Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermonters made a total of 3,533 scam reports to the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) in 2024. Leading the list was the “Computer Tech Support” scam, totaling almost 30% of the top scams reported. This scam tricks people with sudden alerts about alleged computer issues, such as expiring antivirus software or malware infections. Variations also include fake messages to the consumer’s phone or email about packages or unauthorized orders. Noticeably, this marks the fourth consecutive year this scam has ranked as the most reported. The email extortion scam has returned to the list after a four-year hiatus. These troubling emails threaten to release personally compromising photos and information. A new and disturbing twist on this scam is the emails include screen-captured images of the recipient’s home from online map services to further unsettle recipients and pressure them into complying with the scammers’ demands.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Gallium Nitride (V-GaN) Tech Hub—a consortium led by the University of Vermont (UVM) and including GlobalFoundries and the State of Vermont—has been awarded $23.7M in federal funding. The investment from the U.S. Economic Development Administration is the largest research award in UVM history. The Vermont Tech Hub will create a comprehensive technology ecosystem in the Green Mountain State and New England to drive semiconductor design and manufacturing of high-power and high-frequency gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors. Pairing GlobalFoundries semiconductor leadership with UVM’s world-class researchers, the Tech Hub will fuel business growth and workforce development to enhance the region's and state's economic and social vitality—bringing new cutting-edge facilities and computing technology to Vermont. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Occupational Therapy program at the University of Vermont's College of Nursing and Health Sciences has earned national accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), the independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation for occupational therapy education. UVM’s three-year, eight semester Occupational Therapy program was started in 2022 to meet the high demand for OT services in the state. Graduates will be trained to help people of all ages, from children to seniors, and will work in a variety of settings including hospitals, in-patient and out-patient rehabilitation, community-based programs, and schools. 

Vermont Business Magazine LogicSource, procurement services and technology leader, is pleased to announce its partnership with University of Vermont (UVM) Health Network. As partners, LogicSource will help the nonprofit academic health system streamline non-clinical procurement initiatives and optimize technology processes and workflows to reduce costs. This multi-year partnership with LogicSource aligns with UVM Health Network's focus on responsible fiscal stewardship to control health care costs. LogicSource brings cross-industry data and benchmarks to the partnership alongside access to its Center of Excellence, which consists of experts across thousands of non-clinical spend categories, such as IT, facilities, and construction.

Vermont Business Magazine The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has completed required comprehensive site cleanup reviews, known as “five-year reviews,” of six Superfund sites on the National Priority List across Vermont. As required by law, EPA conducts reviews at Superfund sites after cleanup remedies have been implemented every five years. This comprehensive review of previous work helps ensure that EPA continues to evaluate the performance of cleanup efforts and determines whether any further action to protect human health or the environment is required. The five-year review of each of these sites, which is available on EPA’s website, concluded that the remedies continue to effectively protect peoples' health and the environment and made recommendations for follow up actions where needed. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Joshua Pierce, 34, of Northfield, Vermont, was arraigned today on seven felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse materials. The charges brought against Mr. Pierce are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of search warrants conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Burlington Police Department, the Randolph Police Department and the Office of Inspector General.

Vermont State Police On Monday, at approximately 6 am, Vermont State Police dispatch was notified of a two-vehicle crash that occurred on Vermont Route 9 in the area of MacArthur Road, in the Town of Marlboro. The operator of vehicle one, Marcus Lapointe, 23, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The operator of vehicle two, Tyler Colford, 38, and a passenger from vehicle two, were transported to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Vermont State Police conducted the investigation with assistance from their Crash Reconstruction Team.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) today joined the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) to celebrate the opening of a new winter warming shelter in the Queen City, located at 58 Pearl Street in Burlington. The new overnight, low barrier shelter will have capacity for 30 people and run from January 15th until the end of April. This added shelter capacity, made possible by COTS’ successful acquisition of a former federally owned building, will function jointly with the COTS Daystation shelter to provide respite for unsheltered individuals. 

Vermont Business Magazine More than 200 Airmen, along with equipment and F-35A Lighting II aircraft from the Vermont Air National Guard recently deployed to Kadena Air Base, Japan, as part of a planned rotation to enhance regional security and strengthen interoperability with joint and allied forces. This deployment, part of scheduled ongoing rotations of aircraft and Airmen to that region, will span several months and is scheduled to include exercises in Japan and other regional islands. Among the key activities is Cope North, a premier multilateral joint exercise and the largest of its kind in the region.

Vermont Business Magazine Building Bright Futures today released its yearly report, The State of Vermont’s Children. The report provides an objective, data-driven assessment of the state of well-being for young children and families in Vermont. The report highlights data on pressing issues such as the cost of living, housing and homelessness, substance use during pregnancy, children with mental health conditions, and expansion of the Child Care Financial Assistance Program. Recommendations include: Enact a Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance program; immediately stand up critically needed safe, accessible, non-congregate emergency solutions for sheltering families and children in crisis; and ensure Vermont’s Universal Prekindergarten Education (UPK) program continues to lead the country by maintaining universal access for 3- and 4-year-olds in a mixed-delivery system (school-based, center-based, and home-based programs) and centering the developmental needs of young children and their families.

Vermont Business Magazine The Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) announced today the appointment of Jenny Patterson as its new Executive Director. During the summer and fall of 2024, the LCC Board conducted a comprehensive search for a new Executive Director to carry on the legacy of Lori Fisher, who retired on December 31, 2024, after an exemplary career spanning nearly four decades with LCC.  Jenny assumed the Executive Director role on January 1, 2025, and will lead the organization’s mission to protect Lake Champlain’s environmental integrity and recreational resources.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.09 per gallon, up 1.6 cents per gallon from last week's $3.07/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.76/g while the highest was $3.49/g, a difference of 73.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 1.1 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.02/g today. The national average is up 0.9 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 3.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.