Current News

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, on Tuesday grilled Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem about how her mismanagement of taxpayer dollars and poor leadership over DHS have led to a complete loss of the American people’s confidence in her ability to lead the department and keep their families safe.  In his remarks, Senator Welch pressed Noem to apologize for inaccurately labeling Alex Pretti and Renee Good, American citizens who were shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis, as “domestic terrorists.”

Vermont Business Magazine National Life Group was recently ranked second in the Best Whole Life Insurance Companies of 2026 by The Wall Street Journal1. The list was based on a review of “10 large sellers of whole life insurance to find the best options based on policy fees, the reliability of policy illustrations, access to cash value and complaints against each company about its life insurance” according to the Wall Street Journal’s website. National Life Group has offered whole life insurance products through its affiliate, National Life Insurance Company, since 1851. The Wall Street Journal examined its TotalSecure whole life insurance policy for this analysis.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State University (VTSU), in partnership with the Vermont Society of Professional Engineers, proudly celebrated its 2026 nominees for Student Engineer and Student Engineering Associate of the Year at a recognition dinner. The event highlighted students whose talent, dedication, and problem‑solving abilities distinguish them within VTSU’s Engineering Technology programs. Each year, VTSU engineering faculty select one graduating senior and one sophomore-level student for these honors, recognizing individuals who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and hands‑on technical strength. The dinner brought together faculty, peers, and industry partners to celebrate students who are poised to contribute meaningfully to Vermont’s engineering workforce.

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 Business Magazine Mr. Monopoly is making his way to Stowe, and he wants you to be part of his next venture! Top Trumps USA, the American division of Winning Moves International and creators of classic games and puzzles, will debut MONOPOLY: Stowe Edition in 2027, under license from Hasbro, a leading games, IP and toy company. The company is seeking well-established Stowe businesses and nonprofits to be part of this historic way to honor communities across the city.  MONOPOLY: Stowe Edition will replace the perennial board game’s famous Atlantic City squares, from Boardwalk to Park Place, with local businesses, nonprofits and landmarks. The Stowe board will also include a customized Community Chest, Chance playing cards and MONOPOLY Money, ensuring each detail of the game pays homage to our Stowe community.

Vermont Business Magazine KeyBank announced Tony DiSotto has been named East Regional Executive for Key Private Bank. Colin March has been appointed Regional Leader for Commercial Banking. DiSotto also serves as Maine and Vermont Market President, operating as spokesperson and overseeing business, philanthropic, and sponsorship efforts. In the regional executive role, he will lead wealth management teams in New York, New England, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Florida. DiSotto joined KeyBank in 2006 as a branch manager and has held several leadership roles within the retail division, in addition to working as business banking relationship manager.

Vermont Business Magazine The Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit challenging Vermont’s recently enacted Act 73, a 2025 law that drastically restricts the state’s historic town tuitioning system and unlawfully limits families’ educational options, including access to religiously affiliated independent schools. For more than two centuries, Vermont’s town tuitioning program has enabled students in communities without certain grade-level public schools (often rural, small, or geographically remote) to attend approved independent schools with publicly funded tuition. Act 73 marks a sharp departure from that tradition.

Vermont Business Magazine Fidium has announced that its 100% fiber-to-the-home network earned 62 top performance rankings in Vermont in Ookla’s analysis of Q3-Q4 2025 Speedtest Intelligence data. The results reflect consumer-initiated testing and highlight standout performance as a fiber network provider, including upload speed and latency.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office has announced that Dylan Gratton, 34, of Shelburne, Vermont, was sentenced in Vermont Superior Court, Franklin Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to two felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials and one count of Promoting a Recording of Sexual Conduct. The Court, Judge Elizabeth Novotny presiding, sentenced the defendant to four to ten years to serve, all suspended, with ten years of probation. The probation conditions mandate completion of sex offender programming, limit his contact with children, and restrict his access to the internet.  Gratton is also required to register as a sex offender for ten years after the completion of his sentence.

by Devon Green, VAHHS A huge thank you to the House Health Care Committee, which advanced H.573, a bill that allows PAs to perform the initial determination that an involuntary patient in need of mental health treatment requires inpatient care. The bill seeks to reduce patient wait time for care and reflects the changes put into place by Act 123 of 2020. In addition to VAHHS testimony, Philip Schafer, PA, Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant, Grace Cottage Hospital, Trey Dobson, MD, Emergency Medical Physician, Dartmouth Health, and Liz Couto, BSN, RN, CEN, Chair, Director, ENA-Vermont also testified. The bill passed out of committee with a vote of yes from nine members and two members absent.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Board of Trustees today reelected Cynthia Barnhart to serve as chair and welcomed two new members following a special meeting. Barnhart, now serving her second year as chair, was first elected to the Board on August 1, 2014, then re-elected in December 2019 and October 2024. Her current term expires in March 2030. Barnhart is the Abraham J. Siegel Professor of Management Science and Professor of Operations Research at MIT. She previously served as MIT's provost, chancellor, as associate and acting dean of MIT's School of Engineering, and as co-director of the Operations Research Center and the Center for Transportation and Logistics at MIT. Barnhart graduated from UVM with a BS in Civil Engineering in 1981 and earned an SM and PhD at MIT.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) is pleased to announce 7 awards totaling $272,895 to provide farm to school training, technical assistance, and resources to schools and early childhood programs across the state. This grant opportunity is a new offering from the Vermont Farm to School and Early Childhood Program, which is an annual state-funded grant program that connects Vermont youth with local food and farms.  The new Farm to School Service Provider Grant will grow the support system for schools and early childhood programs, at regional and statewide levels, so that services are more accessible to schools and early childhood programs across the state.