Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The New England Ski Museum has announced the recipient of this year's Spirit of Skiing Award: Ralph DesLauriers and the DesLauriers Family of Bolton Valley, Vermont. The public is invited to an après-ski celebration on Saturday, April 5 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Timberline Lodge in Bolton Valley where delicious hors d-oeuvres will be served. Each year, the New England Ski Museum honors an individual who truly embodies the memorable adage of Otto Schniebs, the 1930s Dartmouth ski coach: "Skiing is not just a sport — it is a way of life." Winners of the Spirit of Skiing Award in the past have included Tom Corcoran, Stein Eriksen, Herbert Schneider, SE Group, Penny Pitou, and Georg Capaul.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Robert Lavallee, 31, of Bristol, Vermont, was sentenced Monday in Vermont Superior Court, Addison Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to one felony count of Luring a Child. The Court, Judge Robert Katims presiding, sentenced Mr. Lavallee by agreement of the parties to 18 months to five years in prison, all suspended under a 10-year term of probation with conditions that mandate completion of sex offender programming, limit his contact with children, and restrict his access to the Internet. If Mr. Lavallee violates the terms of his probation, he may face up to five years in jail. Mr. Lavallee is also required to register as a sex offender until 10 years have elapsed since completion of his sentence.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, a nationally recognized nonprofit dedicated to providing sports and recreation for individuals with disabilities, has announced $500,000 matching gift from an anonymous donor in support of its Vermont Adaptive Forever endowment fund. Additionally, every member of Vermont Adaptive’s board of directors has made a financial commitment to the endowment, collectively contributing approximately $30,000 toward the fund’s $3 million goal.

Vermont Business Magazine In response to the near shutdown of the federal government late last week, Hunger Free Vermont, Vermont Foodbank and Vermont Legal Aid have released the following statement: Everyone in Vermont deserves a fair shot at success, and that starts with access to nutritious food. Programs like 3SquaresVT (known nationally as SNAP), school meals and community food shelves ensure that kids can learn, parents can work and families can thrive—no matter their income. The United States Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown on Friday by passing a long-term Continuing Resolution. Though a Continuing Resolution keeps the government open, the process of bringing the federal government to the brink of a harmful shutdown over partisan politics is no way to govern. This process creates confusion and anxiety for millions of families who rely on food programs.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Mental Health (DMH) has selected the Center for Health and Learning (CHL) and the Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care (VPQHC) to lead Vermont’s first Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention. The Center of Excellence is part of the state’s Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention. Its purpose is to bring healthcare providers and community partners together to create consistency, develop best practices, and provide support and guidance in suicide prevention.  CHL and VPQHC were selected to lead the Center of Excellence based on their expertise in suicide prevention. Each organization will focus on a specific area of this work: VPQHC will lead suicide prevention efforts in healthcare settings using the Zero Suicide framework. This includes providing tools like safety planning and resources for managing suicidality, as well as promoting the safe storage of firearms and medications. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations are down. Hospitalizations fell to just under 5 after a spike in January. Likewise wastewater testing indicates that virus levels fell steeply also after a spike, especially in Montpelier, but also at most test sites. They have now leveled off, as have many other indicators. The Vermont pandemic death total stands at 1,282 as of March 8, 2025, an increase of 4 from the previous week (the most recent data available from the CDC).  New to this report is an expanded wastewater testing survey, which includes results for COVID-19 , Avian Flu, Influenza, RSV and Norovirus. 

Vermont Business Magazine This afternoon, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) volunteers will rally at the Vermont State House as a part of their annual Cancer Action Day advocating for legislation that address the needs of patients across the cancer continuum. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) gives people impacted by cancer a powerful voice with lawmakers by holding an annual Cancer Action Day. Progress in improving cancer outcomes increasingly involves the use of precision medicine, which uses information about a person’s own genes or proteins to prevent, diagnose or treat diseases like cancer.

by Vermont Commerce Secretary Lindsay Kurrle Too often in Vermont, popular and necessary housing construction is derailed, delayed, or diminished by a small number of folks abusing the appeals process who have no direct skin in the game and are reluctant to welcome new neighbors. While appeals are valuable in certain cases, they also drive-up costs, affecting every homebuyer, renter, and builder in Vermont. When the project involves public money, appeals also drive-up costs for taxpayers. The Alice Holway Drive Project in Putney is an example of all those things.

by Rep. Laura Sibilia, Rep. Lisa Hango, Senator Joe Major Vermont is one of the few states that still taxes military retirement and survivor benefits. This outdated policy puts our state out of step with the vast majority of the country and fails to recognize the sacrifices made by our military members and their families. It's time to change that. Military service is unlike any other career. Service members, and their families, make sacrifices that most civilians will never fully understand. They leave behind their homes, face dangerous deployments, and live with the physical and emotional tolls of their service. 

by Senator Scott Beck, Caledonia District, Senate Minority Leader A considerable amount of attention and work this legislative session has been devoted to Vermont’s Pk-12 public education system and how it is funded. This is important work. 30% of Vermont state spending is devoted to our most precious resource, 83,000 children. Vermonters understand how meaningful these conversations are. Education is critical to our communities and a pillar of democracy. Schools serve as important community hubs, are essential for economic and workforce development, attract families, and foster individual and societal success. Taxpayers are important too, and their voices in November were heard loud and clear. In short, Vermonters want change. Here are a few of my thoughts on how change could be structured so that all Vermont children receive an excellent education that taxpayers can afford.

Vermont Business Magazine As the Trump administration and Elon Musk attack public education in America by closing offices and laying off 1,300 workers at the Department of Education, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), alongside 37 Senate colleagues, today sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon expressing outrage at the administration’s reckless and illegal firing of half of the workforce at the U.S. Department of Education, which will devastate America’s public education system and impact students across the country.

Vermont Business Magazine Today a gathering of community members, funders, residents, state legislators, and others celebrated the official grand opening for the historic Ward 5 School Apartments. Co-owners and co-developers, Evernorth and Downstreet Housing and Community Development partnered to redevelop the historic Ward 5 School into 9 new permanently affordable homes that are part of the larger Granite City Apartments project, which also includes 18 newly renovated apartments in two buildings on Bromur Street. For the $8 million project, Downstreet and Evernorth renovated the 18 existing apartments in two buildings on Bromur Street to address energy efficiency and life safety enhancements and created 9 new affordable apartments by redeveloping the long-vacant Ward 5 School on Humbert Street. The historic building was acquired from the Barre Housing Authority (BHA). Downstreet and Evernorth worked with BHA to secure nine rental assistance vouchers for the new apartments.