Issue #344

Affordable Housing Committee is too popular

While some area towns are having a hard time filling vacancies on boards and committees, Putney is having the opposite problem.

So many people want to join the Affordable Housing Committee, the Selectboard recently had to turn away a hopeful appointee.

“We tend to get pretty darn good turnout for these meetings,” noted Selectboard Vice-Chair Josh Laughlin.

At the Jan, 27 meeting, Town Manager Cynthia Stoddard told Selectboard members she had received an email from resident Kellyn McCullough expressing her interest in joining the Affordable Housing Committee.

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Award-winning film benefits In-Sight Photography Project

“Photos are a part of human life. Unfortunately, the Taliban made photography illegal [in Afghanistan]. If a country is without photography, that country is without an identity!” Frame by Frame was filmed after the fall of the Taliban, after foreign troops withdrew, and as the reality of rebuilding a...

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Becker presents talk on Type 2 Diabetes

The Whitingham Free Public Library and Halifax Community Club are sponsoring a presentation by Gretchen Becker of Halifax, author of the best-selling book The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes. Her talk, “Taking Charge of Your Type 2 Diabetes” will take place at the library at 3 p.m. on Sunday,

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This radical feminist will vote for a straight, white male

I'll tell you right off the bat that I'm a radical feminist. I'm also “of a certain age” - one of those older women who's been fighting the good feminist fight for decades. For much of this political season, I'd mostly made up my mind to vote for the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein. I do believe quite earnestly that nothing will truly change until women take charge of running the world, so voting for yet another man - especially...

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Around the Towns

Stroll presents Cabin Fever, a food and drink tasting event BRATTLEBORO - On Friday, Feb. 19, from 5 to 8 p.m., Strolling of the Heifers presents Cabin Fever - a festive food and drink tasting event to kick off Harris Hill Ski Jump weekend. Taking place at the River Garden in downtown Brattleboro, Cabin Fever will offer a warm atmosphere where people ample specialty foods, fine spirits, wines, and craft brews. Live music will be provided by Kevin Schnell and...

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Milestones

College news • Veronica Faro Bagundes of Brattleboro, a senior majoring in chemical engineering, was named to the Dean's List for the fall 2015 semester at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y. • Colton Butler of Whitingham, has been named to the Elmira (N.Y.) College Dean's List for the fall 2015 term. • Tufts University in Medford, Mass., recently announced the Dean's List for undergraduate students enrolled for the Fall 2015 semester: Joanna Brown of Dummerston, Class of 2019; Maia Fulton-Black...

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Selectboard gets updates on bridge projects

As the town looks forward to late-spring and summer - unofficially known in Vermont as “construction season” - plans are progressing for Guilford's big 2016 construction project: replacing the Green River covered bridge. Katie Buckley, Guilford's Town Administrator, announced the preliminary construction schedule at the Jan. 25 Selectboard meeting. The deadline for submitting bids for two roles - construction contractor, and resident engineer for construction inspection services - was Feb. 8. The Selectboard will open the bids and then send...

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Does fear of prosecution discourage people from reporting drug overdoses?

Thanks for the piece about this important lifesaving drug. A follow-up piece - one addressing the legal issues around the use of Narcan (naloxone) by non-medical professionals, and the legal repercussions of calling 911 as a witness to a probable overdose - would be most helpful. As the article mentioned, folks might be administering Narcan without calling for professional emergency response. One reason might be ignorance of the possible legal consequences for the person reporting an overdose as well as...

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A great gift

The only thing I don't believe, Susan Odegard, is that you are not an accomplished person. Wow - you have found beauty in yourself and the world and have articulated it so well. Thanks for this gift of an article.

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Chemco building remains under consideration for justice center

In spite of recent news reports, the Liberty Mill Justice Center (LMJC) proposed location in the former Chemco building, “is not off the table,” Windham County Sheriff Keith Clark confirmed with The Commons. Speaking from Montpelier on Feb. 12, Clark said he is continuing to “do due diligence.” He said that he is investigating alternative locations in Westminster and Rockingham, but he said that disclosing them would “hurt [his] ability to negotiate” and “keep costs down.” At the heart of...

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Federal court tosses state’s VY suit

Six months after Vermont officials filed suit to stop a controversial use of Vermont Yankee's decommissioning trust fund, a federal court has dismissed the complaint on procedural grounds. The U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit, in an order dated Feb. 8, ruled that Vermont's legal complaint against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is “incurably premature.” Ironically, that's because the state also has filed a similar, but separate, administrative challenge with the NRC on the same issue. The appeals court,

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Town weighs renewable energy exemptions

When Town Manager Cynthia Stoddard presented the 2016 Town Meeting warning to the Selectboard for its approval recently, members unanimously accepted it, with one notable exception: Article 5, which asks if the town should revisit the tax-exemption for renewable energy projects. During a lengthy discussion between Stoddard and the board, it became evident there were more questions than answers about this law, and whether state statute supports it. As of 2014 Town Meeting, all net-metered renewable energy projects over 50...

