Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont (UVM) has joined the ranks of the nation’s top-tier research institutions by achieving an R1 Research Activity Designation, a recognition reserved for universities with the highest levels of research activity as designated by the prestigious Carnegie Classification, a program of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching administered by the American Council on Education (ACE). This accomplishment marks a transformative moment for the university and is a result of decades of investment in cutting-edge research and development, faculty excellence, and academic innovation. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth at the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) recently awarded $33,000 in grants to support nine dynamic and innovative youth programs serving Bennington, North Bennington, Pownal, Shaftsbury, and Woodford. The Foundation was pleased to engage community members who live and/or work with youth in these five Bennington-area towns to participate on the review committee. In 2024, the Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth aimed to support spaces, activities, and opportunities for youth to gather, connect, and feel a sense of belonging. 

by Speaker Jill Krowinski Each legislative biennium begins with a range of issues that need to be addressed – some are straightforward, while others are extremely complex. Many are brand new, while others are perennial topics. This session is no different as we take on the work to address the pressing challenges in our state. One challenge has risen above all others: the state of our public education system. Right now, our students do not have equal access to educational opportunities. Rising property taxes are straining families. Schools are navigating the difficulties of declining enrollment. Teachers are balancing the complexities of educating in a post-COVID environment. I’ve been meeting with teachers, students, and administrators across the state listening to their stories of resiliency and creativity, but also of strain and uncertainty. Educators have shared their concerns of resources stretched far too thin, students have expressed their hopes for a more enriching learning experience, and administrators have spoken about the need for long-term solutions to ensure sustainability within their schools. 

By Sam Hartnett, Community News Service Salt can be found just about everywhere outside in the winter — cars, roads, sidewalks — but where does it all go come spring? The answer often is streams, rivers and lakes, something clean water advocates and scientists say is getting worse. Chloride, a chemical that leaches into waterways from road salt, compounds in the environment, particularly in smaller streams and brooks near multiple roadways. Too much chloride can be toxic to aquatic life and corrode pipes and plumbing, among other things. The citizen committee that advises the state on managing Lake Champlain recently told legislators that excess chloride in the watershed could soon require state or federal regulations.

Vermont Business Magazine The State of Vermont is proud to announce the launch of Move Forward Together Vermont, a strategic vision for the state's outdoor recreation economy over the next five years and beyond. This guide to the future of outdoor recreation in Vermont comes after extensive engagement with thousands of Vermont residents, business owners, outdoor recreation planners, funders, and users. Over an 18-month period, focus groups, surveys, and feedback sessions yielded an unprecedentedly robust set of data that shaped the vision and prioritized actions for strengthening Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board is inviting public comment on several proposed changes to state fishing regulations. The proposed changes were introduced to the Fish and Wildlife Board at its January 15, 2025, meeting.  All proposed new language is available on the “active rulemaking” section of the board’s website. Notable proposed changes include: Add panfish bag limits to inland waters of 50 fish in total per day, and no more than 25 of a given species, for bluegill, bullhead, black and white crappie, pumpkinseed, rock bass, white perch and yellow perch (§ 122); Update the list of seasonally closed spawning waters and expand the spring closure window to protect spawning fish (§ 122 and § 124); Require a new Fish Seller’s Endorsement for anglers who want to sell panfish.  Endorsement holders will be required to report their fish sales so that biologists can better understand commercial sale of fish (§ 123); Add black and white crappie to the list of game fish species prohibited for sale and purchase (§ 123).

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont state law requires that ice fishing shanties be removed from the ice before the ice weakens, according the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. The shanty must be removed before the ice becomes unsafe or loses its ability to support the shanty out of the water, or before the last Sunday in March -- the 30th this year -- whichever comes first.  All contents, debris, wood, and supports must also be removed so they do not become a hazard to navigation in the spring.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak announced that Shawn Burke will serve as the interim Chief of the Burlington Police Department, effective March 24, 2025. Burke currently serves as the Chief of Police for the City of South Burlington. Burke’s law enforcement career spans 31 years in Vermont municipal policing, and he has served in both the Burlington and South Burlington Police Departments. He began his career as a uniformed patrol officer with the Woodstock, Vermont PD in 1993, and joined Burlington PD in 1997. Throughout his time with BPD, Burke became a leader in both the Uniformed Services Bureau and the Detective Services Bureau, and he served on the Drug Task Force. Burke retired from BPD in 2018, having attained the rank of Deputy Chief for Operations, to serve as the Chief of Police in South Burlington. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced Commissioner Craig Bolio will be leaving his role leading the Department of Taxes at the end of the week and has named Bill Shouldice as the new commissioner of the Department of Taxes. Bolio joined the Tax Department in 2011 and was appointed commissioner in 2019. During his time at the Department of Taxes, Bolio prioritized improving accessibility and outcomes for Vermonters when interfacing with the Department. Scott has named Bill Shouldice to succeed him. Shouldice most recently served as President and CEO of The Vermont Teddy Bear Company. Prior to that, Shouldice served as the president and CEO of The Vermont Country Store. He also served as secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development under Governor Howard Dean. 

by Noah Diedrich, Community News Service Can Vermont legislators distinguish an AI-generated portrait from a real one? That was the question facing the Senate Government Operations committee last week as members watched pictures from a New York Times quiz designed to test just that. As each face flicked by, the senators took turns guessing whether or not it was made by artificial intelligence. In five attempts, they only managed to get one correct. 

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) Tuesday night took to the Senate floor to speak on his opposition to Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump’s pick to serve as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Senator Welch expressed concerns about Gabbard’s judgment, integrity, and character, and how her lack of independent thought and devotion to President Trump could endanger national security. 

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) today gave remarks on the floor of the Senate regarding how Elon Musk and his fellow oligarchs are waging a war on the working class of America. "M. President, we are living in an extremely dangerous time. Future generations will look back at this moment – what we do right now – and remember whether we had the courage to defend our democracy against the growing threats of oligarchy and authoritarianism. They will remember whether we stood with President Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg who in 1863, looking out at a battlefield where thousands died in the struggle against slavery and stated that; “this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that a government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” Do we stand with Lincoln’s vision of America or do we allow this country to move to a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires and for the billionaires?"