I thank the voters of District 2 in Brattleboro for re-electing me to serve as their representative in the Vermont House. I look forward to returning to Montpelier and continuing the work I have been doing on behalf of constituents for the past eight years.
I greatly appreciate the support of the Democratic and Progressive parties, and in particular the inspiring young women, Grace Blackburn and Laila Audi, who ran the Democratic field office, knocked on many doors, and made so many phone calls on behalf of all the Democratic candidates.
I also thank all those wonderful friends who walked the streets with me, contributed to my campaign, posted messages on social media, managed my campaign Facebook page, hosted lawn signs, addressed postcards, wrote letters to newspapers, and offered words of encouragement.
And I'm very grateful for the many endorsements I received from organizations, individuals, and colleagues with whom I work in the Statehouse.
I want your readers to know about my ongoing insurance issues as it's an issue addressed in your pages in the past. Recently, we were dropped from Green Mountain Care with little notice or indication of why. I called my state representative, Valerie Stuart. I lived in New York...
Thanks to the 4,461 Windham County voters who supported my run. I experienced seven weeks of kind and encouraging comments from old friends, acquaintances, and total strangers. I strongly encourage others to consider running for public office. It is a rewarding and affirming experience, win or lose.
President-elect Donald Trump promised on 60 Minutes on Nov. 13 that he would get rid of (deport) or incarcerate upwards of 3 million undocumented immigrants. Trump's short list for secretary of homeland security already promises increased federal activity. What will the state of Vermont do in response? If a national version of Arizona's SB 1070 anti-immigration bill passes, will Vermont comply? Which instructions will Governor-elect Phil Scott, the Vermont State Police, and local sheriff's offices follow? What stance do our...
On Thursday, Dec. 8, at 5:30 p.m., the West Brattleboro Association will host its annual holiday party at Dalem's Chalet, 78 South St. The goal of the event is to bring people and businesses in West Brattleboro together socially and to celebrate the Association's accomplishments. The evening will feature a cash bar with hors d'oeuvres prepared by the restaurant. The Association suggests a voluntary donation of $5 toward the food, but no one will be turned away. The Association's board...
Morningside Cemetery closed for season BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department would like to announce that Morningside Cemetery has closed for the winter, effective Dec. 4. The cemetery will re-open in the spring of 2017 as weather permits. For more information, call 802-254-5808. Sheriff's Dept. hosts toy drive BRATTLEBORO - The Windham County Sheriff's Office will hold its fourth annual Stuff the Humvee Toy Drive on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Price...
I thank all the volunteers who participated in United Way of Windham County's seventh annual Day of Caring on Sept. 10. This year's event mobilized 135 volunteers for three volunteer service projects on Sept. 9 followed by nine on Saturday. Teams of family members, friends, and colleagues volunteered together, including teams from Marlboro College, Marlboro College Graduate Center, the Richards Group, World Learning, and Youth Services. They helped area nonprofits with painting, sorting, gardening, building, organizing, and gleaning projects throughout...
To all of our great citizens of southern Vermont: This year embarks the 11th year of the Warm Hands Warm Heart Inc. annual clothing drive, and we again truly hope for your support. Every year about this time, the weather here in New England turns cold, and it is especially cold for those folks that are without. In coordination with the Brattleboro Masonic Center, area churches, and all of our concerned citizens, we are again asking for your generous donations...
A huge thank you to all who made the Newfane Church's 46th Heritage Festival so successful. We at the church are ever grateful to the many community members who assist us in so many ways during the festival season and throughout the year. Thanks also to local businesses for their generous donations for the festival and to the crafters and local people who donated items for the Super Raffle. On a personal note, we extend thanks to any and all...
Thanks to all of the local businesses, sponsors, and volunteers that made this year's Empty Bowls Dinner such a success. More than 400 people attended the dinner on the night of Oct. 8 at Landmark College to raise funds for Groundworks' Food Shelf. Through the support of our sponsors, potters, local restaurants, diners, and those who purchased bowls, we raised over $28,000, the largest fundraiser this year for Groundworks Collaborative. This event is an amazing community effort, made possible by...
