Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) has awarded $681,822 in the second round of Leahy Memphremagog Clean Water Program funding to four organizations engaged in aquatic habitat improvement work in the watershed. The third round of applications is currently open, with an application deadline of March 24th. 

Vermont Business Magazine Voters in the City of Burlington passed all major spending bills and bonds overwhelmingly, including the $134.7 million school budget, while Democrats comfortably retained control of the City Council with 7 of the 12 members. A ballot item that would ban guns in bars also passed with 87%, but the measure also requires approval by the Legislature because it would require a charter change. 

Senator Bernie Sanders As you heard tonight, President Trump has been very effective in creating what I would call a “parallel universe” for his supporters – a set of ideas that either have NO basis in reality or, in the great scheme of things, are nowhere near the most important concerns of the American people. And one way that he does that is through the concept of the BIG LIE. Say something that is grossly false, say it over and over again, and have right-wing social media blast it out endless times, until people actually believe it. And then, rather than address the real issues facing the American people, we find ourselves wasting endless amounts of time discussing Trump’s absurdities.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and Allison Hope, Executive Director of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association, joined Senate Democrats for a press conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday with Americans from across the country who are being hurt by Trump Administration policies—from businesses hit by tariffs to veterans who were laid off by Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) to cancer researchers. Allison Hope, Executive Director of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association spoke about how Trump’s Trade War will hurt Vermont’s maple industry: 

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is reopening the Manufactured Home Improvement and Repair Program (MHIR) application portal on March 17 to make available $1,870,000 for park improvements, manufactured home repairs, and foundation installation in registered Vermont mobile home parks. Since MHIR launched in 2023, DHCD has worked alongside partners Vermont State Housing Authority (VSHA) and Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO), to award $7 million for 642 home repair and infill projects in 132 mobile home parks.

Vermont Business Magazine Saint Michael’s College in Colchester will host a talk by Sha’an Mouliert, a longtime community organizer, educator, artist, and racial justice advocate who hosts the “I Am Vermont Too” YouTube series. Mouliert’s talk “What Does it Mean to Be a Vermonter?” will take place at 1:45 p.m. on March 6, 2025, in the College’s Dion Family Student Center. The event is free and open to the public. Mouliert’s remarks will focus on her own personal story as well as her experience with the “I Am Vermont Too” series, which highlights the diversity of identities and experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) across Vermont. The event is being sponsored by the College’s Presidential Committee for the 2025 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation and its Institute for Equity and Justice.  

Vermont Business Magazine Fidium is expanding its all-fiber internet network in the White River Junction-area, including Hartford and Hartland in Vermont, and Lebanon in New Hampshire. More than 7,300 homes and businesses will gain access to Fidium’s symmetrical, multi-gig speed internet service, with fiber internet service plans starting as low as $30 per month. Construction is scheduled to begin as soon as March 10, with start dates varying by location. 

by Governor Phil Scott Over the past few months, my Administration has rolled out a plan to transform and strengthen our public education system. After last year’s double digit increase in property taxes, Vermonters made it clear that we need to make major changes to a system that no longer meets the needs of our students, educators or taxpayers. Our plan is focused on three critical areas. The first is quality. Vermonters spend more money per student on education than nearly every other state. But because of the way our system is designed, we’re not leading the pack in terms of outcomes, in fact we’re moving in the wrong direction. A report released just last month shows that our test scores in key areas are continuing to decline. Which means we’re not getting the best return on our substantial investment.

by Sam Hartnett, Community News Service As Vermont closes in on every home having high-speed internet access, some legislators have wondered if the state needs better consumer protections on the broadband marketplace. Two House bills have been introduced that would bar service providers from deceptive business practices and require them to offer cheap broadband plans, both in the House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure. But lawmakers say they need more time with the proposals — which have faced opposition from the industry and scrutiny from some state offices.

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on February 20, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the following 25 Canadian nationals with participation in a “Grandparent Scam” that defrauded elderly individuals in Vermont and more than 40 other states. According to the Indictment, which was unsealed on March 4, 2025, between the summer of 2021 and June 4, 2024, the defendants engaged in a “Grandparent Scam” involving phone calls made from call centers in and around Montreal, Québec. During these phone calls, defendants falsely claimed to be an elderly victim’s relative, typically a grandchild, who had been arrested following a car crash and needed money for “bail.” Other defendants posed as an “attorney” representing the elderly victim’s relative. The conspiracy defrauded elderly Americans out of more than $21 million. 

Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center Last month, we released our annual impact report. And now we're unveiling a 30th Anniversary edition to further celebrate our three decades in business! Highlights include job creation and retention, increased and retained sales, client investment and our history along with stories and words from manufacturers and others we've had the honor to partner with since 1995.