Current News

Vermont business Magazine The Vermont State Police is investigating a suspicious death in the Orange County town of Corinth. The investigation began at about 11:15 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, when police received a 911 call reporting a man had been shot at a home on Richardson Road. State police responded and located a man unresponsive inside the residence. Emergency medical services personnel subsequently pronounced the man deceased on scene. The death is considered suspicious. VSP’s preliminary investigation indicates this incident arose from a domestic dispute involving people who knew each another. Everyone associated with this matter is accounted for, and there is no identified danger to the public.

by Kaj Samsom, DFR Commissioner Yes, another opinion piece about the cost of housing, education and healthcare. I’ll skip a lengthy lead-up, making the case that all 3 are demonstrably off the rails, because I think that’s almost universally acknowledged by now. So how did we get here and how do we get back to seeing and feeling affordability and value? The vitality of the state depends on it. We got here because the frameworks for delivering and financing education and healthcare have a structural lack of accountability and misaligned incentives that have enabled and even encouraged cost escalation. Complexity and lack of transparency in these frameworks contribute to our struggle to even get 20% of voters to weigh in on school budgets, and why most Vermonters do not know the true cost of their healthcare and its drivers. 

by Gina Galfetti, R-Barre Town Last week in Montpelier, the decision was made by the Republican Minority to use the legislative process to try and move H.70. H.70 is a simple, straightforward proposal that would recognize the farmers, foresters, and generational conservationists who have placed their land into current use. If we recognized these land stewards in the Act 59 inventory, we would meet our conservation goals and continue Vermont’s long history of working hand in hand with private landowners. Without including land enrolled in the Use Value Appraisal Program in our inventory of conserved land, we will not meet our goals and will once again fail to meet deadlines the Legislature imposed on itself. This mirrors other failures.

Vermont Business Magazine Lost Lantern, the Vermont-based independent bottler of American whiskey, enters 2026 following a year of continued momentum, defined by strategic investment, team growth, solid consumer demand, and national recognition. In 2025, Lost Lantern successfully closed a $1 million seed round led by FreshTracks Capital, a leading Vermont venture capital firm. The investment supports expanded sales and marketing initiatives as the company prepares for a major new release slated for 2026. The funding also enabled Lost Lantern to grow its team, reinforcing the company’s long-term vision and operational strength.

Vermont Business Magazine The Bennington Regional 250th Anniversary Committee is inviting the community to help make history by becoming part of an exclusive new membership initiative, “250 for the 250th,” a fundraising effort supporting the Bennington Regional 250th anniversary celebrations running through 2027. The committee is seeking 250 individuals to contribute $250 each, creating a powerful base of support for events, educational programming, creative works, monuments, and special projects commemorating the Bennington Region’s 250th anniversaries. Funds raised will directly support anniversary initiatives already underway and those planned for the next two years. To celebrate the launch, the committee will host its inaugural “250 for the 250th” event on Friday, March 6, 2026, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Mount Anthony Country Club in Bennington, Vermont.

by Mona Abou, Community News Service Vermont lawmakers have advanced a bill that would repeal a state statute requiring college professors to retire at age 70. H.532 passed the House in late January and is now in the Senate Committee on Education. If passed, the change would take effect July 1. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Marc Mihaly, D-Washington-6, told the House Committee on General and Housing on Jan.13 that the bill was introduced after the Office of Legislative Counsel noticed Vermont law wasn’t in line with federal law. Vermont’s law allows colleges and universities to adopt policies that require professors to retire at age 70. Federal law, however, has prohibited these mandatory retirements since 1994 via the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Alexander Henry, 19, of Wells, Vermont, was arraigned on five felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse materials and five felony counts of promoting a recording of sexual conduct. The charges brought against Henry were the result of an investigation conducted by members of the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), in collaboration with the Newport, New Hampshire, Police Department. Henry pleaded not guilty at the arraignment today in Vermont Superior Court, Rutland Criminal Division. The Court, Judge Cortland Corsones presiding, ordered conditions of release prohibiting Henry from having contact with minors, from having unsupervised contact with a minor sibling, and from accessing the internet and electronic devices with internet connectivity. 

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak today announced significant late-breaking budget news that will substantially reduce the projected municipal tax increase for Fiscal Year 2027, while highlighting unified support from public safety and municipal union leaders for the Police & Fire tax rate increase on the March 3 ballot. After receiving updated actuarial data from the City’s retirement advisors, Burlington now anticipates a significantly lower retirement tax increase than originally projected. The City originally estimated the City’s retirement obligation to require a 10% increase in the retirement “splinter tax” by increasing it from $0.19 cents (FY26 rate) to $0.21 for FY27. Final figures from the City’s retirement advisors will require only the tax to be set at $0.18 in FY27 — resulting in a decrease in the retirement tax rate and an overall modified projected municipal tax increase of 6.1%, down from the previously estimated 9.4%.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vermont) joined colleagues this week to introduce the Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act, bipartisan legislation to improve the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) type certification process for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft. The senators’ legislation aims to help American AAM companies succeed and cement the United States’ role as a global leader in aviation. The legislation would bolster FAA bandwidth to prevent gridlock in the certification process by providing more clarity and transparency for industry applicants. 

by Jack Hoffman, Public Assets Institute Vermont’s current education debate seems stuck on what to do first: Overhaul the governance structure and then reform the funding system, or do something about spending and then re-draw school district maps? Governance should be the priority, but it’s not about the maps. The first question is whether Montpelier is going to take power from voters or local communities will retain the control they now have, but with better support from an Agency of Education adequately staffed and committed to assisting schools to improve education for Vermont children. Then people will know if they still have a role or decisions about funding and governance will be made for them.

by Vermont Auditor of Accounts Doug Hoffer Last summer I was walking back to my car after a round of golf when someone in the parking lot called out to me. “Hey, Hoffer, why don’t you ever tell us when something is going well?!?” In my 13 years as State Auditor it’s a sentiment that comes up from time to time, mostly because news coverage generally focuses on the mistakes and errors and performance shortcomings unearthed by our audits. If an agency we review has done superbly nine out of ten times, it’s the one instance that didn’t go well that attracts attention. Every day, though, State employees perform a wide variety of tasks in service to Vermonters at a high level, and our audits reveal that. I want to share two recent examples.

by Ben Cohen Today, The Magnum Ice Cream Company will present its first set of results as an independent company, separate from Unilever. More than 50,000 people wrote to Magnum’s board, shared their concerns about the negative impact their company has on the Ben & Jerry’s brand, and urged Magnum to sell the company. Magnum’s CEO, Peter Ter Kulve, chose not to listen. That’s why, ahead of the inevitable spin and speculation that occurs on earnings day, I want to take the time to speak directly to Magnum’s current investors.