second term, DOGE ordered mass layoffs of federal agency employees. Federal judges reinstated the workers in 19 agencies, including the Department of Education and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and temporarily paused firings. But uncertainty remains as to whether the reinstatements will hold and how long the pause will last—if, that is, the administration complies with the court orders. 

Vermont Business Magazine Following negotiations between the Legislature and Scott Administration, Secretary of Administration Sarah Clark today issued the below letter to level-set the conversation as it relates to the Budget Adjustment Act: While we have appreciated the face-to-face negotiations over the last several days, it appears you prefer to start putting these negotiations in writing, and making them public, so we will follow suit. It is unfortunate that I was uninvited to testify in your Committee this morning to present our feedback on the budget adjustment and provide clarity on our compromise proposals. Given some of the misinformation we have seen in the last 24 hours, I think it’s important to level-set where this discussion stands, from the Administration’s perspective.

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, US Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, toured the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, where he discussed his new bipartisan bill to support rural health care providers, the Rural Hospital Support Act, and the impact of President Trump’s and Congressional Republicans’ proposed Medicaid cuts on Vermonters. 

Vermont Business Magazine Yesterday, Transportation for Vermonters (T4VT) delivered their “Let’s Invest in Public Transit” petition to legislators, signed by over 950 Vermonters, and hosted a press conference underscoring the importance of investing in public transportation. Members of the public, coalition partners, and legislators spoke in support of greater investment in public transit and aligning the state’s transportation dollars with the needs of Vermonters. Service cuts are directly impacting Vermonters across the state, creating barriers to accessibility. 

Vermont Business Magazine Ocean State Job Lot (OSJL), the region’s premier discount retail chain with 159 stores across the Northeast, is pleased to announce that it is in the process of acquiring 15 Big Lots locations in eight states. Legal documentation is being finalized. OSJL plans to open up to 22 new stores this year, including the 15 former Big Lots locations and five to seven additional locations. The company’s growth in 2025 will add two new states, Maryland and Delaware, to OSJL’s geographic footprint. The Big Lots locations, each slated to open by mid-summer 2025, are in Somers Point, Barnegat, and Cape May, NJ; Chester, Easton, and Elkton, MD; Dover and Seaford, DE; Harrisburg and Trexlertown, PA; Dansville and Liverpool, NY; Webster, MA; Morrisville, VT; and Auburn, ME.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on March 13, 2025, Christopher Morgan, 21, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 78 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release. Morgan previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and to using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. According to court records, Christopher Morgan and co-defendant Javon Calderon spent substantial time in Bennington, Vermont, in 2022 distributing fentanyl and cocaine. During a portion of that time, Morgan and Calderon were hosted by co-defendants and Bennington residents Shavonne Doucette and Kyle Winnie. Morgan and Calderon employed locals to sell drugs for them. Doucette and Winnie also occasionally sold drugs for Morgan and Calderon.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Jennifer LaBonte, 45, of Essex Junction, was sentenced on Monday in United States District Court in Rutland to four months of imprisonment following her guilty plea to a charge of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier also ordered that LaBonte serve a one-year period of supervised release following completion of her prison sentence. She also ordered LaBonte to pay $192,675 in restitution and a $7500 fine. The court noted that, prior to sentencing, LaBonte had paid in full her restitution obligation. LaBonte must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on May 6 to begin serving her sentence. 

Vermont Business Magazine Commerce Secretary Lindsay Kurrle announced the 2025 Historic Preservation and Barn Preservation Grant awardees at the State House on Tuesday. The program is awarding $373,026 in matching grants to 23 preservation projects across eleven Vermont counties. The program is awarding $373,026 in matching grants to 23 preservation projects across eleven Vermont counties and 22 preservation grants. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont House Democrats held a press conference at the Statehouse on Tuesday afternoon to respond to Governor Phil Scott’s veto of the Budget Adjustment Act (BAA) and highlight the urgent need to protect the state’s most vulnerable residents. The House-passed BAA incorporated 99% of the Governor’s proposed changes, demonstrating a strong commitment to compromise. However, House Democrats insisted on modest but critical provisions to support affordable housing initiatives and extend emergency shelter assistance through June 30. They said that Governor Scott’s veto, on the other hand, disregards the immediate needs of hundreds of Vermonters, including children, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Works for Women (VWW) and the Vermont Adult Career and Technical Education Association (VACTEA) are excited to announce Women in Welding, a collaborative effort to create accessible pathways for welding training and careers. Research shows that exploration and training in female-only cohorts breaks down barriers and removes bias that typically exists for women in historically male-dominated fields. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine In a surprise move late Tuesday afternoon, Democratic leadership sent a letter to Governor Scott conceding key elements of the Budget Adjustment Act that the governor vetoed on Friday. While the Democrats have a majority in both the Senate and House, they do not have enough votes to override a veto. In their letter, Senate President Pro Tempore Philip Baruth and Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski wrote that they "will acquiesce to his requirements" to remove relatively small but politically significant portions of the BAA. In particular Scott opposed inclusion of $1.8 million to continue the hotel/motel homeless appropriation. This was one of three housing items cut from the $163 million BAA (of a total FY25 budget of $8.7 billion), which included $2.8 million for disabled housing and $8.6 million to Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) for home building.