Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) is holding an in-person listening session to hear input on the current state of internet service; barriers Vermonters have accessing, affording, or using it; and what can be done to improve it. VCBB is gathering input to develop Vermont’s Internet for All plans to bridge the digital divide and ensure all Vermonters have access to affordable broadband as well as the knowledge and equipment to use it.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Light Real Estate, with offices in Montpelier, Northfield, and Barre, celebrates ten years of providing comprehensive buyer and seller services in Central Vermont and statewide. As part of the ten-year celebration, the company is currently running its Give Back To School campaign and donating to local PTNOs for every property listed for sale with Green Light Real Estate before the end of June.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and the Vermont Department of Public Service today announced $1 million in federal funding will soon come to Vermont to establish sustainable energy projects at elementary, middle, and high schools across the state – as well as municipal buildings such as public libraries and town halls. The funds were secured by Sanders through the Congressionally Directed Spending process through the US Department of Energy, and will be administered by the Vermont Public Service Department.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today announced the final approval of opioid agreements with drug makers Teva and Allergan and pharmacies CVS and Walgreens. Following successful state sign-on and subdivision sign-on periods, the defendants have committed to the multi-state deal of $17.3 billion and will start releasing funds to a national administrator later this summer. Vermont will receive $46.4 million over 15 years from its share of the agreements. Money is expected to start flowing to state and local governments by the end of 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine The 2023 Vermont maple syrup production totaled 2.05 million gallons, down 20% from the previous year’s record-breaking production, according to King Whetstone, director of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Northeastern Regional Field Office. Vermont remains the top producing state in the Nation. Vermont maple syrup producers put out 6.35 million maple taps in 2023, a decrease of 5% from the 2022 total.  Vermont’s 2022 value of production totaled a record high $84.5 million, up 51% from the previous season. The average price per gallon was $33.10 per gallon, up $1.10 from 2021. 

Vermont State Police The investigation into last week’s fire involving a commercial motor vehicle carrying compressed natural gas on U.S. Route 7 in Ferrisburgh remains active and ongoing. The Vermont State Police and the Department of Motor Vehicles Enforcement & Safety Division are working in close coordination on various elements of the investigation. Investigators have determined that the natural gas tanker did not explode, as vehicles transporting compressed natural gas and other petrochemicals have a safety mechanism designed to off-gas the contents in a controlled manner in the case of a fire specifically to avoid a potentially catastrophic explosion.

by Kelly Nottermann, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Scott Sparks always knew he wanted to open a cannabis business, but it was not until he was in his 60s, ready to retire from his decades long career in food service, that his dream began to take shape. A few days after deciding to leave his position as VP of Sales at Black River Produce, he received a spam email promoting the Northern Colorado Hemp Expo. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that he has appointed Rory T. Thibault, of Cabot, as a superior court judge. Thibault has over 15 years of experience practicing law with a background in criminal, juvenile, and military law. In 2018, Thibault was appointed by Governor Scott as Washington County State’s Attorney and was elected to a full four-year term later that year. 

Vermont Business Magazine Celebrating a successful winter season, supporters and friends of Vermont’s ski industry joined the state’s Alpine and Cross-Country ski areas at Killington Resort on June 7th and 8th for the Vermont Ski Areas Association’s 54th Annual Meeting. Despite initial weather challenges in the first half of the season, Vermont’s alpine ski areas reported 4.1 million skier visits—a 10 percent increase over the 2021-22 season and 3.6 percent above the 10-year average. A skier visit is defined as one person skiing or snowboarding for one day.  Vermont gained additional market share, outpacing both the Northeast region’s 3.8 percent growth and 6.6 percent growth of the industry nationally, which equated to a record 64.7 million visits across the US.

Vermont Business Magazine New England Federal Credit Union (NEFCU) has awarded three scholarships to Vermont high school students as part of its annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Scholarship Program. Inspired by the National Science Foundation, NEFCU awards three $3,000 scholarships each year to support individuals pursuing careers in the hard sciences.

Vermont Business Magazine A lively and engaged crowd joined VEC on May 13 at Jay Peak Resort for the co-op’s Annual Meeting. Topics included: Vegetation management and its direct relationship to reliability, which is growing ever more important with more people working from home, and more people using electric technologies like heat pumps and electric vehicles. Also, at the meeting (the 85th) VEC announced that Jody Dunklee of Fairfax, Paul Lambert of Georgia, and Don Worth of Island Pond were all re-elected to their seats on the Board of Directors.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections today announced it retained Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC (DRM) to lead a review process for making public findings from investigations into critical incidents at the Department. The Department’s existing review process includes independent case analysis; interviews with incarcerated individuals, correctional staff, and Department leadership; video evidence; documents; and medical information from the Department’s health contractor.