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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

The nation s governors will gather in Washington, DC, February 20 for the 2010 National Governors Association (NGA) Winter Meeting. Vermont Governor Jim Douglas is the NGA chairman this year. Among the topics will be health care, the economy, and trade and border security with Canada. The governors will also meet with President Obama and members of his cabinet.
Beginning Saturday, February 20, a bipartisan group of governors from the US states, commonwealths and territories will come together for three days of meetings at the JW Marriott Hotel. Nearly 50 governors are expected to participate in the meeting, which will include sessions with the President, members of his Cabinet, academic leaders, business executives and other experts for discussions on a host of issues and challenges facing states.

FairPoint Communications announced today that it has resolved issues involving unsecured creditors and has filed a restructuring plan with the US Bankruptcy Court that will get rid of $1.7 billion of its $2.7 billion debt in exchange for giving most of its common stock to secured creditors. FairPoint announced October 26, 2009, that it was filing chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a pre-negotiated deal with creditors. However, the 2,500 unionized workers and unsecured creditors continued to press the company to reach a more favorable agreement. Workers reached a new deal last week, setting the stage for today's announcement. FairPoint has also reached agreements with regulators in Vermont and New Hampshire, but it is still in negotiations with regulators in Maine. Service will not be effected by the filing.

Governor Jim Douglas, along with NGA Vice-Chair Governor Joe Manchin (D-WV), sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to extend the federal Medicaid match (FMAP) for two additional quarters, while modifying the maintenance of effort requirements under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Governors and state legislators across the country are working hard to fill budget gaps and invest in a robust economic recovery, Governor Douglas said. While additional federal assistance will help in the short term, my colleagues and I are seeking greater flexibility to invest in strategic efforts to make state budgets sustainable for the future.
The recession has created enormous fiscal challenges for states. Between fiscal year 2009 and fiscal year 2011, states will have faced a cumulative $256 billion in budget gaps. This year alone, Vermont is addressing a $150 million gap in the State General Fund budget.

As part of its continuing network investment to support growing demand for advanced mobile devices and applications, AT&T* today announced the activation of a new 3G cell site in Waitsfield serving nearby Fayston and the Mad River Glen ski area that will enhance coverage for area residents, tourists and businesses. With 3G speeds, AT&T customers can surf the Web, download files faster, and enjoy the very latest interactive mobile applications.

Governor Jim Douglas has been appointed by President Obama to co-chair the Council of Governors, a bipartisan group of 10 governors who will work closely with the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security, as well as other defense and national security officials to advise on matters related to the National Guard and civil support missions.
“It is a great honor to be asked by the President to co-chair the Council,” said Governor Douglas. “Ensuring that the state and federal governments are coordinated in response to domestic military operations and disasters is critical to the safety and security of our Vermont residents, and citizens across the country.”

Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) said today that it has filed a "Notice of Intent " with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to abandon certain of its lines. This notice is required by the STB as a preliminary step in the abandonment process. MMA continues to provide regular rail service and is continuing to work with Maine DOT in order to find a solution that would permit continued rail operations on these lines. Last summer when the company first announced it wanted to abandon some of its track, it put the value of that section at $17 million for the track and the land. MMA has an interchange in Newport, Vermont.