I was horrified in early September to hear of the destruction of cultural heritage sites in the United States and attacks on peaceful protestors. That was when the construction company started bulldozing burial grounds and historic sites of the Sioux in the path of the Dakota Access Pipeline. And the private security firm unleashed dogs and used pepper spray on children, women, and men. This kind of horrific attack was repeated just last week - this time, with mace and...
As I write this letter on Thanksgiving Day, I am so very, very thankful that Hillary “Rotten” Clinton will never be president of the United States. The corrupt media tried to save her with phony polls and lies, but they failed. As for the deputy editor of this paper, you, sir, are a jerk for writing that Trump supporters are “mean and stupid.” Your contempt for conservatives is disgusting. You and the other Trump haters who have expressed rage in...
On behalf of the staff, board, residents, and clients of Groundworks Collaborative, I thank everyone who made it possible for Groundworks to distribute Thanksgiving turkeys and ingredients for all the fixings to more than 300 households on Nov. 21 and 22 at the Centre Congregational Church. We are grateful for our staff and the cadre of volunteers who helped load and unload trucks of food and spent hours working with families to make sure they got what they need to...
On Oct. 2, The Root Social Justice Center celebrated three years of open doors with a community dinner and dance party. It was a wonderful time of celebrating all that has been accomplished in the last three years, as well as announcing our move toward being a regional racial-justice organizing hub and raising funds to make that happen. Thanks to everyone who makes The Root what it is! In this last year there were 80 public events, more than 1,000...
My late wife, Florence Karpin, had more talents than I can list. Our most precious possession was her piano, and she played everything from popular music to many of the classics. She could sew and did so often, and she also made some clothing. And although she couldn't boil water without burning it when we just married, she learned - and later she entertained many with her cooking and baking for all occasions. She knew how to decorate our homes...
Town hires new administrator GUILFORD - After completing a search for a new town administrator, the Selectboard unanimously voted to hire Peder Rude, effective Nov. 15. At the Nov. 14 regular Selectboard meeting, Board Chair Sheila Morse thanked the search committee, Selectboard members Dick Clark and Gordon Little, and former Board Chair Anne Rider. “We had several qualified applicants,” Morse said, but the search committee unanimously chose Rude. Rude replaces Katie Buckley, who resigned as town administrator in October.
Now that temperatures are often below freezing, heating one's home is an unavoidable necessity. Every year, thousands of Vermonters need help with their home heating costs, and many get some assistance through the state's Seasonal Fuel program. But when that's not enough, the Southeastern Vermont Community Action Crisis Fuel program can be a lifeline for low-income households facing a heating emergency, and that lifeline is now available to those who qualify. “If you're facing a heating or utility crisis, don't...
College news • Samantha Russ of Townshend graduated with a B.S. in engineering/civil engineering on Nov. 29 from Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. • Marie S. Dennis of Marlboro made the Dean's List at Johnson and Wales University. She is a Sophomore in the Liberal Studies program at the university. She attended Marlboro Elementary School, and graduated from The Putney School. She attended Community College of Vermont and Wheaton College in Massachusetts prior to enrolling at Johnson and Wales...
Next Stage Arts Project presents the international a cappella sensations The Groovebarbers, with special guests, the Putney Central School Chorus, in their third annual holiday concert on Friday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 p.m. The Putney School chorus also will make a special guest appearance. The Groovebarbers will bring close harmonies and warm arrangements of holiday classics from the secular to the sublime. Each member of this all-vocal powerhouse quartet is a bona fide star in his own right: Sean Altman,
Al Amal Belly Dance Company presents TranscenDANCE: a whirlwind of dance crossing cultures and genres. This family-friendly show features a diverse array of original works representing Egyptian, Lebanese, Turkish, American Cabaret, Tribal, and Fusion styles of belly dance, according to a news release. The performance will take place Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m., at SoBo Studio, located on the third floor of the Cotton Mill Complex in Brattleboro. Tickets are available at sobodance.com/events. More information can be found at...
