Good morning, Burlington.

Natural Nest Play Café opens in Shelburne offering a Montessori-based play area with slides, pretend shops and dedicated party rooms plus a coffee bar for parents.

The venue will host an open house on Friday, Oct. 23 featuring tours, free play and a donation drive for the Shelburne Food Shelf.

Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility unveiled its new brand identity Monday, Oct.

19 in Burlington after a yearlong rebrand with Ruthless & Wellington. The abstract logo symbolizes diversity (inspired by its letters) and invites members to drive positive social and environmental change.

Burlington's Hula campus supports innovation by offering resources for startups and hosting events that connect local talent with growing companies.

The Vermont Tech Jam will bring together job seekers and entrepreneurs (Saturday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m.) on campus.

The Flynn will host the world-premiere of 34 plays by women+ playwrights on Saturday, Oct.

24, at its Burlington venue. The free event aims to spark local conversations about democracy and has drawn participation from over 100 community groups.

Today, Burlington's gasoline prices averaged $4.43 per gallon, down 3.4 cents from last week, while diesel rose to $6.30+ national data shows similar trends with lower gasoline prices but higher diesel costs.

Champlain College appointed six new trustees on Oct.

16 (bringing experts in business, healthcare, technology, finance, philanthropy and international development) to guide its strategic plans at the Burlington campus. The board will support initiatives to prepare students for career success.

On Oct. 16, UVM trustees approved FY28 tuition and fee rates with a 2% increase for in-state and a 3.5% rise for out-of-state students, and authorized up to $10 million for pre-construction on a new multipurpose center (supporting campus improvements).

The Vermont Transportation Board approved naming 11 miles of I-91 as the David Chris Maland Memorial Highway in honor of the fallen Border Patrol agent killed during a Jan.

20, 2025 traffic stop, covering Exits 26 to 28 from mile 161.4 to 172.4 (supported by community petitions) and including signage.

Vermont shoppers say Halloween costs are rising, with a Harry Potter costume now costing about $60 instead of $25 as it did years ago.

Families in South Burlington are getting ready to shop for costumes + candy as the holiday nears.

A new primer on the 2026 Vermont high school girls soccer playoffs outlines predictions for all four divisions (highlighting key storylines for local teams) and explains what to expect as the games approach.

Sports fans can vote for the All-USA Vermont Girls Athlete of the Week presented by Delta Dental until 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct.

22 via burlingtonfreepress.com — voting began Monday, Oct. 19 and winners will be announced on Friday, Oct. 23.

High school sports fans can vote for the All-USA Vermont Boys Athlete of the Week until 9 p.m. Thursday (Oct.

22) on burlingtonfreepress.com, with winners to be announced Friday, Oct. 23.

Chris Taylor, the men’s coach for Vermont Green FC, is stepping down before the 2027 season to focus on his family.

He served as an assistant from 2022 to 2024 and led the team to back-to-back championships with undefeated records in 2025 and 2026.

Vermont high school field hockey playoffs begin Tuesday, Oct.

20 with opening games featuring teams like Division I favorite Rice + U-32 of Division II; championship games will be held Sunday, Nov. 1 at Burr and Burton.