Current News

Ben & Jerry s CEO and VP Global Brand Development, Walt Freese, has decided to resign from the company to pursue other values-led business and investment opportunities. At the company s request, Walt has agreed to continue to lead Ben & Jerry s and support a seamless transition until his exit at the end of March. Since joining Ben & Jerry s and Unilever over 8 years ago, Walt and his management team have been instrumental in returning Ben & Jerry s to its heritage of leadership in progressive social and environmental values.
Walt has done an outstanding job, said John LeBoutillier, Unilever s SVP Foods US. We wish Walt all the best in his future endeavors.
About Ben & Jerry's

As part of its continuing network investment to support growing demand for advanced mobile devices and applications, AT&T* today announced the activation of new 3G cell sites in Barreand Montpelier that will enhance coverage for area residents and businesses. With 3G speeds, AT&T customers can surf the Web, download files faster, and enjoy the very latest interactive mobile applications.
"Vermonters welcome AT&T's introduction of 3G capabilities to the capital region of the state," said Sen. Ann E. Cummingsof Montpelier, chair of the Senate Finance Committee. "It is critical that we offer them the latest technologies and services, and AT&T's investment in a more robust wireless network here and in other areas of Vermont will help attract business and strengthen the state's economy."

The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) approved $48.4 million in financing for commercial, agricultural, technology, educational, renewable energy, and small business projects throughout Vermont. Among the recipients are Green Mountain Power (Colchester), Heritage Flight (South Burlington); Southern Vermont College (Bennington); Skinny Pancake (Burlington); and Queen City Printers (Burlington).
“VEDA is pleased to provide financing support to such a variety of new business projects, especially during what remains a difficult economy,” said Jo Bradley, VEDA’s Chief Executive Officer. “Jobs will be sustained and new jobs created, and that growth is critically important for Vermonters.”
Among the projects approved by VEDA:

Governor Jim Douglas today released his recommendation to abolish 55 state boards and commissions and modify six others. The Governor s proposal would streamline bureaucracy and allow state workers to focus more time on their core duties.
Regardless of our fiscal situation, we must always look for ways to make state government more efficient and save taxpayer money, said Governor Douglas. This is an important effort to modernize state government making it sustainable for the years to come.
The recommendations are part of the Administration s Tiger Team response to the projected $150 million shortfall in the FY 2011 budget. This Team led the effort to take a fresh look the 300 state boards and commissions.

As elevated levels of radioactive isotopes continue to leak into groundwater surrounding the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, one of Vermont’s leading environmental organizations today filed a motion to intervene in the docket before the Public Service Board on the matter.
The Vermont Natural Resources Council cites the organization’s interest in protecting the state’s groundwater – a resource legally held in trust for the common good of all Vermonters –and the critical need to assure the state interprets the new groundwater public trust law correctly.

Energy-smart building is on the rise in Vermont. This year, Efficiency Vermont experienced a notable increase in entries to its Best of the Best Awards, honoring the best in energy-efficient commercial and residential design and construction in Vermont. Award recipients will be recognized at Efficiency Vermont s 2010 Better Buildings by Design Conference, taking place on Wednesday and Thursday February 10 and 11, 2010, in Burlington. The conference focuses on energy-efficient building design, construction and renovation and is attended by more than 1,000+ people.
Vermont builders and contractors entered their work in three areas of energy efficiency: commercial new construction and major renovation, residential new construction and residential renovation. In just the commercial category, Efficiency Vermont saw a 50 percent increase in entries.

Dollar Tree Stores, Inc, a national chain that retails discount merchandise, will pay the State of Vermont $100,000 to settle claims that its offer of products containing high amounts of lead and cadmium in Vermont violated the state’s Consumer Fraud Act. The settlement also requires the company to cease selling jewelry and comply with legal limits on the amount of lead and cadmium in consumer products. Vermont Attorney General William H. Sorrell praised the settlement, the second of its kind against a major company, as a milestone in the campaign to protect children in Vermont by reducing their exposure to toxic metals. Both lead and cadmium are widely known to be toxic substances that can cause serious harm to humans, particularly children, if ingested.

Debt Settlement America, Inc., a debt settlement company based in Dallas, Texas, has entered into a settlement with the Vermont Attorney General’s Office that will result in refunds and payments to the State totaling over $120,000. The Attorney General claims that the company violated state law by engaging in the business of debt adjustment without a license, and by failing to comply with the Vermont Consumer Fraud Act. This is the ninth settlement between the Attorney General’s Office and a debt settlement firm in the past year.
According to Attorney General William Sorrell, Debt Settlement America violated the Consumer Fraud Act by not following the State’s three-day right to cancel requirements and by failing to have prior proof to support online claims about the results it could achieve for consumers. Debt Settlement America’s website stated that the company could reduce consumers’ debts to “less than 50 cents on the dollar.”

Vermont Yankee engineers and technicians working to identify the source of tritium in the plant’s groundwater continue to make progress, according to a statement Saturday from Vermont Yankee. They have identified a location in the protected area of the plant with a tritium concentration of 2.45 million picocuries per liter in a newly installed groundwater monitoring well along the west wall of the plant’s Advanced Offgas Building. Engineers are making plans for additional excavation in the area to check some underground equipment that is used to transport water containing tritium from the offgas building to other plant buildings. The offgas system processes gases from the plant’s condenser. The wells between the plant and the river are showing varying concentrations that are not markedly different from yesterday.

Average retail gasoline prices in Vermont have fallen 2.3 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.77/g today. This compares with the national average that has stayed flat, moving just 0.4 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.66/g, according to gasoline price website VermontGasPrices.com.
Including the change in gas prices in Vermont during the past week, prices today are 86.9 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 1 cent per gallon flat than a month ago. The national average has decreased 6.0 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 76.1 cents per gallon higher than this day a year ago.
About VermontGasPrices.com
GasBuddy.com operates over 200 live gasoline price-tracking websites, including VermontGasPrices.com. GasBuddy.com was named one of Time magazine's 50 best websites and to PC World's 100 most useful websites of 2008.
Source: Vermont, VT, February 8, 2010, VermontGasPrices.com

Tuesday February 9th is National Bagel Day, a day that Bruegger's Bagels, founder of the retail bagel concept and holder of the Guinness Book of World Records' title for largest bagel, takes very seriously. Americans take bagel eating seriously, too. Americans eat an estimated 3 billion bagels annually, an average of about 11 per person, according to the New York Times.
In honor of National Bagel Day, Bruegger's surveyed approximately 75,000 fans, via Facebook and email. More than 60 percent of respondents said they have a bagel for a snack, breakfast or lunch at least once per week. Five percent of the respondents are hardcore bagel eaters - they eat them every day!
In the category of favorite bagel flavor, the winners are:
- The Everything Bagel. 22.8% of respondents chose this flavor as their favorite.
- Cinnamon-Raisin. 12.5% of respondents liked it a little sweet.
- Sesame. 10.8% of respondents liked bagels on the seedy side.

Green Mountain United Way received a donation of $40,978.56 from Northfield Savings Bank. This total represents the combination of Northfield Savings bank employee pledges, as well as NSB’s 100 percent matching gift. The donation increased 7 percent from last year, and employee participation increased 24 percent.
Green Mountain United Way seeks to increase the organized capacity of people to care for one another and to improve the overall quality of life in the communities they serve.
About Northfield Savings Bank