Nov. 20 is the deadline for farmers to purchase insurance for perennial crops such as mixed hay, alfalfa and pastures; strawberries, blueberries and other perennial fruit shrubs; fruit trees such as cherry, plum, pear and nectarine; and rhubarb and asparagus.
The Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) provides low-cost insurance coverage for crops where commercial crop insurance is unavailable. NAP can cover some of the costs of crop losses due to low production yields, crop failure or prevented planting related to natural weather events or disasters.
“Windham County producers suffered major crop damage both from Tropical Storm Irene and last year's drought.” said Julie A. Jacque, Windham County executive director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA). “A program like NAP can mitigate some of these production losses, and also ensure that farmers are eligible for other USDA disaster assistance programs that require insurance for participation.”
The cost of NAP coverage is $250 per crop with a maximum of $750 per producer, or $1,875 for multi-county producers. Those with limited financial resources may have the costs waived.
Of all emergency services, none depends on volunteers as much as local fire departments. In a time when volunteer fire departments still account for a majority in Windham County, two factors affect response time and the number of responders when a call comes in: the economy and recruitment. Ten...
Rural Vermont again partners with master storyteller and Commons columnist Annie Hawkins for the organization's third annual storytelling benefit. “After the Flood: Stories of Heart and Hope” will feature a series of tales from past generations and distant cultures that speak to the resolve, compassion, and valor displayed by...
The playoff ride ended for the Bellows Falls girls and the Twin Valley boys last Wednesday. In a Division III girls' soccer semifinal in Bradford, the No. 6 Terriers lost to the No. 2 Oxbow Olympians, 6-1. Sara Dumont scored midway through the first half to tie the game at 1-1, but Oxbow then scored five unanswered goals to put the game away. Riley Johnson and Michaela Hodge scored 2 goals each to lead the Olympians, Felicia Downing and Emily...
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. • Eleanor Fay Adams, 82, of Marlboro. Died Oct. 29 at her home. Wife of the late Charles Adams for 44 years. Mother of Linda Martin and her husband, Frank, of Keene, N.H., and the late Ronald Adams. Sister of Rachel O'Connor of Marlboro. She was born on the family farm in Marlboro, the daughter...
Vermont has a long commitment to its citizen government. Each day, elected officials from local Selectboards to the Statehouse navigate the statute-laden waters, backed by a legion of professional town managers, administrators, and clerks. The task of interpreting state statutes also falls to these elected officials, often legal lay people. Questions naturally arise, such as “which documents are public?” or “if three Selectboard members start chatting about the meeting agenda over email, does that constitute a meeting?” Secretary of State...
Judy Greenberg, a local licensed psychologist and trauma expert, will give a free presentation about psychological trauma, including discussion on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). The talk, on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m., will cover what is meant by trauma, the impact that it has on our brains, and the behaviors and feelings typically associated with it. After a trauma or loss, typical symptoms may either begin or increase: thinking about it too...
The phrase “good vibes” comes to mind to describe the Oct. 19 benefit concert for Marijuana Resolve. The band did a full set-up, followed by tune-up, and sound check. The first four rows of theater chairs were removed to create a dance floor. By 7 p.m., young people were pouring into the Hooker-Dunham Theater. The dancing began in earnest around 8 p.m. The resonance of the music drew sociable residents from the apartments below. Flabberghaster, Southern Vermont's own young, energetic,
The Vermont Humanities Council (VHC) has chosen two books set during the Civil War for its Vermont Reads 2012 program. Paul Fleischman's novella Bull Run and Stephen Crane's classic The Red Badge of Courage are the latest picks for VHC's statewide community reading program that began in 2003. The books were chosen in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Communities may apply for either or both books. More than 60 towns and cities - and tens of...
What does it mean to be a nuclear worker? Above everything else, safety is first. Every action taken must be thoroughly evaluated to assure that it will not compromise safety. Precision and detail are required; procedures must be followed exactly. Dedication is mandatory; whenever there is an issue to be addressed, it must be addressed thoroughly and promptly. Skills must be developed, honed, and maintained to ensure that work performed is of the highest quality obtainable. I have worked in...
