Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Police Academy will host the Voices of St. Joseph's Orphanage Exhibition Display from May 7 through May 21, 2026, offering the public an opportunity to engage with the stories of former residents of St. Joseph's Orphanage and the decades-long effort to bring their experiences to light. The exhibition will be installed in the main building of the Vermont Police Academy and will be free and open to the public on weekdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m., beginning May 8. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, May 7, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Vermont Business Magazine Join the SBA New England District Offices to learn more about COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) servicing requirements, and what you need to know as a borrower.  Thursday, April 30, 2026 | 11:00 a.m. - NOON.

Vermont Business Magazine Switchback Brewing Co. and Sustainable Beverage Technologies (SBT) will showcase the next phase of their partnership at the upcoming Craft Brewers Conference with the debut of Krush N.A. IPA, a non-alcoholic collaboration brewed using BrewVo technology. The announcement builds on news first shared in January, when Switchback revealed plans to bring non-alcoholic production fully in-house through the installation of a BrewVo system, establishing the brewery as the only BrewVo production facility in the East.

Vermont Business Magazine GNAT-TV welcomed community members to its studio on April 2 for a combined Community Open House and Annual Meeting, offering an evening of connection and a closer look at how local media is created and shared across the region. The evening included a brief annual meeting where GNAT-TV shared how the organization is actively expanding what community media can be. Updates highlighted the return of Dinner Party as a live, in-studio experience, growing regional collaborations such as the One-Minute Film Festival with CAT-TV, and continued investment in media education and digital distribution. The organization also shared recent technical advancements, including broadcasting all Comcast cable channels in HD and expanding access with an additional education channel serving local mountain communities.

Vermont Business Magazine From the inside of an iconic former furniture factory in Wolcott comes a new addition to the craft food and beverage landscape: non-alcoholic beverages infused with microdose amounts of Vermont hemp-derived THC and CBD. The novel debuts come courtesy of Clean International Inc., a family-owned beverage startup launched by a group of Lamoille County locals seeking to diversify and improve the cannabis landscape by creating premium and ultra-premium category beverages. The first offering is a collaboration between the newcomers at Cleann and Cold Hollow Cider, one of Vermont’s most recognizable and highly-regarded craft brands.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College has announced that beginning in Fall 2026 all incoming students pursuing four-year degrees will be enrolled in the college’s Flex 30 model, a program that provides a full year’s worth of flexible credits for curated, career-focused experiences designed to meet the needs of today’s workforce. Students can use Flex 30 credits for double majors, co-ops, internships, study abroad experiences, or independent projects to drive value in their degrees without extending their timeline to graduate. The structure is designed to help students intentionally connect their interests with academic and career goals. With Flex 30, students can shape an education that reflects who they are and where they want to go, bringing their passion and purpose together to build compelling career paths. 

Vermont Business Magazine LCB Senior Living, LLC, the Northeast’s fastest-growing senior living provider, has announced that it is assuming management of Maple Ridge Lodge and Maple Ridge Memory Care, located in Essex Junction, VT, effective April 1, 2026. The communities will be renamed Maple Ridge Assisted Living and Memory Care Campus. In a joint statement, LCB co-Chief Executive Officers Danielle Breton and Tim DuRoss said: “We could not be more thrilled to welcome these two fantastic communities to the LCB family. Both are exemplary in their quality and care, and are a wonderful complement to our other Vermont communities in South Burlington, Shelburne and Middlebury.”

Vermont Business Magazine On April 8, 2026, at approximately 0817 hours, Trooper Nathan Handy with the Vermont State Police was conducting a motor vehicle stop on Interstate 89 South in the City of South Burlington, just north of Exit 14. During this motor vehicle stop, Trooper Handy was speaking with the motorist he had stopped on the passenger side of their vehicle. During this time, a 2023 Ford F-350 (Vehicle 3) driven by Alex Persitz (35), was approaching the stopped police cruiser and began making a lane change toward the left to yield to the cruiser as designated under Vermont law. As Vehicle 3 was straddling the dotted white line, a 2009 Pontiac Vibe (Vehicle 1) attempted to slow down but was unable to safely do so, and subsequently drove between Vehicle 3 and the stopped VSP cruiser. This maneuver resulted in the three vehicles colliding while abreast of each other. During this investigation, there were slight traffic disruptions in the area.

Vermont Business Magazine NuHarbor Security of Colchester, a 100% U.S.-based cybersecurity firm dedicated to serving the public sector, has announced a new partnership with Right! Systems, Inc., a Pacific Northwest-based IT solutions provider with national reach, to resell NuHarbor's managed security services. This collaboration blends Right! Systems' deep experience in IT infrastructure, cloud, networking, and digital workspace solutions with NuHarbor's managed detection and response and strategic security operations. This powerful combination helps organizations reduce risk, modernize defenses, and focus on their core missions.

Vermont Business Magazine Sixteen temporary skidder bridges are available to eligible Vermont loggers and foresters this spring through a cost-share program administered by the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation’s (FPR) water quality assistance program and funded by Vermont Clean Water Funds. Bridges protect water quality when crossing streams during harvesting activities. Temporary bridges are an economical alternative to building permanent bridges, and they are also more flood resilient, making them an important tool for land managers.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) today announced two leadership appointments: Michael Hale has been named to the Board of Directors, and Betsy Bloomer has been promoted to Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Strategy. Hale brings more than three decades of public service and utility leadership experience. He spent 22 years in the Town Manager’s Office in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, followed by 10 years as General Manager of Shrewsbury Electric and Cable Operations (SELCO), the community’s municipally operated electric and broadband utility. With over 10 years of experience in the utility sector, Bloomer has advanced key initiatives and strengthened engagement with stakeholders across the region. In her new role, she will serve as a key advisor to the President and CEO and executive leadership team, helping guide VELCO’s long-term strategic direction.

by Mike Donoghue A former Stowe resident, who was facing potential death penalty sentences in the fatal shooting of two out-of-state drug dealers, has accepted a plea bargain that will provide him consecutive life terms in prison. Theodore "Theo" Bland, 30, most recently of Burlington had pleaded not guilty in federal court in December to eight felony charges in his latest indictment, including gunning down the two out-of-state drug dealers at a mobile home at 497 Eden Road in Lowell on Oct. 12, 2023. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Vermont, which had the green light from the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. to seek the death penalty, has now taken that off the table.