On Sept. 23 and 24, 10 bands from all over New England are coming to play together to help save businesses in town that were devastated by the floodwaters of Tropical Storm Irene.
Floodstock VT, a two-day musical festival, will raise money to be distributed directly to businesses who can and want to reopen.
The musical lineup for the festival includes Entrain, Mass Air Flow, The Boxcar Lilies, and John Brazile from Massachusetts; Castle from Newport, R.I.; The Miles Band, Mister Dix, and Jeff Campbell and the Honeybadgers from the Deerfield Valley, and Shawn Tooley from Maine.
The event will kick off on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Snow Barn in West Dover.
Guilford poet Verandah Porche and singer/songwriter Patty Carpenter have joined forces to create a song about the impact of the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene. “Waves in the Wind” is a meditation on the havoc wreaked on the Vermont landscape. But it is also about resilience and hope.
The Rockingham Free Public Library (RFPL) invites you to be a “model-reader” during our Banned Books Week celebration, Monday, Sept. 26 through Saturday, Oct. 1. Each year, RFPL joins libraries across the country in Banned Book Week activities and events. We celebrate the idea rooted in our Constitution's First...
Now that the shock and outrage over the slayings of Melissa Barratt and Michael Martin have faded, the time has come to think about where we go from here. The concept of two killings in less than two weeks remains unsettling, and many have contemplated whether this is a growing trend in southern Vermont. But one common thread can be reassuring: the victims knew their alleged killers. The state's crime statistics show that random homicides rarely happen here. That same...
At sundown on Wednesday, Sept. 28, Jewish people will welcome Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year 5772. Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of a sacred period known as the Days of Awe, a time of reflection and introspection that culminates ten days later on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, observed this year on Oct. 8. During these days, marked by contemplation, confession, and prayer, Jews around the world assemble in synagogues to pray and reflect upon the past year.
One guy was seen mowing the lawn half an hour before the storm hit. He commented to his wife that he'd noted hundreds of tiny, white butterflies bursting forth from the grass like a mass birthing. He was somewhat spooked by the bizarre exodus, yet it also excited him: Mother Nature at her tricks. The Native American Medicine Cards deem the butterfly a symbol of transformation, the couple read later, when they looked it up. Fragile wings fluttering, the fairy-like...
Building a Better Brattleboro (BaBB) will hold its 12th annual meeting of its members and community stakeholders on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden at 157 Main St., beginning at 5:30 p.m. Downtown commercial property owners and merchants are encouraged to attend. Downtown residents as well as the general public are also welcomed. Light refreshments and beverages will be provided beginning at 5:15 p.m., thanks to the Brattleboro Food Coop and Windham Wines. The meeting agenda...
The fate of a proposed skatepark to be built at the Crowell Lot, a town playground on Western Avenue, may be decided in a courtroom. According to David Longsmith, president of Brattleboro Area Skatepark is Coming (BASIC), the Development Review Board's (DRB) approval of the site plan for the proposed 12,000-square-foot concrete skate park is being appealed in Vermont Environmental Court. The court confirmed that an appeal was filed on Sept. 13 by Barry L. Adams, of 64 Western Ave.
Obituaries Editor's note: The Commons will publish brief biographical information for citizens of Windham County and others, on request, as community news, free of charge. • William W. Bassett, 72, of Tiverton R.I. Died on Sept. 10 at his home. Husband of Sharon Bassett. Father of Cynthia Poudrier and husband, Brian Peterson, of Phoenix; Kimberly Gesualdi and husband, Joe Gesualdi, of Cranston, R.I.; Mary Poudrier Tudan and husband, Jonathan Tudan, of Calabasas, Calif.; Stephanie Poudrier of Tiverton; Douglas Bassett and...
A letter published in the Sept. 14 edition of The Commons (“NRC ignores evacuation realities during flooding, road destruction”) sought to make the case that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission neglected its duties when Tropical Storm Irene hit Vermont in late August. Unfortunately, the author missed the mark with respect to several key facts. The letter writer argues that the NRC failed to ensure the emergency plan for the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant would continue to work even though...
