Eight years ago, 10 of us met in Dummerston with Brillo pads and rubber gloves to scrub a granite rock in the Dummerston quarry which had been defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti. Last September, locals in West Glover, Vermont, raised funds to replace the side of a barn that had been defaced with racist graffiti.
In October, a rainbow church sign at the West Dover Church was slashed. Recently, two schools have dealt with cyber-bullying of Jewish students. And just a few weeks ago, horrifying “death to the Jews” graffiti was found on a sidewalk in Brattleboro. Do a web search, and you'll find the list is longer still.
Who among us would feel so strongly as to think, much less write, hate-filled speech?
The answer leads us, at best, to ignorance and, at worst, to terror.
Please go to the polls on or before Aug. 14 and support Brenda Siegel in the Vermont Democratic gubernatorial primary. So many issues in Vermont require fresh, younger, more progressive leadership than we see from the other candidates in the primary or from the current governor. Brenda is the...
I offer my enthusiastic support for Emilie Kornheiser's bid for state representative. I've lived and worked in the Brattleboro area for my entire adult life. As a clinical psychologist, I care deeply about our community - though recently, like many of us, I have become increasingly skeptical and distressed...
I'm proud that Putney, Dummerston, and Westminster have three excellent candidates in the upcoming primary for state representative for the Windham-4 district. I'm impressed by all of them. By Nader Hashim, however, I'm not only impressed, I am inspired. Here's why. I believe it will take a generation or two for the United States to undo the damage being done by Trumpism. In Nader, we have the chance to invest in future generations of Vermont leadership, and in a promising...
I am pleased to offer my personal endorsement of Emilie Kornheiser for state representative. I have known Emilie for 20 years and always recognized her as being on our side. Emilie stands with us working people on the issues we care about. Emilie shares our values and will be a strong advocate for working families.She supports a $15-per-hour livable wage, paid family medical leave, and universal health care as a human right. She is also a strong advocate for organized...
Many of us have known and voted for Valerie Stuart over the years. If you'd like a comprehensive overview of how Valerie has served the community, non-profits and her constituents, visit her website to revisit why she should return to the Vermont House of Representatives to continue the good work we've come to expect. Please pass this to friends and family who might be interested in helping her.
Healing walk at Manitou WILLIAMSVILLE - The Manitou Project will hold a healing walk on Friday, July 27, from 4-6 p.m. This meditative walk on Manitou's Sanctuary Trail will be led by Mike Mayer, and will include poems or other readings, and chances to share about the experience. Rain or shine. Healing walks will be held every second and fourth Friday of each month until October. The Manitou Project seeks to foster community with Nature, on its 235-acre land preserve...
The real side of the recent Townshend zoning proposal was really to eliminate or control any business by a few activists. Over time, such activists don't want electricity generation, solar panels, billboards, bird and bat killings at windmills, trash burning, biomass plants, cell towers, natural-gas pipelines - and on and on. Now, new establishments are in their sights, as they say “not in my backyard” and desire to control the multitudes. Of the 110 people who signed and want a...
Over the past several months, Windham Solid Waste Management District donated approximately 15 cubic yards of its “Brattlegrow” compost to the following schools for use in their vegetable gardens: Academy, Green Street, and Oak Grove schools in Brattleboro; Guilford Elementary School and NewBrook Elementary School in Newfane; and the Winston Prouty Center in Brattleboro. According to a news release, the donated value of the compost is approximately $400. Brattlegrow compost is manufactured at the District's commercial compost facility located off...
One of Vermont's oldest and largest social service agencies serving elders has opportunities for volunteers interested in providing home visits and fellowship for elderly, home-bound clients and social service application assistance. Opportunities in Senior Solutions' 47-town region in southern Vermont include the Friendly Visitor program, where volunteers meet with isolated elders in their homes to provide companionship, take them to places in the community, or assist with errands. Volunteers may also be trained to conduct home visits to help screen...
I first met Cindy Jerome 21 years ago: she was president of the Brattleboro Food Co-op board, and I was a new board member. Leadership rested thoughtfully and capably on her shoulders then, as it did years later, when she became president of the Brattleboro Rotary Club. Cindy has had 19 years of solid not-for-profit business experience caring for our seniors as executive director of Holton Home and then Bradley House. She managed a budget of $3 million; her employees...
College news • One hundred percent of Colby-Sawyer College's 2018 undergraduate nursing class passed the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) on their first attempt, including Anna Mary Gaskill of Brattleboro. This is Colby-Sawyer's third straight year of achieving a perfect pass rate. • The following local students received degrees or certificates at Johnson State College's 151st, and final, commencement ceremony on May 19: Ian Mckeen of Bellows Falls, B.A. in psychology; Madison Garfield of Brattleboro, B.A. in...
