Beta Technologies, Vermont’s homegrown electric airplane company, has spent about $22.6 million snatching up at least 13 properties around its base of operations at the Burlington International Airport over the past year. And this summer, the company announced a plan that would more than double its footprint in that part of South Burlington, to 100 acres, over the next decade. If this master plan is green-lit by the city’s Development Review Board, the company would begin renovating some buildings, tearing down others and constructing new ones. What’s emerging in this eastern section of South Burlington along Route 2 could effectively be called “Betaville.” Fueling the massive expansion is the $1 billion the company raised by going public last November. Founder and CEO Kyle Clark said Beta will double its local workforce, adding about 1,000 employees by the middle of next year as it competes to bring its innovative electric aircraft to market. buff.ly/PzSpBaT

Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark on Wednesday announced that the state will receive a $92.7 million payout from tech giant Meta. The deal, which represents the largest single-company settlement in Vermont history, stems from a 2023 lawsuit alleging that the company knowingly put children in harm’s way through its “addictive” Instagram app and other social-media platforms. The state settlement is part of a larger one that will require Meta to pay at least $12.2 billion — and up to $17.1 billion — to 51 states and territories. During a video press conference on Wednesday morning, Clark called the settlement “historic” and an example of what a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general can accomplish when they work together. The settlement also requires Meta to make fundamental changes to Instagram and other Meta social-media platforms for users under 18. sevendaysvt.com/news/vermont…

The Burlington City Council on Monday approved the development agreement for the first phase of a major real estate project that will reshape the city’s South End. The project, known as the South End Coordinated Redevelopment Plan, is a public-private development partnership between Champlain College and Ride Your Bike, the group of investors behind the nearby coworking campus Hula. The $100-million first phase includes two six-story buildings with 205 apartments on what is now a parking lot on Lakeside Avenue. sevendaysvt.com/news/burling…