Hello, my fellow bus riders in Brattleboro! Does anyone out there like the new bus schedule? If so, I have not heard your voice yet.
Despite the Connecticut River Transit operations manager's claims to the contrary, everybody I talked to considers the new schedule a reduction in services. Personally, I believe it to be a convoluted disaster.
Not only is there no longer any Sunday bus service, but also, on weekdays, the last bus leaves downtown for West Brattleboro at 4:45 p.m., instead of 6:15 p.m., as it did previously. What about people who work until 5 or 6 p.m. or people who want to stay in the library in the late afternoon?
No longer do we have bus service to Hannaford in the morning on weekdays. In order to come back from Price Chopper to downtown Brattleboro, you now have to go to Guilford first. And as far as getting a decent connection from the Price Chopper to West Brattleboro? Forget about this altogether. You might as well go grocery shopping on the moon.
Whether you need to get to work, school, or a medical appointment, transportation is a vital need; for most of us, it's next in line after food, shelter, and clothing. Connecticut River Transit (CRT) has just made severe cutbacks to a crucial and formerly reliable bus service that hundreds...
Emotions have run high in our town lately regarding the issue of unionization at the Brattleboro Food Coop. There has been a lot of talk - in the Co-op boardroom, in the press, on social media sites, on the street - about the efforts of the staff to unionize.
While soccer has overtaken field hockey as the fall sport for girls at many high schools in Vermont, Bellows Falls has stayed true to field hockey. Under longtime coach Jayne Barber, the Terriers were Division II field hockey co-champions in 1989 and won the Division II title in 1991. They also made it to the Division II finals in 1997. Barber ultimately passed the field hockey torch to Bethany Coursen, one of her proteges. Bellows Falls has since dropped down...
Solar power may not suit every house. The house may sit in a shaded location, or the occupants may rent rather than own the building. Or, sometimes, purchasing solar panels extends beyond the household budget. Does this mean the door to solar has been shut to such homes? Not necessarily, said Nick Ziter, founder of Putney-based SunFarm Community Solar, LLC. Ziter aims to construct a community photovoltaic array in Putney. The community-owned solar project would generate electricity for the grid,
As a family blessed to be loved by three beautiful Chihuahuas - Taco Lee, Chili-Bob, and Milo Shamus Maloney - my partner Kevin Maloney and I are very happy to report that the Brattleboro Transportation Committee has approved a proposal that Selectboard member Ken Schneck and I brought forth. The approved proposal is to install signs in all Brattleboro town parking lots which warn the driving public of the potential danger of leaving their dogs in cars while they shop...
There are a lot of ways to run for political office. For his re-election campaign this year, Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott's decided to try something different. A self-described avid cyclist, Scott combined business and pleasure by embarking on an eight-day, 568-mile, 14-county bicycle tour of Vermont. The tour began Sept. 24 in St. Johnsbury and finished on Oct. 9 in Barre. He averaged 65 miles a day while circumnavigating the state. “The first four days were challenging because of...
Obituaries • Regina E. Carlise, 86, of Townshend. Died Oct. 7 at Grace Cottage Hospital. Wife of the late Robert Carlise for 63 years. Mother of Kathy Lafkas of Shingletown, Calif., David Carlise of Townshend, Christine Moffett of Grand Forks N.D., Teresa Calhoun of Idaho Springs, Colo., Bobbie Jean Spiewak of Ontario, Calif., Sanford Carlise of Broad Brook, Conn., James Carlise of San Clemente, Calif., Patricia Romalo of Weston, Regina Carlise of Hinsdale, N.H., Darleen David of Murrieta, Calif., Mari...
An election will decide whether employees of the Brattleboro Food Co-op will be represented by a union. But two questions - which employees will be allowed to vote in the election, and when the election will be held - still have not been answered. The Co-op's board of directors and Co-op General Manager Alex Gyori declined to voluntarily recognize a third-party “card check” petition signed by a majority of the grocery's 200 employees seeking representation by Local 1459 of the...
No one will be exactly calling an upcoming series of performances in the region a theater festival, exactly. It has no overarching name, nor poster, nor banner. However, this weekend and the next, the Men's Program, Crossroads, and the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont are sponsoring a series of three theater projects in Southern Vermont celebrating aspects of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. On Friday and Saturday, Oct. 19 and 20, Sandglass Theater in Putney will...
So the question remains: Will there be a forum for those in opposition to the Crowell Lot for the proposed skatepark? According to an article in The Commons [“Meeting gathers skatepark ideas,” Oct. 3], “the School Board, the Selectboard and the Development Review Board have all signed off on the project as it now stands and all would have to be consulted if there were major changes.” How did this pass through the hands of these committees without public input?
How does a woman like Kathie McClure, an Atlanta attorney and mother of two, become a health care reform activist? When her two children - a son and daughter who are chronically ill with Type 1 diabetes and epilepsy, respectively - became uninsurable in Georgia's individual insurance market because of their pre-existing conditions. McClure said it had cost more than $40,000 a year for health insurance for herself, her husband and her two children. But once her son Chris and...