The River Singers Community Chorus led by Mary Cay Brass is celebrating its 25th anniversary of joyous singing together with two holiday concerts on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 4 p.m., at Next Stage in Putney. To mark its 25th year, the choir is releasing a new “Best of 25 Years” CD - a cornucopia of songs from many lands, including South Africa, the Balkans, the Republic of Georgia, and the British Isles, as...
Impulse Ensemble, a world fusion power trio featuring Tony Vacca, Derrik Jordan, and Jim Matus will present a special end of the year performance on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 118 Elliot in Brattleboro at 8 p.m. For this evening, they will be performing with a light show run by Wyatt Andrews to create a psychedelic effect filling the room with light and color. Admission is $10. According to a news release, Impulse Ensemble is known for its unique musical blend...
The Brattleboro Music Center's Music School, this year marking its 40th year, is hosting an open house. The event is set for Friday, Dec. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Center at 38 Walnut St. A variety of sweets and savories - both musical and edible - will be served. “We're encouraging members of our community to drop by and join our faculty, trustees, students and others in a celebration of everything we do,” Director of Education Programs...
The Brattleboro Music Center's Music School presents its Student Orchestras Concert on Tuesday, Dec. 13. The concert is set for 7 p.m. at the River Garden on Main Street in Brattleboro. Admission is free; donations are welcome in support of the Music School scholarship fund. This entertaining mix of music and musicians includes students at all levels, including the Tigers beginning ensemble class; Music in the Schools first- and second-year ensembles; the Youth String Ensemble; and the Senior Orchestra, conducted...
Eighteen months after the passage of Act 46, the controversial school-governance law has been a “huge success” and does not require significant revision, state Board of Education Chair Stephan Morse says. Morse acknowledges that there have been some “challenges” in implementing the law. He also says it's now clear that school mergers aren't resulting in big financial savings for schools. But the Newfane resident believes Vermont is making strides toward greater educational equity under the law. As evidence, Morse cites...
The middle of December may not be the most ideal time to hold an important, four-town vote on a somewhat complex education issue. But Windham Southeast Supervisory Union officials are hoping for a strong turnout on Dec. 13 as voters in Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, and Putney decide whether to allow Vernon to leave a regional school union. Officials are making a last-minute push to educate the public, with forums happening in each of the four voting towns this week. While...
The day after the election, I woke, benumbed and disbelieving, just as I had on that fateful day in November 1963, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I recalled that moment when time stood still and my world turned upside down. Yet, just this morning, one day later, as the sun rose, pouring its golden rays on the very spot where I sit each morning to do my daily reading and writing, I was surprised at how light and unencumbered...
The River Gallery School will take artists in search of inspiration and sunshine to Mexico in February on a tour led by instructor Mary Giammarino. The trip will be based in Oaxaca and run from Feb. 4 to 11, 2017. In the mornings, the tour will introduce participants to the sights of southern Mexico, with daily instruction in oils, water colors and pastels by the trip's resident art instructor. Afternoons and evenings will be devoted to exploring the small city's...
Wow! So many news articles recently, all slanted by administration and top state officials. There are a lot of other views to this school merging issue, but unfortunately citizens do not have the same clout. There are so many issues with these articles that I can't begin to address them all, so I will try to address some important ones. 1. Stephan Morse is the cheerleader for merger and, as chair of the education board, is deaf to other views.
The Democratic Party establishment rigged and then cheated Bernie Sanders out of the nomination in the primary election. Instead, they chose an establishment, corporate candidate with deep roots in Wall Street. The miscalculation was plainly evident with the critical counties in the Rust Belt states that voted solidly for Sanders and then solidly for Donald Trump. This result aptly highlights the dissonance between the Democratic Party and its mass of supporters. For liberals and progressives, those underhanded actions during the...
Even though its representatives are not saying so, everything the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union and the Act 46 Committee are doing suggests that they want you to vote to let Vernon out of the high school union. Why? Because Vernon is against the merger proposal being put forth by the Act 46 Study Committee, and if Vernon is out of the picture, then chances for a successful merger increases. A Withdrawal Agreement that has been signed by Vernon and the...
