Current News

Vermont Business Magazine CPR Therapeutics Inc. (CPR-T), a development-stage medical device company based in Putney, Vermont, has announced the appointment of Scott T. Youngquist, MD, MS, FACEP, FAEMS, FAHA to its Board of Science Advisors. Dr. Youngquist is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and EMS Section Chief at the School of Medicine at the University of Utah and has served as Chief Medical Officer for the Salt Lake City Fire Department since 2011. He brings to the Company unparalleled expertise in emergency medical services, cardiac arrest resuscitation, and the clinical translation of novel resuscitation technologies.

Vermont Business Magazine Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice’s (CVHHH) Maternal & Family Child Health (MFCH) program has received funding to support remote postpartum hypertension monitoring for parents in its service area. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), a group of conditions in which a pregnant person develops high blood pressure before, during, and after childbirth, are on the rise in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5-10% of people experience hypertensive disorders during pregnancy, reflecting a 25% increase over the last two decades. 

by Devon Green, Sr. Vice President of Policy & Strategy, VAHHS We’re in a bit of a holding pattern this week when it comes to bills in committee because legislators are “on the floor” of the House and Senate for long stretches to get all the bills that were passed out by crossover out to the other chamber so we can start the dance again. Here’s what happened last week: Reference-Based Pricing: After some amendment back and forth, the Senate is poised to pass out S.190 next week. The bill continues to target individual and small employer plans, which are struggling after federal subsidies were reduced earlier this year. An amendment garnered initial Senate support on Friday. In the amendment, hospitals will receive 250% of the base rate of Medicare, without add-ons. The bill also sets up a working group on the Critical Access Hospital Medicare cost sharing issue and ensures that the issue will not impact FY 2027 hospital budgets.

Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine Dartmouth College has announced a $5 million gift from Patty and Doug Sacks ’80 that will endow two early career professorships at the Geisel School of Medicine. The Patricia R. and Douglas L. Sacks Early Career Professorships will aim to attract exceptional faculty to Geisel whose research, teaching, or clinical work has shown immense promise in their respective fields. By offering flexible funding and long-term stability for a five-year term, the professorships will empower holders during a critical career stage, helping them establish a strong foundation from which to make significant and lasting contributions to Geisel, and to medicine, for years to come.

by Maggie Lenz and Gwynn Zakov Two weeks ago, we wrote about how the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy threaded a difficult needle with S.325, producing a unanimous committee vote on a bill that extends deadlines for Act 181's most contentious provisions while preserving the law's fundamental framework. Since then, the bill has moved through the full Senate, and the political dynamics have sharpened considerably. The week began with a "Repeal Act 181" rally on the State House lawn last Tuesday, where rural Vermonters, landowners, and farmers gathered to make their frustrations heard in person. The rally was the latest expression of an organizing effort that has been building for months through a vibrant Facebook group, op-eds, and public backlash. Bringing that energy physically to the State House steps, right as the Senate was preparing to take up the bill, underscored just how personal this issue has become for people in rural communities across the state.

Vermont Business Magazine Franklin County State's Attorney Bram Kranichfeld today announced his campaign for Chittenden County State’s Attorney, launching a campaign he said is focused on a justice system that is compassionate, accountable, and responsive to the whole community. Current Chittenden SA Sarah George said earlier this month that she is running for re-election. Kranichfeld had already announced he would not seek reelection to the Franklin County post. They both run as Democrats. The primary is August 11.

by Julie Lowell, Public Assets Institute The events this month during the ICE raid in South Burlington have prompted a lot of questions, and a number of investigations at the state and local levels about the conduct of Vermont law enforcement that day. One thing seems clear to all involved: the state was not prepared for what would happen when Vermonters resisted ICE’s aggressive tactics. In the wake of the tragic and avoidable deaths of protesters in Minnesota in January and others at the hands of federal immigration officers, state lawmakers have been considering some guardrails to protect Vermonters against indiscriminate immigration enforcement. To date, this legislation has largely followed standard processes and has not been treated with particular urgency.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Gas (VGS), the Champlain Housing Trust (CHT), and Evernorth are partnering to bring high efficiency, renewable geothermal energy to the occupants of a new permanently affordable housing development slated for construction in Hinesburg. Riggs Meadows is a forthcoming residential development in downtown Hinesburg that includes 44 townhomes and apartments for low- and moderate-income renters and owners. Geothermal systems will be installed to heat and cool four multi-family buildings constituting 36 of the residences on site. Riggs Meadow is the first phase of a planned development on 46 acres donated to CHT by Jan Blomstrann which will include another 30-plus homes, a childcare center, and conserved land with public access to trails.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.90 a gallon, up 5.9 cents per gallon from last week's $3.84/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.63/g while the highest was $4.19/g, a difference of 56.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 2.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.95/g today. The national average is up 97.9 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 83.8 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) announced Sunday evening the death of Jonathan Stone, a sentenced individual hospitalized at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). Jonathan Stone, 37, of St. Johnsbury, VT, had been incarcerated since 2019. On March 16, Stone was hospitalized at North Country Hospital in Newport, VT. He was subsequently transferred to DHMC. On March 29, medical staff at DHMC pronounced Stone deceased. Stone's death does not appear suspicious at this time. 

Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets The Working Lands Enterprise Board (WLEB) announces 34 awards totaling $1,047,320 to Vermont businesses and organizations in 2026. The award categories are: Service Provider & Producer Association Grants - $370,000 awarded to 10 businesses and nonprofits. These grants fund service providers and producer associations that work directly with working lands enterprises to support them as they grow, pivot, and adapt to an ever-changing marketplace. In 2026, grants will support apprenticeships for future foresters, farm and forest business advising, a Vermont specialty foods tradeshow, and more.

Vermont Business Magazine Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vermont) and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore), introduced a bill on Friday to strengthen privacy protections against unreasonable government searches and seizures that could chill reporting critical of the government. The bill follows Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) raiding the home of a Washington Post reporter. Under the Privacy Protection Act of 1980, the government cannot search or seize journalists’ documentary or work-product materials, except in certain narrow circumstances. Congress passed that law out of concern about the chilling effect of government raids on the press, and required the government to use less intrusive methods.