To participate in the CEDS process, you can attend a regional meeting:
Session 2 will focus on verifying the community's feedback and goals:
• Tuesday, May 21, 8:30–11:30 am - Bellows Falls Lower Theater.
• Wednesday, May 22, 8:30–11:30 a.m. - Wilmington Memorial Hall.
You have definitely got what it takes for radio. WOOL.fm, in conjunction with Popolo at the newly refurbished Windham Ballroom, present the return of Radioke, a live, on-air karaoke contest. Belt it out or sing it softly. Your song will go out live on 100.1 FM in Vermont and...
The Fanny Holt Ames and Edna Louise Holt Fund has awarded the Center for Health and Learning (CHL) a Major Grant award totaling $139,804 to support the work of the West River Valley Thrives! Coalition's health promotion work. CHL is a Brattleboro-based nonprofit health education organization. Through a 2012...
Insurance offered through Vermont's Health Benefit Exchange is not part of Vermont's future single-payer system. Required by the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (“Obamacare”), the exchange sells private plans for those needing insurance. Also, Catamount Health and Vermont Health Access Program (VHAP) will cease and Medicaid will be offered in their place to cover those needing insurance in 2014, three years before a single-payer system begins. The exchange will not save money. It perpetuates America's profitable...
Members sought for Police-Fire Facility Committee BRATTLEBORO - The town of Brattleboro is seeking applications from residents to serve on the newly created Police-Fire Facility Committee. This seven-member ad hoc committee is responsible for providing financial and technical oversight to the Police-Fire renovation/addition project. If interested, submit committee application - available on-line at http://Brattleboro.org - or a letter of interest to: Town of Brattleboro, Town Manager – Police-Fire Committee, 230 Main Street, Suite 208, Brattleboro, VT 05301, or send e-mail...
Obituaries • Jean (Barnard) Anderson, 94, of Dummerston. Died Feb. 10 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., as a result of injuries sustained in an auto accident on Feb. 7. Wife of the late Laurence E. Anderson Sr. for 65 years. Mother of Laurence E. Anderson Jr. and his wife, Charlene, of Brattleboro and Sally Peltz and her husband David of Niles, Mich. Sister of Erleine Putnam of Eastham, Mass., and the late Ellen Carpenter and Earl Barnard. She...
David Cadran is still waking up as he sits in the café of the Brattleboro Food Co-op, where he works in shareholder services. As morning sun reflects off the floor as fellow employees climb the spiral staircase to the second floor, Cadran, 24, contemplates the path that has taken him to a run for the Selectboard. Having grown up in Brattleboro, he is emotionally committed to his hometown and, after witnessing its stagnation, he decided it was time to run...
This session of the Vermont Legislature has for me a flavor distinctly different from others that I have been part of. Maybe it is just because we are still in the early days and issues haven't had a chance to settle into focused solution yet. Maybe it is because we are once again jamming all our work into a compact session to adjourn by a certain date, which we do primarily for economic reasons. It costs about a quarter of...
Joe Boulay, a mechanic from Richmond, N.H., and author of If That Car Could Talk: How to Locate and Maintain a Good Used Car, is dedicated to reviving the honesty and integrity that he says used to be the hallmark of a good car repair shop. After putting in more than 25 years as Keene-area mechanic, Boulay said he wanted to impart some of what he learned about cars and auto repair to those who might not be quite as...
As part of its campaign to have genetically modified organism (GMO) food labeled as such, Post Oil Solutions is hosting the second of its two February forums on the subject Tuesday in Brattleboro. The event is Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St., room 2E. This forum, which is co-sponsored by the Putney and Brattleboro Food co-ops, is part of the Vermont Right To Know GMOs statewide collaborative project of NOFA-VT, Rural Vermont, and...
On a grey, chilly Saturday morning in early October, a large handful of people - 10 to 20, a number that fluctuated throughout the day - were busily painting a mural, an activity of the Frost-Elliot-Elm-Triangle Neighbors group (FEET) designed to spur community engagement. To the FEET members, it appeared that many in the neighborhood were not aware of the event. While a few people stopped and asked about the mural, many passersby were uninterested when invited to come and...
