Current News

Vermont Business Magazine LaunchVT, a division of the Lake Champlain Chamber, has continued its partnership with All Stage, a company based in Boston, for the third year in a row. All Stage’s products connect the best investors with entrepreneurs, aiming to create a strong investing community that benefits all stakeholders. By leveraging community partnerships and its proven flagship acceleration program, LaunchVT equips Vermont entrepreneurs with the tools and mentorship necessary to solve complex problems and create meaningful economic opportunities within their communities.

Public Assets Institute Over the past two decades, real wages for the lowest earners in Vermont grew more slowly than in any other New England state or in the U.S. as a whole. In 2025, 10 percent of Vermonters earned $15 per hour or less. That was higher than the U.S. wage for the same group but represented a smaller increase: 25 percent in 20 years in Vermont, compared with 32 percent growth for the U.S. The state’s minimum hourly wage was just over $14 in 2025, but the livable wage was closer to $20.

The Land Use Review Board Act 181 of the 2024 Vermont Legislative Session modified Act 250, Vermont’s land use law. The Land Use Review Board has published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to explain the changes under Act 181, the ongoing roll out of Act 181, and address concerns raised by Vermonters. In the Frequently Asked Questions, the Board provides up-to-date and factual answers to questions posed about the regional planning process, future land use maps, Tier 3, and road construction jurisdiction (aka road rule). The Land Use Review Board is striving to engage the public in its work and recognizes the need to provide straight-forward answers to questions it receives. The Frequently Asked Questions will provide current information which can be updated as work continues to evolve.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Laura Brewer, 42, of Charlotte, Vermont, was sentenced in Vermont Superior Court, Addison Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to one felony count of embezzlement. The Court, Judge Alison Arms presiding, imposed a six-year deferred sentence which requires Brewer to repay the embezzled funds, totaling $8,763. Additionally, Brewer must stay in regular contact with a probation officer, complete 50 hours of community service, and must not go to the Stewart’s Shops location.

by Maggie Lenz and Gwynn Zakov Two weeks ago, we wrote about how the Senate passed S.325, a bill that extends deadlines for Act 181's most contentious provisions while preserving the law's fundamental framework. We described the political dynamics as sharpening, with rural communities organizing on the State House lawn and Senate Republicans trying unsuccessfully to repeal Tier 3 on the floor. The most likely outcome looked like a House version of S.325 that closely mirrored the Senate's, with deadline extensions and implementation tweaks but no repeal of the Road Rule or Tier 3.

Vermont Business Magazine The state’s largest union and Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas today launched “Vermont State Champions for Democracy,” a voter-registration drive aimed at engaging high school students turning 18 and setting them on a life-long path of voting.

Vermont Business Magazine This evening, Monday, April 13, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) will join with partner organizations in hosting a forum with the Democratic primary candidates for lieutenant governor, offering Vermonters an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates about their priorities and vision for the state. Candidates: Esther Charlestin, Molly Gray, Ryan McLaren. Moderator: Paul Burns, VPIRG executive director. Co-sponsors: Vermont Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund, Vermont NEA, ACLU Vermont, Let’s Grow Kids Action Network, VPIRG.

The Vermont State Police is investigating after a woman was found dead following a fire in her Hinesburg apartment Sunday evening, April 12, 2026. Emergency crews responded at about 6:20 p.m. after a neighbor reported smoke coming from one of the units in the apartment complex at 245 Lyman Meadow. First responders encountered moderate fire and smoke conditions, and after containing the blaze discovered a single victim inside the residence. Initial investigation indicates this incident is not suspicious.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermon are $4.10/g, up 1.7 cents per gallon from last week's $4.08/g. The national average price of gasoline is unchanged in the last week, averaging $4.07/g today. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.79/g while the highest was $4.29/g, a difference of 50.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline is unchanged in the last week, averaging $4.07/g today. The national average is up 39.1 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 93.4 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets The Best Management Practices (BMP) Program provides technical and financial assistance to identify and assess farmstead water‑quality concerns and to help farmers implement structural improvements designed to reduce agricultural waste discharges to Vermont waters. The BMP Program primarily focuses on structural practices located in farmstead and production areas. Examples of conservation practices eligible for cost‑share through the BMP Program include: Barnyard runoff collection; Bedded pack facilities; Composting stack pads; Silage leachate collection; Clean‑water diversion (e.g., gutters, ditches, French drains); Manure storage systems; Milk‑house waste collection and treatment.

by Mona Abou, Community News Service Lincoln town clerk Sally Ober opened up her email days before the 2016 election. She found what she described as a disturbing email that included a seven-page manifesto informing her that there was a CIA terrorist cult in Vermont and that people were going to die if she didn’t pay attention. Ober wasn’t sure whether to ignore it or report it. Ober, who has served as an election official for almost 20 years, said she has come to expect these kinds of messages ahead of federal elections ever since 6. She said the problem is not just the threats themselves, but the way they interfere with running an election.

by Lauren Milideo, UVM Steam billowing from sugarhouse stacks is a familiar site across Vermont’s soggy mud season landscape. Soon, the songs of returning migratory birds will echo above sugarbush floors spotted with yellow trout lilies and unfurling ferns, red efts maneuvering among them. That rich tableau doesn’t happen by accident, according to a new UVM study. In a state where most land is forested, and most forest land is in private hands, landowners’ choices have an outsized effect on overall biodiversity. Maple sugarmakers in particular face seemingly competing interests—between running a financially sustainable operation or keeping environmental concerns at the forefront. But, says Pratson, their study, which appeared last month in the journal Trees, Forests and People, revealed otherwise.