Walk for Animals to be held Saturday BRATTLEBORO - The Windham County Humane Society's 2011 Walk for Animals, will take place this Saturday, Sept. 24, at 10 a.m., on the Brattleboro Town Common. Local companies and residents are encouraged to sign-up and Walk the Walk for their favorite furry friend. The event will start with a free breakfast at the Town Common. Following breakfast, the parade of animals and those Walking the Walk for Animals will travel through downtown Brattleboro.
I wonder how many of the pro-nuclear letters that have been appearing in The Commons and in he Reformer lately were written by people who work for Entergy, or who otherwise have a financial stake in keeping Vermont Yankee open. Al Blakley writes in his letter in the Sept. 13 issue of the Reformer: “Three Mile Island [TMI] was the worst disaster in U.S. nuclear history. It experienced a complete core meltdown, yet had no long term impact to the...
The Brattleboro Colonels girls' soccer team played their home opener on a cold and rainy Thursday afternoon at Sawyer Field. The conditions were less than perfect for the Colonels, but the result was: a 2-0 shutout of Mill River for their first win of the season. After a scoreless first half where Brattleboro had a couple of good chances, senior forward Becca Bird put the Colonels on the board in the first minute of the second half. Before the Mill...
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will hold its 20th annual Health Fair in the hospital parking lot from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24. The health fair theme has been “Launch into Motion” for five years running and features ways to get and stay healthy with activities, exercises and healthy foods. Groups from the community as well as the hospital will provide practical information and demonstrations. Some of the activities will include free blood pressure, bone density and breathing...
Thank you, Fran Lynggaard Hansen and The Commons, for reporting the disappearance of my son, Marble Arvidson, and the efforts to find him. Despite how excruciating it is to miss Marble, I hope that kids feel reassured because we adults are coming together and looking for him, that if and when they ask themselves the question, “What if that ever happens to me?” they feel safer for seeing how we respond now. As I face the horror of uncertainty, please...
A Jacksonville physician with extensive experience in health care policy and research has been appointed to the newly-formed Green Mountain Care Board. Dr. Karen Hein is one of five members of the panel, which has the job of creating the first single payer health care system in the country. “In putting together this team, I looked for five really smart people who are fully committed to the goal of controlling health care costs, achieving universal coverage, and who can work...
It's an oft-repeated and erroneous stereotype that autistic people lack empathy. When I hear another iteration of this myth, I have an immediate, visceral reaction that combines impatience at its perpetuation with a keen, first-hand understanding of its power to wreak havoc on the lives on autistic people. When it comes to our ability to find partners, to form friendships, to be welcomed in community, and to find work - particularly in the helping professions - this myth can have...
Nestle's a great dog. He's smart, affectionate, and fun. He loves playing and hanging out with people, and he's a great kisser (if you like dog kisses). But in the many months since Nestle came to the Windham County Humane Society's shelter in Brattleboro, he's had no takers. Nobody in Windham County wants to give Nestle a home. Clearly, it's a case of breed discrimination. Because, you see, Nestle is a pit-bull mix. And we all know what pit bulls...
Budgets totaling $2.059 billion for Vermont's 14 hospitals were approved Thursday by Steve Kimbell, commissioner of the Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration (BISHCA). That figure amounted to a 4.6 percent increase over the 2011 budgets, but the increase dropped to 3.8 percent if you didn't count the roughly $16 million in provider taxes assessed against the hospitals. The system cost thereby came in just under the 4.0 percent figure mandated by the Legislature in 2010; the...
The town of Brattleboro has committed to reducing energy consumption and costs in municipal buildings and operations through a new statewide program sponsored by Efficiency Vermont. The two-year Energy Leadership Challenge is an invitation to the largest businesses and institutions in Vermont to take action to achieve 7.5 percent energy savings at their facility over the challenge's two-year timeframe, from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2013. Efficiency Vermont will commit to helping businesses create a comprehensive, long-term energy savings...