Longtime town School Board member David Schoales, fresh from pitching state Rep. Valerie Stuart a new tool to assess students' math skills, sits in the foyer of Academy School and reflects on his run for Selectboard. Schoales, one of six candidates running for a one-year seat, said the campaign was running faster than he'd expected. A fellow resident recently asked Schoales his position on Building a Better Brattleboro attempting to divest ownership of the Robert H. Gibson River Garden. Schoales...
Marlboro College presents a reading of Eve Ensler's “The Vagina Monologues” Saturday, March 2, at 8 p.m. in Ragle Hall at the Serkin Center for the Performing Arts. The event, part of the global V-Day campaign that works to end gender-based violence and female disempowerment, features members of the Marlboro College and town communities. The reading benefits the Women's Freedom Center in Brattleboro (www.womensfreedomcenter.net), a nonprofit, feminist organization committed to offering support and advocacy to survivors of violence. More than...
Chris Lamb of the Andover (N.H.) Outing Club won the Fred Harris Memorial Tournament in Brattleboro for the second time on Sunday. Lamb, who won at Harris Hill in 2010, is the all-time record holder for the longest jump off the 90-meter hill at 335 feet. On Sunday, he won the Fred Harris Tournament, which also doubled at a International Ski Federation (FIS) Cup event, with a leap of 322 feet for a total of 253.5 points. Yuya Yamuda of...
Although damage from a Feb. 2 chimney fire has forced Samirah Evans out of her Brattleboro home for the next few months, she's hardly singing the blues. At least not until the party starts. Samirah Evans and Her Handsome Devils, with guests Evelyn Harris, John Sheldon, Moonlight and Morningstar, and Becca Byram, are raising money in a rollicking Mardi Gras dance party to help Evans and her husband get back on their feet. The show is Saturday, March 2, at...
The Arts Council of Windham County is offering new “Breaking into Business” scholarships for Windham County artists and craftspeople planning to attend two-day professional development workshops. Presented by the Vermont Arts Council, the workshops focus on business and marketing planning for artists. The program is open to Vermont artists of all disciplines and is facilitated by Maren Brown and Dee Boyle Clapp from the Arts Extension Service at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The next session is March 9-10...
Vermont Academy sophomore Jamie Lumley, of Putney, is the school's first Poetry Out Loud champion, and is set to represent the school at Poetry Out Loud's state competition in Barre on March 13. This is the first time Vermont Academy has participated in this national recitation contest created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation and administered with state arts agencies such as Vermont Council for the Arts. The contest encourages the nation's youth to learn...
Tickets are now on sale for “Kiss Me, Kate” at Main Street Arts at 32 Main St. The Cole Porter musical opens Friday, March 1, and runs for two weekends: Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Based on Shakespeare's “The Taming of the Shrew,” “Kiss Me, Kate” in 1949 won the first Tony Award presented for Best Musical. Stage director is Ben Stockman. Music director is Walt Sayre. Advance tickets are $15 for adults and...
The Greater Falls Prevention Coalition (GFPC) joined five other community prevention coalitions in attending the 23rd National Leadership Forum and Prevention Day in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4-7. Director Frannie Waldron and Media Coordinator Chad Simmons represented GFPC. Organized by the Community Anti-Drug Coalition Association (CADCA) in conjunction with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the forum was an opportunity for community coalitions to hear the latest research surrounding prevention, community building, and youth leadership. Highlights included a...
The Vermont Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program has announced the availability of funds to assist Vermont residents with unmet repair needs in the wake of flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene. The program offers grants or loans to income-eligible Vermont homeowners to make repairs or for down-payment assistance for replacement homes for eligible applicants. “The program is intended to assist in funding unmet needs, those repairs not covered by insurance or other program funding,” said Jen Hollar, deputy...
Rank the quality of life in Windham County. Does it garner a green puke face, or a happy thumbs up? This was the question posed to a full house last Friday at the Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategy (SeVEDS) group's launch of the public input phase for building a regional economic plan. Audience members completed a 10-question survey about their quality of life and place. Similar to patient pain charts found in doctors' offices, the happy thumbs-up face represented the...