Yesterday I drove down my hobbled, snow-encrusted road and turned onto Route 9 for the morning commute to Brattleboro - and I didn't give it a second thought when the flow of traffic stopped and merged to a single lane, as if it was as natural an occurrence as the mindless speed. I was surprised to find myself relieved rather than annoyed by the delay. “They haven't abandoned us,” I said to my empty car. In this post-Irene world, road...
As the battle over the future of Social Security heats up in Washington, some interesting data have emerged from the Center for Rural Strategies on how much Windham County depends on the program. The Center, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Kentucky, took a look at rural counties around the country and the percentage of total-person income that comes from the monthly payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Based on data from the SSA and the Bureau for Economic...
The Windham Orchestra will present “Dance of the Titans” which features Wallingford Riegger's Dance Rhythms (1954), and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D, “Titan” (1887-88). Riegger (1885-1961) was an American composer most well known for orchestral and modern dance music, as well as film scores. He was born in Albany, Ga., but lived much of his life in New York City and spent much of his early career between the United States and Germany. During the 1930s, he spent...
The staff, volunteers, and patients of Grace Cottage Hospital would like to thank Billy Morse, owner of the Original Newfane Flea Market on Route 30, which is open every Sunday from April to October. Usually parking is free, but on the Sundays of holiday weekends, Billy allows a crew of Grace Cottage volunteers to collect donations from cars arriving at the flea market. Each driver is asked for a voluntary donation of $1, which isn't a lot, but it really...
West Brattleboro Association meets on Nov. 10 WEST BRATTLEBORO - The West Brattleboro Association will hold its monthly meeting Thursday, Nov. 10, at 6 p.m., at the New England House on Marlboro Road. Attendees can buy food or drink if they so desire. The agenda items will include flood issues, website progress, the first meeting of the advisory group, and establishing a work plan for the coming year. You do not have to reside in West Brattleboro to attend. For...
While the flood of 1927 is considered by many to be the greatest natural disaster in Vermont in the last 100 years, the recent storm called Irene created great damages to farms, buildings, businesses, bridges and highways, and travel. It is difficult to draw comparisons; when individuals' lives and livelihoods are disrupted, it does not matter if it is 1927 or 2011. Nevertheless, we can learn from the past as well as from current events. From the early period when...
Today, I want to start with encouraging news. About 10 days ago, the Fukushima legislature adopted a resolution to abolish all 10 nuclear reactors in the prefecture. Yes, 10! You may be surprised that it took us this long to get to this point. But this is the very first time a hosting local government has made such a decision in Japan. And this started with a petition submitted by a citizens' group after the accident. It is clear that...
After reading the political ad Peter Shumlin ran in the paper, his proclamation of “Pink Ribbon Days,“ I wonder how many people are helped or healed of cancer by the wearing of pink ribbons? How many people do you know who are well from wearing them? Since radiation and chemotherapy, promoted by the American Medical Association, can often be lethal in and of themselves, I would like to know more about the potential of other cancer cures. There appear to...
With acting, dancing, and shadow puppets, the Theatre Adventure Youth Troupe of the New England Youth Theatre (NEYT) will carry audiences to a story of the innocent bravery of children and the power of devotion and love to overcome all hardships in a play based on the 1871 fairy tale The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. The timeless tale by MacDonald, a Scottish author, poet, and minister, takes place in an old-country setting. MacDonald's tale, adapted for stage...
The action taken by the Brattleboro Housing Authority, under orders from Brattleboro town officials, to halt repairs on Melrose Terrace units is unconscionable [The Commons, Oct. 29 and Nov. 3]. Surely there must be some means by which work permits or occupancy certificates can be issued that will allow displaced residents the opportunity to return to what will most likely be their final independent living experience. These folks are anxious, confused, and most likely depressed at having been removed from...
The 12th annual Guilford Studio Holiday Sale, featuring gift items made by local artists and farmers, takes place at the weaving studio of Carol Schnabel, 410 Green River Rd., on Friday, Nov. 18 from 3 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In celebration of Guilford's 250th anniversary, photographer Lois Pancake has put together a book of historic photographs of Green River village, complete with a map identifying the houses shown in the photographs.
