Current News

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.

Vermont Business Magazine Southern State Correctional Facility’s (SSCF) debate team, comprised of six men incarcerated at the facility, defeated Wake Forest University last Thursday in a competition facilitated by the National Prison Debate League (NPDL). The debate focused on the Norwegian Model of Corrections, which emphasizes rehabilitation and personal agency. To prepare, both teams consulted with experts on correctional policy, rehabilitation, and criminal justice reform. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Kristen Connolly, 56, of Jeffersonville, Vermont, was sentenced yesterday in Vermont Superior Court, Lamoille Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to misdemeanor Abuse of a Vulnerable Adult, Driving Under the Influence, and Leaving the Scene of a Crash, and felony Medicaid Fraud. Connolly was an independent mental health and substance abuse counselor and Medicaid provider in St. Albans, Vermont. Ms. Connolly failed to keep the records required by law for therapy services she claimed to have provided to clients, and billed Medicaid for numerous sessions where she did not provide patients with services from 2019 to 2021. In addition to committing Medicaid Fraud, in May of 2022, Connolly struck a telephone pole while driving in Cambridge, Vermont. Ms. Connolly left the scene of the crash, and when officers stopped her a short time later, they observed her to be heavily intoxicated. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont public school students holding hand-made signs declaring their support for public schools joined teachers, community-members, and advocates at the State House on Tuesday to remind the governor and legislature that Vermonters want good public schools and fair taxes. After hearing from parents, teachers, students, administrators, and community members, the students headed outside for a Keep the Public in Public Education sledding party.