If you're organizing a community event and want to keep it substance- and smoke-free, or as close to it as possible, the Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition has you covered. BAPC is making blue and green lawn signs available that read, “Thanks for keeping this a substance-free event,” with the first batch holding its ground at Brattleboro Winter Carnival, running through Feb. 24. The signs are part BAPC's comprehensive prevention plan to encourage family-friendly, substance-free and smoke-free events. According to Cassandra...
There's no question that the winter storm that swept the East Coast the night of Feb. 8 was large and accurately predicted, and places where the wind was expected to be strongest and the snow deepest were wise to shut down roads and prepare for the worst. But as with Super Storm Sandy, Vermont was spared. What we had was a snowstorm - the kind of storm that used to occur with a regularity that we Vermonters took in stride.
Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) is proud to host an exhibit of the 2013 Vermont winners of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Award-winning submissions will be displayed in the museum's Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason Gallery from Feb. 15 to March 2 during regular museum hours. An awards ceremony featuring keynote speaker and syndicated cartoonist Hilary Price is Saturday, March 2, at 1 p.m. 2013 marks Scholastic Art & Writing Awards' 90th year of recognizing teens in arts...
Artists, artisans, and local food growers are particularly invited to attend a Winter Artists Town Meeting potluck at Vermont Institute for Contemporary Arts on Thursday, March 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event, hosted by VTica and the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP), aims to bring creative people together to share ideas and a meal. The groups have hosted quarterly Artists Town Meetings for the past four years. The meetings are informal and open to all. According to...
Can a concert create community? That's what some residents of a Vermont village struggling to keep its identity are putting to the test. As part of an ongoing series of music events, the South Newfane Schoolhouse presents The Stevens Sperling Blues Project on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m.. Consisting of Pat Stevens, Jason Sperling, Wyman Shonk, Rich Gillis, Dan DeWalt, Ron Kelley, and Pete Biolsi, this new ensemble promises an intimate night of blues. The concert is a benefit...
In this land of the rich, the corporates, the bullies, the disempowered, and the ultra-regional, here's a not-so-hearty welcome to Messrs. Kerry, Lew, Brennan, and Hagel, the four old white guys who've been summoned to state, treasury, intelligence, and “defense” posts in Washington, D.C. You know, it's a pity we also don't have a new (old) Harry Reid yet, to replace the Senate majority leader in recognition of his shabby work on filibuster “reform,” the Amgen theft of $500 million...
All are welcome to Power Shift 2, a dance party that will feature live rock 'n' roll by the likes of Gangly Heart, the Diamondstones, and Tritium Well, from 7 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Stone Church, 210 Main St. Also on tap: a new comedy sketch by Suzy Polucci and Court Dorsey, info on upcoming protest actions, and updates on nuclear issues. The event is free but donations are requested. Snacks and drinks are included.
Before the excavators came, before the house was built, before the septic system was installed, there was a yurt and an outhouse and a Loveable Loo. Instead of a hole under the outhouse, my partner Alison set up a humanure system with sawdust, five-gallon plastic buckets, and an above-ground structure built out of wooden palettes and insulated with hay bales. The sawdust didn't just temper the smell in the outhouse; it contributed carbon-rich material to balance the nutrient-rich humanure. The...
The PACE (Property-Assessed Clean Energy) subcommittee of the Brattleboro Energy Committee is leading a workshop Wednesday for voters who want to know more about the PACE question on the agenda of the upcoming Annual Representative Town Meeting. The workshop is Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St. Efficiency Vermont consultant and PACE expert Carol Weston plans to attend, either personally or via Skype, to answer questions and describe how communities...
Everyone likes to talk about the vibrancy of Brattleboro's arts scene and how it makes the town more interesting and alive. But can that vibrancy be quantified? And what is it about Brattleboro that makes it such an attractive place to create and enjoy the arts? Those are questions the town and the Arts Council of Windham County sought to answer on Saturday when about 50 people -including representatives of many local arts organizations - jammed into the meeting room...
