News

TD Banknorth recently surprised the Lawrence Barnes Elementary School in Burlington with a $5,000 donation through the TD Charitable Foundation, the bank's charitable giving arm. The funds were donated in celebration of National Library Week, April 12-18, and will help the school's library purchase new books and technology resources, and support existing library programs.

A Summit on the Future of Vermont is scheduled for May 11 (yesterday) at the University of Vermont. The summit is the final step in a nearly two year long effort by the Vermont Council on Rural Development to take the temperature of today s Vermont and plan for tomorrow s Vermont. VCRD created the Council on the Future of Vermont to accomplish this task.

Northfield Savings Bank (NSB) continued its strong financial performance in 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 as evidenced by asset growth, strong capitalization and consistent earnings.

Vermont s business community is comprised of a myriad of companies, both large and small that provide economic stability to the state. This community offers quality jobs, products and services to consumers in Vermont, the United States and world-wide and holds a strong grasp on employee well-being representative of the Vermont quality of life.

The Legislature finally adjourned late Saturday night after passing a $4.5 billion budget. Governor Douglas had urged lawmakers to reduce appropriations to ease the tax burden during this recession.

Vermont s congressional delegation announced today $2 million in Brownfields grants for the state.

At approximately 2:30 p.m. today FairPoint Communications restored access to its customer service call centers. Customers are now able to call the Consumer, Small Business or Repair Service Centers. The company appreciates its customers patience while they worked through this problem.

The Vermont House is expected to take up the $4.5 billion state budget either today or tomorrow, with a possible legislative adjournment tomorrow. However, Governor Douglas is expected to veto the budget bill if it comes to him in its current form, which is also expected.

The US Department of Labor today released $101 million to help states provide career training, job search and relocation assistance to U.S. workers who lose their jobs for trade-related reasons. Vermont's total base allocation is $328,825. New Hampshire's allocation is $564,903.

With new border crossing requirements coming on June 1, state officials are urging businesses to get enhanced identification cards for employees who regularly travel to Canada. Starting June 1, the federal Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) will require WHTI-approved documents for entry to the United States. That means that most U.S.

tourism officials are expecting an excellent summer travel season and will launch an aggressive marketing campaign in major metropolitan markets to draw more visitors to the state. Commissioner Bruce Hyde pointed to the continued steady performance of the Rooms and Meals tax as one of the positive indicators of the strength of Vermont’s tourism industry, despite the current economic climate.

The Legislature has included in the state budget language intended to keep open the prison in St Johnsbury. Among the Douglas Administration's budget reduction proposals was closing the Northeast Regional Correctional Facility and laying off most of the employees. The inmates likely would be sent to prisons out of state.