Current News

Vermont Futures Project Vermont is one of six states (plus D.C.) to have a progressive tax system, based on research by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). The index factors in property tax, income tax, and sales tax. The ITEP Tax Inequality Index measures the effects of each state’s tax system on income inequality by assessing the impact state tax policy has on the post-tax incomes of taxpayers at different income levels.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Natural Resources Council has announced the latest grant recipients for the Small Grants for Smart Growth program. Grantee selections are made by VNRC and a grant selection committee on a rolling basis. The Committee chose the Town of Wilmington Recreation Commission and the Town of Waterbury to be awarded a combined $5,000 in the most recent round of funding. The Small Grants for Smart Growth program was developed by VNRC in 2018 in partnership with Beth Humstone, co-founder of the Vermont Forum on Sprawl and former chair of the VNRC Board of Directors, and her son, Chris Gignoux, to support community-based initiatives seeking seed capital to affect change on a local level.

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine A state judge in Rutland has found probable cause to file five more criminal counts against Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer, including charges of extortion and lewd and lascivious conduct and three counts of soliciting for prostitution. State prosecutor Jared Bianchi of Bennington tried to file 10 more charges this week, but Judge Corsones said he was able to find a legal basis for only five of the new charges. The new charges stem from information developed when two more women came forward to file claims of sexual misconduct against Palmer after he was initially arraigned in late January, according to Vermont State Police.

Vermont Business Magazine Community Bancorp., the parent company of Community National Bank in Derby (Trading Symbol: CMTV. Traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC), has changed the record date for its previously announced quarterly cash dividend payable on May 1, 2026, from April 15, 2026, to the new record date of April 26, 2026. The dividend amount and payable date have not changed. Accordingly, Community Bancorp will pay a cash dividend of $0.25 per share on May 1, 2026, to shareholders of record on April 26, 2026. 

Vermont Business Magazine Beginning on Thursday, April 16, the Fletcher Free Library (FFL) will display a recently rediscovered 430+ year-old manuscript at the Main Library. This rare, beautiful, handprinted religious text, was purchased by the library in 1882 for $2.50. Originally published in 1494, Tractatus Exponibilium (Expository treatise) by Pierre D’Ailly was a religious treatise explaining aspects of the Catholic Church and their origins. Due to being written in old biblical Latin, not much is known about the contents of this treatise, however, it is known to be part of a broader tradition of medieval logic and analytical methods, contributing to the “doctrine of exponibilia,” which was widely discussed in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on April 15, 2026, Samantha Danforth, 36, of Pownal, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 46 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Danforth previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Base and Fentanyl. Danforth conspired with William McLaughlin to distribute cocaine base and fentanyl in and around Bennington. As part of the conspiracy, Danforth sold drugs for McLaughlin, acted as his driver, accompanied him to obtain drugs from New York, assisted in cooking crack and packaging drugs for sale, possessed firearms, and at times supported McLaughlin’s violence and acted as his enforcer.

Vermont Business Magazine KeyBank has named Leonid (Len) Batsevitsky commercial leader for the Boston and Vermont Markets, as well as president of KeyBank’s Boston Market. In his new role, Batsevitsky will drive collaboration and coordination of KeyBank activities and resources in the market, serve as the face and voice of KeyBank in the Greater Boston community, and oversee middle market business development, team building and client relationships. Prior to joining KeyBank, Batsevitsky spent nearly a decade at TD Bank, where he served as a senior relationship manager in the Middle Market group. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House Democrats are calling on Governor Phil Scott to explain his ongoing pattern of delaying the appointment of Democratic legislators and ignoring the good-faith recommendations by a local appointment committee. The local committee tasked, by law, with recommending names to the Governor following House district Chittenden-18’s vacancy delivered three qualified, active members of the Chittenden-18 district.

Vermont Business Magazine A national real estate data firm is reporting that Vermont has the second lowest foreclosure rate in the nation (1:6781 properties), behind only South Dakota (1:7107). The two states also had the fewest number of total foreclosures (Vermont 50; South Dakota 57). ATTOM, the leading provider of property data, AI-powered analytics, and real estate intelligence solutions, today released its Q1 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows a total of 118,727 U.S. properties with a foreclosure filing during the first quarter of 2026, up 6 percent from the previous quarter and up 26 percent from a year ago.

Vermont State Police Following the announcement of the filing of charges against Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer, additional women have come forward and reported being victims of sexual misconduct by Palmer. As a result of this continuing investigation by the Vermont State Police, detectives submitted a new affidavit in support of additional charges against Palmer including solicitation of prostitution and lewd and lascivious conduct. The charges allege Palmer paid a woman on multiple occasions to participate in sex acts, and that he sent unsolicited sexual material to another woman. VSP detectives submitted the new affidavit to the Bennington County State’s Attorney’s Office, which is handling the prosecution of this case.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $4.08 per gallon, down 4 cents/g from last week, up 47 cents from last month and up 99 cents/g from last year at this time. The lowest price in the state this week was $3.79/g while the highest was $4.29/g, a difference of 50.0 cents per gallon. Prices are lowest in Windham ($4.02/g) and Bennington ($4.00/g) counties and highest in Washington ($4.11/g), Chittenden ($4.10/g) and Grand Isle ($4.10/g), according to AAA. The national average price of gasoline is down 7 cents/g in the last week, averaging $4.09/g today. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation (VDHP) has announced a series of facilitated community conversations focused on the future of the Bennington Battle Monument. These meetings provide a vital opportunity for the public to learn about the landmark tower’s condition, and for stakeholders to gather critical feedback about how to best improve, operate and maintain it. The first meeting is April 29 in Bennington.