Of all the arguments for the continued use of oil in Tom Buchanan's piece, the most remarkable was the statement, “[w]e need oil to [...] generate electricity so entertainment companies can produce extravagant professional wrestling shows in giant arenas and then beam their productions to satellites and big screen TVs in homes all over the planet.” Good to know. I'll be sure to explain this to my grandchildren when they ask what compelled us to risk destroying the groundwater of...
Over the past few weeks, I began the process of transferring my very small bank accounts from TD Bank to River Valley Credit Union. I'd been meaning to do it for some time, but I was determined to make the change when I heard that TD Bank is one of the major funders of the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. I also contacted Rep. Peter Welch and Senators Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy, urging them to join with Reps.
On Nov. 12, the Vermont Jazz Center presented an outstanding We Four concert dedicated to the music of John Coltrane. The band played wonderfully. The audience loved it. The heinous bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church church in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed four young girls, inspired Coltrane and his classic quartet to record a heartbreakingly beautiful work, “Alabama.” Coltrane is forever linked to the struggles of African-Americans for liberation and freedom. His music was an inspiration for the Black...
One of the great joys of being a state legislator is going into our schools and meeting with students. Those visits are often followed with having them visit the Statehouse, a trip that gives students a sense of history and teaches them what democracy is. One aspect I emphasize is that before we had our democracy, we had a king who gave no voice to the people. That didn't sit well with our ancestors, and we established our democracy -
If this viewpoint existed in a vacuum, it could make sense. Unfortunately, as shown in the excellent infographic published on the opposite page, the U.S. government has never been an honest broker with the Standing Rock Sioux, or with any other indigenous peoples in North America. When an entity and its members has shown themselves for well over a century to be dishonest, to be unable to keep their promises, to be dismissive, racist, and violent in their actions, then...
Since February, Vermont Yankee has shipped away nearly 400,000 gallons of polluted water via tanker truck. But those trucks aren't departing from the shut-down Vernon nuclear plant nearly as often as they had been earlier this year. That's because plant administrators say they've continued to attack a stubborn water-intrusion problem in the facility's turbine building. In fact, they say the most recent water-control measure reduced flows by about half. “That's a success, and we continue to look at other areas...
Tom Buchanan's view that the water protectors at Standing Rock are engaged in a “foolish absurdity” like dogs “barking up the wrong tree” both misses the spiritual force at the center of the indigenous movement and dehumanizes the actors. The assertion that tribal resistance timed out during the permitting process ignores the longevity of the tribe's habitation, its treaty rights, and the timespan of seven generations as a cultural norm. There are numerous cases of pipeline leaks that demonstrate the...
Town signs Rescue, Inc. contract, selects new rep VERNON - The Selectboard voted to sign the 2017-18 contract with Brattleboro-based emergency medical services provider Rescue, Inc., for $49,921.78, billed in monthly installments. At the Nov. 21 regular Selectboard meeting, Board member Steve Skibniowsky asked if his colleagues knew if Rescue, Inc. officials provided statistics, such as the number of ambulance calls they answered. Board member Josh Unruh told Skibniowsky that a representative from Rescue, Inc. makes a yearly report to...
In a peaceful transaction, Vernon recently handed over some of its land to its neighbor to the west. Guilford and Vernon officials received notice from the Mapping Section of the Agency of Transportation Policy, Planning and Intermodal Development Division, informing them the Agency had reviewed and adjusted the boundary between the two towns that lies on Lowry Road, also known as Guilford Town Highway 36 and Vernon Town Highway 8. According to Selectboard Chair Sheila Morse's report at the Nov.