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Vermont Yankee security changes endorsed by feds

Federal regulators have announced that they're satisfied with security changes implemented since Vermont Yankee's shutdown. But it's not clear exactly what those changes are, and officials say that's by design. Radioactive material, including spent nuclear fuel, remains on site, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has expressed concern about publicly disclosing too many details of the plant's protection scheme. “We are letting the public know we took a close look at whether the new plan is consistent with our security requirements...

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The Stockwell Brothers to perform

McNeill's Brewery presents contemporary folk and bluegrass music quartet The Stockwell Brothers on Friday, Feb. 19, at 9 p.m. Bruce, Barry, Alan, and Kelly Stockwell's music spans traditional and progressive styles, but their trademark acoustic sound features new singer/songwriter material recast with banjo, alternative rhythms, and three-part harmonies. They cover straight-ahead bluegrass songs, finger-picked acoustic guitar ballads, full tilt breakdowns and traditional mandolin tunes mixed in with more unusual fare -Americana melodies riding world beat grooves and Celtic, jazzy, even...

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Information meetings set for new Town Garage

The town of Jamaica has scheduled two informational meetings regarding the bond vote for a new town highway garage. The first is on Tuesday, Feb, 23, beginning with a site visit at the Town Garage on Town Shed Road at 4 p.m., followed by an informational meeting at 5 p.m. at the Town Offices. A second meeting will be held for anyone who was unable to attend the first on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m., at the Town Offices.

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St. Michael’s Episcopal Church begins series on lives of courage, faith

St. Michael's Episcopal Church begins a Tuesday series, Lives of Courage and Faith, where participants will learn about four very different and inspiring individuals and find how they respond (or have responded) to various world challenges with vision, imagination, and action. Some of these individuals are still alive, others have died. Some of these individuals are well-known, others are not. The format of each session will involve a presentation and a discussion and will end with a brief time of...

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Funding available for Vermont artists, arts organizations

Funding is now available for Vermont artists and arts organizations through the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund and the Concert Artists Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation. The Vermont Arts Endowment Fund awards grants up to $5,000 to support the creation and presentation of new work by Vermont artists and arts organizations. Grants are typically made in the fields of dance; theater; music composition and performance; creative writing, including poetry, short stories, novels, and plays; sculpture; painting; photography; and film, although...

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Latchis Arts presents Fancy Footwork February films

Fancy Footwork February is a celebration of music and dance on the screens of the Latchis Theatre. On Saturday, Feb. 20, at 4 p.m., the series continues with Ballet 422, director Jodi Lee Lipes' powerful documentary that offers a rare peek into the highly guarded world of professional ballet. It concludes on Feb. 27 at 4 p.m., with Thoroughly Modern Millie, the classic 1967 movie musical spoof of the Roaring 20s, starring Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing.

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Cheese is safe...for now

After a push-back campaign from the artisan cheese industry and at least 24 members of Congress, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced it is changing its stance on raw-milk cheese. In its Feb. 8 Constituent Update, “FDA Is Taking a New Look at Criteria for Raw Milk Cheese,” the agency said it is “in the process of pausing its testing program for non-toxigenic E. coli in cheese." This means, for now, those working in the raw-milk cheese...

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Vermont Theatre Company presents 'On the Verge'

The Vermont Theatre Company presents On the Verge, Eric Overmeyer's feminist time-traveling adventure - a kaleidoscopic journey through time as three intrepid women explorers search for a Terra Incognita, where they will find meaning, love, and Cool Whip. On The Verge was first produced in 1985. Since then, several theater companies in the United States, such as Baltimore's Center Stage, the Hartford Stage, and Boston's Central Square Theater, have produced it. Overmeyer was the story editor of the popular television...

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An exploration of memory, identity, and family

Kimi Maeda's father was one of the thousands of Japanese-Americans who were incarcerated in a “relocation camp” during World War II. On Monday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m., Marlboro College presents Bend, Maeda's multimedia solo performance piece that tells the true story of her father, Robert Maeda, and Isamu Noguchi, a half-Japanese-half-American sculptor, who were incarcerated in a camp together. The performance is free and open to the public. With sand as her canvas and brooms, rakes, and blocks of...

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Group starts push for alimony changes

In 2011, after five years of work, the Massachusetts Legislature approved a major overhaul of the state's alimony law. It did so without a single dissenting vote, “and it's very rare that happens,” said Steve Hitner, the man who led the effort. Now, a group led by Brattleboro businessman Rick Fleming is attempting to use that state's model to revamp the Vermont law that regulates - or, as the group contends, fails to regulate - the ways in which Vermonters...

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Colonels, Terriers, Rebels open boys’ playoffs

The regular season for boys' basketball in Vermont wrapped up over the weekend. Now, it's playoff time. • Brattleboro hoped to get a home game in the first round of the Division I playoffs. Losing the season finale to Mount Anthony, 59-48, at the BUHS gym last Friday meant the Colonels finished with a 11-9 record and got the No. 9 seed. They are scheduled to travel to Manchester on Feb. 16 face No. 8 Burr & Burton (11-9). The...

