Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The American Civil Liberties Union today published an open letter to colleges and universities nationwide urging them to reject any federal pressure to surveil or punish international students and faculty based on constitutionally protected speech. This letter is prompted by two executive orders — Executive Order 14161, titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and other National Security and Public Safety Threats” signed on Jan. 20, 2025, and Executive Order 14188, titled “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism,” signed on Jan. 29, 2025 — and related communications from the White House. The guidance is especially timely after a Truth Social post from President Trump threatening to stop federal funding for “any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” and proposing that “agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came.”

by Hannah Fischer, UVM Every day, the United States’ extensive water supply system faces pressure to deliver safe water. Now, University of Vermont (UVM) scientists have invented a new tool using AI to help communities better predict threats to their supply. New research published today by Vermont scientists shows how an already-existing computer system—the federal government’s National Water Model—can be modified, with AI and real-time data from sensors, to go beyond simply forecasting stream flow—to predicting water quality too. To test the tool in real-world conditions, the researchers focused on New York City’s water supply, an ideal testing ground due to the city's extensive network of sensors that monitor water flow and sediment—and the episodic nature of the problem that the NYC water supply faces. 

Vermont Business Magazine Erin Pond, commercial banking officer at Community Bank, was named the 2025 recipient of the Vermont Bankers Association Woman of the Year award at the organization’s annual Women in Leadership conference on March 5. The award recognizes an individual who excels in their profession while going above and beyond in supporting or lifting other women to their full potential through a commitment to mentorship, peer-to-peer exchange, volunteerism or other means of championing women to help them succeed. Pond has dedicated more than 20 years to mentoring women in the banking industry and continues to set new benchmarks for volunteerism at the bank.

Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation Attention non-profits, for-profits, and Chittenden County municipalities! Do you have a project that will support economic growth? The RPP list expresses the highest priority projects for each region that will support job growth and economic development. Projects will be ranked on their readiness, ability to create jobs, and overall community and economic impact. The RPP list will be submitted to the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, which will share it with other state and federal funders who will consider the list when making funding decisions. 

Northeastern Vermont Development Association MERP Implementation Grant funds are rolling out and project development has begun in our region. Please join NVDA for the quarterly NEK Energy Network Meeting March 6 - all energy committees, community organizations and energy partners are welcome! Share best practices, lessons learned and success stories. Hear about the latest energy incentives, rebates and programs available to benefit your community.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department will join partners from the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative—a working group of fisheries professionals from Vermont as well as the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service— to host a State of the Lake Fisheries meeting on Saturday, March 15. The public meeting is open to anglers and anyone interested in Lake Champlain’s fisheries.  It will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Robert Miller Community & Recreation Center at 130 Gosse Court, in Burlington Vermont.  Registration is not required.  

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.