Town Clerk Annette Cappy said that for her, becoming a town clerk was kismet. “It clicked for me,” said Cappy. When Brattleboro hired her “cold” to the position, “I don't think I had a clue what I was getting into when I took this job,” she said. Twenty-five years later, Cappy has built a local reputation as one of Vermont's best town clerks. The Vermont Municipal Clerks' and Treasurers' Association formalized that reputation statewide by naming her Town Clerk of...
RE: “Co-op will require secret-ballot union vote” [News, Oct. 3]: This was one section I thought was worthy of note: a politician saying, “the Co-op was built on trust and goodwill, but there comes a time when that does not work.” Yes... that gave me a LOL. This is just a side note: Has anyone ever heard the words “un-conference” or a “un-cola”? I thought of a new one: the “un-cooperative.”
The position of state auditor has to do with dollars and numbers. CPA Doug Hoffer, a Democrat/Progressive, has the credentials and the track record to do a superb job. Hoffer's Republican opponent, a maverick from up north, has been a 32-year state assemblyman and sometime lawyer. When he approached me at the Vermont Expo this summer, I assumed that he would run to succeed the incumbent attorney general. That turned out not to be the case. Already, there are complaints...
It didn't take long for Jenny McClendon, a sonar operator in the Navy, to experience sexual harassment when she joined the military in 1997. Immediately subjected to verbal attacks by her male counterparts, when she refused sexual advances, she was told she wasn't “tough enough to be in the military.” Finally, she complained to superiors, who said that being harassed was part of training. An enlisted officer called her “a lesbian, a feminist, and a Democrat” and said she should...
Brattleboro Climate Protection and the Brattleboro Energy Committee will offer a free workshop on the advantages of installing solar hot water and solar electric systems on Oct. 20. The workshop is open to 60 participants. Advance registration is required. Solar hot water and electric systems can help cut energy bills, say the workshop's organizers. Experts will be on hand to answer questions. Workshop presenters and installers will include Southern Vermont Renewable Energy, Putney; Integrated Solar, Brattleboro; Solar Source, Keene, N.H.;
Co-op Workers Want Union. Workers unionize at the Brattleboro Food Co-op. Co-op board will not recognize union. Union files papers with NLRB for Co-op vote. All front page stories in newspapers. Where are the stories about those who oppose unionization? The stories of those who have not been asked their opinion, or how about those who have felt intimidation by coworkers or have endured the hostile environment that some of the workers now feel that they are working in? Where...
Senior captain Ashley Goddard scored the game-winner in the second overtime as Leland & Gray defeated Twin Valley, 2-1, on Thursday in a typically dramatic soccer match between two bitter soccer rivals. The win put the 5-5-1 Rebels over the .500 mark for the first time this season, and moved them up to No. 6 in the Division III girls' soccer rankings. The Wildcats fell to 4-5-2. The Rebels knew the importance of this game. Before kickoff, Goddard said that...
On Oct. 3, Leland & Gray hosted Vermont state consultant Debby Haskins to offer guidance and support to our wider community and help heal from the loss of our student, Shayne Baker. What follows is a summary of her advice, especially for parents, guardians, and students, based on her two decades of experience, expertise, and research. At this time of loss, sharing her words of wisdom is reason to spread to the wider West River Valley, where so many have...
The Brattleboro Lodge of Freemason's annual Haunted House will take place between 6 and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday the last two weekends of October and be $5 a person. The proceeds will go to support Masonic programs. For parents who want to bring their small children to the haunted house, the lodge will hold a non-interactive tour of the haunted house between 6 and 7 p.m. Also, as a part of this project, the Masons are encouraging the...
Next Stage Arts Project presents an evening of Americana, folk, and roots music with Tim Eriksen and Friends plus Red Heart the Ticker at Next Stage on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m. Fiddler Zoe Darrow and percussionist and vocalist Peter Irvine join Eriksen for this concert as he celebrates the release of his new CD, Josh Billings' Voyage. Eriksen is acclaimed for transforming American tradition with his startling interpretations of old ballads, love songs, shape-note gospel, and dance tunes...
“Get on Board” is a new program to assist local nonprofits and their boards of directors' members with their growth and development. Nonprofit organizations are only as strong as their volunteer boards. This is a pilot program with the dual mission of providing skills development and networking opportunities for young professionals while supporting local nonprofits. The program is being sponsored by Marlboro College Graduate School, Youth Services, United Way of Windham County, and Latchis Arts. Every nonprofit must, legally, have...
Guitarist Draa Hobbs is hanging out his shingle and accepting new guitar students at his new studio space. A professional performer and educator for more than 25 years, Hobbs has taught guitar at Amherst College, Marlboro College, Plymouth State University, Northfield Mount Hermon School, the Vermont Jazz Center, and the Putney School. While widely regarded as a jazz aficionado, Hobbs teaches all styles of guitar from folk to rock, and welcomes all levels of students, from beginner to advanced. Individual...
