Current News

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. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Regional Food Business Center, which covers Vermont, has launched of the first round of Business Builder sub-awards, designed to strengthen local and regional food systems by providing direct funding to small- and mid-sized farm and food businesses. Ten million dollars will be made available in this round, with awards ranging from $15,000 to $100,000 to support businesses in scaling their operations, expanding markets and connecting various segments of the regional food supply chain.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark wants to hear young Vermonters’ thoughts on the environment. For the fifth year in a row, the Attorney General’s Office is holding an Earth Day Essay Challenge for Vermont students to submit essays, and this year, the Office is expanding the challenge to include fourth graders. The Earth Day Essay Challenge is open to any fourth, fifth, or sixth-grade student in Vermont, including home-schooled students. The challenge will run from now until April 16, 2025. Students can submit other types of writing instead of an essay if they would like—for example, a story, poem, or biographical piece about someone.

Vermont Business Magazine In a momentous announcement kicking off its 75th anniversary, the iconic Trapp Family Lodge proudly unveils its new name and brand identity as the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort. This thoughtful refresh reflects a harmonious blend of honoring the family’s rich legacy while embracing an exciting future of growth. Originally famous as the Trapp Family Singers, the family’s hotel name was derived from their popular musical touring name, which is why the ‘von’ was not present. With a renewed focus on the family legacy, the von has been adapted back into the name. And, since the lodge itself has transformed so much over the years into being a true resort destination, “Lodge & Resort” feels more appropriate for the experience that we provide to our guests. 

Vermont Business Magazine Sally Borden, former KidSafe Collaborative Executive Director, along with current Executive Director Meghan Masterson have announced that the KidSafe Sally Borden Fund has raised over $106,000 for the Burlington based non-profit, whose mission is working collaboratively to keep children safe from abuse and neglect. Borden, who stepped down after 26 years at the helm of KidSafe Collaborative, launched the fund in partnership with founding donors Jay and Susan Fayette. Together they recognized that to keep KidSafe Collaborative strong they needed to make sure the organization could support “the heart” of KidSafe -- its talented and compassionate staff who carry out the organization’s mission every day. 

Vermont Business Magazine This afternoon, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) at its annual conference in Washington, D.C. passed an action item supporting the continued funding for four national Dairy Business Innovation Centers, including in the Northeast region.  The action item encourages Congress to retain the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative as a program in the forthcoming Farm Bill, with base funding of $36 million annually to be distributed among the four existing centers (University of Tennessee, University of Wisconsin, California State University - Fresno, and Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets). 

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) this week joined Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in introducing the Postal Processing Protection Act, bipartisan legislation that would require the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to protect timely mail delivery by mandating a robust review of the consequences of downsizing or closing facilities. The Senators’ bill would ensure that efficient service is not interrupted by the closure or downsizing of a mail processing center, especially as outgoing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s “Delivering for America” plan continues to dismantle the postal service, and as President Trump threatens to put USPS under the control of the executive branch. USPS has operated as an independent entity since 1970. 

Vermont Business Magazine Tuesday night, Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vermont) voted no on the Republican Budget. The bill passed 217-215 with all Democrats voting no. The House Republican budget provides $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the rich but does nothing to lower costs for American families. It increases the deficit while inflicting pain on the most vulnerable, while raising the debt limit by $4 trillion. This budget slashes at least $230 billion from food assistance programs at a time when grocery prices remain high. It cuts at least $880 billion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), threatening coverage for nearly 20 million Americans who rely on the ACA and more than 72 million people who depend on Medicaid—including children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. 157,471 Vermonters enrolled in Medicaid and Chips in 2024, putting nearly a quarter of the state at risk of losing their health care. 

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) on Tuesday night took to the Senate floor to speak on President Trump and Elon Musk’s unconstitutional actions to dismantle federal institutions and called on Congress to protect federal agencies, programs, services, and employees that play an indispensable role in the lives of working Americans. In his remarks, Senator Welch highlighted how the so-called ‘Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) actions to dismantle the federal government have cost jobs and undercut federal programs in Vermont, including at Vermont’s Small Business Administration, for Vermont organizations that receive funding from USAID, and at the USDA office that helps towns recover from natural disasters like Vermont’s floods. 

Vermont Business Magazine Employees of Vermont Federal Credit Union came together to raise an impressive $8,234 in support of the Vermont Special Olympics Penguin Plunge. The Penguin Plunge is a popular and spirited event that draws individuals from all walks of life to brave the icy waters of Lake Champlain. On Saturday, February 2nd, fifteen brave employees from Vermont Federal Credit Union gathered at the edge of Lake Champlain, ready to take on the exhilarating Penguin Plunge.