Taxes don't always go up. Newfane's property tax rate for Fiscal Year 2019 “has gone down a little tiny bit,” said Administrative Assistant Shannon Meckle at the July 2 regular Selectboard meeting. This year's rate is $0.5840. Last year's rate, Meckle noted, is $0.5855. Meckle explained why taxes have gone down. “The major decrease was in the education tax rate,” set by the state, she said. For homestead properties, the rate shrank by about 6 cents. Non-residents saw a small...
The Brattleboro Police Department will soon get some new equipment, including three new vehicles and body-worn cameras. Police Chief Michael Fitzgerald appeared at the July 17 regular Selectboard meeting to discuss the details and seek the Board's approval on both items. The Selectboard approved a contract with Axon, a firm in Scottsdale, Ariz., for the body-worn cameras and technical support programs. The Board also approved of the purchase of three new police cars: two cruisers and one major incident vehicle.
DBA reports to Selectboard BRATTLEBORO - Stephanie Bonin of the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance provided the Selectboard with a semi-annual report at the July 17 Board meeting. Bonin briefly went over the DBA's recent projects. She noted the organization's online work: the new community events calendar they've created in conjunction with the Brattleboro Chamber of Commerce and Brattleboro Savings & Loan, and the DBA's new website. She noted several of the DBA's staff are assigned exclusively to social media tasks. The...
The Vermont premiere of Love, Gilda, a film by Lisa D'Apolito about the life of comedian Gilda Radner, is scheduled for Gallery Walk Friday on Aug. 3, at 6:30 p.m., at the Latchis Theatre. The screening is a benefit to support film retreats organized by the Kopkind Colony and the Center for Independent Documentary. D'Apolito, director and producer of Love, Gilda, originally shared the idea of the documentary with fellow Kopkind/CID filmmakers in 2014, according to a news release. For...
Regular attendees at the weekend concerts at Vermont's storied Marlboro Music Festival are used to musical discoveries and varied programs from this international gathering of classical music royalty whose multi-week explorations of over 200 pieces with their younger colleagues uncover new insights in familiar as well as new works. The concerts this weekend on Saturday, July 28, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, July 29, at 2:30 p.m., at Marlboro College's Persons Auditorium are no exception. Saturday's program offers an especially...
Be it resolved that the Putney Democrats implore President Trump to do everything in his power to reunite families that have been separated at the southern border as they seek asylum in the United States. While the practice of family separation has officially halted, there are still thousands of families that are separated, and this needs to stop immediately. We call upon President Trump and each and every member of Congress to do the work necessary to bring families back...
Bruce Mandel performs on Friday, July 27, as part of Wardsboro Curtain Call's 2018 Music Series. Mandel's acoustic guitar, keen lyrical ear, and intimate and honest voice have traveled with him across the country and through musical territory both new and familiar, according to a news release. “Lyrically driven, the diverse sounds of his recordings straddle and expand the contemporary folk, Americana, and singer/songwriter genres, reflecting the breadth of Mandel's experience,” according to the release. Singer & Musician writes: “reminiscent...
CoverageCo submitted a preliminary plan on June 30 for restoring and expanding its rural cell/e911 service, nearly all of which is currently shut down. It could remain shut down unless Consolidated Communications, the state's largest telecom, either comes back on board or a different telecommunications solution presents itself. The Vermont Department of Public Service will consider the plan and either move forward with CoverageCo or issue a Request for Proposal to consider any bidder for the rural cell service. “We...
In American Legion Baseball's compressed summer season, you can never have too much pitching. Brattleboro Post 5 has had a successful season so far because of pitching depth. Leif Bigelow, the UConn-bound ace of the staff, is backed by a steady and reliable sextet of pitchers - Tanner Bell, Ben Betz, Adam Newton, Anthony Polumba, Dan Petrie, and Joey Rafus. With this much good pitching available, Post 5 coach Eric Libardoni has been able to spread out the workload and...
In response to the opioid epidemic, Youth Services has added substance abuse treatment and counseling to its 19 other Windham County programs serving young people and families, with appointments at either its Bellows Falls or Brattleboro facility. Recognizing that substance use disorders can be chronic problems, with both common and unique challenges for each person, is key to the approach of Heather Smith, the agency's new director of clinical services. “We focus on the belief that each individual is a...
First, let me state that we, as members of the Brattleboro Police Department, both personally and professionally find the offensive and threatening anti-Semitic statements that were written to be heinous and unacceptable. They espouse a type of hatred and intolerance that has no place in our community. The Brattleboro Police are investigating this incident in order to make contact with the perpetrator so that we can conduct a threat assessment and determine the risk of violence posed by this person.
A man, 63, a woman, 58, and a son, 29, of immigrant parents are running in Dummerston, Putney, and Westminster for two Vermont House of Representatives seats (Windham-4). Vermonters by choice, Mike Mrowicki, Cindy Jerome, and Nader Hashim have impressive records of public service here. How do their campaign flyers stating their interests and priorities help us - Democrats, Independents, Progressives, and Republicans - vote for two in the open Democratic primary (Aug. 14) to be unopposed in the general...
