Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Grace Gamble (charged as Peter Gamble), 27, of Montpelier, Vermont, was arraigned earlier this week on five felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. The charges brought against the defendant are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of residential and online data search warrants, conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), including personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Montpelier Police Department, Burlington Police Department, Bennington Police Department, and Manchester Police Department.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont residents affected by July’s severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides now have until October 31 to apply for FEMA assistance. This does not mean you should delay applying – the sooner you apply, the sooner FEMA can process your claim. If you had storm-caused expenses and live or own a business in Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham or Windsor counties, FEMA assistance can provide grants and U.S. Small Business Administration loans to help you cover temporary housing, home repairs and other disaster-related needs.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Wednesday issued the following statement on the continuing violence in Israel and Gaza following Hamas’ horrific attack on Saturday: "Hamas’ terrorist assault on Israel will have horrific short- and long-term consequences... Right now, the international community must focus on reducing humanitarian suffering and protecting innocent people on both sides of this conflict. The targeting of civilians is a war crime, no matter who does it."

VermontBiz Norwich University will host the Special Olympics Vermont Unified Champion Schools Soccer Tournament on Wednesday, October 11 from 9:30am to 1pm.

This event will host teams from throughout the state including: BFA St. Albans, Brattleboro Union High School, Burr and Burton Academy, Hartford High School, Middlebury Union Middle School, Mount Anthony Union High School, Mount Mansfield Union High School, Rutland Intermediate Middle School, Rutland High School and Woodstock Schools. 

VermontBiz The investigation into last week’s fatal shooting of 77-year-old Honoree Fleming on a rail trail near her home in Castleton continues Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.

Numerous detectives from the Vermont State Police’s Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations are assigned to the case and actively pursuing leads, following up on new tips from the public, interviewing individuals who may have relevant information, reviewing video and taking additional steps. Uniformed troopers from the Field Force Division are conducting patrols in Castleton and ensuring high visibility in and around the Vermont State University Castleton Campus. The Victim Services Unit is providing support and assistance to Dr. Fleming’s family. Investigators are working with the Vermont Forensic Laboratory at the Department of Public Safety in Waterbury, as well.

VermontBiz Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, welcomed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to Williamstown, Vermont, for a discussion on rural broadband buildout, the Central Vermont Supervisory Union’s efforts to install Wi-Fi on school buses, and how communities across the country can take inspiration from Vermont in their efforts to close the homework gap.   

VermontBiz In response to the need for assistance following the challenges caused by this summer’s flooding, Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Entrepreneurial Legal Lab and Legal Services Vermont will host a clinic in Hardwick to provide legal information to homeowners, renters and business owners seeking aid through FEMA grants and Small Business Association loans.

The Oct. 12 deadline to submit applications for businesses and individuals is quickly approaching.

VermontBiz A new report released today by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, shows that many nonprofit hospital systems across the country are failing to provide low-income Americans with the affordable medical care required by their nonprofit status – despite receiving billions in tax benefits and providing exorbitant compensation packages to their senior executives.

VermontBiz The Vermont Department of Labor has announced an increase to the State’s minimum wage. Beginning January 1, 2024, the State’s minimum wage will become $13.66 per hour. This is an increase of $0.48 from the current minimum wage of $13.18. 

This annual adjustment also impacts the minimum wage for tipped employees. The Basic Tipped Wage Rate for service, or “tipped employees,” equals 50% of the full minimum wage. On January 1, 2024, the tipped minimum wage will increase from $6.28 to $6.84 per hour. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State University (VTSU) Interim President Mike Smith released the voluntary faculty buyout plan to university faculty on Monday afternoon as part of the ongoing academic Optimization efforts. Optimization calls for programs to be either maintained, sunset, moved, or consolidated to save as much as $3.35 million annually, to meet student needs better, and to grow more relevant and in-demand programs. Additionally, this plan seeks to increase student-to-faculty ratios from approximately 1 to 13 today to 1 to 18 in the coming years. The plan involves the reduction of between 20-33 full-time faculty positions out of the current 207. The voluntary buyout plan, released yesterday as the next step in Optimization, recognizes that faculty members have different personal and professional goals. Some may elect to leave Vermont State University after the close of the academic year, forestalling the need for layoffs.

VermontBiz Green Mountain Power (GMP) today launched its Zero Outages Initiative, the first utility in the country to commit to a comprehensive, data-driven plan that creates layers of resiliency across Vermont by building on GMP’s successful and proactive undergrounding and storm-hardening of lines, as well as deployment of energy storage through batteries and microgrids. Combined, this work will keep customers and communities connected while lowering costs for all. The phased initiative rapidly accelerates this resiliency work through 2030, tackling the hardest hit areas in rural central and southern Vermont first, following a devastating year for the state that saw an unprecedented string of damaging storms due to climate change.

VermontBiz Attorney General Charity Clark For nearly 40 years, October has been designated Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and for good reason. There is a chance that one in eight women will develop breast cancer. October also brings a wave of pink ribbons and pink products. As Vermont Attorney General, I strive to uphold Vermont’s consumer laws and educate Vermonters so that they can make informed decisions when supporting charities and purchasing products. This month, awareness is vital and particularly important given a practice known as “pinkwashing.”