Current News

ESSEX JUNCTION, VT:
It is fresh lemonade, buttery corn-on-the cob and Italian sausage with the works. It is wild roller coasters, giant sand castles, clucking chickens, excited 4-H kids, neon-colored prizes, first kisses and death-defying aerial acts.
It's the Champlain Valley Fair, presented by Progressive -- and it all comes together at the end of summer on Aug. 25-Sept. 3 for a "Go Big" experience that earned it a prestigious spot on the 2007 American Bus Association's Top 100 Events in America list.
Vermont's biggest annual agricultural and entertainment tradition brings together people from across Vermont, New England, Quebec and beyond for 10 days of fun. It is a chance to see old and new friends, enjoy great local food, and compete for blue ribbons and bragging rights for the best strawberry jam, handmade quilt or biggest pumpkin in the state.

The Stern Center for Language and Learning of Williston has received a $15,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation for support of the development of a new website.
The existing website provides general information as well as links to other online sources. The new website will be redesigned and expanded to contain updated informational sections specific to parents, students and teachers. The new, interactive, expanded site will also be a vehicle for fundraising, including secure, online payments. In addition, online course registration will be available.
Past Verizon Foundation support of the Stern Center includes $25,000 for TIME for Teachers Onlineä professional development program for K-3 educators and $20,000 for the Medical-Education Project, which teaches medical students to recognize and refer children with reading disabilities.

President Ty Handy of Vermont Tech is pleased to announce that one of the signature business/labor/education partnership programs delivered at the college -- The Verizon/CWA/IBEW Next Step Program -- won the Stevie Award® for Best Human Resource Team in the 2007 American Business Awards on June 11, 2007.
Stevie Awards were presented in over 40 categories including Best Overall Company, Best Executive, and Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program. More than 2,000 entries from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration.
Hailed as "the business world's own Oscars" (New York Post,April 27, 2005), The American Business Awards are the only national, all-encompassing awards program honoring great performances in business.

Recent figures published by the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing estimate that visitors made a total of 13.4 million trips to Vermont in 2005. Thirty-seven percent of those visitors came during the summer. Many of these summer visitors take advantage of Vermont's outstanding outdoor camping facilities.
Recently however, some vacations have been canceled or postponed because of the increasing cost of gasoline. Now there is a new choice when planning your outdoor vacation. Vermont Campers offers an economical and environmentally friendly choice in RV Rentals.
Those of the baby-boomer generation remember the Volkswagen van with reverent admiration. Large enough to fit your friends and family, yet small enough to go anywhere at any time, these vans traveled across the country and many are still in use today.

With the creation of SMS | Host, a property management system that integrates guest services, John Springer-Miller changed the face of hospitality technology by creating a guest-centric approach to software. For his contributions to the hospitality industry, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) inducted Springer-Miller into the International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame at the 2007 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®. Opening Session on Tuesday, June 26 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
"The Hall of Fame is, perhaps, the greatest honor one can receive in this industry," said Springer-Miller. "I am honored to be recognized on the same level as the previous Hall of Fame inductees."

ADManager Plus is a comprehensive web-based Active Directory Management software that supports IT Administrator and helpdesk technicians to effectively control and manage their entire windows based IT network. It simplifies the IT Administrators task by providing template based management of Users, Groups & Contacts and thus it avoids manual, error-prone administrative activities on Active Directory. It also provides web-based Active Directory Password & Account Lockout scheduler Reports through which HelpDesk Technicians can proactively reset & unlock the accounts before the Domain Users raise a ticket to them.
ManageEngine ADManager Plus 4.1 includes the following features:
* User Management - Allows creation and modification of users in bulk on Active Directory from a CSV file or on user defined templates.

* Group and Contact Management - Allows creation and modification of groups and contacts using CSV.

Marta Pauer-Tursi announces the launch of Borealis PR, a full-service public relations agency specializing in social marketing, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and public affairs. Ms Pauer-Tursi is a seasoned communications specialist with ten years of corporate communications experience at a Fortune 100 company. Her career also includes nine years as an editor and writer at The New Yorker magazine.
In opening Borealis PR, she brings experience in developing communications strategies for organizations seeking to pursue programs in corporate social responsibility. "In today's business environment, transparency, accountability and reputation are crucial components of organizational identity," said Ms Pauer-Tursi, "Companies are scrutinized by consumers and the media as much for how they run their business as for the profits they earn. That is why a solid strategy that communicates a company's core values is essential."

Keeping your money safe is one of the biggest challenges these days. The modern era has offered plastic money and electronic dealings as brilliant solutions for safe cash handling. Credit card and merchant account services allow a user to make safe financial communications in comparison to handling cash, where there is danger of theft or accidental loss of money. Electronic payment options are convenient, safe and secure for paying taxes or user fees.

Urban Rhino wins a Bronze Telly at the 28th Annual Telly Awards for a video they produced for Mansfield Heliflight. The video was produced in HD last summer and is featured on Mansfield Heliflight's web page. It was shot, edited by Nathan Beaman and produced by Lars Gange of Black Bullet. The video can be seen online at
www.urbanrhinovisual.com/video/heliflight.mov
Description of Telly Awards:
Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. The 27th Annual Telly Awards also included new categories to honor video and commercials created specifically for the Web. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.

Northern Power's parent company in trouble

Rutland, VT: Seven Rutland-area organizations have been selected to receive financial grants to help improve the health of their employees through their worksite wellness programs.
Community Care Network, Green Mountain College, The Humane Society, OMYA Industries, Rutland High School, Rutland Regional Medical Center, and the Vermont Achievement Center all will receive grants from the Rutland County Community Advisory Board (RCCAB) of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT). The grants, which range from $200 to $750, will be distributed at an awards ceremony on June 29th at the South Station Restaurant in Rutland.

People's United Financial to acquire Chittenden Corp for $1.9B
People's United Financial, Inc (Nasdaq: PBCT), of Bridgeport, CT, the holding
company for People's United Bank, announced June 27, 2007, a definitive
agreement to acquire Chittenden Corporation (NYSE: CHZ), based in Burlington, in
a stock and cash transaction valued at $1.9 billion. Consummation of the
agreement is subject to the approval of the shareholders of Chittenden, as well as
various regulatory agencies. The acquisition is expected to close in the first
quarter of 2008.

Paul Perrault, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Chittenden
Corporation said in a prepared statement that Chittenden will receive two seats on
the People's board. Chittenden Bank nameplate will continue, as will the local
nameplates and boards of directors of the several other banks around New
England owned by Chittenden Corp.