Art in the Neighborhood recently received a $3,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation's Spark! Connecting Community grant program. The grant will help further Art in the Neighborhood's mission of bringing art to residents of low-income housing communities in Brattleboro.
“We are honored to receive this grant,” Executive Director Mollie S. Burke said in a news release. “Our project involves inter-generational art classes between young student residents of the Moore Court housing community and adults living in the neighboring Samuel Elliot apartments.”
The heart of VCF's work is closing the opportunity gap. This aligns with Art in the Neighborhood's mission to provide tuition-free visual arts classes for economically disadvantaged and culturally diverse children in low-income housing communities in Brattleboro.
Art in the Neighborhood teachers impart skills and personal modes of expression to help students develop their full creative potential and become confident and active members of their communities. They also engage the community of parents and residents through regular exhibitions of student art and outdoor projects.
Last week, Superior Court Judge Robert Mello heard arguments for and against granting a preliminary injunction to school-district mergers triggered by Act 46. At press time, Attorney David F. Kelley had yet to hear any news. Kelley is one of the attorneys representing 33 school districts and approximately a...
Consider these two sentences from BettySoo's bio: “Mostly, she toured. Every other minute, she was flying to visit best friends in rehab, driving for days with friends whose family lives were crumbling, visiting mental hospitals, going to houses and cleaning kitchens and bathrooms when friends had no will left...
Marlboro Productions will present their feature-length environmental documentary Burned: Are Trees the New Coal? at the Latchis Theater in Brattleboro in two screenings: Thursday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 24, at 4 p.m. According to a news release. the screenings are “part of the Burned Barnstorming Tour, a nationwide grassroots media campaign to expose the biomass electric power industry's destructive forest, energy, and climate practices.” Following the screenings, there will be a Q&A with local filmmakers Lisa...
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Vermont will begin the new year by educating and offering support to those with family members who live with mental illness. According to a news release, this “life changing” program is offered yearly in several counties across Vermont. In addition to helping with the everyday challenges that might be expected for the friends and family of those living with mental illness, the classes provide up-to-date research surrounding mental illness. Classes run for 12...
Next Stage Arts Project will present the Academy Award-nominated film Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) as part of its [FRAMED] hosted film series at Next Stage on Thursday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. Musician, recording engineer, and music producer Billy Straus will host, giving an introduction and conducting a Q&A following the screening. Directed by Bryan Singe, and starring Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody (Twentieth Century Fox, 2018) is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music, and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury,
The Brattleboro Women's Chorus spring session will begin the last week of February, and all women age 10 and over are invited to join. The theme of the music this spring will be “The Road Home.” The first rehearsals are Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at All Souls Church, or Thursday, Feb. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Brattleboro Music Center. These are open rehearsals, and singers are welcome to check out whether chorus is...
The Brattleboro Listening Project is a creative community engagement residency presented by local artists, writers, community builders, and creative professionals during the months of February and March focused on asking questions, listening, and learning in a collaborative, experimental community space. From Feb. 18 through March 31, the Latchis Arts Gallery in the Latchis Memorial Building, 50 Main St., will serve as home base for a range of free/low-cost programs and activities open to and designed by the public, and aimed...
No popcorn needed, thanks. In Kevin O'Keefe's opening paragraphs of his essay, he seems to exhaust a lot of words trying to psychoanalyze President Donald Trump, as if the president were a character in a play. Mr. O'Keefe's experiences as a performer in developing the gestures and posture of a character that a playwright has already delineated in a script, in my opinion, do not directly apply to real people, even less to a man he has never personally known...
Friends of Music at Guilford's Midwinter Musicale is on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 3 p.m., in the sanctuary of Guilford Community Church. This year's “Stolen Jewels” program features flutist Alison Hale and pianist Christopher Lewis performing four romantic chamber music favorites originally scored for other instruments with piano: Brahms' Sonata in F minor for clarinet, Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata for cello, Schumann's three Romances for oboe, and Fauré's Sonata in A Major for violin. These transcriptions for flute were written by...
Are we a democracy? I am afraid that it doesn't look that way, based upon what has happened over the years around Act 46. We just witnessed the representatives in the House of Representatives (the People's House) vote against a delay in forcing mergers. They voted to force merger on school districts that have voted overwhelmingly not to merge. By the way, all but one of our Windham County legislators voted for a delay, backing our citizens who voted against...
