Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Middlebury College announced today that it has appointed Dr. Ian Baucom, PhD, as its 18th president. Baucom, currently executive vice president and provost of the University of Virginia and the Robert C. Taylor Professor of English, is a widely regarded leader in higher education who has long championed the role of colleges and universities as civic institutions. He has empowered teaching, research, and learning to engage the urgent challenges of our time by building partnerships across a broad spectrum of disciplines: neuroscience and biotech, the humanities, environmental resilience, global Black studies, the visual and performing arts, digital technology, and artificial intelligence. As a scholar, teacher, mentor, administrator, and colleague whose work has influenced individuals and organizations here and around the world, he has been a steadfast advocate for the work of education in changing lives and advancing the promise of democracy.

Vermont State Police The FBI Albany Field Office continues to investigate an alleged assault on a federal officer in connection with the fatal shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol Agent Monday afternoon on Interstate 91 in Coventry, Vermont. At approximately 3:15PM on Monday January 20th, U.S. Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland was involved in a traffic stop on Interstate 91 southbound near mile marker 168. During the course of the traffic stop, an exchange of gunfire occurred, and Agent Maland was struck. Additionally, one subject was killed, and one subject was injured and is currently being treated at an area hospital. The identification of either subject was not released, however, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the deceased subject is a German national in the U.S. on a current visa.

Vermont Business Magazine Kyel Tuckerman never aspired to go to college. “I had this perception college would be a waste of time and money and I’m not really a ‘sitter’,” he said. “I was at the Hartford tech center taking hands-on classes when I met a student from Vermont State University (VTSU). He visited me and my buddy to tell us about the Construction Management program, brought us to the Randolph campus to check out the classes, and showed me how the program is geared toward interesting and real-life things. I saw it was something related to what I might like to do in my life.” Kyel is now 19 and in his second year in the program. He has two-and-a-half years left and is looking forward to his next summer internship. He’s already interned with Casella Construction, where he was able to work on a pipeline construction project in Rutland that connects to a dam for hydroelectricity. 

Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission TRORC’s Shared Energy Coordinator (SEC) program held a festive, holiday-themed event at the Bugbee Senior Center in Hartford on December 5th to promote awareness of the 2024 update to Vermont’s Residential Building Energy Standards (RBES). A few dozen attendees representing several towns engaged with presentations from local building science experts, then put their skills to the test by building models of RBES-compliant wall assemblies using gingerbread and candy. The campaign will continue throughout the winter and spring with outreach to town permitting officials.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released the Vermont Clean Water Initiative 2024 Performance Report. It highlights water quality progress made through public investment. By investing over $603 million in clean water projects in the past nine years (on average, $67 million per year), the State has cut pollution going into Vermont’s waters. These investments also help reduce flood damage and flood risk while building more resilient road networks, water infrastructure, and agricultural economy. State funding, technical assistance, and regulatory programs have helped: Carry out pollution prevention projects on 456,615 acres of agricultural fields and pastures; Replace and right-size 1,080 municipal road drainage and stream culverts; Construct, upgrade, or refurbish over 100 wastewater collection and treatment systems.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Acquisition and demolition of flood-prone residential properties, or “buyouts,” helps communities restrict the land as open space in perpetuity to preserve the natural benefits of a floodplain. Keeping the property as open green space not only gets people out of harm’s way but also enhances community resilience, keeping flood waters away from neighbors. FEMA does not buy directly from property owners but supports projects administered by the state and local communities. The state and local communities work together to identify areas where acquisition of properties make the most sense. Individuals do not apply directly to the state. The community must sponsor an application on behalf of the property owner.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today announced that Vermont and 19 other states and jurisdictions are challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. The coalition argues that the executive order violates the rights to which all children born in the United States are entitled under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Joining Vermont in today’s filing are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, and the City of San Francisco.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Senator Ginny Lyons, and Representative Alyssa Black announced a proposal to provide medical debt relief to thousands of Vermonters. The proposal would eliminate up to $100 million in medical debt for a one-time investment of $1 million. Further, the proposal would protect Vermonters’ credit scores by eliminating the reporting of medical debt to credit agencies. As the cost of health care grows in Vermont, more and more Vermonters are at risk of accumulating medical debt. Currently, an estimated 62,000 Vermonters hold medical debt, that’s over 1 in 10 adults.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) released the following statement on President Trump pardoning January 6th rioters: “I was in the House of Representatives on January 6th, feet away from the mob as they attacked law enforcement officers, desecrated the U.S. Capitol, and attempted to overturn the results of a free and fair election at the behest of Donald Trump. I heard the shot ring out and the glass break on the House Chamber doors. Yesterday we observed President Trump’s inauguration and the peaceful transition of power—four years later—in the very same Rotunda where President Trump incited an insurrection. The Capitol is home to thousands of workers, Capitol Police Officers, congressional staff and Members of Congress who still have vivid memories of the insurrection and its aftermath. President Trump’s abuse of the presidential pardon system is appalling."

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine A U.S. Border Patrol Agent and a foreign national are dead after a shooting in Coventry in Orleans County Monday afternoon, Vermont News First has been told and the FBI and Homeland Security have confirmed. At least one other suspect, believed to be a woman, was wounded in the shootout and is being treated at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.  She is under armed guard by law enforcement. The dead Border Patrol Agent has been identified as David Maland, 44, officials said Tuesday.  

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations all fell after a spiking to their highest levels since early November. There was 1 fatality since the previous week's report of 6. Hospitalizations fell back to just over 10 after being at their highest levels since October and outbreaks also declined. Hospitalizations and general "syndromic" cases were at 10+ statewide for the week. The number of reported COVID cases fell to 163, down from 192 from 138; they were at 67 in early December. Cases had fallen in April and May and were as low as 31 at the beginning of May 2024, before rising at the end of summer through the early part of the fall. Wastewater monitoring spiked the last few weeks but like the other indices, fell back somewhat but remain relatively high, especially in Montpelier. The pandemic death total stands at 1,242 as of January 11, 2025 (the most recent data available). There are 3 reported deaths so far in January 2025. 

The Vermont State Police on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, arrested a sixth suspect in connection with efforts to assist Scott Mason avoid law enforcement following the Dec. 13 shooting of St. Johnsbury Police Department Capt. Jason Gray. Tracie Largy, 45, of St. Johnsbury was taken into custody Monday morning on a charge of accessory after the fact. She was processed at the VSP barracks in St. Johnsbury and released on a flash citation to appear for arraignment at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in St. Johnsbury.