Current News

It's in the Bag!
Essex Junction, Vt. - The winner of the Vermont Grocers' Association Vermont State Best Bagger is 20-year-old Ethan Abar of Williston who works at the Shaws Market in Williston. He out-bagged eight other contestants from various stores across the state during the annual competition held at the Robert E. Miller Expo Centre at Champlain Valley Exposition.
Each contestant had to fill two paper grocery bags with the same items and were judged on time, attitude and weight distribution. Judges for the contest were State Sen. Dick Mazza, Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie and State Sen. Peter Welch.
As the grocery bagging champ, Abar will represent Vermont in the national bagging competition to be held in Las Vegas in February. He has worked at Shaws for 3 1/2 years and is a student at Champlain College. "I was nervous, but my experience paid off," Abar said.

12th Annual NSRA Northeast Street Rod Nationals, Sept. 23-25, Champlain Valley Exposition, Route 15, Essex Junction, Vt. More than 1,500 colorful pre-1949 street rods, trade show, vintage auto parts swap meet, arts and crafts show. Show hours Sept. 23, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sept. 24, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sept. 25, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Admission $12 for adults, $3 for children 6-12, under 5 is free when accompanied by an adult. For more information, 878-5545 or the Northeast Street Rod Nationals at (724) 932-3747 or visit www.nsra-usa.com.

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State of Vermont
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Tom Martello has been recently promoted to the position of Quality Manager for the VEMAS Corp. Tom has extensive experience with LEAN and Six Sigma manufacturing environments and presents a focus in process improvement. VEMAS, located in Middlebury, V.T is a woman-owned company specializing in electronic contract manufacturing.
Loan Mayer, has recently been hired as the Engineering Manager at the VEMAS Corporation. Loan, a graduate of the University of California at San Diego in structural engineering, has 13 years of experience in new product introduction. VEMAS, located in Middlebury, V.T is a woman-owned company specializing in electronic contract manufacturing

Community Capital is one of 41 organizations nationwide to recieve a Technical Assistance Award from the U.S. Department of Treasury's CDFI Fund. CDFIs - Community Development Financial institutions - are specialized organizations that respond to financial gaps in their local markets.
Totaling $50,000, this grant will be used by Community Capital over the next two years to fund a variety of activities that will improve Community Capital's ability to offer flexible and affordable financing and technical assistance to new and growing businesses that do not yet have access to traditional bank financing.
Specific activities include: a tri-county market assessment for Orange, Lamoille, and Washington counties to identify unmet demand for alternative commercial financing, an internal organizational assessment conducted by CDFI industry leaders, board and staff training, strategic planning, and technology upgrades.

FINAL OPERATION SPECIAL DELIVERY CONVOY LEAVES FOR GULFPORT
Second Convoy Unloading in Gulfport
**Private Efforts Must Now Make Own Shipping Arrangements**
Waterbury, Vt. - The third and final Operation Special Delivery convoy of
tractor-trailer trucks packed with donated items from Vermonters departed for Gulfport, Mississippi Monday, September 12.
The final convoy will muster at 6:00pm at the site of a former rest area
at mile marker 24 (I-91, Southbound) in Brattleboro, in preparation for a
7:00pm departure.
Vermont Emergency Management officials continue to coordinate the
deliveries with local officials.
ABOUT OPERATION SPECIAL DELIVERY
Operation Special Delivery is one part of a three-part plan Governor Jim
Douglas launched to assist in the hurricane recovery effort. The
overwhelming and rapid response by thousands of Vermonters created loads

Tom Brassard, Paw Print & Mail, South Burlington, was honored for his companys performance and growth for the past y ear by Certified Printers International (CPrint") during the bi-annual board meetings in Charleston, WV. CPrint" honors printers who have had exceptional sales growth in the past year. Paw Print & Mail not only was honored for its continued sales growth, but Brassard was cited for his management skills.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Woodbury College Holds Fall Graduation Ceremonies
Author, Civic Facilitator Susan Clark Delivers Graduation Speech
Montpelier, Vt.-On Saturday, September 10, 2005, Woodbury College held its
2005 Graduation Ceremony at U-32 High School in Montpelier. A total of 46
students received degrees and certificates in the fields of mediation and
conflict management, paralegal and legal studies, prevention and community
development, and interdisciplinary studies.
Noted Vermont author and civic facilitator Susan Clark delivered this
year's graduation speech, "WD 40 and Duct Tape: Rediscovering the Secrets
of Community." Clark described the sense of neighborliness and connection
(symbolized by duct tape) that help Vermont's diverse communities adhere
together. But she emphasized that even more important was Vermonters'
tradition of tolerance and respect (symbolized by WD-40) that smooth our

Make a Donation of $50.00 or more to the American Red Cross and receive a complimentary facial. Saturday Sept. 10,17,& 24. Make your Appointment by calling 802-878-1236. Check to American Red Cross must be received at the time of Service.

Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, announced that it will extend its online and on-campus offerings to undergraduate students who cannot attend college this semester due to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.
Recognizing that the College is located many miles from the areas that were hardest hit, Champlain officials chose to offer its comprehensive online program to adult students in addition to an on-campus option for traditional-aged students. Champlain College will collect no tuition; instead, the College will accept students who have already paid their tuition to their home college, which will desperately need the funds.
In both cases, students will be accepted on a space-available basis. Adult learners interested in online courses must act by Friday, September 9, as classes have already started. For any student who chooses to live on the Vermont campus, the College will only collect fees for room and board.

For Immediate Release: Contact: Kathy Parry
September 1, 2005 (802) 371-3205
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont Wires Funds To Hurricane Relief Fund
Berlin, VT Recognizing a desperate need for funds to bring help and medical care to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) today contributed $10,000 toward a special relief fund being developed by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and administered by the American Red Cross.
Its impossible to see the devastation and human suffering caused by this tragedy and not want to help, said William R. Milnes, Jr., President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont. We hope that this contribution, made on behalf of our customers and members, can bring some measure of relief to the victims of this terrible natural disaster.