Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont initial weekly unemployment claims increased for the second straight week last week. For the week ending April 11, 2026, the Vermont Department of Labor reported that there were 480 new claims, up 118 from the previous week and up 48 from last year at this time. New claims had leveled off at under 400 after the holiday season, other than one spike in February. Meanwhile, total claims were 3,693, down 135 from the week before and are up 79 from last year at this time.

Vermont Business Magazine On Thursday, April 16, tourism and hospitality industry leaders gathered at the State House to engage with legislators and administration officials to highlight the collective contributions of the visitor economy to Vermont. Tourism Economy Day, convened by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Ski Vermont, brought businesses together to advocate for a strong Vermont visitor economy. Industry leaders shared perspectives during a joint legislative hearing with the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development and the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs, offering real world insight into the opportunities and challenges facing Vermont’s tourism economy.

The Vermont State Police has released material connected to the March 11, 2026, federal police action on Dorset Street in South Burlington, to which state troopers were later called to assist with public safety. Today’s release includes a complete after-action report, about 60 hours of video footage from troopers’ body-worn cameras, and a statement from Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison. In Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison's statement (see below), she said, "I determined that the allegations of excessive force by members of the Vermont State Police were not supported." She said neither her office nor the State Police were informed of action by federal agents beforehand, despite prior requests to federal immigration officials to alert the state if there were to be such an action. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Speaker Jill Krowinski made the following statement on the House passage of H.955, an act relating to next steps in transforming Vermont’s education system. The bill passed on a 79-62 vote. The vote, as is, would be well-short of the vote needed to override a promised veto from Governor Scott. It has now moved to the Senate. 

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.