We inadvertently omitted a name on “Police should be taking hate speech seriously,” a letter that appeared in the July 18 issue. The letter should have been signed by both Arlene Distler and Steve Minkin.
Good day to you, southeastern denizens of the Green Mountain State! Man oh man, has a tropical air mass overtaken our region! The atmospheric setup that has provided us with this soupy and sultry set of days has paired high pressure out over the western Atlantic Ocean with low pressure over the Great Lakes. Given the counterclockwise flow to the west of us, and the clockwise flow to the east of us, an area of convergence (i.e. air coming together)
Vermont Performance Lab created the SEED Program in 2015 to help strengthen the regional dance ecology by supporting local choreographers in the creation of new work. The program invests in Vermont artists by connecting them with tools and resources that build their work and capacity. Selection for SEED is a competitive process managed by the Performance Lab and each artist chosen is provided an artist fee, a residency at VPL, housing for up to five people for the residency, a...
Since her arrival a decade ago, Shylo, an elkhound/German shepherd mix, has become a familiar sight for many at Rod's Towing and Repairs. Originally from the Windham Humane Society, Shylo can now be seen every day following Garrett Winchester around the auto shop or resting in the shade. “She's a rescue, so she was a bit skittish at first,” said Garrett, “but she settled in quickly enough.” Shylo comes into the shop at 40 Main St. with Garrett for full...
What happens when you're a 99-year-old World War II vet, a retired union worker and teacher, a father, a grandfather, a beloved member of the community, a holder of two health-insurance policies, and you fall, breaking both arms? You are thrown out on the street because your vitals are stable so your insurance won't kick in. Welcome to the world we have fallen into - one of the growing gaps in our health-care system. But also one that brings into...
The United States of America began in the Enlightenment-driven hope of human equality and the rights of self-determination most memorably articulated in the Declaration of Independence. Conflicts between creditors, debtors, and democracy arose immediately after the Revolution in 1781. By 1786, these conflicts turned into explosions of rebellion and repression, which pushed the leaders of the Revolution, the wealthy men who signed the Declaration of Independence, to convene what became the Constitutional Convention in 1787. There, the Founders contended with...
Donald Vern Webster, 82, of Brattleboro - an educator and school administrator, a former state representative and government official, a longtime activist in state activities in the Democratic Party, and a former owner of a local radio station - died peacefully in his home on July 12, after several months of declining health. “He's the father you would have wanted if you grew up without yours,” his daughter-in-law, Aurea Hernandez-Webster, wrote in a Facebook post visible to Webster's friends. “Gentle,
On Thursday, Aug. 2, at 7 p.m., Wendy Redlinger's Jazz Soiree will present the Bob Stabach 4tet with special guest Rich Greenblatt, master vibraphonist and faculty member at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Greenblatt “is a musician with dazzling speed and a truly magical touch” writes John Blenn in Good Times magazine. Joe Locke of Downbeat writes, “Rich is a musician who is continually in a process of growing … (his) unique musical personality comes through with a...
“It's shocking that in the 109-year history of the NAACP, it's never touched southeastern Vermont,” said Steffen Gillom, president and co-founder of the Windham County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In February, that changed. The organization received its charter after meeting the NAACP's requirements, which included creating an organizing committee to recruit 100 members for what would become the local chapter. Founded in 1909 by people - white and African-American alike - in response to anti-black violence,
On March 7, Brenda Siegel of Newfane decided to run for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. The next day, she learned that her nephew, Kaya Siegel, was dead of a drug overdose. Twenty years earlier, Brenda's brother - Kaya's father - also died of a drug overdose. For Brenda Siegel, one of four candidates vying for the Democratic nomination, opioid addiction is not an abstract issue. It is deeply personal in a way many of us will never know. “I don't...
Twilight Music continues its 16th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk rock, world beat, rock, country, pop, Celtic, blues, and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, July 29, with an evening of high-energy accordion/guitar-driven dance music of Louisiana by Planet Zydeco. Zydeco music is characterized by nimble accordion playing backed by a driving rhythm section. For the past 13 years, Planet Zydeco has been bringing the dance hall music of Louisiana to clubs and festivals throughout New England...
This week, an old friend is coming back to Yellow Barn. Returning for his second summer as Composer-in-Residence, composer and electric guitarist Steven Mackey is spending this week working with Yellow Barn musicians on his compositions, performing in the Big Barn, and speaking to audiences about the works programmed for the week. Mackey is regarded as one of the leading composers of his generation. His wide-ranging compositions include orchestral and chamber music as well as dance and opera. He regularly...
With planning for the seventh season of the Pikes Falls Chamber Music Festival at a crescendo, the festival's founder, Susanna Loewy, remains excited for almost two weeks of integrating music and community. One highlight of this year's festival will be “Almost Utopia,” a world premiere by Nathan Lincoln-deCusatis, who has set music to photographs by Rebecca Lepkoff, a longtime Jamaica summer resident who died in 2014 at the age of 98. Loewy described the new work by the New York...