Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.99 a gallon, up 9 cents per gallon from last week, up 98 cents/g from a month ago and up 87 cents/g from last year, according to AAA. The lowest price in the state this week was $3.63/g while the highest was $4.19/g, a difference of 56.0 cents per gallon. Prices are lowest in Caledonia ($3.93/g) and Windham ($3.92/g) counties and highest in Franklin ($4.06/g), Grand Isle ($4.07/g) and Essex ($4.09/g), according to AAA. The lowest price in the state this week was $3.54/g while the highest was $4.00/g, a difference of 46.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 10 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.08/g today. The national average is up $1.09 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 85 cents per gallon higher than a year ago

Vermont Business Magazine Orange County Parent Child Center (OCPCC), in partnership with Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation (GMEDC), marked the opening of its new Woodlands Campus child care center with a ceremonial “Passing of the Key” event on March 30. Community members, project partners, and local leaders gathered to celebrate the completion of the project and the transition of the facility from construction to full operation. The Woodlands Campus, located at 1538 VT-66, Randolph, VT, is opening on a phased schedule, with classrooms for younger children — approximately 6 weeks to 3 years — opening first. Additional classrooms will come online as staffing and licensing milestones are met. When fully complete, the 10,000-square-foot facility will serve up to 88 children, expanding access to child care for families in the Randolph region.

Vermont Business Magazine Stowe Electric Department (SED) has earned a Gold Level Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3®) designation from the American Public Power Association for providing reliable and safe electric service. The RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvement. Criteria include sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. 

Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund The 2026 Vermont Forest Innovation Summit will be September 17-18 back at Burke Hotel & Conference Center. Yes, we’ve tweaked the name to reflect the theme we’ve been exploring for a few years now and we want this event to be a space for new ideas, problem-busting solutions and new industry connections. And, we’ve moved the date to the fall so it will coincide with the Forest Business Accelerator (more on that in a moment). This year, we are requesting session proposals and our Summit Planning Committee will be selecting the lineup by the end of May. If you have a session idea, please submit it here. Read more about what we’re looking for below. Registration will open in early summer. Also, applications for the 2026 Forest Business Accelerator are open! We are seeking up to eight U.S.-based ventures that are commercializing new and improved products, services, and technologies in the forest and wood products industry.

Vermont Business Magazine Yesterday, Wednesday April 1st marked the end of Vermont’s winter manure spreading ban, but as spring weather arrives, challenging field conditions may persist in parts of the State. Despite this year’s cooler temperatures to date, trends in Vermont’s weather show increasing precipitation through the spring season, rising temperatures, and more extreme precipitation events. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) is issuing a spring stewardship reminder to Vermont farmers and custom applicators to adhere to the Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs). Manure or other agricultural wastes cannot be applied to fields that are frozen or snow-covered, nor to fields that are saturated, likely to runoff, or are conducive to any other off-site movement regardless of nutrient management plan recommendations. 

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc (Nasdaq: CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management services company, announced Wednesday that it has completed the acquisition of Star Waste Systems, LLC, a privately held waste collection company with operations in eastern Massachusetts, including the greater Boston area, and southern New Hampshire. The transaction closed on April 1, 2026, and is expected to generate approximately $100 million of annualized revenue. The acquisition was funded through cash on hand and available capacity under the Company’s revolving credit facility.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s trout fishing season opens Saturday, April 11. Despite lingering snow cover in some areas of the state, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says anglers can still have fun and be successful early in the season if they keep a few strategies in mind. “Just like any other time of year, anglers fishing early in the spring should adjust their tactics based on conditions,” said State Fisheries Biologist Shawn Good. “Trout will become more active with warmer water temperatures.  If you can find a good location and present your bait or lure without spooking the trout, you’ll have a good chance of catching a few fish, and enjoy a nice day outside.”

Erik Wells, Williston Town Manager On March 30, 2026, the Town Clerk received and yesterday confirmed the submission of a valid petition signed by 5% of the registered voters in Town requesting reconsideration of the Town Meeting Day vote on Article 6 held this past March 3, 2026. Article 6 stated as follows: Shall the voters authorize renovation and expansion of the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library and associated improvements to the Village Green and the issuance of general obligation bonds or notes of the Town in an amount not to exceed Thirteen Million Nine Hundred Thousand and 00/100 Dollars ($13,900,000.00), subject to reduction by grants-in-aid and funds then available to the Town, to pay the capital costs and related other costs of the project? If a petition requesting reconsideration of a question voted on at a previous annual or special meeting is filed with the clerk of the municipality within 30 days following the date of that meeting, the Selectboard shall call a town-wide meeting to vote on the matter raised in the petition within 60 days of its submission.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is inviting people to join them on one of their annual Waterway Work Trips this upcoming stewardship season. During the work trips, volunteers join one of Northern Forest Canoe Trail’s stewardship crews for a weekend camping trip. Trips begin Friday evening - except those in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway - and wrap up after lunch on Sunday. There are 10 projects spanning from Forked Lake in the Adirondacks to Allagash Wilderness Waterway in northern Maine. Projects focus on campsite, portages, privies, access points, and other infrastructure used by paddlers.

Vermont Business Magazine Every year, the global hygiene industry uses more than three million metric tons of superabsorbent polymers (SAP), the tiny granules that lock moisture away inside diapers, period pads, and incontinence products. Nearly all of it is made from petroleum, and once used, it persists in landfills for centuries. ZymoChem, a specialty chemicals company developing sustainable chemicals from renewable feedstocks, has released a research paper demonstrating that its bio-based and biodegradable SAP, branded BAYSE™, is the first of its kind to fully match, and in key ways surpass, the absorption performance of conventional petroleum-based materials.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association How to build an efficient, healthy, low-carbon home is well understood — yet unfortunately still far from mainstream. But what about the majority of us who will never purchase a new home? In this seminar, Brian Just shares practical, budget-friendly steps his household has taken over the course of more than a decade to improve an existing home. From swapping lightbulbs to full electrification, each change reflects a commitment to health, comfort, local materials, and environmental impact. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas for making meaningful improvements to their own homes—no matter the starting point. This online presentation, hosted by the Vermont Green Building Network (VGBN), will conclude with a Q+A.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Adam Barrup, 39, of Derby Line, Vermont, was arraigned on one felony count of luring a child and seven felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse materials. The charges brought against Barrup 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.