Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Dartmouth Cancer Center achieved a significant advancement in lung cancer care by performing its first combined robotic lung procedure under a single anesthesia. This milestone involved specialists from thoracic surgery and interventional pulmonology collaborating to enhance patient outcomes. During the procedure, physicians used robotic bronchoscopy—a minimally invasive technique offering precise airway navigation—to locate a 7-millimeter lung nodule. The team successfully biopsied and marked the nodule with dye, facilitating its removal without removing additional lung tissue. Subsequently, surgeons employed robotic-assisted surgery to excise the targeted lung area.

Vermont Business Magazine Patients and community members are invited to a bone health and osteoporosis event hosted by University of Vermont Health – Central Vermont Medical Center, where experts in bone health, nutrition, fitness and more will share information on maintaining bone health and treating osteopenia and osteoporosis. The interdisciplinary panel discussion will include practitioners from Green Mountain Community Fitness and the hospital, strength demonstrations and an audience question-and-answer session. It will take place from 5 – 7pm Thursday, Feb. 19, in the lower lobby of Central Vermont Medical Center, 130 Fisher Road, Berlin. Primary care providers and registered dieticians will also be available during the Q&A.

Vermont Business Magazine Kevin F. Kwaku, MD, PhD, director of clinical electrophysiology Dartmouth Health’s Heart and Vascular Center, will be the next president of the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC). Serving from 2026 to 2028, Kwaku is the first ABC president from a northern New England institution in the organization’s 50-plus-year history.

Vermont Business Magazine In celebration of the January 16 grand re-opening of the Market 32 located at Route 15 and 370 Munson Ave. in Morrisville, VT, Market 32 donated more than $11,000 to two local nonprofit organizations dedicated to strengthening the community. As part of the re-opening festivities on Friday, January 16, and Saturday, January 17, customers received 5% off their grocery purchases. In turn, Market 32 donated an additional 5% of total store sales across the two days to Lamoille Community Foodshare and Morrisville Soccer Club. Each organization received $5,650.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on February 10, 2026, John Cozza, 64, of Plainfield, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a two-year term of probation and ordered to pay $68,323.20 in restitution to the United States Social Security Administration. Cozza previously pleaded guilty to submitting false information in his application for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. According to court records, Cozza stated in a March 2021 application for SSDI benefits that he had not been self-employed in 2020 or in 2021, through the date of his application. When Cozza submitted the application, he knew that information was false. In fact, Cozza had been working as a handyman.

Vermont State Police On Sunday, at approximately 3:12 pm, the Vermont State Police was notified of a fatal snowmobile crash on VAST Trail 513 in the town of Stannard, VT. Investigation revealed the operator, Kevin Smith (62) was travelling west when he drifted slightly off the north side trail and struck a stump. Smith momentarily lost control of the snowmobile before it tipped over and ejected him into several trees. Life saving measures were attempted. Speed nor alcohol appear to be a factor.

by Maggie Lenz and Gwynn Zakov Remember a couple weeks ago when we wrote that there seemed to be little political will in the legislature to take up Act 250 (Vermont’s statewide land use and development law) and Act 181 (the 2024 land use modernization and housing reform law) reforms this session? Well, we were wrong. Dead wrong. Only a few days after the column ran, the Rural Caucus met with Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Kesha Ram-Hinsdale (D-Chittenden Southeast), and the Chair of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, Sen. Anne Watson (D-Washington), to discuss concerns the caucus has with Act 181 implementation, some of the larger goals the senators had with Act 181, and reforms to Act 250. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State University (VTSU) is the Educational Partner for the 2026 Vermont Cannabis Convention, the university announced today. The partnership connects the state’s largest cannabis industry gathering with the state’s most established academic pathway into cannabis careers, VTSU’s Cannabis Studies Certificate Program. The Cannabis Studies Certificate program is a 12-credit interdisciplinary program that introduces students to the cultural, economic, legal, and scientific dimensions of cannabis, and includes hands-on experience in cultivation, research, and commercial operations. Students also complete the Cannabis Employee ID Card Compliance Training required for anyone working in the Vermont cannabis sector.

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First A jury has ordered Dartmouth Hitchcock Health to pay $1.4 million to an Orange County man after determining it committed medical malpractice while treating him for testicular cancer. The man, from Tunbridge, received an invasive medical procedure to remove his left testicle at the Lebanon, N.H. hospital in May 2020 and the follow up was seriously lacking, according to his Burlington attorney Robert Hemley of Gravel & Shea. Hemley said the verdict in Vermont Superior Court on Friday validates the claims the plaintiff had asserted for the last six years that Dartmouth Hitchcock was negligent in failing to identify a metastatic tumor on his pelvis and to take seriously his health complaints.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $2.99 per gallon, up 1.5 cents per gallon from last week's $2.97/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.74/g while the highest was $3.12/g, a difference of 38.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 2.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.87/g today. 

Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets Curious about USDA funding but not sure where to begin? UVM Extension is hosting a series of in‑person events across Vermont to help farmers navigate USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs. Mark your calendar for the session nearest you in March or early April. At each event, participants will hear directly from a farmer and their NRCS Conservation Planner, connect with FSA staff, and receive hands‑on support completing the paperwork needed to become eligible for funding. These workshops are free, but registration is required. Lunch is provided.

Vermont Business Magazine On Thursday February 5, Jim Phelps, a long-serving member of UVM’s Police Services, was sworn in as the University’s sixth Chief of Police. Joining Phelps at his swearing-in were family members, friends, and colleagues from his long public service career. The ceremony took place at the University’s Old Mill. Attendees included the university’s President, Marlene Tromp, campus partners from across the university, and officers from other Chittenden County police agencies. The oath of office was administered by former UVM Chief Timothy Bilodeau, who retired from the university in January after 38 years of service. Phelps has served UVM in the department since 1989, holding nearly every major operational and supervisory role.