Current News

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.

Vermont Business Magazine Leaders from the newly formed Vermont Journalism Coalition (VJC) and the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF), as well as Senator Andrew Perchlik, and Vermont Secretary Copeland Hanzas held a press conference today, sharing a new report on the state of Vermont’s news media landscape and celebrating the local and regional media outlets who received this year’s inaugural Local Civic Journalism Awards. VJC’s new leader Kristen Fountain and VCF’s President and CEO Dan Smith outlined key findings from the newly released Vermont News & Information Ecosystem Report. Commissioned by VCF’s Press Forward initiative, the report assesses the current state of local news in Vermont, identifying opportunities to strengthen news access, newsroom sustainability, and local media coordination statewide.

Vermont Business Magazine Stowe Land Trust announced three significant conservation projects this week that together protect over 350 acres in Stowe and Morristown. Two of the three projects, structured in partnership with Downstreet Housing & Community Development, will convert or construct up to 16 single-family homes as year-round housing for full-time residents. Taken together, the three projects—Muddy Moose in Morristown, North Hill Forest in the Shutesville Hill Wildlife Corridor, and Stagecoach Meadows along Stagecoach Road—represent approximately $7.5 million in real estate value, with only $250,000 remaining to fundraise.

Vermont Business Magazine The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Vermont is proud to announce the new grant recipients of its Vermont Biodiversity Protection Fund (VBPF), supporting land protection projects in priority regions across the state. In this round of the VBPF, TNC Vermont awarded $500,000 to seven conservation organizations, leveraging $2,792,423 in funding from other sources. The projects will protect 1,460 acres of land in areas that maintain regional forest connectivity, support biodiversity, and improve Vermont’s climate resilience. These grants build upon the first round of the VBPF, bringing the total awarded to $1 million.

by Peter Walke, Managing Director, Efficiency Vermont The cheapest energy is the energy we don’t use. This simple fact has guided Efficiency Vermont for over two decades. It remains critical for Vermont’s energy future. As Efficiency Vermont plans for the years ahead, we’re listening to feedback from Vermonters. Our latest three-year proposal to the Vermont Public Utility Commission is informed by surveys of nearly 900 residents and hundreds of businesses. That proposal sharpens our focus on affordability—and removes $3.75 million from our proposed budget. Half of the Vermonters surveyed told us they believe the state is unaffordable. At the same time, more than 70% said energy efficiency programs make Vermont more affordable. Nearly nine out of 10 agreed that an independent organization like Efficiency Vermont is essential to reducing energy costs.

Vermont Economic Development Authority In an effort to continuously improve and better serve our borrowers, VEDA has launched its 2026 VEDA Borrower Survey. If you’ve received the link to take it, we hope you participate. It should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. The survey closes on March 3. A 2026 VEDA Partner Survey is in the works. We plan to distribute it in the coming weeks.

Vermont Business Magazine At PCC, strong relationships are the foundation of everything we do. We prioritize our staff, our valued clients, and the well-being of the patients they serve. Your community is our community. For this reason, we are delighted and honored to share that PCC has once again earned the prestigious Best in KLAS recognition from KLAS Research in their annual Software & Services Report, specifically in the Ambulatory Pediatric Solutions category. This achievement marks our eighth year in a row as the #1 ranked ambulatory pediatric EHR solution nationwide – a milestone made possible only by the continuous support of the practices we partner with. On behalf of the entire PCC team: thank you.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Congressional Delegation, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont-At-Large), today released the following statement: “We are horrified to learn of the detention of Vermont pastor and nursing assistant Steven Tendo by ICE outside of his workplace today — just days ahead of a regular check-in with immigration authorities. Pastor Tendo fled persecution and torture in Uganda and has lived peacefully in Vermont for many years as a valued member of our community. People like Pastor Tendo are exactly who our asylum system is meant to protect. We join together with many Vermonters in calling on the Trump administration to ensure Pastor Tendo is allowed to return to Vermont and that he is immediately afforded full due process, including the right to contact his attorney while his appeal is considered.”