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Teen dating culture has shifted, but the hazards have not

While Valentine's Day gets all the hype in February, it's also Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month - a good time to explore particular challenges for teens facing such abuse. One in three teens in the U.S. has experienced some form of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from a partner, with young women between the ages of 16 and 24 at greatest risk - almost three times the national average. According to Loveisrespect (loveisrespect.org), a resource empowering youth to help end...

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Pictures, stories and songs from the Scottish Hebrides on display at Putney Public Library

Kathy Torrey has been fascinated with the folklore and music of the Scottish Hebrides since she was a young girl, reading letters and listening to recordings made by family friends who documented the region's folk traditions starting in the 1920s. Torrey was inspired to spend a year visiting these friends, and collecting folk songs and stories herself during a “wanderyear” break from college. She has continued to visit the islands for more “collecting,” adding to the archive of research of...

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Fantasies on ice

Every winter for just about 40 years, scores of skaters have hit the ice at the town's Nelson Withington Skating Facility. Some of them are there to play hockey, speed-skate, or simply glide around the rink for fun and exercise. But, for many children and adults in the area, the rink is where they learned to figure skate, a setting for them to wear funny costumes and put on shows as part of the Brattleboro Figure Skating Club. According to...

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Main Street Arts presents ‘Blue Broadway’

Now approaching its 28th year, Main Street Arts (MSA) will be presenting its “Blue Broadway Cabaret” at its theater on 35 Main St. on Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. “Blue Broadway” celebrates the range and vitality of the Broadway musical with some special attention to shows performed on MSA's stage and by its touring theater company. This musical review is part of the area's “Blue Lights” celebration that has been running the entire month of February. At “Blue Broadway” veterans...

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This election: a battle for our country’s soul

Pity the poor political parties. Their Movers and Shakers can only quiver, as their best-laid plans have gone awry. Their presidential electoral machines, well oiled by special interests, were supposed to give us the usual choice between two establishment ruling class representatives. This year's ticket was to be another Bush/Clinton affair. Perhaps it was their past track record of success, perhaps it is merely indicative of their cluelessness as to the present state of mind of the populace, or perhaps...

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Three Selectboard candidates vie for two one-year seats

The three Selectboard candidates vying for two open one-year seats greeted the public last week. On Feb. 11, WKVT and Brattleboro Community Television hosted one forum for the candidates, who followed that appearance with a second forum at the Brattleboro Citizens' Breakfast the next morning. Former board member Richard “Dick” DeGray, incumbent David Gartenstein, and newcomer Avery Schwenk answered questions about how, if elected to the board, they would approach economic development, homelessness, and the Police-Fire Project. DeGray and Gartenstein...

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Caravan of Thieves returns to Next Stage

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present Caravan of Thieves, an acoustic swing and alt-gypsy jazz quartet with a theatrical high-energy stage show, driving rhythms, and Beatlesque vocals at Next Stage on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m. For the past six years, Caravan of Thieves toured North America. Gypsy jazz rhythms, acoustic guitars, upright bass, and violin lay the foundation for vocal harmonies and fantastic stories. The band's performances have been described as theatrical and humorous, musical and...

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Plenty of food for thought, but no pie

On a recent unseasonably warm Wednesday night, a handful of Dummerstonians braved the fog to sit in the basement of the Congregational Church. Although plenty of pies have entered into this world through that basement, this was not a snack event, much to the dismay of at least one attendee. Instead, residents were gathered together to meet some of their candidates for public office. At 6 p.m. sharp, Selectboard Chair Zeke Goodband began the proceedings by welcoming attendees, introducing the...

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Despite uncertainty of net metering, lumber company plans cogeneration plant

By late next winter, if all goes according to plan, Allard Lumber Company will add a net-metering cogeneration plant to its facility on Old Ferry Road. The Selectboard will express its unanimous support for the project in the form of a letter to the state Public Service Board, which is considering a certificate of public good for the project. Dan Ingold, director of PowerSmith, a sustainable energy consulting firm, appeared at the Jan. 20 Selectboard meeting to alert the town...

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Harris Hill gets ready for annual ski jump

Organizers at Vermont's only Olympic-size ski jump could promote this weekend's Harris Hill competition as winter's highest-flying event. Instead, they're headlining their publicity with the answer to the most-asked question: Yes, they should have plenty of snow. Travel the Green Mountain State this winter and you won't see much snow. But the nearly century-old Harris Hill on Cedar Street is set to host dozens of up-and-coming athletes from the United States, Austria, and Slovenia on Saturday and Sunday, thanks to...

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Jordan Baldwin-Page is Boys & Girls Club’s Youth of the Year

On Feb. 10, in a heartfelt ceremony in the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, Jordan Baldwin-Page was named The Boys & Girls Club of Brattleboro 2016 Youth of the Year. The club says Baldwin-Page is an extraordinary young woman. At age 16, she has just been selected to compete against other Boys & Girls Club members for the Vermont Youth of the Year title and a $1,000 scholarship. As the Youth of the Year for The Boys & Girls Clubs...

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