Main Street Arts is kicking off its capital campaign to build a two-story addition and new outdoor space by knocking down the abandoned building next door. The demolition began last week, and it is expected to take two weeks to clear the site. MSA recently acquired 33 Main and is working with local architects and preservation groups to develop plans that fit with the community arts center's historical building and the village townscape as well as remediating the brownfields contamination...
WOOL-FM, Black Sheep Radio, will hold its fifth annual autumn silent action as part of Bellows Falls Third Friday Art Walk on Friday, Oct. 19, from 5 to 8 p.m., at 33 Bridge St. The auction includes artwork, jewelry, dining, gift certificates, furniture, tools, concert tickets, antiques and collectibles, books, secret recipes, and food. WOOL-FM, an FCC-licensed community radio station, serves the Connecticut River Valley. Hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be served. Just in time for early holiday gift planning,
Forest Moon: Celebrating Cancer Survivorship and the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) will present three “Circus for Survivors” workshops through the end of the year. “We're excited to partner with NECCA to help cancer survivors and their family members have a little circus fun and improve their physical and emotional well-being,” said Richard Ewald, executive director of Forest Moon. The free sessions are open to anyone living with a cancer diagnosis at any stage; participants may come alone...
This letter is to register my support for the staff wishing to organize the Brattleboro Food Co-op, and an expression of my dismay at the actions taken by the board and Alex Gyori, the store's general manager. By hiring a notoriously labor-unfriendly (some would say “union-busting”) law firm such as Downs Rachlin Martin (DRM), the management is further expressing and taking advantage of the power imbalance between it and labor. How nice that Mr. Gyori and company have access to...
The 10th Annual Gilfeather Turnip Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Wardsboro Town Hall and under a big tent, both on Main Street. The free event takes place rain or shine, and is the largest community fundraising event supporting the town's public library. The unique festival celebrates the Gilfeather turnip, first propagated in Wardsboro in the early 1900s by farmer, John Gilfeather. Gilfeather Farm still exists, right in the heart of...
An effort that began in 2010 to lure green sustainable businesses to the Island has gained traction, following the combined efforts of volunteers at the local level and allies in the Legislature. The Green Island Project has received the funding to get started with $226,242 in financing from the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) that will be used to lease and renovate a vacant 19th-century factory building on 30 Island St. The 6,000-square-foot building was once home to the Vermont...
The Brattleboro Food Co-op management has hired a law firm - Downs Rachlin Martin, the largest law firm in Vermont - to fight the Co-op employees unionizing with the UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers) Local 1459. Perhaps you have heard of “union busting” before. A strong majority of the employees have signed a petition declaring that unionizing is something they want to do. (Why? isn't the Co-op already a really great place to work? Read “Workers unionize at Brattleboro...
Town boards seek volunteers BRATTLEBORO - Several Brattleboro committees are looking for volunteers to serve. The following are committees with vacancies: Agricultural Advisory Board, Conservation Commission, Council on Aging, Development Review Board Alternate, Energy Committee, Fence Viewer (by statute, must be legal voter of the town), Honor Roll Committee, Inspector, Lumber Shingles & Wood, SEVCA, Town Service Officer, and Tree Advisory Committee. Applications and more information about committees can be found on the Brattleboro website, www.brattleboro.org. The Selectboard will make...
Fall Into Art, the annual benefit of Windham Child Care Association (WCCA) which showcases artwork by the area's youngest artists alongside work by experienced adult artists, takes place on Friday, Oct. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the River Garden. The event offers 100 works of art that have been donated and framed. Along with the art show, attendees will enjoy hors d'oeuvres, homemade desserts, local cider, door prizes and music by guitarist Draa Hobbs. There are two ticket...
Leland & Gray's Journey East program will again host a performing arts delegation from Inner Mongolia. The 18 students and teachers from the Arts College of Inner Mongolia University arrived in the West River Valley a week ago. The Arts College is the premier performance-oriented school in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region of over 33 million people, and the performers in the delegation, aged 17 to 22 are the “cream of the crop.” Members of the delegation just returned from...
The Musicians From Marlboro touring program, created as an extension of Vermont's Marlboro Music Festival and currently celebrating its 48th season, will perform in the Brattleboro Music Center's first concert of its 2012-13 Chamber Music Series. Musicians From Marlboro tours - featuring programs of unusual as well as beloved chamber repertoire - offer not only concerts but also valuable touring experience to artists at the beginning of their careers. The concert, on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m., features Soovin...
The two hopefuls vying to succeed outgoing state Rep. Oliver Olsen, R-Jamaica, stood before a large crowd at Londonderry’s Flood Brook Union School on Oct. 10. In the county’s only contested race, independent candidates and political newcomers Charles “Tim” Goodwin and Emmett Dunbar have set their sights on the Windham-Bennington-Windsor house seat. Olsen — who was appointed to the Legislature in January 2010 to fill the unexpired term of longtime Rep. Rick Hube, who died suddenly the month before —