When a staffer for South Carolina's former governor claimed that GOP governor hopeful Nikki Haley had been unfaithful to her husband, she simply stared him down and went on with her campaign for the Republican nomination.
A month later, when similar allegations were made by a former political consultant for her opponent, she shrugged, faced the cameras, and declared that she had been “100 percent faithful” to her husband.
The allegations never stuck, and Haley went on to win the primary. She could well become South Carolina's first female governor when elections take place in November. Endorsed by Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin, Haley describes herself as a libertarian. Others (like me) think she represents the right wing of the party to the right.
Haley is one of many women who ran successful primary campaigns in this midterm election. While not all were successful, 23 women ran for Senate seats, nearly 200 ran for seats in the House of Representatives, and 21 women are candidates for governor of their states.
Vermont residents who act quickly can receive an enhanced incentive reward of $50 for scheduling the free pickup of older, inefficient refrigerators and freezers at their homes this month. The older appliances are typically kept in garages and basements, but consume much more energy than most people realize. The...
Does extending broadband access to the last unserved 5 percent of Vermonters really stimulate economic development?” one Vermont senator asked. “Why should the state provide money to make that happen?” asked another senator. Two good questions at a time when Vermont is struggling to close a $153 million budget...
With just 20 days before the Aug. 24 Democratic Primary, there is very little separating the five candidates who are running for their party's gubernatorial nomination. “You're going to find a lot more in common between the five of us than you'll find differences,” said state Sen. Susan Bartlett, D-Lamoille. “But the primary process is like a job interview. This is where voters see who has the right knowledge, the right skill set and the right temperament to lead Vermont...
In the mid-1980s, we lived in a cabin without utilities, wore used clothing, and spend money freely only on wholesome, organic food. Before our son was born, I took whatever low-paying job I could get. Sometimes a low-paying job brings you in contact with wealthy people. When I began to work for “Mr. Lumbar,” the irony was lost on me that his home was located on Poverty Row. Some people have a second home in Vermont; their Poverty Row house...
Obituaries Editor's note: The Commons will publish brief biographical information for citizens of Windham County and others, on request, as community news, free of charge. Traditional full obituaries will eventually be published as news on www.commonsnews.org as we receive them. As community support for the newspaper increases, we will surely reconsider publishing more traditionally complete obituaries in the print newspaper. • Robert “Timer” L. Cook, 76, of Winchester, N.H. Died July 31. Husband of Sandra Kelley Cook for 48 years.
Given the way politics works in America, it is extraordinarily difficult for someone who is not a Democrat or a Republican to get elected to public office. The duopoly of the two major political parties, combined with the power of incumbency, keeps independents and third-party candidates from having anything more than a minor role in the political process. Over the past decade, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, re-election rates for the U.S. House have averaged about 96 percent,
Earlier this year, Brattleboro Arts Initiative and the Brattleboro Music Center embarked on a joint venture to bring live, high-definition broadcasts of The Metropolitan Opera to the Latchis Theatre by this fall. Now, thanks to the generosity and challenge of an anonymous donor, the project has an important boost to help raise the remaining funds needed. The Metropolitan Opera's “Live in High-Definition” program enables audiences all over the world to experience performances at the same time as the audience sitting...
Antler central has opened on Route 30. The shop, called the Rustic Moose, opened in May and it stands out in the small mall between Kindle Farm School and West River Valley Veterinary Service. Just look for the sign near the road that's decorated with moose antlers. Tom White, taxidermist and proprietor of the Rustic Moose, draws a stream of weekend visitors. Some buy deer antlers and jawbones, while others come in to talk about White's work and why there...
Erich Kruger, who founded ReNew Building Materials & Salvage, saw his position as executive director of the nonprofit organization terminated last month. Kruger, 41, who lives in Dummerston, said that after a meeting with ReNew's Board of Directors on July 20, “I was advised with unanimity the position of executive director at ReNew was being eliminated, and that my employment with ReNew Building Materials & Salvage [would] be terminated.” In a statement released last week, the board said it was...
