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Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Federal recently made two donations to support Vermont youth, delivered as big checks. $7,500 was provided to the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington and $5,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Rutland. The donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington will support their Early Promise Program. The donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Rutland will help to fund their after-school programming blocks including academic support, skill building clubs, STEM programming and mentoring programming. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont initial weekly unemployment claims fell for the third straight week following the usual volatile labor activity as the end of holiday season played out. For the week ending January 31, 2026, the Vermont Department of Labor reported that there were 358 new claims, down 58 from the previous week and up 10 from last year at this time. New claims are at typical seasonal levels, but ongoing claims remain high. Total claims were 4,276, down 54 from the week before and are up 193 from last year at this time. Wall Street soared on Friday despite a tech selloff and a soft labor report earlier in the week.

Vermont Business Magazine Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel is shaking its tail feathers with a $6,078 donation to support the Vermont Foodbank and JCEO Plattsburgh Foodshelf. For the 9th year in a row, Lenny’s teamed up with Darn Tough Vermont to hatch a limited-edition, Vermont-made sock. This year’s playful design featured poultry on the powder—yes, skiing chickens carving turns down the slopes—and was released exclusively at Lenny’s in September. Customers flocked to grab a pair before they flew the coop. As part of this egg-cellent tradition, Lenny’s donated $2.00 from every pair sold to the Vermont Foodbank in Barre and JCEO Foodshelf in Plattsburgh.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation (VDHP) and the Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation have awarded $330,211 of Historic Preservation Grant awards to 19 municipalities and non-profit organizations in nine counties. This funding will facilitate the restoration and rehabilitation of Vermont landmarks and important historic buildings and structures, helping to leverage more than $1.6 million in restoration and rehabilitation efforts.

Vermont Business Magazine Treasurer Pieciak’s legislative proposal to lower prescription drug costs (H.577) earned unanimous, bi-partisan approval from the House Health Care committee on Thursday. It's the first major step toward the bill becoming law and saving Vermonters millions each year on their over-the-counter medications. This proposal would offer all Vermonters, regardless of their coverage, a free drug discount card—saving up to 80% off generic drugs and up to 20% off name-brand medications.  As Affordable Care Act subsidies expire and cuts to Medicaid take effect, the program would be a critical safety net to the tens of thousands of uninsured and underinsured Vermonters paying fully out-of-pocket for their prescriptions.

Vermont Business Magazine Treasurer Mike Pieciak, legislative leaders and Vermont Green FC held a press conference Thursday to unveil a legislative proposal (S.234) creating a state-sponsored Vermont Green FC license plate. The plates would be the latest addition to a series of personalized license plates offered for a fee through the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).  Revenues generated from Vermont Green FC license plates would support climate action, resilience, and outdoor recreation—priorities consistent with the club’s mission of using soccer as a catalyst for a more sustainable and equitable future.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak has announced that the City will open an extreme cold weather shelter in partnership with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) at the Miller Center at 130 Gosse Court in response to the dangerously cold weather forecasted this week. After reviewing weather modeling in consultation with the City’s Emergency Management Director, officials have determined the forecasted temperatures the evenings of Saturday, February 7 and Sunday, February 8  meets the City’s criteria for operation of an extreme cold weather shelter.    Hours of operation will be from 5pm on Saturday, February 7 until 8am on Sunday, February 8 and from 5pm on Sunday, February 8 until 8am on Monday, February 9. The National Weather Service is currently forecasting evening temperatures diving well-below zero with windchill on the evenings and into the early morning hours on these dates.   

VermontBiz Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Economic Development announced today that the State Brownfields Revitalization Fund (BRF) State Program is investing $3.51 million to clean six properties in Bennington, Rutland, St. Johnsbury, Williston, and Montpelier.

The BRF promotes the productive reuse of sites that are currently abandoned or not fully utilized due to contamination on the site. By providing financial assistance to clean up these sites, the program has enabled meaningful housing development while advancing environmental stewardship, community investment, and economic growth.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $2.99 per gallon, up 1 cent/g from a week ago, down 4 cents/g from a month ago and down 14 cents/g from a year ago, according to AAA. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.75/g while the highest was $3.29/g. The national average price of gasoline is up 2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.89/g today. The national average is up 8 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 23 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

Vermont Council on Rural Development VCRD’s Climate Catalyst Innovation Fund (CCIF) supports projects that create new approaches to challenging problems by expanding community climate resilience and reducing energy use. In 2025, CCIF received over $137,000 in requests and was able to support 17 projects with $60,500 in grants for Vermonters implementing local climate solutions. Projects funded this year included emergency preparedness kits for older Vermonters, solar powered generators, flood recovery preparation for farmers, accredited solar energy workforce training, a program to promote bicycle commuting, and more. 

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today announced an investigation into how Walmart, Kroger, Dollar General and Dollar Tree stand to benefit from large tax breaks in President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” while they force tens of thousands of their employees to rely on Medicaid and SNAP. This situation will be made even worse as a result of the largest cut to Medicaid and nutrition assistance in American history that Republicans enacted last year.

The Vermont State Police arrested two suspects Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in connection with the December overdose death of a Williamstown woman. The Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations at the Berlin Barracks began an investigation following the death of 24-year-old Katelyn Grant on Dec. 12, 2025, at a residence in Williamstown. The investigation developed probable cause to believe the drugs that caused Grant’s overdose and death were provided to her by Jonathan Luciano, 30, and Ailyah Santos, 24, both of Barre.