Philip Gilpin Jr. might have resigned from the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce, but some angry feelings linger in the wake of his brief tenure.
Two similar comments to articles about Gilpin's resignation posted on the websites for the Deerfield Valley News and The Commons point to anger at Gilpin's tenure.
Gilpin, the chamber's executive director, resigned Dec. 20 after less than three months on the job. Gilpin said that he and his board differed over the chamber's future direction. Board president Cheryl Rothman said the board also had had concerns about how well Gilpin and the chamber meshed.
The board hired Adam Grinold, local business owner and former chamber board member, as interim executive director for three months [see story this issue].
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. • Irene C. Alexa, 68, of Brattleboro. Died Jan. 1 at her home. Wife of the late James Alexa for 16 years. Mother of...
Entergy says it's no big deal; but what's so great about having tritium leaking into the groundwater? What's so great about finding tritium in the Connecticut River or a fish with strontium in it? What's so great about Vermont Yankee dumping hot water into the Connecticut River undermining the...
For a number of the 76.5 million Americans who live with chronic pain, perhaps from back pain, arthritis, diabetes, fibromyalgia, or cancer, prescription opioids are integral tools to function in life. According to the Brattleboro Retreat, hydrocodone was the single most prescribed drug in the United States in 2010. The nonprofit American Pain Foundation advocates for public awareness of what it describes as a “woefully undertreated” epidemic that drains $100 billion in productivity annually from the national economy. The subject...
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) and Elliot Street Café, will present the fourth BEAN (Brattleboro Essential Arts Network) micro-grant dinner on Sunday, January 22 at 6 p.m. For $12, guests will enjoy dinner and the live music of the Marlboro-based duo Red Heart the Ticker at the museum and help decide which community-oriented art projects will receive the proceeds from the event. Projects up for consideration must be submitted by Monday, Jan. 16 - online at www.brattleboromuseum.org or...
There was no serious damage, and no injuries on the night of Jan. 3 as firefighters dealt with a fire in a first-floor apartment on 111 Main St., between Amy's Bakery Arts Café and Miller Bros.-Newton clothiers. According to Fire Chief Michael Bucossi, the fire at what's known as the Granite Block was reported at 4:48 p.m. The second alarm was sounded at 4:57 p.m., and a third-alarm at 5:07 p.m. Staff at Amy's Bakery Arts Cafe called in the...
Twin Valley has speed, but not much height. Leland & Gray has height and speed. In basketball, height and speed usually bests just speed alone, and that was the case last Tuesday as the Rebels clobbered the Wildcats, 72-32, in Townshend. The Rebels were coming off a 54-29 win over Twin Valley in the Green Mountain Tourney a week earlier, so the Wildcats knew exactly what they were in for. The Rebels went on a 27-1 run in the first...
Business license renewals due by Jan. 31 BRATTLEBORO - All businesses conducting business within the town, including nonprofit and home businesses, are required to obtain or renew their 2012 Business License by Jan. 31. The cost is $50 for the calendar year. In addition to the capturing business and emergency contact information, the business license serves as the mechanism by which businesses receive an exemption on the first $5,000 of business personal property. The licensing process is now totally online...
The state's budget shortfall has been nearly cut in half, according to new information from the Joint Fiscal Office (JFO), the Legislature's nonpartisan fiscal research arm. Steve Klein, the chief fiscal officer for JFO, told the House Ways and Means Committee on Jan. 3 that the budget gap, which had been pegged at $74.5 million in November in a consensus forecast with the Shumlin administration, had been revised downward to $46 million. Klein said Medicaid costs were $16 million less...
Susan Dedell, director of the Brattleboro Concert Choir, believes that Bob Chilcott's “Salisbury Vespers” is just the tonic to help people get through the long, dreary Vermont winter. She finds this choral work “wholesome,” but - she quickly added - “not in a sappy way.” “It leaves you with a special, good feeling deep inside you, which should help to chase the winter blues away,” she says. At the First Baptist Church in Brattleboro this weekend, the Brattleboro Concert Choir...
