Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) today announced the death of Shawn Gibney, an incarcerated individual receiving palliative care at the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) in Burlington, Vermont. Shawn Gibney, 63, of Colchester, Vermont, had been consecutively incarcerated at Southern State Correctional Facility since April 2020. On February 8, Mr. Gibney was hospitalized at Springfield Hospital. He was subsequently transferred to UVMMC on February 10 and transitioned to hospice care on February 13. He was declared deceased on February 19 at UVMMC. 

Vermont Business Magazine High school students who are pondering their next steps for college, training, or career—and their parents and family members who are wondering how best to support them—are invited to attend VSAC’s free 2025 College and Career Pathways events, taking place over the next seven weeks at various locations around the state. The events include four school-day field trip programs during March and April for students in grades 9 through 11 held at various college locations across the state, and a public event on Saturday, March 8, for students and their families. The weekday events are coordinated with students’ high schools and will take place at Landmark College in Putney, Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, VTSU-Lyndon in Lyndonville, and VTSU-Castleton in Castleton. Over 2,000 students from 53 high schools across Vermont are already registered to attend.

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today delivered an opening statement at the committee’s hearing on the nomination of Lori Chavez-DeRemer to serve as Secretary of Labor. Sanders’ remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below and can be watched here. Let me begin by thanking the Biden administration for being the most pro-worker administration in modern history of this country. The mission of the Department of Labor is to "foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage-earners, job-seekers and retirees of the United States, improve working conditions, advance opportunities for profitable employment and assure work-related benefits and rights." That is the mission of the Department of Labor, and it's a mission that is more important now, in my view, that it has ever been.

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management services company, has been named to Forbes “America’s Best Midsize Employers” list for 2025. Casella was the only company in the waste, recycling, and resource management services industry—and the only company headquartered in Vermont—to be recognized among the nearly 500 organizations.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) led ten of their colleagues from disaster-impacted states in demanding answers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on the potential security breach created by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has reportedly accessed the sensitive personal data of disaster victims. The Senators also requested more information on the procedures FEMA follows to protect data from misuse, and if DOGE's unaccountable agents were in compliance with federal law. Senators Welch and Padilla were joined by U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The US Bankruptcy Court is in process of converting the iSun Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing from last June into a Chapter 7 liquidation. iSun was the parent company of the solar installation company SunCommon in Waterbury. Following the iSun bankruptcy filing, SunCommon was subsequently acquired by Siltstone Capital, a private equity firm from Texas and folded into a renewable energy company called Clean Royalties, which continues to operate SunCommon. It also has an office in upstate New York. Mike McCarthy, Director of Sales for SunCommon, said the Chapter 7 filing by its former owner does not include SunCommon. He said that SunCommon was mentioned in the recent Chapter 7 filing because it was one of the legacy DBAs under iSun. "The current business is alive and well, employing dozens of Vermonters and doing great work installing solar, and energy storage across the state," McCarthy said.

Vermont State Police The victims in the case have been identified as Lynn Gilman age 59 and Burton Richardson age 63, both from Rochester, VT.  The vehicle was located on the shoulder of VT Route 14, in the town of Brookfield, just north of the intersection of Brown Drive. Ms. Gilman was located in the driver’s seat and Mr. Richardson was located in the front passenger seat. No additional information is available at this time.

Vermont Business Magazine Northfield Savings Bank Chair of the Board of Trustees, John W. Lyon, announces today that Thomas S. Leavitt, President and CEO of the Bank, will be retiring in early autumn 2025. Leavitt has served as NSB’s 14th president since October 1, 2014. He previously served as president and CEO of MountainOne Financial in Massachusetts, had long tenure on the leadership team of Merchants Bank in Vermont, and worked nationally in the industrial distribution and safety equipment sectors. He grew up in Burlington, Vermont and earned degrees from University of New Hampshire and University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America, today announced details around the replacement of the Superstar chairlift and its spring skiing and riding operating plans for 2025. The Superstar Express Quad will close to the public on Sunday, April 13th to begin construction of its replacement, a new 6-passenger high-speed lift for guests’ enjoyment. Before bidding farewell, Killington will celebrate the lifts 38 years of service with a special sendoff party in true Killington fashion. Because of the new Superstar lift replacement this summer into early winter, the Audi FIS Ski World Cup will take place at Copper Mountain, Colorado over Thanksgiving weekend 2025. The race is expected to return to Killington Thanksgiving Weekend 2026. 

Vermont Business Magazine A growing partnership between University of Vermont Medical Center and the Vermont Professionals of Color Network (VT PoC) aims to help people of color adjust to life in Vermont and build the personal and professional relationships community leaders say are crucial to both individual wellbeing and keeping residency students in the state after they complete their clinical training.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northern Borders Regional Commission has announced funding for Salvation Farms, a Vermont-based nonprofit, to establish a food processing hub in collaboration with the Lamoille Economic Development Corporation. Located at 48 Congress Street in Morrisville (the former Walgreens), this facility will support local farmers by aggregating and processing surplus fruits and vegetables—perfectly edible food that might otherwise go to waste due to market limitations. The new hub will create additional revenue opportunities for farmers while making locally grown food more affordable for institutions such as Meals on Wheels programs, schools, and correctional facilities.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 cases is down, hospitalizations are unchanged and fatalities increased slightly, but are still lower than this time last year. There were 6 fatalities since the previous week's report, which reported 5 deaths. Hospitalizations held at just over 10 after being at their highest levels since October. Wastewater testing continues to show higher levels than in the fall, especially in Montpelier, but also at most test sites. There was only 1 reported outbreak. The number of reported COVID cases decreased for the second week, from 189 to 162; they were at 67 in early December.