Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Hula, a state-of-the-art coworking campus and innovation hub anchoring Burlington’s South End Innovation District, is hosting an open house on Thursday, March 19th.  Anyone interested in visiting, touring, working from, and experiencing Hula is welcome. There will be facilitated networking opportunities throughout the day to connect with the professionals who make up the Hula community. The day will culminate with Hula’s signature Story Session program featuring Mamava cofounders and Hula members Christine Dodson and Sascha Mayer.

by Toren Ballard, Vermont Agency of Education In 2019, Mississippi 4th graders shocked the nation. In the fall of that year, the Nation’s Report Card (also known as NAEP) revealed a statistically significant decline in reading proficiency among 4th graders nationwide. Proficiency rates in 49 states either fell or remained steady from 2017 — the first major sign of a nationwide literacy recession that predates the pandemic and persists today. The one exception was the poorest state in America, where 4th graders performed at the national average for the first time since the NAEP reading assessment was introduced in 1992.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Federal Credit Union (VFCU) and WCAX today announced the successful completion of their third annual Great Vermont Coat Drive, surpassing last year's donation record with more than 1,200 coats collected. The drive concluded on February 20, 2026, with donations distributed to nonprofit organizations across the state. This year's drive introduced a new community partner, Gadue's Dry Cleaning, which professionally cleaned all donated coats before distribution, ensuring recipients received garments that were not only warm, but fresh and ready to wear. The addition of Gadue's reflects the growing momentum of the event and the credit union's commitment to treating every donation with the care it deserves.

Vermont State Police At about 5:45 a.m. Saturday, March 14, 2026, the Barre Town Fire Department was dispatched to a fire at 4 Barclay Quarry Rd. in Barre Town. The fire department found heavy smoke and fire on the first floor of the home upon their arrival. When making entry to the home, the fire department located a deceased individual. Barre Town Fire requested the assistance of the Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit in determining the origin and cause of the fire. Members of the FEIU worked with officers from the Barre Town Police Department to investigate the fire and untimely death. Preliminary investigation was unable to determine the cause of the fire, however it is not considered to be suspicious.

Vermont Business Magazine Ice conditions on lakes and ponds across the state are changing fast due to recent warm temperatures and rain.  With additional warm weather expected, game wardens with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department are urging ice anglers and others to use good judgment when deciding whether to recreate on the ice this weekend and beyond. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department recommends anyone planning to recreate on the ice carry safety gear including self-rescue picks and a spud bar or auger to test the ice as you go.  It is important to know how to distinguish strong ice from weak ice, and to let someone know where you will be and when you plan to return. 

Vermont Business Magazine Place Creative, a B Corporation-certified, woman owned, full service advertising agency based in Vermont, is celebrating 25 years in business in 2026. The milestone reflects the agency’s long-standing commitment to thoughtful problem-solving, its people, and the clients it serves, many of which are beloved Vermont brands and mission-driven organizations. “From the beginning, we set out to build a company that puts people, purpose, and problem-solving at the center of everything we do,” said Keri Piatek, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Place Creative. “Twenty-five years later, we’re proud of the impact our work has had on Vermont brands and organizations that share those same values.”

Vermont Business Magazine Saba Marine will host its third annual Saba Marine Boat Show from March 20 to 22, 2026, at its showroom in Colchester. The event is open to the public and offers one of the first opportunities to step aboard and prepare for boating season across the region. Located at 390 Prim Road in Colchester, VT, the show will feature Vermont’s largest selection of new, pre-owned, and brokerage boats. Attendees can compare layouts side by side and speak directly with the sales team about inventory, trade-ins, financing, and what ownership looks like beyond delivery. Founded in 2010, Saba Marine is a locally owned, family-operated dealership serving Vermont and New York boaters. Each spring, the boat show arrives just before docks fill and demand increases across the region. For many, it is a chance to secure the right boat before the season is fully underway.

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) will hold his fourth annual Youth Chess Day this weekend on Saturday, March 14 at Vermont State University in Randolph for students grades 1-12. This is a great opportunity for both experienced and beginner chess enthusiasts to test their skills and enjoy a recreational tournament with other students and Senator Sanders. The day will kick off at 11 a.m. with a Learn-to-Play Session for grades 1-8, followed by a break for lunch, which will be served free for all participants. In the afternoon, players will test their skills at the Recreational Tournament. Students with all levels of experience are welcome and highly encouraged to attend.

Vermont Business Magazine Surf Air Mobility Inc (NYSE: SRFM), a leading air mobility platform, and BETA Technologies (NYSE: BETA), an electric aerospace company based in South Burlington, Vermont, on Thursday announced an Aircraft Purchase Agreement and strategic partnership intended to accelerate the introduction of safe, reliable, and profitable advanced air mobility solutions. Under the terms of the Aircraft Purchase Agreement, Surf Air Mobility has signed a firm order for 25 all-electric ALIA CTOL aircraft and has the option to add up to 75 additional aircraft to its order. The aircraft will be introduced into Surf Air Mobility’s platform for regional operations. This order adds to BETA’s growing commercial aircraft backlog and highlights the versatility of its ALIA aircraft across passenger, cargo, and medical use cases.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced the conclusion of its independent review of a non-fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred on January 1, 2026, in Ludlow, Vermont. Attorney General Charity Clark has declined to prosecute Ludlow Police Department Chief Jeffrey Warfle for charges related to the use of deadly force in the non-fatal shooting of Jaime Gomez, 18. The incident began around 6:22 a.m. on January 1, 2026, when Chief Warfle traveled to the Fox Run Inn in Lulow in response to a 911 call to investigate a reported noise disturbance. The 911 caller had reported that the noise was coming from another occupant who lived in the first-floor unit directly below.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, cosponsored the Safeguarding Consumers from Advertising Misconduct (SCAM) Act, bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senators Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Bernie Moreno (D-Ohio), to crack down on predatory online scams advertisements that cost Americans billions of dollars every year. The Senators’ legislation would require online platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent fraudulent and deceptive ads and strengthen accountability when scams slip through. The bill would also strengthen the Federal Trade Commission’s and states’ ability to enforce violations of consumer protection laws. The SCAM Act is supported by The Vermont Country Store.

Vermont Business Magazine Louise Winton (Forbes) Luring died March 10, 2026, after living for 9 years with pulmonary fibrosis. She
was born in Orange, N.J., May 5, 1940, the daughter of George and Marian (Holbrook) Forbes. As a child, she lived in Westfield and Middlesex, N.J., and graduated from Bound Brook (N.J.) High School in 1958. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Jackson College of Tufts University in 1962 and
later received a master’s degree in teaching Spanish and English as a Second Language from the School for International Training.