In a white-hot flash, the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce has hired an interim executive director. Adam Grinold, a local business owner and former chamber board member, has stepped into the three-month post two weeks after the former executive director's sudden resignation. The need was there, said Grinold, when asked about why he applied for the position. Grinold will hold the reins for three months while the board searches for a permanent director. The chamber's executive director, Philip Gilpin...
An exhibit featuring more than 30 authors with a connection to Dummerston will recognize the town as “a special place with residents of exceptional talent,” says organizer Gail Sorenson. The Dummerston Historical Society invites the community to its “Authors of Dummerston” exhibit, which will showcase the works of published authors (dead or alive) who have a connection to the town. The authors in the exhibit - see sidebar for a full list - either wrote their books while living in...
Regional delicacies and wines, cultural excursions, and plenty of time for art-making made the River Gallery School's first trip to Italy last spring such a success that the art school is planning another, from April 7 through 14. Artists and non-artists alike will enjoy the hill towns, the architecture, the countryside, the museums, and the markets of Tuscany and Umbria. Tour guide Cicely Carroll will lead the group in painting, drawing, and photographing the rolling hills around Pienza and Montepulcino,
The verdict is in for Acts 60 and 68, Vermont's statewide education finance system. Lawrence Picus, a nationally respected consultant, told lawmakers last week that the state's school funding mechanism is doing what it was designed to do – it is ensuring that school districts are equitably financed. Widening disparities in funding for schools based on the relative property wealth of individual communities have largely disappeared, Picus told legislators via web cam at a joint meeting of the House Education...
On this year's Martin Luther King Day, let us be mindful of King's words that “[d]arkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” In his honor, let us believe that the human adventure on planet Earth will not end in ashes, but in jubilation; that the imperative to love our neighbor will be practiced as naturally as breathing in and breathing out. Let us believe that the smiles...
RE: “Toy headdresses: racist and offensive” [Voices, Dec. 21] and “Political correctness run amok” [Voices, Jan. 4]: A big part of the disinformation about aboriginal peoples of the Americas is that a large portion of the literature is written by another culture. I live in California, and I have seen grown native men wearing headdresses. Headdresses and war bonnets are not part of aboriginal California culture, yet the fact that some California Indians wear them and believe that all native...
It's been such a privilege to serve as Vermont's governor over the past year. Our partnership of community, courage, and common purpose that has empowered us through the unprecedented challenges dumped upon us by Mother Nature, combined with our willingness to make the tough choices necessary to grow jobs and economic opportunities for all Vermonters, has made us stronger. I want to recognize a few of the thousands of Vermonters who have made us so proud in the last year,
Joyce Marcel's column, “The death of Rose Kagan” [Voices, Jan. 4], is beautifully written and moving. It speaks strongly to those of us who are seeing aging parents through illness and death. It's a dose of reality, too - the reality of hospitals, even when they are trying hard to do the right thing, and the reality of death when it is not prettified.
On Saturday, Jan. 21, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Rockingham Free Public Library will offer a creative writing workshop with author and Commons columnist Elayne Clift. Culture and tradition play a large part in shaping our individual and group identities. This workshop, which draws upon cultural traditions, rituals, and experience, will provide an opportunity to write about who we are and where we come from - geographically, historically, and emotionally. Whether whimsical or wise, participants will craft written...
I'm glad you gave Darrell Sawyer a fitting farewell [A coach's farewell,” Jan. 4]. I got to spend quite a bit of time with him at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital near the end. His memories, insights, and spirit were all about town, family, and the kids he shared so much with.
Gov. Peter Shumlin's first State of the State address on Thursday was a homily on the lessons of Tropical Storm Irene. One year into his first term as governor, Shumlin celebrated the state's triumph over the many adversities posed by the natural disaster, which destroyed 500 miles of state highways, dozens of bridges, 700 homes and the state office complex in Waterbury. Under his leadership, the ship of state has righted itself in just four months after the storm dealt...
