Current News

Burlington Airport passenger traffic hit record high this summer
Passenger traffic at Burlington International Airport set back-to-back all-time highs in July and August. Julys record of 59,030 was quickly outdistanced the next month when August numbers reached 65,264. Augusts total surpassed August 2003 by 22 percent. In its first full month in service at Burlington International, Independence Air contributed almost 5,000 to those record numbers.
The two months put the airport in a position for an overall record year. Numbers equal dollars, as part of each outbound ticket supports the passenger facilities fund, which helps pay for the airport expansion. The airport also receives money from the Federal Airport Trust relating to the number of annual passengers. That money goes toward capital improvements.

Twincraft Soap has announced that Larry Litke, chief operating officer, has joined Peter and Richard Asch as a shareholder of Twincraft, the Winooski-based specialty soap maker.

ESSEX JUNCTION - The 83rd annual Champlain Valley Fair had one its best seasons ever with 299,168 people - about 1,500 more than 2003 - coming through the gates during the annual 10-day fair, held Aug. 28 to Sept. 6. The slight increase in attendance was due, in part, to enjoying one of the Vermont summers longest stretches of sunny weather during the final week of the fair. From an informal survey of license plates on the grounds, visitors from 41 states and several Canadian provinces attended the fair.

From the standpoint of operations and quality, this was an outstanding fair, said David F. Grimm, general manager of the Exposition. We had excellent diversity in our grandstand which accounted for a 15% improvement over 2003. We received many positive comments about the cleanliness of our grounds, the variety of entertainment and the improvements we added this year.

$1.8 MILLION IN FINANCING COMMITMENTS
APPROVED BY VEDA BOARD
Grafton, VT Commercial, technology and agricultural development projects were approved for $1.8 million in financing assistance by the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) Board of Directors at their monthly meeting.
We are pleased to be able to assist in these projects, said Jo Bradley, Chief Executive Officer of VEDA. The outcomes of these investments will be stronger business, technology, and farm enterprises with an increased capacity for future growth.
Projects approved were:

VERMONT ECLIPSES 700 LICENSE MARK FOR CAPTIVES
Brisk Pace Continues for 2004
MONTPELIER - Helmerich & Payne Corporation has established Vermont's 700th
captive insurance company, according to the Vermont Department of Banking,
Insurance and Health Care Administration (BISHCA).
"The key factor in our selection of a captive domicile was the dedication
the state had to the success of its captive industry," said Hans
Helmerich, President, Helmerich & Payne, Inc., and White Eagle Assurance
Company. "Progressive leadership and forward thinking regulation over many
years has made Vermont a leading captive domicile, exemplifying their
commitment to excellence."
Vermont began licensing captive insurance companies in 1981. A testament
to the experience of Vermont's captive officials is that during both
Deputy Commissioner Len Crouse and Director of Captive Insurance Derick

EPA PROPOSES TO ADD
COMMERCE STREET PLUME IN WILLISTON
TO NATIONAL SUPERFUND LIST
JEFFORDS CITES LACK OF FUNDING

Governor Douglas Announces New Rx Drug Pool for Vermont
Montpelier -- Governor Jim Douglas has announced he will propose a
program to help Vermont's employers' pool their purchasing power to
negotiate lower prescription drug prices for their employees.
"This new pooling program will allow participating employers to afford
prescription drug benefits for their employees by taking advantage of bulk
purchasing discounts," the Governor said.
Governor Douglas said this effort is modeled on the multi-state purchasing
pool he formed with Michigan in 2003, the nation's first successful
multi-state buying pool for Medicaid drugs. This pool saved Vermont $2
million in the last fiscal year and is expected to save $ 3 million this
year.
"This is exactly the kind of innovative thinking Vermont needs," Douglas
said. "Just as we have done with the Multi-State Pool, this in-state pool

Many Vermont Families Now Eligible for Discounts on Hearing Care Products and Services
Berlin, VT -- Hearing care products and services have been added to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermonts new non-benefit discount program, BlueExtras, the states largest health insurer has announced.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont recently created its BlueExtras program to give its members and their families the tools they need to improve their health status and remain healthy.
Todays announcement that Beltone" hearing care products and services in Vermont are available through the program follows an earlier announcement regarding weight loss program services. The company promised even more services will be announced soon.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Presents Annual Leadership Award to Vermont Lt.
Governor
(BOSTON, MA) - U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci introduced Vermont
Lt. Governor Brian Dubie to a full house of 85 New England and Canadian
business leaders Friday morning (9/17)at the New England-Canada Business
Council's (www.necbc.org) annual Leadership Award breakfast at
the Fairmont Copley Plaza.
Dubie addressed the group about his experiences over the past 20 months
reviving relationships between Vermont and Canada in the areas of
commerce, the environment, energy, education, transportation and border
security. He concluded his remarks to a standing ovation.
Paul Raymond, senior vice president for the Canadian information
technology firm CGI Group, Inc., is president and CEO of the Council. He
joined Dubie and Cellucci at the podium to present the award to Dubie,

At a dedication event held on campus on September 17, Champlain College announced its newest academic facility will be named after the S.D. Ireland family, owner of S.D. Ireland Concrete Construction Corp. of Burlington, Vt. The $10 million, state-of-the-art building will be called The S.D. Ireland Family Center for Global Business and Technology.
At the center of a major gift to the College are Shelburne, Vt., residents Scott D. Ireland and his wife Kimberly (Wilson) Ireland, who is a 1985 graduate of Champlain College. They were joined by their three children S. Dylan, Shea and Sophie, parents Margaret and Stuart D. Ireland, and brother Stephen D. Ireland at the dedication of the new facility.
With three young children, we have a strong interest in education, said Scott D. Ireland. We also like to be associated with cutting-edge initiatives-thats why we wanted to support Champlain College.

IBM Vermont plant in deal with Kodak
IBM and Kodak have announced a multi-year agreement under which the two
conpanies will jointly develop and produce image sensor chips for consumer
products such as digital cameras and cell phones. Engineers at the IBM
Vermont facility will work with Kodak to develop a manufacturing process
to help Kodak deliver image sensors for consumer products that offer
higher performance, improved image quality and more features than devices
currently available. IBM will manufacture these image chips for Kodak at
the Vermont facility. This is a key foundry customer win for the Vermont
facility. The image sensor business is growing at a rapid rate and IBM
views this technology as a key opportunity in 2005 and beyond.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Fletcher Allen Health Care to work
with Vermont Department of Health to Improve Patient Care at Vermont State
Hospital
WATERBURY-Agency of Human Services Secretary Charlie Smith today announced
that the State of Vermont will work with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical
Center and Fletcher Allen Health Care to find solutions to continuing
problems with patient care at the Vermont State Hospital.
"This brings the expertise of both academic medical centers to the table,"
said Smith. "This is one unexpected but very welcome result of a search
process we've been engaged in for the past several months. We hope and
expect our work with both Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Fletcher Allen will lead
to state-of-the-art, 21st century medical care and systems for the Vermont
State Hospital."
The Vermont Department of Health, which took charge of the hospital on