In the Feb. 13 issue of The Commons, John Allen states that the Selectboard “shouldn't be political” and claims to represent the “working poor” while clearly not being part of that demographic. He claims that this “base” is being lost. At the same time, he brings up the talking points of the GOP for the past year, “wondering” if people come to Brattleboro due to the state's social welfare system and “looks on” the issue of why so many qualify...
Is teaching peace through a classic short story a lot of bull? That's what New England Youth Theatre's junior company asks as it presents Ferdinand the Bull, directed and adapted by Peter Gould, on Friday, Feb. 22, at 4 and 7 p.m., and Saturday. Feb. 23, at 2 and 7 p.m. With blessings from American author Munro Leaf's estate, Gould and NEYT have created a new adaptation of the classic short story The Story of Ferdinand, about that beloved Spanish...
Vermont “end of life” bill has passed the Senate with heavy amendments, and will go on to the House of Representatives. I will be reading it closely when the full text is available. I do think the bill should be renamed “an act to decriminalize end-of-life suicide for terminally ill patients.” At least now, suicide is legal, and doctors and family won't be criminals for witnessing it. On the other hand, this is not really advocating patient choice, so much...
The Brattleboro Area Jewish Community celebrates Purim on Sunday, Feb. 24, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., with a short service in which the Book of Esther will be read and hamentaschen will be served. The next day, Monday, Feb. 25, from 4:50 to 5:45, BAJC hosts a religious school mini-Purim festival for children. Purim is celebrated by the reading of the Scroll of Esther, known in Hebrew as the Megillat Esther, which relates the basic story of Purim: In about...
Running for the Brattleboro Selectboard is about opening the door to change for Phil Kramer. “I just want to make a difference,” Kramer said over a bowl of Thai curry soup at The Blue Moose on Feb. 15. The town could use a different perspective, and it has never heard his, Kramer adds. Kramer, who is making his first run for the Selectboard, is one of six candidates competing for two one-year seats on the Selectboard. He has been the...
FEMA accounting JAMAICA-According to Selectboard member Paul Fraser, speaking at the Selectboard meeting Feb. 11, two road projects on West Jamaica Road are being closed out, with costs only apparently coming in below the FEMA estimate. Fraser explained that once invoices from a gravel pit contractor arrive, the project costs will be seen to land closer to the estimate. Plan B for snowy sidewalks JAMAICA-The board has noted that no one has yet been identified to clear snow from town...
At its Feb. 11 meeting, the Selectboard agreed to endorse the Scenic Route 100 Byway Corridor Management Plan in preparation for the Scenery Preservation Council expansion public meeting scheduled to be held in March in Londonderry. The Scenic Route 100 Byway Committee is applying to expand the Vermont Byway to run from Granville, in Addison County, to Stamford, on the Massachusetts border. Londonderry, Jamaica, Wardsboro, Stratton, Dover, Wilmington, Whitingham, and Stamford are being considered in the expansion. The Vermont Byway...
Wilmington tax bills due WILMINGTON-The second installment of tax bills is due Friday, Feb. 22. Tax bills were mailed in July. Taxpayers will not receive a separate bill for the February payment. Taxpayers who did not receive a bill, or who have questions, should contact Treasurer/Tax Collector Christine Richter at 802-464-8591 or [email protected]. Informational hearing, meet-the-candidates night WILMINGTON-In advance of Town Meeting, make time for an informational hearing and meet-the-candidates night at the Town Hall Meeting Room on Wednesday, Feb.
Following a brief discussion at their February 11 meeting, the Guilford Selectboard passed a motion to allow the Guilford Central School to piggyback on the town's contract with the Windham County Sheriff's Department, pending confirmation that it is the situation that will work out most easily. Guilford school principal John Gagnon explained his reasoning for increased police presence at the school in an initial letter sent to the Selectboard. A formal proposal will be submitted to the Selectboard following Guilford's...
The Selectboard has endorsed the town's application to the state for expanding Route 100's designation as a scenic byway. According to minutes from Feb. 6, the application is endorsed by towns along the state highway from Stamford through Weston, Readsboro excepted. With the expansion, it would become second longest byway in the state behind the Connecticut River Byway. Cost to participating towns is approximately $60 for signage, said town Byway Committee member Adam Grinold. According to the minutes, “There will...