Nimbus returns to The Putney School for the eighth consecutive year from Feb. 24 to March 2, bringing excerpts from new dance pieces, acclaimed repertory, and a multi-day dance residency to the students of Putney and the greater community. Nimbus will perform in Calder Hall on Friday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. According to a news release, Nimbus' company dancers serve as teaching artists in the residency program with Putney School students; students will take part in master classes, engage...
College news • Suzanne Allen of Stratton, a member of the Class of 2022 at Connecticut College in New London, Conn., has been named to the Dean's List for the fall 2018 semester. • Benjamin Janis of Brattleboro was named to the Dean's List at Tufts University in Medford, Mass., for the fall 2018 semester. • Nina King of Bellows Falls, who is in the hospitality and tourism management program, and Cesar Augusto Rabello Borges Filho of Brattleboro, who is...
Meet the candidates in Guilford GUILFORD - Broad Brook Grange will hold its annual Pre-Town Meeting on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m., at the Broad Brook Community Center - formerly known as The Grange, 3940 Guilford Center Rd., four miles west of the Country Store. This is the only opportunity for voters to hear details of the articles that will be presented at the Town and School District Meetings, and to meet and discuss issues with the Selectboard and...
On Feb. 28, the Baker Street Readers return to the Hooker-Dunham Theater with another dramatic reading from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. In The Red-Headed League, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are hired by Jabez Wilson, a simple pawnbroker who has recently been inducted into a mysterious organization for red-headed gentlemen. When any semblance of the organization disappears, Mr Wilson is afraid he's been the victim of a bizarre practical joke. But Holmes soon realizes the League has a sinister...
Early/absentee ballots for the Brattleboro Annual Town and Town School District Meeting to be held March 5, are now available in the Brattleboro, Town Clerk's office. Anyone wishing to vote prior to March 5 may apply for an early/absentee ballot until 5 p.m. on Monday, March 4. Early/absentee ballots may be voted in person in the Clerk's office, mailed to the voter by the Clerk's office, picked up by the voter, or if a voter is in need can be...
Vermont Chamber Artists are a group of 16 professional Vermont and New Hampshire choral singers under the direction of Jessica Pierpont dedicated to giving back to their community. In that spirit, VCA says it is organizing three concerts entitled “Revival” for the benefit of Seven Stars Arts Center in Sharon, starting with a performance on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 3 p.m., at the Brattleboro Music Center. VCA will perform a variety of eclectic choral works such as “Zwei Beter” by...
In the various discussions that take place about drugs and crime, panhandling and homelessness, it can sometimes seem that the voices of ordinary people who rent apartments in neighborhoods and work hard to make ends meet can be missing. “Lori,” a single mother who lives with her children and works three or four jobs to make ends meet, asked that The Commons give her a pseudonym for reasons of privacy and safety. She has lived in town for more than...
When the Anti-Defamation League offered U.S. police officers an all-expense-paid visit to Israel, Colonel Matthew Birmingham, director of the Vermont State Police, agreed to be part of that group. According to State Police Spokesperson Adam Silverman, the event provided “an opportunity to interact with Israeli and Palestinian law-enforcement agencies, observe the security strategies and systems Israel uses to prevent terror attacks, and discuss the challenges the parties face in the region.” According to VtDigger, “Birmingham accepted the invitation from the...
Those at the epicenter of the problems of drugs and violence in Brattleboro are sometimes left voiceless. At the street level, the town can seem very different from the one talked about in town meetings or promoted in local marketing efforts. The street level is largely hidden from many residents, yet immediately visible to others who witness it every day. At this level, problems of dislocation, addiction, and crime are tangled in ways that those who provide services in town...
Following are a few of the terms commonly used in this Special Focus or otherwise used in the context of drug trafficking and crime in the region. This is not an exhaustive list and addresses the specifics of this report. Dealers: Individuals who are connected to the owners of the supply from other states and the distributors. The dealers may be individuals from New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, or New Jersey, or they could be a local individual. They usually stay...
I write in support of Elizabeth McLoughlin for one of the two one-year seats on the Brattleboro Selectboard. I first met Liz in the fall of 2007 shortly after she and her family moved to town. Her daughter Mary was in many of the same classes as my son Kai-Ming, and over the years I had many interactions with her. I found Liz to be a caring and knowledgeable volunteer. Her work on the Planning Commission, the Finance Committee and...