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Brattstock, the annual free festival of local and regional music that also serves to line the shelves of area food banks during the summer months, is back for a third year. This year's edition will be held on Saturday, Aug.7, from noon to 5 p.m., on the Common. “We cooked up this idea three years ago and we're still doing it,” said festival co-founder Lisa McCormick. “We can't get away with not doing it, because the community wants this to...
Seventy-two of the top high school football players from New Hampshire and Vermont began training camp last Thursday at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, N.H., for the 57th Annual Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl. The game will be played this Saturday, Aug. 7, at MacLeay-Royce Field in Windsor, Vt. Three local players are on the Vermont squad - Brattleboro's Devin Rhodes and Davin Freeman and Bellows Falls' Josh Pratt. The New Hampshire head coach is Ken Sciacca from Kennett High School,
After eight years of studies into improving the quality of life for its seniors, the Brattleboro Housing Authority (BHA) is in the early stages of implementing a pilot care program to launch January 2011. The Seniors Aging Safely at Home (SASH) program, supports seniors living in their homes by building a team utilizing existing community organizations and resources. SASH operates in the spirit of a mutual aid agreement between fire departments, where departments agree to assist each other in emergencies.
Margo Ghia of Saxtons River brings an enthusiasm for the arts and children to her new position as director of Main Street Arts. Ghia is replacing Elizabeth Giguere Kimball, who has stepped down after her recent marriage, although she plans to continue as an active participant in MSA's theater program. Although she considers herself a dabbler in the arts, Ghia said she derives much enjoyment from the arts and sees MSA's role as bringing the community the classes and opportunities...
It's the question that's constantly being asked of state officials and telecommunications companies in Vermont: “When are you going to bring broadband to [insert town name here]?” The goal set by Gov. James Douglas in 2007 that Vermont would become an “e-state”- with universal access to broadband Internet and cell phone service by the end of 2010 - will not be achieved. The Vermont Telecommunications Authority, the state agency that was created by Douglas to help bring broadband service throughout...
The press called her “The Witch of Wall Street.” The basis for the name was her irascibility and her personal hygiene. She stunk. In summertime the odor would be so foul that people working in the same bank office where she kept a desk would scheme to stay as far away from her as possible. Her long black dresses, decades out of style, would turn green and ragged from wear and filth. Her fingernails were crusty dirty. She went around...
The bottom line is that Vermont Yankee can melt down, leading to an environmental disaster. And it could do so in spite of its so-called emergency core cooling system. We have been told by the nuclear industry for years that this could not happen, that American power plants had made improvements since the accident at Three Mile Island, that they were designed better than the plant at Chernobyl, and that such accidents simply could not happen, or at least that...
The Blueberry Festival, a celebration of agriculture in the Deerfield Valley, runs through Aug. 8 with events in Dover, Halifax, Marlboro, Townshend, Wilmington and Whitingham. “We're trying to recognize, and encourage others to recognize, our agricultural roots in this valley,” said farmer Janet Boyd, the spark behind the celebration. Boyd, co-owner of the Boyd Family Farm in Wilmington, said she chose blueberries because they doubled as an important valley crop and, since they're blue, offered a “quirky” hook even non-farmers...
The 60th annual Grace Cottage Hospital Fair Day will be held Saturday, Aug. 7, from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. on the Townshend Common. The fair, presented by the Grace Cottage Auxiliary, will see a few new twists this year. For starters, the auction will start at 9:30 a.m. (instead of 10:30 a.m.), so come early - the preview of auction items is at 9 a.m. - and stay late. The Grafton Band will be playing at 5:30 p.m. instead...
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This summer’s Yellow Barn Music School & Festival will conclude with three weekend concerts, on Friday, Aug. 6 (8 p.m., $22), a matinee performance on Saturday, Aug. 7 (12:30 p.m., $18), and Yellow Barn’s Festival Finale that same evening (8 p.m., $25). Performances include works by Fauré, Brahms, Adès, Mozart and Dvořák, among others, and feature baritone William Sharp, percussionist Eduardo Leandro, violinist Anthony Marwood, and cellist Bonnie Hampton. In addition to recognized masterworks, this week brings more than 40...