I'm wishing you well on this day, and thank you as always for reading my (hopefully sensible) ramblings on our weekly weather in southeastern Vermont. One thing is for sure - winter is arriving on schedule with the first real shot of Arctic air on the march, and by Saturday you will feel it in your bones. There's not much in the way of guarantees in the weather business, but the impending cold snap is a sure bet. For Wednesday,
When Scott State looks at Vermont Yankee decommissioning, he doesn't see just one project. He sees 900. State said his company, New York-based NorthStar Group Services, has broken down the massive cleanup project into more than 900 elements - each with its own strict budget and schedule - as part of a proposal to purchase the Vernon nuclear plant from Entergy. In his first local presentation since the proposed sale was announced last month, State cited careful financial planning as...
Bartleby's Books will host a book signing with Chris Diamond, author of “Ski Inc.,” and former president of Mount Snow on Monday, Dec. 12, at 4 p.m. “You can't make this stuff up” was a refrain Diamond heard regularly during his 44-year career in the ski-resort industry, when he guided major ski resorts from Vermont to Colorado and was intimately involved in the issues shaping the sport, according to a news release. The author, who holds English degrees from Middlebury...
What do foreign trade, education, and climate preparedness have to do with hazelnuts, hemp, and mushrooms? The answer - as set forth in a crowded Brattleboro conference room Nov. 30 - is that they all are part of an effort to transform the Windham Region and neighboring counties in New Hampshire and Massachusetts into a mecca for “green” economic activity. Spurred by the closure of Vermont Yankee, a large group of public officials, business leaders, educators, and experts has spent...
Catholic Worker calendars featuring the artwork of Rita Corbin, a graphic artist and printmaker who became involved in the Catholic Worker movement while living in New York in the 1950s, will be for sale at Everyone's Books in Brattleboro during the holiday season. After founder Dorothy Day asked Corbin to make illustrations for The Catholic Worker newspaper, they became friends, and Corbin became a lifelong contributor - one of three primary Catholic Worker artists, along with Fritz Eichenberg and Ade...
At the annual World AIDS Day vigil put on by the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont on Dec. 1 at the River Garden, there was plenty of good news to share about the progress being made toward the goal of zero new HIV infections by 2030. While there is still no cure or vaccine for HIV/AIDS, AIDS Project Senior Case Manager Marguerite Monet pointed out that, according to the World Health Organization, fewer people have died of HIV than at...
Magic Mountain has had more lives than a cat in recent years. The 700-acre Londonderry ski resort and its 1,700-foot vertical drop on the flank of Glebe Mountain is beloved by its loyal fans, but it was a resort that seemed to be caught in the middle of the Vermont ski scene - too big to be a small ski area and too small to be a big resort. Magic originally opened in 1960 by Swiss ski instructor Hans Thorner,
One of the most enduring myths in American life is the idea of the “self-made man.” Chuck Collins, author of the new book, Born on Third Base (Chelsea Green Press), will be happy to explain to you why it is total nonsense. Collins is a researcher, campaigner, storyteller, and writer based at the Institute of Policy Studies, a progressive think tank in Washington, D.C. He was at Everyone's Books on Nov. 30 to talk about the subject of income inequality...
Local artist Betsy Fellows will have a posthumous display of her watercolor paintings from in and around Wardsboro at the Wardsboro Public Library during the month of December. Many of these paintings have been donated to the library for permanent display by her daughters Donna Fellows McPherson and Dianne Fellows Guminak. Many others, which have been collected, and which depict the essence of local New England communities, will also be shown at the exhibit. Both daughters will exhibit their works...
Folk-music icon Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary, will bring his signature blend of music and social activism to the Bellows Falls Opera House on Thursday, Dec. 8. The 78-year-old musician caught up with Mark Piepkorn of WOOL in advance of the musician's visit with a wide-ranging discussion from the crossroads of artistic expression, political activism, and social justice. “This man is still firmly planted in the activist folksinger garden, and I suspect we're all better off for it,”
At a Guilford Selectboard meeting on Nov. 14, one town official had some words to say about the Windham Solid Waste Management District. The district is “running in the red so much they can't even give the towns a budget to vote on,” said Vice Chair Troy Revis, who also serves as the town's alternate representative to the WSWMD board of supervisors. Revis suggested that the town “[get] together with the Franklins and the Goodenoughs” and use those private waste...