• Reginald F. “Reggie” Amidon, Sr., 79, of Brattleboro. Died March 12 at his home, following a brief illness. Born in Brattleboro on Feb. 4, 1940, the son of Edwin and Myrtle (Akley) Amidon, he was a lifelong resident of town and attended public schools. In 1958, he married the love of his life, Judith A. Palmer. He worked at the former Book Press as a bindery foreman for 41 years until the closing of the company in 2000. He worked at Cersosimo Lumber Company in Vernon until his retirement in 2002. Earlier, he worked at the Lincoln Hanes Lumber Company in Searsburg. With his wife, he was a member and attended the West Brattleboro Baptist Church. A member of the American Hunters' Association and the NRA, he shared his avid love of the outdoors with his children, grandchildren and even the great-grandchildren. He was good-natured and loved to sing; he loved music, especially old-time country and western genres and was often heard humming or whistling. A very loving man with a big heart that touched many. Besides his wife of 60 years, he leaves three daughters, Regina M. Amidon of Bellows Falls and Deborah L. Phelps and Wanda J. Chapman, both of Brattleboro; one son, Reginald F. Amidon Jr. of Brattleboro; two sisters, Roberta Jenna of Guilford and Carolyn Call of Brattleboro; and 14 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by an infant daughter; two brothers, Edwin (Jim) and Francis (Bob) Amidon; five sisters, Florence Scribner, Leona Wilkinson, Viola Graves, Ernestine Amidon, and Freida Wade; and an infant great-granddaughter. Memorial information : A memorial gathering was held March 15 at the Millstream Community Center in Hinsdale, N.H. Burial will take place in Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery. Donations to Rescue...
If you didn't get to New Orleans, or missed a local Mardi Gras opportunity to get into costume or masquerade, now you have another chance. On Saturday, March 23, at the Vermont Jazz Center at Cotton Mill Hill, the Brattleboro Area Jewish Community will host a Purim Palooza party...
Sherlock Holmes returns to the Hooker-Dunham Theater as the Baker Street Readers present The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet. Mr. Alexander Holder, a banker, is distressed. An illustrious client has given him one of the realm's most valued treasures for safekeeping. But within a day, the cherished item has...
Town Meeting informational forum, district caucuses planned BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Town School Board will hold a pre-representative town meeting information forum on Wednesday, March 20, at Green Street School, beginning at 6:30 p.m., in the gym. At 6 p.m., town meeting members of each district will be available to meet with constituents to offer residents an opportunity to share their views and discuss articles to be voted on at the annual meeting. Also, at that time, Districts 1 and...
Greater Falls Community Justice Center and Greater Falls Connections have teamed up to put on a showing of the latest Bess O'Brien documentary, Coming Home. The event will take place on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 6:30 p.m., at the Rockingham Free Public Library. The showing is free and open to the public. Coming Home is a documentary film that looks at five people returning back to their Vermont communities from prison. The film focuses on the innovative Circle of Support...
“Walkin' The Talk” is a concert to benefit efforts to bring asylum seekers to Vermont from border detention centers. The event will be held on Saturday, March 30, at 7 p.m., at the The Putney Quaker Meeting House, 17 Bellows Falls Rd. According to a news release, Putney Quaker Meeting is working together with the Community Asylum Seekers Project to bring an individual or family seeking asylum, but currently being held for lack of a sponsor in a Texas detention...
Kindred spirits and longtime friends Carolann Solebello and Joe Iadanza will continue their ongoing double-bill concert tour at Stage 33 Live on Saturday, March 23, at 8 p.m., (doors open at 7 p.m). Solebello is best known to folk audiences as a founding member of Americana trio Red Molly. Solo since 2010, her “smooth, compelling voice and warm acoustic guitar style nod to rural folk traditions but bend those sounds into more contemporary shapes with a decidedly urban sense of...
As a benefit for Brattleboro Planned Parenthood, Kathak dancer Veronica Simas de Souza and cellist Jake Charkey will present an evening of Indian classical dance and music entitled Holi: The Festival of Colors on Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m., at 118 Elliot in downtown Brattleboro. Doors open at 6 p.m. The suggested donation is $10. Holi is the Indian festival of colors celebrated on March 21 this year. It is a celebration of the arrival of spring, fertility, color,
I was fairly surprised to read the formal statement issued by Bob Stevens and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation board in response to the proposed 1-percent local-option sales tax. This statement comes at a time when so much of our infrastructure needs to be updated, repaired, or replaced. At a time when the needs of our community are both significant and glaring. At a time when Brattleboro seeks to stretch its reach to find both visitors for leisure, as well...
In an evening devoted to gardens and gratitude, Latchis Arts presents a special screening of the film Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf on Saturday, March 23, at 4 p.m., at the Latchis Theatre, 50 Main St. The March 23 screening has special meaning as an opportunity to express thanks to Gordon Hayward, the noted garden designer and author, who served for eight years on the board of Latchis Arts, including four as its president. Hayward selected Five Seasons...
Marlboro College presents Folklore Dominicano Ensemble in a free performance and workshop March 25. The New York-based dance company is dedicated to preserving, creating, and presenting dance and music traditions that reflect and celebrate Dominican culture. Following a Dominican dinner prepared by dining hall staff, FDE will offer a 20-minute performance of merengue, machaca, mangulina, and several other Dominican dances. Community members are then invited to join FDE and Marlboro's Dance in World Cultures class for a workshop in Dominican...
On Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m., artist Joey Morgan will discuss “Catch Release (2) Précis,” her multimedia art installation at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. Morgan will give a presentation about her work, then engage in a conversation with BMAC Chief Curator Mara Williams and take questions from the audience. The exhibit is on view in the museum's Mary Sommer Room through June 16. The talk is free and open to the public. Morgan's “Catch Release (2) Précis”
As a Town Meeting Representative, I would value a discussion here about the local-option sales tax on the warning for Brattleboro Town Meeting on March 23. Economics 101 says that sales taxes are regressive because they tax necessities that make up most of the spending of those on the lower economic rungs. But Vermont's tax exempts basics like food, clothing, drugs, etc. Recently, I spent over $100 at the grocery store and paid only 22 cents in sales tax on...
Twin Valley got to the Barre Auditorium for the Division IV boys' basketball semifinals, but the No. 3 Wildcats fell just short in a 46-42 loss to the No. 2 Poultney Blue Devils on March 13. This was a game that seemed slow to develop a rhythm. The Wildcats opened with an 11-5 burst in the first quarter, but the Devils managed to slog their way to cutting the lead to 16-9 at the half. The Devils then got off...
3 Days 2018 • Julie Sharbutt • 11 min • US • Drama When three women friends sense danger on a camping trip, they keep each other laughing until a horrible twist makes them feel more alone than ever. 7 Planets 2018 • Milda Baginskaite • 7 min • US • Short A tale of one girl's dream to escape Planet Earth. A Great Ride 2018 • Deborah Craig & Veronica Deliz • 28 min • US • Short A...
What are the rights of survivors who choose to speak publicly about their experiences of sexual misconduct within the context of civil law? With the #metoo movement she founded, Tarana Burke intends that survivors feel empowered simply by discovering they are not alone. We celebrate the success of Ms. Burke's work, even while the effect of people feeling encouraged to speak publicly regarding this incredibly common thread of sexualized violence continues to unfold in our communities. What, overall, will the...
Good day to you, fine folks of southeastern Vermont! While spring arrives at 5:58 p.m. on Wednesday, just prior to sunset, we have one more shot at winter weather by Thursday morning. In fact, light snow accumulations are possible in western Windham County on Thursday morning before changing to rain showers during the day. In addition, rain showers may turn back to snow late Thursday night. More snow showers are possible Friday before we calm down by Saturday. Sunday is...
I have more to say about my grandfather since last fall, when I wrote both about him sexually abusing me and about Vermont Public Radio not allowing me to say so in a radio commentary. First of all, admitting this abuse took place has helped me see the long half-life of childhood, familial, sexual abuse on my personality and the damaging effects of my subsequent half-century of silence. Secondly, I learned how that abuse groomed me to be taken advantage...
I found BDCCs recent commentary, written in opposition to the town's consideration of a 1-percent local-option tax for property-tax relief, to be quite scattered and confusing. In it, we are told that “another local tax is a short-term and shortsighted fix to a decades-long problem.” But no one imagines this revenue to “fix” anything - it's meant to shift a small amount of burden away from property taxpayers, who now pay 85 percent of the entire operating needs of our...
The March 15 School Strike for Climate, an international walkout to demand immediate action to deal with climate change, saw area students joining with more than 1.5 million youths in more than 100 countries in one of the largest-ever global climate demonstrations. The youth-led strike was inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who last August helped start a movement that evolved from her solitary vigil outside the Swedish Parliament every Friday into the recent massive global walkout. Students participated...
On March 23, Representative Town Meeting members will consider almost $18 million of expenses for the town's next financial year, as well as take key votes on a 1-percent local-option sales tax, funding a request for a marketing effort, and instituting a new program for inspecting rental properties. In the 25 articles that will face the body on Saturday, members will also weigh in on a nonbinding article on energy efficiency in town buildings, and they will decide whether to...
Town Meeting representatives will consider a new 1-percent local-option sales tax, one of the few rapid-acting tools that towns have to grow revenue as expenses increase. But another local tax is a short-term and shortsighted fix to a decades-long problem. No proposals to improve the long-term productivity of our tax base are on the table, and all available bandwidth is focused on a yes-no vote. A major concern is whether this tax would harm the retail base it seeks to...
Fresh from a three-year hiatus, Hatch Vermont presents its seventh Storytellers on a Mission, promising “an evening of humorous storytelling from some of the hottest entertainers in the business” to help raise much-needed cash for a great cause. Hatch cofounder Tom Bodett, no stranger to a microphone, good deeds, and a fun time, told The Commons last week he's solidly behind co-host and nonprofit beneficiary Groundworks Collaborative, which provides ongoing support and services to families and individuals facing housing and...
As the town copes with the consequences of opioids, one segment of the population finds itself especially affected: youth. A recent series of interviews with younger people who have managed to climb out of hardships suggest an undercurrent of street violence and the consequences of addiction within their community. Sources, many of whom spoke on background for reasons of privacy and concern for their safety, say that this activity is rarely reported to the police and only occasionally reaches public...
Now that Harvey Weinstein is in court, now that Woody Allen is being dropped from Amazon (and is suing it for $68 million), now that the music business is awash with sexual harassment suits, and now that organizations such as the MeToo Movement and Time's Up have exposed the ugly underside of Hollywood, have things really changed for women? Have they? If you answered “Yes” to that question, you're demented. While more women are getting the funding to make films...