As I collected my thoughts and searched my heart about the events of Sept. 11 and what has transpired in the last decade, I had to move past the images and feelings of fear, anger, loss, and apprehension that are associated with that day. I was searching for something that I could share that was true to the events of that day but also helped us at this moment and in the moments to come. One idea kept coming up...
Three weeks after Tropical Storm Irene whacked southern and central Vermont, local and federal officials are getting closer to a grand total for the damage. The price tag? Nearly $1 billion - so far. That estimate, which is roughly equivalent to the size of the state's annual General Fund budget, takes into account the total impact of Irene on state transportation infrastructure, the Waterbury state office complex, individual businesses, homes and municipal buildings and roads. Costs have continued to mount...
Union Institute & University, a private, nonprofit university in Brattleboro, will host the second annual Brattleboro Area Higher Education Fair on Thursday, Sept. 29, from 5:30 -7 p.m., at VABEC on Old Guilford Road in Brattleboro. The free event is co-sponsored by the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce and will feature representatives from eight Brattleboro-area colleges and universities including: Community College of Vermont, Marlboro College, SIT Graduate Institute, Greenfield Community College, Union Institute & University, Keene State College, Vermont Technical...
“Around the World in 80 Minutes” is the theme of this year's musical presentation at the Estey Organ Museum on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 3 p.m. The museum is located at 108 Birge St., in the building which originally housed the giant Corliss steam engine that powered the vast Estey Organ Co. complex. Back again this year is the team of Nelson and Beverly Pease, of Palmer, Massachusetts. The Peases operate The Pease Collection of Historical Instruments in Palmer, together...
Flood recovery info meeting on Sept. 26 WILMINGTON - The town will host a flood damage and rebuilding informational meeting on Monday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m., at Twin Valley High School. At this meeting will be representatives from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, FEMA, the Selectboard, Zoning and DRB, the Planning Commission and the Chamber of Commerce. This meeting is your opportunity to ask questions of town, state and federal officials concerning the renovation and rebuilding of your...
Another search is scheduled this weekend to find missing 17-year-old Marble Arvidson. Next week, a candlelight vigil will mark the 30 days since the area youth disappeared. “The family is envisioning a quiet gathering on the Brattleboro Common on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 6:30 p.m.,” according to Trish Kittredge, aunt and coordinator of the search for the missing teen. “All are welcome to come,” she said. “It will be an opportunity for people to speak about Marble and come together...
Three days of legal arguments were completed on Sept. 14 in the Entergy v. Vermont federal case, the verdict of which could enforce closing Entergy's Vermont Yankee nuclear power station in Vernon in 2012 - or result in the overturning of three Vermont statutes that now stand in the way of the plant's continued operation past that date. U.S. District Court Judge J. Garvan Murtha told the litigants - the Louisiana-based Entergy and the state of Vermont - on Wednesday...
Can a spiffy new information kiosk at the Vermont Welcome Center in Guilford drive more tourists off Interstate 91 into Brattleboro? Can a bright new banner hanging off the corner of the Brooks House lift the spirits of downtown merchants and visitors? Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Jerry Goldberg hopes so. “We've got three exits off the Interstate, which is great, but we want to give visitors more information,” he said. Building a Better Brattlboro (BaBB) executive director...
Many dimensions of care emerge at Thompson House when regional artists bring their work to monthly gallery shows and conversation at the nursing and residential care center on Maple Street. From the point of view of Activities Director Sandra Ware, the shows mirror for many of the residents what life was like before they came to live here. “It's our Friday night Gallery Walk,” she said, speaking of the popular monthly event in Brattleboro. For Leonard Ragouzeos, the Newfane artist...
There is a direct relationship between health and economic vitality, and the lack of good health care has a significant affect on Vermont's economy and the lives of its residents. That was one of the main points made by Dr. William C. Hsiao, an economics professor at the Harvard School of Public Health who is advising Vermont as it designs a new health insurance system for the state's residents. Speaking before more than 70 people at the Marlboro College Graduate...