Sending love and condolences to Joyce Marcel [“The death of Rose Kagan,” Voices, Jan. 4]. I always loved reading her essays about her mother, Rose, in the paper and in her book, A Thousand Words or Less. I love that her mom was buried with her red dance shoes. Funerals are for the survivors, and everyone knew Rose for her spunk and as a dancer. May Rose's memory be for a blessing.
My family of five is fortunate to have top-of-the-line health insurance. Even better, we're all healthy. Nevertheless, we do use health care for routine screenings and the occasional illness or injury. I administer our two plans: one covers our high deductible; the other pays for everything else. I'm not complaining about the coverage, but I'm furious about the untold hours I spend online, on hold, and on the phone as part of the paper chase called claims. Because I worked...
It would be easy to say that the Brattleboro Selectboard was thwarting democracy when it decided not to vote on Kurt Daims' request to put a measure on this year's Town Meeting warrant calling for the town to support a Constitutional amendment to repeal the U.S. Supreme Court's 2002 decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Daims has come before the board before with other Town Meeting articles that some might argue go beyond the town's purview, such as arresting...
It's been nearly five years since the collapse of the housing price bubble triggered the worst and longest economic downturn since the 1930s. Through it all, Vermont has managed to balance the state budget without draconian cuts in public services. But while the economic picture is improving slightly, critics of the Shumlin administration and the Vermont Legislature say that not enough is being done to ensure that the basic needs of Vermonters are being met. Among the loudest of those...
The Nature Museum at Grafton has expanded the varieties of plants available this year at its annual tree and shrub sale, and has extended the deadline for ordering to March 15. In addition to this year's offerings of alternate-leaf dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) and common sweet shrub (Calycanthus floridus), the museum will bring back last year's selections of shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis) and winterberry (Ilex verticillata). These four will also be available next year, with the addition of two new varieties to...
Rotary International, along with its various clubs throughout the world, has established January as Rotary Awareness Month. “A lot of people don't know what Rotary International does,” said Brattleboro Rotary Club president Liz Harrison. “We want to get the word out.” One of the biggest focuses of the organization is working to eliminate polio. The club has worked closely with World Health Organization (WHO) and the Gates Foundation in this effort. “We pretty much have polio eliminated except for two...
As your last edition of The Commons notes, “The conversation continues” about the Bellows Falls Warming Shelter (BFWS). It is an important issue and one that understandably evokes quite a lot of emotion, as the letters from your readers have demonstrated. But I think it is also important for your readers to have the correct facts upon which to make an informed judgment on this matter. The main purpose of this letter is to do just this - provide some...
The Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) will present the Lunar New Year Festival of China, Vietnam, and Korea on Sunday, Jan. 15, from 1 to 3:30 p.m., at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, 10 Vernon St. Parking is available in the lot at 28 Vernon St. Ushering in the Year of the Dragon, this annual celebration begins with eating together. It's a potluck, so bring a dish or some refreshments to share, either Asian or non-Asian. There will...
Two Windham County residents were arrested last fall for forging prescriptions stolen from a Rockingham doctor's office, only one recent example of abuse of prescription drugs on the rise. More difficult to nail down than other kinds of drug misuse and abuse because many people believe that prescription drugs are more legitimate or safer, officials are left struggling to get a handle on the problem. When formulated as prescription drugs, opioids - drugs that are chemically related to the compounds...
A recently issued favorable environmental assessment from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the good news for Blue Heron Hydro, the Plainfield-based developer proposing two powerful hydroelectric projects on two West River flood-control dams in Townshend and Jamaica. FERC will or will not issue the final license for the four-year-old renewable energy project that, when completed, could generate enough power for an estimated 3,000 homes in the region. According to FERC media relations spokeswoman Celeste Miller, this latest report...