The practical application of skills in the workplace is at the core of Marlboro College Graduate School's programs. Graduating students will have the chance to demonstrate their ability to reach that goal at this fall's Capstone Project Fair on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2:30–4:30 p.m. The public is invited to the event, and visitors are encouraged to talk with the students about their projects and to critique them, providing the future graduates with objective, supportive feedback that will lead to further...
It's been a tough year for affordable housing in Brattleboro. Between the loss of 50 apartments to the Brooks House fire in April and the destruction at Glen Park and Melrose Terrace from Tropical Storm Irene in August, there hasn't been a lot to cheer about. That's what made the celebration last Thursday for the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust (WWHT) at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center so special, according to WWHT executive director Connie Snow. “We've had so...
Engineers have urged the Selectboard to vote on a rehabilitation plan for a bridge that the state said had topped what Town Manager Barbara Sondag described as “the worst of the worst list.” At the board's Nov. 1 meeting, board member David Gartenstein withdrew a motion to move forward with repairs to the Sunset Lake Road bridge, however, after fellow member Dora Bouboulis raised open meeting law concerns about taking a vote during a public hearing where no action was...
Tong Chen, the Chinese language teacher at Leland and Gray Union Middle and High School, has successfully cleared an arduous application process to be named the 2012 Vermont Teacher of the Year, and many now express the belief that this award is probably only the first such accolade for her. Chen, 32, has been teaching Chinese for seven years, the first few teaching at the Windham and Jamaica Elementary schools. Chen's nimble intellect, clear-headedness, and popularity as a teacher become...
A new statewide survey released Wednesday finds Vermont teens have modestly decreased their use of alcohol, are smoking less, and are abusing prescription drugs in fewer numbers. The Vermont Youth Risk Behavior survey, based on a random sample of 8,654 students in grades 9 through 12, also found no substantial change in the number of high school teens who reported having sex, driving while drinking or taking drugs, and experiencing incidences of bullying and physical abuse. The student survey has...
Friends, family, and colleagues of Susan Davis filled Guilford Community Church on Saturday afternoon for her memorial service. Davis, who died on Oct. 26 at home of kidney and liver failure at age 64, was a nurse and caregiver for 35 years, and the founder of Guilford Cares, a community organization dedicated to taking care of people who were falling between the cracks of the health care system. Her husband, Richard Davis, is also a nurse and caregiver, as well...
Transition Putney will host an evening with Michael Billingsley, as he discusses how a community should prepares for an extended period of no electricity on Monday, Nov. 14, from 7-9 p.m., at the Putney Library. Tropical Storm Irene reminded many of us that power outages can happen randomly and without much warning, and sometimes for periods extending beyond a week. During the current solar maximum of 2010-2014, some of the sun's most destructive coronal mass ejections (CME's) ever known are...
With fewer than one in five eligible Vermonters returning their U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan applications, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and SBA have teamed with Vermont NeighborWorks organizations to offer more help with the paperwork. The deadline to return the applications is Nov. 15. FEMA cannot make grants for personal property (such as furniture or computers), vehicle damage or moving and storage expenses to anyone who was asked to submit an SBA loan application and failed...
Sean Christopher Lewis, a resident artist at Sandglass Theater, will perform Just Kids, an autobiographical piece, on Nov. 11 and 12 at 8 p.m. In Just Kids, Lewis tells of how he was pulled into a sudden rush of discoveries about his own unsettling past while spending lonely weeks in Kansas teaching a group of emotionally troubled kids. Lewis's long-estranged biological father forces him to endure the strife of their troubled relationship one more time, before leaving the son to...
With a standing-room-only crowd looking on, the Development Review Board (DRB) on Monday overturned the town's decision to deny a building permit for one of five public housing buildings whose renovations have been in limbo and whose 26 residents have couch-surfed as guests of friends and family, and in hotels for over two months, with no firm return date in sight. But renovations on the other four buildings at Melrose Terrace are still up in the air, and their fate...