Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Following the filing of Attorney General Charity Clark’s lawsuit earlier Monday, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the National Institutes of Health (NIH), barring its attempt to unilaterally cut billions in funding for biomedical and public health research. The TRO comes less than six hours after Attorney General Clark and a coalition of 21 other attorneys general sued the Trump Administration for violating laws that preserve NIH grants for medical research against arbitrary and unilateral cuts of the type attempted by the Trump Administration. The TRO stops the NIH from taking any steps to implement or enforce their attempted across-the-board reduction in research grants within the Plaintiff states until a further order is made by the Court.  

Vermont Business Magazine In the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, things look different this year – specifically, fewer newborns and infants admitted in need of critical respiratory care after catching one of the season’s most aggressive respiratory viruses: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). But this year, RSV-related hospital admissions for these youngest patients are down significantly, said Dr. Bell – and the reason is clear: A new monoclonal antibody prevention medication approved in July 2023 by the Food and Drug Administration. The medication, called nirsevimab, is given via injection to infants under eight months old and uses lab-made antibodies to block RSV from infecting cells. Unlike a vaccine, the immunization provides a ready-made supply of antibody protection to babies without triggering an immune system response. Protection against severe RSV infection begins immediately.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations increased mildly after spiking a few weeks ago to their highest levels since early November. There were 5 fatalities since the previous week's report, which reported 4 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 have also eased. Outbreaks at long-term care facilities and schools decreased. The pandemic death total stands at 1,252 as of February 1, 2025 (the most recent data available). The 5 reported deaths last week were all of people over 69. This cohort also reported the most cases and had by far the most per capita. The youngest cohort, 0-9, also had relatively high reports of cases.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont’s Professional and Continuing Education division (PACE) is launching a new Hospitality Management Professional Certificate to immediately address workforce challenges in Vermont’s hospitality sector and support the state’s need for a skilled, career-oriented tourism and lodging workforce. This customizable six-course certificate offers a pathway to career transformation for those interested in pursuing an extended career in hospitality and will focus on sustainable operations, marketing and sales, food and beverage, facilities, revenue management, human resources, and more.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Amber Mason, 33, of Bennington, Vermont, was arraigned yesterday on one felony count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child, one felony count of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials, and one felony count of Promoting a Recording of Sexual Conduct. The charges brought against Ms. Mason are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of search warrants, conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations and the Bennington Police Department.

Vermont Business Magazine Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth today issued the following statement: “Vermonters have made clear that they want transformation in the educational system, changes that will address property tax rates and education spending while improving the quality of education for Vermont’s kids. What Vermonters did not demand was an expansion of school choice in our state. Put simply, insisting on recasting choice in Vermont has the potential to sink education transformation efforts. Allowing that to happen would be an unforced error, and would set our reform efforts back substantially."

by Sue Ceglowski, VSBA The Vermont School Boards Association strongly opposes Governor Scott’s proposal to radically change education governance in Vermont. Rather than “supporting an ecosystem built on strong public schools,” as portrayed by Education Secretary Zoie Saunders, Governor Scott’s education governance proposal is a playbook to expanding school vouchers and defunding our public schools. The Governor’s plan calls for the State to pay funding directly to private schools for students in grades 9-12 statewide via a lottery. This use of vouchers will allow public funds to be used for private schooling across Vermont. Multiplying the number of students eligible for vouchers will not rein in costs. In other states that have enacted such programs, education costs have skyrocketed, causing budget deficits and cuts to critical state programs like water infrastructure and highway repairs.

by Charlotte Oliver, Community News Service Facing record caseloads and short staffing, the Vermont Human Rights Commission has turned away dozens of Vermonters attempting to file complaints of discrimination in recent years. The cases it does accept have taken about six times longer than the state standard. Hartman and others from the commission have talked about their concerns with legislators in recent weeks, and the House Committee on General and Housing is weighing a bill, H.38, that would give the commission more staff. But a similar bill last year never made it to the House floor. Supporters of the new proposal believe the commission’s work will only grow more important in the future, and staff at the commission want to take on the cases. 

Vermont Business Magazine Hazel Winter, 82, lives for her dog, Gracie. But as she aged, she found most other daily activities increasingly difficult. Plagued by fibromyalgia – a disorder characterized by pain, fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues – she found herself frequently in pain and experiencing debilitating shortness of breath. “I put it down to me being a former smoker and old age,” says Winter, who lives in Williston, Vermont. “But in hindsight, I just wasn’t listening to my body.” A minor stroke sent her to the Emergency Department at University of Vermont Medical Center, where clinicians discovered a problem with her heart. An echocardiogram revealed tricuspid valve regurgitation, a condition where the valve allows blood to leak backward into the heart. The condition causes fatigue, swelling in the legs, shortness of breath, irregular heart rhythms and, in severe cases, heart failure. Older patients like Winter are at particular risk.

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) have introduced the bipartisan Rural Hospital Support Act to prevent rural hospital closures by extending and modernizing critical Medicare programs. Specifically, the Rural Hospital Support Act would: Permanently extend the Medicare-Dependent Hospital (MDH) program to ensure eligible rural hospitals are reimbursed for their costs; Permanently extend the Low-Volume Hospital (LVH) program to level the playing field for rural hospitals whose operating costs often outpace their revenue; Update the rebasing year for Sole Community Hospitals (SCH) and MDHs to allow hospitals to tie reimbursement estimates to more recent trends in costs. 

Vermont Business Magazine A longtime Emergency Department (ED) physician and clinical leader at University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center has been honored for what colleagues and addiction treatment professionals throughout the region call his paradigm-shifting contributions to substance use treatment, recovery and support. Javad Mashkuri, MD, an emergency medicine physician and former medical director of the ED at UVM Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center, recently received the 2024 Davida Coady Gorham Medical Professional of the Year Award from NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC). The award, which was last conferred in 2021, recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the addiction profession.

Vermont Business Magazine The American Red Cross urges donors to give blood or platelets in February to help build up the blood supply after thousands of donations went uncollected last month. People of all blood types – especially those with type O negative blood – are encouraged to make and keep their donation appointments so hospitals can continue to ensure critical care for patients this winter. Since the beginning of the year, hundreds of blood drives have been canceled and more than 15,000 blood and platelet donations have gone uncollected due to severe winter weather and wildfires. As February continues, so does the potential for additional weather systems to disrupt blood drives. Flu and other seasonal illnesses are spreading, which could also force more people to cancel scheduled donation appointments, compounding the impact to collecting lifesaving blood products.