Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Treasurer Pieciak is joining state fiscal officers in recognizing #ABLEtoSave Month this April. The outreach campaign promotes Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts and the life-changing financial benefits they offer to individuals with qualifying disabilities and their families. ABLE accounts allow eligible individuals with disabilities and their families to save and invest for qualified disability-related expenses, including housing, education, transportation, and healthcare—all without jeopardizing eligibility for public benefits like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid. 

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, cosponsored the Senior Hunger Prevention Act, bicameral legislation led by Senate Aging Committee Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) to expand Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—called 3Squares in Vermont—benefits for older Americans. U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) and Andrea Salinas (D-OR-06) introduced companion legislation in the House.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced his appointment of Democrat Kevin Scully of Burlington to fill the vacant Chittenden-18 seat in the House of Representatives. He takes the spot of Bob Hooper who resigned his seat in March, after an internal legislative panel found that he violated the Vermont House’s sexual harassment rules. Scully is a former Burlington police chief.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark and a bipartisan coalition of 33 other attorneys general on Wednesday won their lawsuit against Live Nation after a jury found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated federal and state antitrust laws by eliminating competition and driving up costs for fans, artists, and venues across the country. After a five-week trial, the jury found that the coalition successfully proved that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have unlawfully maintained and abused their monopoly power that prevents other ticketing services, venue owners, and concert promoters from successfully competing. As a result, fans are charged higher prices for tickets. 

Vermont Business Magazine With spring underway and the bulk of construction season ahead, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is reminding those who withdraw surface water to track and report usage. Under Act 135 of 2022, any person withdrawing surface water must file an annual report with DEC each January. The purpose of Act 135 is to collect baseline data on the use of surface waters such as rivers, streams, brooks, creeks, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Anyone who withdraws 10,000 gallons or more of surface water within 24 hours – or 150,000 gallons or more over 30 days – is required to fill out an online form to register and report their withdrawal.

Vermont Business Magazine One of the state’s premier wildlife watching opportunities is taking place in Vermont.  The steelhead rainbow trout have started their upstream migration to leap up waterfalls in a spectacular display of determination on their way to their spawning grounds. Steelhead can be spotted moving up the falls during warmer days in mid-to-late April and sometimes into early May.

Vermont Public Interest Research Group As the Vermont Senate Agriculture Committee considers H.739, legislation that would ban the toxic pesticide paraquat linked to Parkinson’s disease, health and environmental advocates gathered at the State House to call for action on the legislation. Only about 15% of people with Parkinson’s disease have a family history of the condition, meaning most cases are linked to environmental factors — including exposure to paraquat. In recent testimony, Dr. James Boyd, a neurologist with UVM Medical Center, underscored that chronic exposure to paraquat can significantly increase a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

Vermont Business Magazine The Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) has announced that the Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation, Water Quality Division has awarded the RRPC a contract to administer water quality improvement programs in partnership with the 11 Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) across the State of Vermont. Funded through the 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grant Program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this initiative aims to promote water quality planning and improvements statewide. 

Vermont Business Magazine Watching wildlife is enjoyable, especially when young animals appear in the spring.  But it is best to keep your distance.  Picking up young wildlife can do more harm than good, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, and it is also against the law. When people see young animals alone, they often mistakenly assume these animals are helpless or lost, in trouble or needing to be rescued. Bringing young wildlife into a human environment often results in permanent separation from their mothers and a sad ending for the animal. Handling wildlife could also pose a threat to the people involved. Wild animals can transmit disease and angry wildlife mothers can pose significant dangers.

Vermont Business Magazine The Federal Nuclear Waste Policy (FNWP) Committee of the Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel (VT NDCAP) will meet on Monday, April 20, 2026, from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM.  As permitted by ACT 133 of the 2024 Vermont Legislature, this meeting will be conducted solely as a webcast and teleconference.  Members of the public may join the meeting webcast via Zoom.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Fish and Wildlife staff are looking for volunteers to join them for a fun-filled day to get the Green Mountain Conservation Camps at Lake Bomoseen and Buck Lake ready for the 2026 season. The Spring Cleanup will take place on Saturday, May 16, and volunteers can choose to help at either camp location.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) has published a new online dam tracking tool in collaboration with the Dam Task Force, a group of river and fish biologists, anglers, community members, freshwater advocates, conservation organizations, and state and federal regulators who are working to restore and reconnect our rivers to support thriving fish populations, improved recreational access, and a river’s natural capacity to handle flooding. The dam tracking tool, the Vermont Dam Mapper, takes the form of an online information dashboard and associated story maps, is hosted by VNRC and the Dam Task Force’s FreeVTRivers project website.