Current News

Northfield Savings Bank is pleased to announce the beneficiary of the 34th Annual Flying Pig Footrace will be Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports. The footrace takes place Saturday, September 3, in downtown Northfield, and is presented in cooperation with the Central Vermont Runners Club. The Bank will be making a donation of $5.00 per runner, up to a maximum of $3,000.
Several hundred runners are expected to participate in this fully accredited event. In addition to the adult 5K race, a 1-mile kids race for children ages 5-13 will kick off the day’s events at 9:30AM. The adult race starts at 10:30AM.
Applications are now available and can be picked up at any NSB branch or downloaded from the NSB website at www.nsbvt.com.

Gifford Medical Center is now participating in a federal drug pricing program called 340B.
Administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Office of Pharmacy Affairs, the program has been around since 1992, but expanded last year to Critical Access Hospitals like Gifford as part of the Affordable Care Act.
The program allows Gifford to generate some revenue and cut some costs, which allows the hospital to reduce inflation for future patient rates. It works when Gifford patients fill their non-generic, non-narcotic prescriptions at pharmacies also participating in the program.
So far, Kinney Drugs in Randolph is participating and hospital officials are hoping that other Kinney locations, Northfield Pharmacy and Rite Aid will also soon join in.
The program has no effect on patient and customers’ costs, but does help Gifford at a critical time.

Revision, the global leader in military protective eyewear solutions, announces its most recent contract award: to supply the Germany military with their ballistic eyewear needs through 2013. The project will see Revision deliver over 256,000 sets of the Sawfly Military Eyewear System for use by Army, Air Force and Navy troops. Revision was selected as the sole-supplier for this contract following a rigorous bid process and extensive in-service user trials including in-theatre use in Afghanistan.
‘To have been selected as the standard issue brand following one of most rigorous bidding processes we’ve seen to date, is a testament to the people, processes and technologies that we employ to advance the science and performance of this vital piece of soldier equipment. We are proud to be the German military’s protective eyewear supplier of choice,’ said Alex Hooper, Vice President, International Sales.

The Lake Champlain Bridge Community (LCBC) has made the difficult decision to postpone the celebration activities recognizing the re-opening of theLake Champlain Bridge. Originally scheduled for October 15-16, 2011, a new date has been set for May 19-20, 2012.
The original target opening date for the bridge of October 9, 2011 has been removed from New York State Department of Transportation’s (NYSDOT) website and current press updates. Attempts by LCBC to press NYSDOT for a revised opening date have been unsuccessful. ‘It is difficult to plan and execute a celebration of this magnitude when the opening date of the new bridge is an unknown,’ said Karen Hennessy, LCBC Co-Chair.

The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company has received a $45,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and a $15,000 grant from the National Alliance for Musical Theatre in support of its 2011 world-premiere musical production of SAINT-EX. These grants are the latest show of support for Weston’s New Works program which began in 2007.
"We are pleased and honored to receive these latest grants, particularly in a 75th anniversary year," commented WPTC Producing Director Steve Stettler. "This is the first grant that we have received from NAMT and while we have received NEA funding every year since 2001, this is the largest grant in that ten year history. It is a real testament to the part that Weston is playing in the development of new work."

In Vermont, the number of housing units sold declined by -3 percent, according to RE/MAX of New England, but a median price increase of 3 percent was the largest in New England. According to RE/MAX, the seasonal summer heat has contributed to a month-over-month slowdown in sales across New England. However, year-over-year sales experienced double digit increases in every state in the region.
The July 2011 RE/MAX of New England Monthly Housing Report reveals that transactions in July were down -13.6 percent month-over-month, but up 14.5 percent versus July 2010. Prices were down -2.4 percent month-over-month and down -3.0 percent from July of 2010. Every New England state saw a decline in units sold.

MediaNews Group, Inc, based in Denver, has launched a digital subscription model for 23 of its affiliate newspapers in California, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Vermont. The Vermont papers are the Brattleboro Reformer and the Bennington Banner. This digital paywall allows free access to a limited amount of content on a monthly basis and then readers will be asked to subscribe to have full access to their local news site. This digital subscription began August 15.

Dealer.com (www.dealer.com), the global leader in automotive Internet marketing solutions, today announced that Mitch Truwit and Marcelo Gigliani of Apax Partners will be joining the company's Board of Directors. Apax Partners recently acquired an approximately 30 percent stake in Dealer.com from Yellow Media Inc.
As part of the transfer in ownership from Yellow Media, Marc P. Tellier, Doug A. Clarke and Normand Theberge will be stepping down from the Dealer.com Board.

Fuse, a marketing agency that helps brands reach teens and young adults, is proud to announce the launch of an annually occurring Service Grant Program. Fuse will donate $25,000 in services to a to-be-selected charity program within the action sports community.
"In the past fifteen years, Fuse has supported many great non-profits through donations and by providing pro bono or discounted work. It has been a rewarding experience and we are now excited to expand our community involvement through this new grant program," said Brett Smith, Partner at Fuse. "This project will provide a substantial grant to a deserving non-profit and allow Fuse to continue its dedication to community service."
Existing non-profit programs within the action sports community, as well those with new charity ideas connected to action sports, are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is October 15, 2011.

The Vermont State House, all federal and state facilities around the state and public buildings and grounds around the state will lower their flags to half staff from Friday to Monday, per order of Governor Peter Shumlin, to honor Chief Petty Officer Brian Bill, 31, of Virginia Beach, VA, who died on August 6, 2011, while serving with the United States Navy in Afghanistan. He was a graduate of Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.
Where the flags will be lowered:
The Vermont State House, all Federal and State Facilities around the state and public buildings and grounds around the state.
Which flags will be lowered:
The U.S flag, Vermont State flag, POW flags, and any other flag*
Date the flags are to be lowered: (at sunrise):
Friday, August 19, 2011
Date flags are to return to full staff: (at sunset):
Monday, August 22, 2011
Name of person being honored/Reason to Lower Flag(s):

Governor Peter Shumlin today announced that a new manufacturing company will be locating in Manchester and will initially employ just over 100 people. The company, WCW, Inc, is a family-owned manufacturer of premier bedding used in the medical and hospitality sectors, with plans to expand to retail customers.
WCW’s decision to relocate to Manchester from its Hoosick Falls, NY, facilities was based on a combination of incentives, location and support from the governor's office and Vermont economic development officials. It was approved for more than half-a-million dollars in state incentives.
"Vermont did an excellent job of presenting a competitive incentive package and providing assistance to us from the Shumlin administration - including the governor himself ‘ as well as from the Bennington County Industrial Corporation and local representatives," said WCW chairman John Wilkinson. "My family and I very much look forward to our future in Vermont."

Vermont Public Radio has launched the Public Post, a local digital news service that gives Vermonters access to their town and city minutes, and a place to connect around local news and common issues.
Public Post collects minutes from city councils and town select boards as a primary source of information about local communities. Vermonters can browse the database of these municipal minutes, post headlines, and start discussions about what’s going on in their towns.
‘We strongly believe the people on the ground in Vermont’s communities are in the best position to let us know what’s happening and what really matters in their town,’ said Kirk Carapezza, Public Post’s editor and reporter. ‘We want to harness that knowledge on Public Post and to provide a forum for discussion. It's an innovative way to continue VPR's tradition as a trusted and relevant statewide news source."