Current News

Burlington-based Bytes.co has brought home a Gold and a Platinum trophy from the 2026 AVA Digital Awards. These awards represent two projects we’re particularly proud of: our work scaling Tony’s Train Exchange with SEM and our mission-driven SEO strategy for Age Well. This is our third year in a row being honored at this competition, and while we appreciate the hardware, the real prize is seeing our clients’ sustained growth in visibility, traffic, and revenue.

Vermont State Police On the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, the Vermont State Police received a report of a missing person, 21-year-old Benjamin Adams. During a search for Adams, at about 11 a.m., a member of the community located a single-vehicle crash near the intersection of Vermont Route 3 and U.S. Route 7 in the town of Pittsford. The investigation determined Adams was driving north on Route 3 in a Toyota 4Runner when he left the roadway. Adams was found unresponsive and was pronounced deceased on scene. 

The Vermont State Police and multiple other first-response agencies rescued five ice skaters who became stranded on Lake Champlain after a large section of ice broke apart off Charlotte. The incident was reported at about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Responders established an incident command post at the Charlotte Town Beach and launched a joint operation to rescue the skaters, who were approximately 675 yards offshore. The rescue operation involved sending a crew in an inflatable boat across about 200 yards of open water to the skaters and returning them one by one to a section of ice that remained stable. The skaters were then able to walk safely to shore. 

Vermont Business Magazine ATTOM, the leading provider of property data, AI-powered analytics, and real estate intelligence solutions, today released its fourth quarter 2025 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report, which shows that 44.6 percent of mortgaged residential properties in the United States were considered equity-rich in the fourth quarter, meaning that the combined estimated amount of loan balances secured by those properties was no more than half of their estimated market values. As has been the case in recent years, Vermont has the lowest rate of underwater mortgages and by far the highest rate of homes classified as equity-rich.

Vermont Business Magazine Former U.S. Attorney Christina E. Nolan, 46, of Burlington and former First Assistant Michael P. Drescher, 60, of Hinesburg today were confirmed as Vermont Supreme Court justices by the Vermont Senate after an unprecedented series of events. While Nolan's confirmation mostly sailed smoothly through the committee and floor vote (23-7), Drescher needed a special procedural action by Senate President Phil Baruth to make it to a full Senate vote after he was rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Then he needed a tie-breaking vote by Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers after a 15-15 tie on the floor.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations have edged back up to 10 cases statewide as the winter flu season continues. Other indicators through wastewater analysis show an increase in COVID-19, Norovirus and especially RSV in Vermont and nationally. There are no recently reported measles cases in Vermont and the rate nationally is low.

Vermont Business Magazine A newly released economic impact study conducted by Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports and CRO Planning & Design shows that Vermont Adaptive contributes more than $10.3 million annually to Vermont’s economy while supporting 72 jobs and generating $1.8 million in state, local, and federal tax revenue. The study, conducted throughout 2025 and completed in December, measured the direct and ripple effects of Vermont Adaptive’s operations, programs and major events across the state. The analysis examined organizational spending, participant and volunteer spending related to winter and summer programs, and two of the organization’s largest annual events plus an additional fundraising event.

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today released a new report documenting how the Trump administration has broken its promises to American patients by gutting medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) while failing to lower prescription drug prices and engaging in political censorship. The report documents the defunding of more than 300 clinical trials, including research on pediatric brain tumors, dementia, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and heart disease.

Vermont Business Magazine Nine current or former students from the University of Vermont are set to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will take place in Northern Italy with competition starting Thursday, February 5 and running through February 22. UVM-associated athletes will compete in several sports, including hockey, Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and biathlon. Hockey action will take place in Olympic facilities in Milano (better known to English speakers as Milan). Alpine and other skiing competition will take place in and around the town of Cortina in the Italian Alps. The Milano-Cortina games mark the 19th consecutive appearance of UVM athletes in the Winter Olympics since UVM’s first Winter Olympian, Larry Damon, Class of 1955, skied cross-country for the USA in the 1956 games, which also took place in Cortina.

Vermont Business Magazine The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce hosted its Annual Membership Meeting on Friday, January 30, at Monument Arts and Cultural Center, bringing together more than one hundred Chamber members, board directors, staff, and regional stakeholders for an evening that marked a pivotal moment in the organization’s history. The centerpiece of the evening was the public unveiling of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber Foundation, a newly formed charitable organization dedicated to advancing the regional economy through workforce development, business growth, leadership, research, and community investment.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College’s Center for Financial Literacy has extended its free personal finance education program for educators and the public until April 30. The program launched in late 2025 and is a success. Recent regulatory proposals moved the Center to extend the online seminar for another four months. Participants will learn how to more successfully implement the personal finance education standards and obtain free curriculum tools that may be used with the intention to implement personal finance education in the classroom. Act 73 requires the Secretary of Education and the State Board of Education to recommend statewide graduation standards for Vermont by January 1, 2026.

by Treasurer Michael Pieciak Vermonters are counting on us to be bold in addressing today’s challenges. Rising property taxes, scarce housing, and skyrocketing health care costs all demand urgency, courage, and shared resolve from leaders in Vermont. As State Treasurer, I am committed to meeting this moment and using the full power of my office to invest in a future where Vermonters can afford to live with dignity, free from financial stress. Recently, I brought forward a proposal to strengthen this work—aimed at confronting Vermont’s health care affordability crisis and one of its greatest cost drivers: prescription drugs. The bill, H.577, would save Vermonters thousands each year on their over-the-counter prescriptions.