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Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Teresa Youngblut, 21, and who is believed to be from Washington state, has been charged by criminal complaint with one count of using a deadly weapon while assaulting a United States Border Patrol agent, and one count of using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to that assault. Her initial court appearance has not yet been scheduled. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine An affidavit filed by FBI Special Agent Leah Bogdanowicz on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, in US District Court in Burlington was unsealed today. It describes the events that led to the shooting of a US Border Patrol agent. It also charges Teresa Youngblut, 21, with using a deadline weapon in a case that ultimately led to the deaths of Agent David Maland and the passenger in her vehicle, Felix Baukholt. The shooting occurred Monday on I-91 southbound in Coventry. Baukholt is a German citizen and the court document indicates that law enforcement may have believed he had been traveling with an expired visa. The FBI subsequently said his visa was current. At this point, Youngblut has not been charged with shooting Maland. A Washington state driver’s license in her name was found at the scene.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine State Auditor Doug Hoffer released an audit report today on Medicaid fraud investigations conducted by the Vermont Department of Health Access. The auditor found that there were programmatic and bureaucratic issues that resulted in fraud cases not being fully addressed, funds that were not recovered, the complexity of the pandemic-era payments in 2021 were not sorted out and there was not sufficient oversight of the $300 million annual payments to OneCare. The state spent more than $2 billion in fiscal year 2024 on Vermont Medicaid and Medicaid-related activities, providing vital healthcare support to almost 197,000 individual Vermonters. Because of its size, scope, and complexity, Medicaid is vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont legislators are calling for support on a bill that seeks to exempt Social Security benefits from state income tax, a move aimed at easing financial burdens for retirees while aligning Vermont with most other states. This proposed legislation, H.74, has over 60 co-sponsors from across all parties and from all corners of our state. Currently, Vermont is one of only nine states that still tax Social Security benefits. With neighboring states and others across the country phasing out these taxes, this bill proposes a gradual approach to eliminating Vermont's tax on Social Security income over an eight-year period. Social Security payments inject more than $2.6 billion into the state’s economy every year, with $2 billion paid annually to those receiving retirement benefits and their eligible family members. Lost revenue is projected to be $5.4 million in the first year and eventually rising to $56 million after eight years, in current dollars. This legislation aims to ensure Vermont remains competitive in retaining and attracting retirees.

by Secretary Lindsay Kurrle at the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development This is a pivotal moment in the history of Vermont that will determine our future. It’s imperative we all realize that housing is the foundation of how we will meet this moment to create the momentum that will reverse our demographic decline.  Housing will bring more working age people here and help fill our schools with kids. More housing will improve public safety outcomes. Housing will give those most vulnerable Vermonters a chance to access and achieve stable rental or homeownership options. Turning the tide on housing will grow municipal grand lists, increase the tax base, and ease the property tax obligation we all share by spreading it out over more properties. As Governor Scott repeatedly says, we need more taxpayers, not more taxes.

SBA Vermont District Office Whether you are new to business ownership, or a seasoned entrepreneur, a mentor can help you navigate the challenges of starting or managing a business. Most entrepreneurs agree that every business owner could use a mentor. In fact, according to a Sage survey, 93% of small and medium sized businesses see the value of business mentors. And yet, in the same survey, only 28% of those businesses report using mentoring services. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today a coalition of Vermont state legislators and healthcare workers, in partnership with the office of Senator Bernie Sanders, unveiled a bill that would task the Green Mountain Care Board with moving healthcare resources to the front lines of patient care amidst a deepening healthcare crisis. The bill, which will be introduced on Friday in the Senate, would cap hospital executive and clinical leadership compensation to no more than 10 times that of the lowest-paid patient-facing staff. It would also require that the ratio of hospital administrative to clinical expenses is in-line with national averages. According to the most recent publicly available data, there were 113 Vermont hospital executives and clinical leaders making over $312,000 in total annual compensation – approximately 10 times the annual salary of a starting-wage LNA at a Vermont hospital.  

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark, along with the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, and Rhode Island, today issued a joint statement addressing a memorandum from a Trump political appointee at the U.S. Department of Justice addressing state and local involvement in federal immigration enforcement: “It is well-established—through longstanding Supreme Court precedent—that the U.S. Constitution prevents the federal government from commandeering states to enforce federal laws."

The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of William J. Barrett, 63, of Brattleboro, Vermont, who was found unresponsive in his cell by Department of Corrections staff at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. DOC staff called for emergency medical services to respond to the facility while attempting life-saving measures. Barrett was pronounced deceased at the facility at about 9:05 a.m. The death does not appear to be suspicious and is suspected to be the result of a medical event.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.14/g, up 2 cents per gallon from last week's $3.09/g, 4 cents higher from last month and 5 cents lower than last year, according to AAA. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.85/g while the highest was $3.35/g, a difference of 50.0 cents per gallon. The lowest prices in the state are in Bennington ($3.05) and Rutland ($3.04) counties. The highest are in Essex ($3.38), Franklin ($3.22) and Lamoille ($3.22). The national average price of gasoline has risen 3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.13/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today announced that a bipartisan coalition of states and other parties have reached a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with members of the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma, Inc. for their instrumental role in creating the opioid crisis. Purdue, under the Sacklers’ leadership, invented, manufactured, and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, fueling waves of addiction and overdose deaths across the country. The settlement ends the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and ability to sell opioids in the United States and will deliver funding directly to communities across the country over the next 15 years to support opioid addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery programs. Vermont will receive its payment of over $22 million immediately rather than being paid over 18 years as was the case in the previous settlement.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University was originally founded as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy, and has stayed true to its roots of providing a strong STEM education. Thanks to the generous $2 million continuing grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Norwich will help to remove the financial barriers often limiting academic opportunities for highly qualified undergraduates interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Dr. Darlene Olsen, a Charles A. Dana Professor of Mathematics and Norwich coordinator for the Vermont Biomedical Research Network, secured this second NSF grant aimed at recruiting and retaining low-incoming, high-achieving undergraduates. The project team includes Drs. Sarah Gallant (Chemistry), Allison Neal (Biology), and Tara Kulkarni (Associate Provost of Academic Research) from Norwich University and Dr. Liz Johnson, the external reviewer.