Current News

Former Vermont Governor James H Douglas has been elected to the Board of Directors of National Life Group. National Life is Vermont's largest domiciled company. It is based in Montpelier.
‘Governor Douglas is a man of unquestioned integrity who brings sound judgment, strong values and broad executive experience to our board,’ said Mehran Assadi, president and chief executive officer.

‘I am honored to be joining the board of National Life Group,’ said Douglas, who stepped down as governor earlier this year after serving eight years in office. ‘National Life has a storied history of delivering on its promises to millions of Americans for 162 years.’

James H. Douglas served as governor of Vermont from 2003-2011. Prior to his election as governor he served 12 years as Vermont's secretary of state and eight years as state treasurer. He also served in the state House of Representatives and as executive assistant to Gov. Richard Snelling.

On May 2nd, Vermont-based Pete's RV Center, based in South Burlington, officially assumed ownership of Rollin-On RV in Schererville, IN.
Located just 34 miles from Chicago, Rollin-On served thousands of customers in Southern Illinois, Indiana and surrounding states since opening its doors in 1977.
Pete's RV co-owner and treasurer Dave McGinnis explained the acquisition was an amicable one, "We've had a great, longstanding relationship with Rollin-On RV over the years. There's lots of similarities in how we run our dealerships including being family operated. With owner Paul Craven looking to step out of the business after nearly 35 successful years, it definitely piqued our interest when the opportunity arose to buy Rollin-On."

FairPoint Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: FRP) (FairPoint or the Company), a leading provider of communications services, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011. Revenue was $254.8 million in the first quarter of 2011 as compared to $270.8 million a year earlier. Revenue was $254.8 million in the first quarter of 2011 as compared to $268.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Consolidated EBITDAR was $49.1 million in the first quarter of 2011 as compared to $60.8 million a year earlier. First quarter 2010 Consolidated EBITDAR was favorably impacted by the add-back of $10.4 million related to the net effect of a financial restatement. (see table below)
As previously announced, the Company will host a conference call and simultaneous webcast to discuss its results at 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on Tuesday, May 17, 2011.

Casey Research, a leading provider of investment research, with over 30 years of history, specializing in geopolitically informed investing, energy, base and precious metals, and technology, concluded its most recent summit, The Next Few Years in Boca Raton, FL. There they provided insight into the global economy, portfolio strategies, and specific investment ideas and recommendations.

Early estimates indicate that Vermont based Apple retailer, Small Dog Electronics recycled 100 tons of e-Waste at its sixth annual recycling event this year.
Nearly 1,100 cars filled with old TVs, computers and electronic peripherals lined up at National Life Group in Montpelier as early as 8:30 am to recycle their electronics for free. All of the electronics collected will be processed in the United States by WeRecycle! in one of their two processing plants in Connecticut and New York.
The e-Waste Event is part of the company’s mission of social and environmental responsibility.

This weekend, WCAX-TV News was awarded a New England Emmy for its series ‘Mission Afghanistan.’ Reporter and Evening News Anchor Darren Perron and photographer Lance MacKenzie accepted the award at the 34th annual Emmy Awards Ceremony on Saturday in Boston.
Last summer, Perron and MacKenzie followed members of the Vermont National Guard in Afghanistan, showcasing the mission of the Green Mountain Boys. The deployment to Afghanistan of more than 1500 soldiers was the largest mission for the Vermont National Guard since World War II. ‘This deployment had an enormous impact on Vermont; it was a sacrifice for our soldiers and for their families,’ said Perron.
Mackenzie called it ‘an honor to receive the award,’ saying he was ‘proud to be a Vermonter.’

Several weeks after introducing a contemporary new design, Vermont Life magazine is changing direction in ancillary revenue generation.
Commissioner Megan Smith of the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing announced that Vermont Life has contracted with two Vermont sales and marketing agencies to help implement new sales strategies:

Hakins LLC of Essex will sell corporate partnerships, print advertising, online promotions and circulation promotions. Hakins LLC also will support Vermont Life’sinitiatives in the sales of custom publishing and the magazine’s entry into events and merchandising. Dave Hakins, Chair and CEO of Hakins LLC, will be listed as Director of Advertising, Partnerships & Events.

Crocodile Studio of Williston will coordinate Vermont Life’s retail catalog, product selections and wholesale functions. Jan Hubbard, owner of Crocodile Studios, will sellVermont Life’s wholesale products to retailers both in and outside of Vermont.

by Anne Galloway, www.vtdigger.org May 13, 2011 Though other states around the country have posted much higher tax receipt losses (last year the projected budget gap in Maine, for example, was $1 billion), Vermont has also experienced significant economic fallout over the last three years of the Great Recession.
When residents’ incomes drop, income tax collections fall proportionally. State spending meanwhile was on an upward trajectory, outstripping tax receipts by about $150 million on average each year for the last four years.
Until this year. Gov. Peter Shumlin and Democratic leaders in the Legislature bent the growth curve when they agreed to spend about $75 million less in General Fund dollars (state money derived from income taxes) on government services. The actual spending level in fiscal year 2012 will be 5.7 percent less than the total amount the state spent in fiscal year 2011 (including federal stimulus funds).

by Tom Pelham. Media coverage of the state budget has fallen prey to covering a contrived budget rather than the real budget. The contrived budget is one where legislative and administration budget staffs add up, as a planning exercise, an array of budgetary ‘pressures’ believed relevant and compare the sum to expected revenues. Last December, for example, the Governor’s Budget Office and the Legislature’s Joint Fiscal Office tallied general fund budgetary ‘pressures’ of $1.334 billion and expected revenues of $1.184 billion for fiscal 2012 and found an ‘estimated budget gap’ of $150 million. You can find this analysis here:
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/jfo/appropriations/FY12%20Consensus%20Budget%...

After 18 straight days, working at over a dozen sites along Lake Champlain, VTrans reported Friday that the majority of their effort to shore up roadways from flood damage is complete.
The tally of work over the past three weeks demonstrates more than one hundred and twenty five (125) state employees from all nine districts around the state worked side by side with private contractors and law enforcement personnel to ensure safe passage along roadways during some of the worst flooding in the state’s history.

The nation’s top entrepreneurs will gather this week to be recognized for their entrepreneurship, growth and success during the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week celebration, May 18-20, 2011, in Washington, DC.
Under the theme Empowering Entrepreneurs,’ the three-day event at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Conference Center will highlight business owners from 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, whose business achievements have contributed to job creation, the economy and to the nation’s recovery. The National Small Business Person of the Year will be named from this group on Friday, May 20.
Awards will also be presented for notable achievements in disaster recovery, government procurement, small business advocacy, and to top-performing SBA resource and lending partners.
Featured Speakers at National Small Business Week will include:

Do you have a problem saying sounds, or coming out with the right word? Do you think you stutter? Have you had a stroke or brain injury that interferes with your speaking, thinking or memory? Are you worried that you are losing your hearing? In Celebration of Better Speech & Hearing Month, the Speech-Language & Swallowing Disorders Department at North Country Hospital is offering FREE 15 min Speech and Hearing Screens to the Public. The screenings will take place throughout the month of May in the Speech Department office on the 1st Floor of the Medical Arts Building.
Please call the general Rehabilitation number 334-3260, and schedule your 15 min appt .If you have questions, call 334-3260 and ask for Extension 464 to speak with Lisa Erwin-Davidson, Clinical Supervisor.