Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Secretary of Administration Sarah Clark today released Vermont’s revenue results for February 2026. The General and Transportation Funds both missed their monthly targets, and the Education Fund exceeded its monthly target. Cumulatively, the total year-to-date is slightly below expectations. The State’s General Fund, Transportation Fund, and Education Fund receipts were a combined $196.26 million, representing collections -$5.86 million, or 2.9%, below the $202.12 million monthly target from the consensus forecast.

by Alexa Gaskill, Community News Service As a child, Jake Shattuck would walk through the woods to his grandparents’ farm in East Montpelier, seeing the sweet steam of boiling maple syrup settle over the sugarhouse. Inside the farm store, large wheels of cheese were stacked for sale. His grandmother would sit in a chair near the counter, offering samples as Shattuck and his sister stopped in for a slice before running back outside. “This is home. I grew up right here,” Shattuck, now 54, said. Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks was founded in the 1960s by Shattuck’s grandfather, Harry Morse Sr., and later carried on by his uncle, Harry “Burr” Morse Jr., who was often called the “the godfather of maple syrup.”

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Virtual Tours, a leading provider of 3D scanning and virtual tour solutions, has surpassed 2,000,000 square feet of scanned space, marking a significant milestone in the company’s growth and impact across Vermont and the Northeast. Founded in 2020, Vermont Virtual Tours has become a trusted partner for organizations seeking accurate, immersive digital representations of their physical spaces. Using advanced lidar camera technology, the company creates high-resolution digital twins that support marketing, design, planning, and facility management.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott signed bill S.60 on Thursday, "an act relating to establishing the Farm and Forestry Operations Security Special Fund to provide payments for farm and forestry operation losses due to weather conditions." He noted that there is a technical problem with the bill that he said the Legislature will iron out at a later date.

Vermont State Police A Burlington police officer is facing charges arising from a shooting that occurred Aug. 10, 2025, in Burlington. The Vermont State Police investigated the early morning shooting, in which no one was injured, and forwarded the case to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office for review. Following that review, the attorney general directed VSP to cite Officer Jeffrey Baur on two counts of reckless endangerment. Baur reported to the VSP barracks in Williston on Thursday, March 26, 2026, where he was processed and released. He is due to appear for arraignment at 0830 hrs. 03/27/2026 in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Burlington.

Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles On March 27, 2026, at approximately 5:20 a.m., Inspectors from the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles responded to a single-vehicle crash involving a commercial motor vehicle on Interstate 89 near mile marker 73.6 in Bolton. Upon arrival, it was determined that the commercial vehicle had been traveling northbound when it left the roadway and struck a guardrail and then a bridge barrier. The truck tractor came to rest within the travel portion of the roadway, while the attached trailer remained partially off the roadway and extended over the bridge.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) announces the selection of the Energy 2026 cohort of the Vermont-based DeltaClimeVT business accelerator. Seven early-stage energy companies from the U.S. and Canada will work directly with Vermont utilities to contribute to Vermont’s and Burlington’s energy goals over four months of intensive work sessions, including two online and two in-person intensive sessions (each 2-4 days in duration), weekly assignments and bi-weekly webinars as well as frequent 1:1 engagement. The first in-person sprint starts March 30 in Burlington, VT at Burlington Electric Department and will wrap up with an awards ceremony in Burlington June 11.

VermontBiz The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) once again is warning the public of more scam text messages that falsely claim that the recipient has an unpaid traffic ticket and is at risk of driver’s license suspension and other penalties.

The DMV did not send these messages and does not send any text or email messages demanding immediate payment.

VermontBiz Burlington Electric Department (BED) has issued its voter-approved $20 million Net Zero Energy (NZE) and Grid Reliability Revenue Bond through the Vermont Bond Bank as part of the Vermont Bond Bank’s Pooled Loan Program. Burlington voters approved the Revenue Bond in November 2024 when 79.6 percent voted in favor of the bond, which will support critical capital investments in a way that reduces upward pressure on electric rates.

VermontBiz Vermont Federal Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Vermont Federal Credit Union, has successfully reached its $60,000 fundraising goal through the organization’s inaugural charitable raffle, an initiative designed to support efforts addressing food insecurity in Vermont, while offering a meaningful prize to one raffle participant.

The $60,000 raised will be divided evenly, with $20,000 awarded to each of the following:

• Vermont Foodbank: Vermont’s largest hunger-relief organization, supporting more than 300 food shelves, meal sites, senior centers, schools, and hospitals statewide.

• Vermont Federal Foundation: The 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of Vermont Federal Credit Union, dedicated to strengthening Vermont communities through support of sustainability, food security, affordable and stable housing, and other impact-driven initiatives.

• One Raffle Winner: One lucky individual selected at random from all raffle participants.

Stacia Cheney, a resident of Essex Junction, Vermont, was randomly selected from a large pool of participants as the raffle winner, with 3,000 raffle tickets sold. 

VermontBiz The University of Vermont has been awarded the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Gold Rating for Sustainability for the fifth time in a row. UVM received its highest score ever in the national assessment.

“As our national reputation reflects, UVM continues to lead in sustainability,” says UVM President Marlene Tromp. “For us, sustainability is both a lens through which to pursue research, and a fundamental guiding principle for all of our operations, campus-wide. We are so pleased to see our commitment reflected by this upward trajectory in the STARS assessment."

The STARS assessment includes 45 different categories, across academics, engagement, policy, and operations. In some of these, Office of Sustainability Interim Director Caylin McCamp notes, UVM earned a perfect score.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF), in collaboration with Efficiency Vermont and its Efficiency Excellence Network, is excited to announce the seven companies selected to participate in Tools of the Trade – Business Coaching for Energy Pros. This nine-month, in-person business training program is designed to help Vermont weatherization and energy service contractors strengthen and grow their businesses. Tools of the Trade provides weatherization and energy contractors with a proven framework for building and sustaining their businesses.