Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College today announced that BETA Technologies (BETA) president and chief executive officer, Kyle Clark, will deliver the keynote address to the Class of 2026 at the College’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9. Clark, an Essex, Vermont native, will also be presented with an honorary doctorate of technology and innovation honoris causa. Clark is an aerospace engineer, pilot, and entrepreneur who founded BETA, a Vermont-based company that designs and manufactures electric aircraft, their critical systems and components, such as motors and batteries, as well as the ground support equipment to charge them. Under his leadership, BETA has grown from a small startup in Burlington into a nationally recognized pioneer in electric aviation that is redefining the aerospace industry and working to make electric aviation a reality.

Vermont Business Magazine At the State of the Union address on Feb. 24, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover, a graduate of Norwich University’s College of Graduate and Continuing Studies (CGCS), stood in the U.S. Capitol as the nation’s highest military honor – the Medal of Honor – was placed around his neck. CW5 Slover joins a prestigious alumni community that has been honored with the Medal of Honor. President Donald Trump cited CW5 Slover’s remarkable heroism during a high-risk military operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro. During the mission, CW5 Slover sustained serious wounds but continued to lead and fly his CH-47 Chinook under fire to ensure mission success. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced his appointment of Jon Murad to serve as the permanent corrections commissioner after serving as interim commissioner since August. Born and raised in Underhill, Murad served in law enforcement for twenty years. He held a variety of police roles in the New York City Police Department, retiring as an assistant commissioner, and then served as the chief of police in Burlington before becoming interim commissioner. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont is $3.00 per gallon, unchanged from last week, up 3 cents/g from last month and down 15 cents/g from a year ago. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.63/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 66.0 cents per gallon. Prices are lowest in Bennington ($2.85/g) and Rutland ($2.90/g) counties and highest in Essex ($3.10/g), Washington ($3.06/g), and Grand Isle ($3.06/g), according to AAA. Meanwhile, GasBuddy is reminding drivers to fill up on certain lower-priced days: Sundays in Vermont and avoid Thursdays if you can.

Vermont Business Magazine The Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) Board of Commissioners has approved targeted amendments to three sections of its Solid Waste Management Ordinance to improve clarity, close compliance gaps, and reflect current operational practices. The changes address a loophole in Section 3.10 related to food residual collection at multi-unit properties. The amendment would require property owners with five or more units to provide food scrap collection on site, in the same manner as trash and recycling, rather than at a separate location.

Vermont Business Magazine The Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast (PLC) today released results of a comprehensive study of the economic impact of Northeast logging and forest trucking, showing the industry contributed an estimated $1.3 billion to the regional economy in 2024. The study also revealed that in 2024 logging and forest trucking supported approximately 6,930 Northeast jobs either directly or indirectly, generated $393 million in labor income, pumped an estimated $61 million into state and local tax coffers, and remained critical to a range of industries and communities across the region. In Vermont there are 800 direct logging and trucking jobs, along with an additional 500 indirect jobs across the state. Total economic output ranked fourth in the Northeast at approximately $140 million, including $75 million in labor earnings, and generated an estimated $9 million in state tax revenues.

Vermont Business Magazine Ahead of Town Meeting Day, Treasurer Pieciak is returning over $20 thousand in unclaimed property belonging to public schools, districts, and supervisory unions across the state.  The Treasurer’s Office is also urging public school administrators to search the State’s unclaimed property database to recoup any forgotten funds before local budgets are voted on next week. Unclaimed property includes lost checks, forgotten bank accounts, safety deposit boxes, and other financial property. These assets are regularly turned over to the State, and the Treasurer's Office safeguards them until claimed by rightful owners or their heirs.

Vermont Business Magazine A new scholarship opportunity for Vermont residents and/or companies interested in training in the logging and forest trucking industry is now available thanks to funding from Vermont’s Working Lands Enterprise Initiative. Administered by the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast (PLC), the opportunity will allow up to three Vermont residents that apply and are accepted into the Mechanized Logging Operations and Forest Trucking Program (MLOFT) in Maine to then apply for and obtain a $10,000 scholarship to cover subsistence or employment expenses to attend the 20-week certificate program.

Vermont Business Magazine Hiking Vermont’s hillsides is a great way to enjoy a spring day, but the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and Audubon Vermont recommend people check to see if the area they are planning to hike or climb is open.  In addition to trail closures to reduce impacts during mud season, several cliff areas are now closed to protect nesting peregrine falcons. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has proposed issuing 85 moose hunting permits in Vermont’s Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) E in the northeastern corner of the state in a continued effort to reduce the impact of winter ticks on moose in that area.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Fish and Wildlife has announced a Freshwater Drum caught in 2025 has been officially certified as a new Vermont state record. In June, 10-year-old Grayson Carey of Colchester landed the record-setting fish while competing in the Lake Champlain International Father’s Day Derby with his father and grandfather.  The Freshwater Drum, also known as “sheepshead,” weighed 28.5 pounds and measured 37 ½ inches long with a 29-inch girth.  It beat the previous state record set in 2016 by three pounds. Grayson’s father, Jason Carey, said the catch was no accident.

Vermont Business Magazine Public hearings on the status of migratory game bird populations and proposed 2026 migratory game bird hunting seasons for the interior zone of Vermont and Lake Champlain zone in New York and Vermont will be held Tuesday, March 10 and Thursday, March 12.   The annual Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board informational hearings will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on March 10 and March 12.