Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims increased for the week ending February 22, 2025, and climbed over 400 as activity holds at seasonal levels. New claims were 415, up 88 claims from the week before and are 3 fewer from last year. The stability of the last few weeks should last until the end of the ski season. Claims, which tend to be lowest in the summer, were 181 at the end of September 2024. This does not yet take into account, if there will be an effect, the dismissal of federal workers by DOGE.

Public Assets Institute If you’re following the national news, you’ve probably heard that Congress is in the midst of the budget reconciliation process. What is reconciliation, and how will it impact Vermonters? Reconciliation is a budgetary process Congress can use to fast-track changes to federal spending and revenues. For lawmakers in the majority, it is popular and effective because it requires only a simple majority in the Senate—51 votes—rather than the 60 typically needed to advance legislation. Vermont should bolster state-level programs that help the most vulnerable Vermonters meet their basic needs. Targeted investments will be crucial to offset expected federal cuts to food security, healthcare access, and other necessities. For instance, over a third of the 140,000 Vermonters currently enrolled in Medicaid are at risk of losing some or all of their benefits. 

Vermont Business Magazine The House Democratic Caucus held a press conference Wednesday to update Vermonters on our commitment to making sure students have the resources they need to be successful, and that we have a sustainable and affordable funding formula to pay for our public education system. While the Governor’s plan outlines significant structural changes—moving to five districts, a base funding amount of $13,200 per pupil, and a two-year transition—many critical questions remain. Committees are seeking clarity on funding for school construction and deferred maintenance, the impact on special education, inclusion of Career and Technical Education (CTEs), Pre-K alignment across districts, and how employee pay will be handled. 

Vermont Business Magazine Public education advocates gathered at the Statehouse Thursday to demand greater accountability and transparency in how taxpayer dollars are used in Vermont’s education system. The event was organized by Friends of Vermont Public Education (FVPE), a newly formed nonprofit committed to protecting and strengthening Vermont’s public schools. Speakers raised concerns over the current system, which allows taxpayer money to flow to private schools without oversight or accountability. They warned that Governor Scott’s proposed statewide voucher program would only make a bad situation worse.

Vermont Business Magazine Kinney Drugs, with pharmacies across Vermont, has opened both walk-ins and appointments for a second dose of seasonal COVID-19 vaccine for eligible individuals. In October, the CDC recommended that individuals aged 65 and older and those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised receive a second dose of seasonal COVID-19 vaccine two to six months after their last dose. Patients in one or both groups who were vaccinated against COVID in the fall may now be due for a second dose. Kinney Drugs gladly accepts walk-ins; however, appointments are encouraged to ensure the promptest service. The COVID-19 vaccine can be co-administered with all other approved vaccines.

Vermont Business Magazine The Board of Managers of the Vermont Bar Association has adopted the following statement: The Vermont Bar Association (VBA) honors its mission: "[To] promote the highest standards of skill, ethics and professionalism within an inclusive legal profession; foster understanding and respect for the rule of law; support equal access to a fair and effective system of justice; and provide valuable resources to its members." The VBA stands in support of the rule of law, an impartial and independent judiciary, and the separation of powers amongst the co-equal branches of government. Our nation was built on these principles, and our commitment to these democratic ideals remains steadfast.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and members of his cabinet will be in Lamoille County on Friday, February 28 for its Capital for a Day 14-county tour. Governor Scott first launched this initiative in June 2018, and he and his cabinet visited all 14 counties over the following 10 months. Capital for a Day gives local constituents, municipal government leaders and other partners the opportunity to connect directly with state leadership and staff.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.15 per gallon, unchanged from last week, up 1 cent/g from last month and down 10 cents/g from last year. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.85/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 44.0 cents per gallon. Overall, the lowest average prices remain in Rutland ($3.03/g) and Windsor ($3.07/g) counties, with the highest in Grand Isle, Franklin and Lamoille, all at $3.22. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.12/g today. The national average is unchanged from a month ago and stands 15 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

by Doug Hoffer, Vermont State Auditor Vermont’s Medicaid program cost more than $2 billion last year, providing coverage to nearly 197,000 individuals who were served by thousands of Vermont providers, including hospitals, nursing homes, general practitioners, and specialists. Because of the scale and importance of the program, we decided to conduct two audits of the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA), the state department that manages Vermont’s Medicaid program. The first audit related to DVHA’s Special Investigative Unit (SIU), which is responsible for trying to prevent Medicaid fraud, waste, and abuse. The second audit assessed the performance of the Blueprint for Health, a DVHA program that since 2006 has attempted to improve health outcomes and lower health care costs by working with primary care practices.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont's congressional delegation, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Peter Welch and Congresswoman Becca Balint spoke to over 34,000 Vermonters during a telephone town hall Wednesday evening that lasted for almost an hour and a half. The delegation took questions from constituents and addressed Vermonters’ concerns about the current state of the country, the rising costs of health care and prescription drugs, and America’s commitment to diplomacy and foreign assistance, among other topics.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board is inviting public comment on proposed changes to Vermont’s white-tailed deer, moose and turkey hunting regulations, as well as the rules for transporting wild game meat from out of state. The proposed deer hunting changes, recommended by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s biologists, are the most extensive of the four.  They come five years after state biologists last updated Vermont’s deer regulations.  Deer is Vermont’s most popular game species with about 60,000 resident hunters and 7,500 out-of-state hunters heading into the white-tail woods each fall, and just over a fifth successfully harvesting deer.

Vermont Business Magazine Saint Michael’s College Biology Professor Declan McCabe will host a family-friendly workshop on how to place and use trail cameras for wildlife photography. McCabe, who employs trail cameras for research and learning in the College’s Natural Area, will have a number of examples of photographs he has captured locally to help inform the discussion. Students and faculty, including McCabe, use trail cameras in the Natural Area to document mammal communities, study microhabitat usage, and gain insight into human impacts on mammal distributions in the area. The Natural Area spans more than 365 acres surrounding the academic campus.