I have taught in Brattleboro public schools for over 25 years. Our two children went to Brattleboro elementary schools, Brattleboro Area Middle School, and Brattleboro Union High School. Even though I retired from teaching in June of 2018, I continue to contribute to area schools and to speak out for quality public education. I am committed to promoting equal access to a quality education for children of all abilities. I have lived in this town for over 30 years and...
Funding should come from fines on violations. You're putting it on the good landlords who already spend more money per unit. This cost will ultimately be borne by the tenants. Instead of using firefighters and paying overtime - an expensive idea and one that presents conflict of interest issues (some firefighters are also landlords) - I suggest hiring a dedicated inspector. If this idea seems too costly, perhaps other area towns could share this service and expense.
As a longtime women's-health educator and advocate, I must address the deeply misguided view of Richard Morton with respect to the critical point we have reached in this country regarding abortion. Mr. Morton makes many spurious and false assertions in his op-ed, but the most egregious of these is his claim that “the bill goes far beyond Roe [v. Wade], guaranteeing unrestricted abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.” This assertion calls for revisiting numerous facts regarding the inaccurate term...
At the recent meeting where the Selectboard discussed the proposed changes to the rental housing inspection program, Sally Fegley raised a great point: “Good landlords are integral to the fabric of a healthy community.” Good landlords, like those who run any good business, keep their properties in good condition without cost to the town. It is about having checks and balances for business. It should not cost the town when people do business. Inspections have to be done for inns,
I was startled to read Joel Doerfler's Viewpoint. It is good to have all kinds of views presented, and so I have to respectfully state my view: that this column is nothing but veiled anti-Semitism. I cannot go on at length about this because of personal tragedy in my family. So, I would like to direct readers to “The Progressive Assault on Israel,” a column written by Bret Stephens, a conservative Republican, in The New York Times (Bret Stephens) on...
On Jan. 29, at about 5 p.m., a 19-year-old woman was accosted by two men in ski masks on Clark Street and beaten with pistols so badly that she had to be rushed to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and then taken to another hospital where she could get reconstructive surgery. The image of the battered young woman was posted, on “Windham County No Ranting No Raving,” a closed Facebook group, with her permission. The police report called the beating an “isolated...
The Bellows Falls girls' basketball team has a 12-4 record, but the Terriers will likely not get a home playoff game when the Division II tournament starts next week. I wrote about BF's conundrum a few weeks ago, and little has changed since then. Only two of their wins have come against a Division II opponent (Woodstock, twice), while two of their losses have come against Division II rival Springfield. The other two losses were against two of the best...
This Special Focus section is reported and written by Shanta Lee Gander and MacLean Gander, with additional reporting by Matthew Vernon Whalan. Jeff Potter edited and designed the section and provided additional research and data analysis. By way of transparency, we note that Shanta Lee Gander reported this piece while winding down her activities on the Brattleboro Selectboard, from which she will step down when her term ends next month. None of her reporting was done under the auspices of...
As part of its latest artist residency, Yellow Barn in Putney welcomes eight newcomers who have created Salon Séance, an immersive and interdisciplinary experience. Salon Séance is a concept concert which brings together an actor (who channels a composer from the past) with musicians performing curated repertoire, bringing together the composer, the performer, and the audience in the same room. Salon Séance has won several awards, including Tarisio's Young Artists Grants and the Britten Pears Foundation's Britten Award for its...
The Remote Worker Program went into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. It's a program to attract new, younger workers by bribing those who work remotely to move to Vermont. But I wonder how even techno-whizzes will be able to perform their work without high-speed broadband internet. In addition to an influx of youthful residents, Vermont needs better broadband. According to the Feb. 1 Vermont League of Cities and Towns Legislative Report, at least 6 percent of Vermonters lack access to...
He's still too young to go downtown and hoist a beer to celebrate, but 20-year-old Blaz Pavlic had himself a great weekend on Harris Hill. Blaz-o-mania was in full swing on Feb. 17, as the young Slovenian bested 30 of the world's top up-and-coming ski jumpers to win the Harris Hill Ski Jump's 97th annual Fred Harris Memorial Tournament. Before a crowd of several thousand spectators, Pavlic came within 2 meters of matching the hill long-distance record of 104 meters...
Good day to you, hearty and heart-full New Englanders! The main weather headline for southern Vermont is the continuance and persistence of our national weather pattern. The large-scale global patterns continue to produce a ripping zonal Pacific jet stream. What does that mean? A “zonal jet stream” refers to a west-to-east fast-moving river of air several miles up above our heads that directs storms across the globe. This, combined with a persistent area of high pressure (known as a ridge)
I support Daniel Quipp for the one-year Selectboard vacancy in Brattleboro. Daniel has the combination of superb listening skills and spot-on values. He is passionate about environmental sustainability, equality, and inclusion. He has the interest, the drive, the skills, and the love of our community to serve it well.
I am not a criminal, nor are any of my fellow citizens, however they may or may not react to the treatment of asylum seekers at our southern border by federal agents. Dan DeWalt would have us think otherwise. Mr. DeWalt aptly draws attention to certain horrific policies and their implementation by the Donald and his administration. But he is out of line in transferring guilt for those crimes to the rest of us. In his own words, “It is...
The Circus Spectacular, New England Center for Circus Arts' annual fundraiser, typically features professional performers from around the world who donate their talents to raise money for NECCA's scholarships and outreach programming. For this ninth year of the event, the line-up honors the historical traditions of circus as well as the breadth of what modern circus art brings to entertainment. From Charlie Chaplin to spoken word aerials, from vaudeville exuberance to storytelling through high-flying aerials, this is a family-friendly show...
“Heating it Up with the Ladies of the Rainbow” on Saturday, March 2, at 8 p.m., at the VFW on Black Mountain Road in Brattleboro will be this year's major fundraiser for the Windham County Heat Fund. In 2005, Daryl Pillsbury and Richard Davis decided to find a way to help people struggling to pay for home heating fuel who weren't eligible for existing programs. They simply decided to raise money and then figure out who was in need and...
There is going to be a revolution in farming, and it's going to happen soon. It has to. The revolution is called regenerative agriculture, and the winners will be farmers, soil, bees, and everyone who eats. The only losers will be the pharmaceutical and petrochemical companies that have taken over our food supply. Their wares (expensive GMO seeds, billions of pounds of pesticides, chemical fertilizers) will not be in demand. What we are finding out is that 70 years of...
Police Chief Michael Fitzgerald emphasizes his department's coordination with the Southern Vermont Drug Task Force, an interjurisdictional agency whose focus is on identifying drug networks and trying to cut off distribution at the wholesale level. Fitzgerald talked about the challenges of addressing low-level drug deals as they take place on the street and the difficulties of developing evidence that can support a search warrant. A drug house can be shut down when housing violations turn up in safety inspections, said...
Family, friends, and staff filled the performance area in the Boys & Girls Club on Flat Street on Feb. 13 for a brief but heartfelt ceremony in which eight young people were honored for their hard work and dedication. From this group of eight, two received the club's top awards: Tony Maguire was named the Junior Youth of the Year, and Zachary Buckley-Dunbar, 18, was named 2018's Youth of the Year. “Telling your story is the hardest thing to do,
Main Street Arts continues its Hands On! piano concert series with a post-Valentine's Day program of songs of love and longing Sunday, Feb. 24, at 3 p.m. Titled “Oh, Rapture, Oh, Bliss!,” the program features Jenna Rae, soprano, and Hugh Keelan on piano with works by Brahms, Mozart, and Wagner. In his poems set to music, “Johannes Brahms touches on love's glow, lovely cheeks, love letters, and the shell of oblivion, with a nightingale thrown in for good measure,” according...
Governor Phil Scott has appointed Katie Buckley of Brattleboro to the Vermont Housing Finance Agency's Board of Commissioners. Buckley became the new chair of the VHFA board of commissioners this month. Until recently, Buckley served as commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development. In that role she sat on VHFA's board as the appointed designee for Michael Schirling, secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. Buckley now works as development director for M&S Development, a community...
A new nursing course at the Windham Regional Career Center promises to connect students to jobs while also prepare them for future educational opportunities. The Nursing and Health Careers program aims to create multiple bridges into the health-care field. “We're offering eight health-careers courses, six of which offer dual college credit,” said Paul Cohen, a consultant with the Career Center. Cohen explained that a new course that started in January “will provide the opportunity for students to gain meaningful and...