Issue #708
Lori Miller will be missed at Parks Place
A bundle of boundless energy, Lori Miller shared her considerable talents as a volunteer gardener at Parks Place Community Resource Center in Bellows Falls for 17 years.
A certified master gardener since 2006, she soon became a volunteer at Parks Place, developing a garden where visitors and staff could find a calming patch of land that offers respite, a space for reflection and, of course, beauty.
Honoring Fricke’s memory
Efforts are underway to honor the memory of Jonas Fricke. – Fricke's family and his broader global community have created a web portal for all to enjoy and contribute images, videos, poems, clown skits, and other expressions of the artist and his legacy, including important work in Bali and...
A dirty truth
By discouraging the use of fuel oil and propane, the Affordable Heat Act might drive more Vermonters toward heating with wood — a consequence that could well accomplish the exact opposite of the proposed legislation’s intended effect
As a lifelong environmentalist who applauds the intent of the Affordable Heat Act (S.5), it pains me to point out a very big problem with the bill that is now cruising toward legislative approval: wood heat is far dirtier than coal, oil, and gas. And if you make fuel...
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Milestones
Obituaries • Elisabeth “Liz” Babbitt, 92, formerly of Putney. Died of natural causes on March 18, 2023 at Spring Village Assisted Living in Dover, New Hampshire. Liz was born in Ottmuth, Germany in 1930, the daughter of Ignaz and Helena Bekiesch. As a young girl her family owned a shipping company and a successful local restaurant and tavern. She loved helping her family in the restaurant and enjoyed all the events the restaurant would host. As a teenager she and...
Next Stage hosts Celtic-American Roots music quintet RUNA
Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present Celtic-American roots music quintet Runa on Sunday, April 2, at 7 p.m. Celebrating 14 years together as a band, Runa says on their website their band “continues to push the boundaries of Irish folk music into the Americana and roots music formats. Interweaving the haunting melodies and exuberant tunes of Ireland and Scotland with the lush harmonies and intoxicating rhythms of jazz, bluegrass, flamenco, and blues, they offer a thrilling and redefining take...
Ambassador of art, love, and fun
When I met Jonas Fricke more than 20 years ago, I was in deep need of some joy. I had seen a drunken man attack another man on Elliot Street, late at night after a bar closed, and the violence was haunting me. When I saw the poster advertising the “Pillow Fight in the Harmony Parking Lot!” I knew I had to go. Soon, feathers were flying in the air as laughing combatants - Fricke among them - chased one...
Plots now available for community garden
The Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department is taking reservations for the Ames Brook Community Garden. This garden is located in the nine-acre Stockwell Park on Stockwell Drive overlooking the Ames Brook in West Brattleboro. The garden has seventeen 100-square-foot plots along with common crops of raspberries, a small asparagus patch, and flower beds. There is a charcoal grill, picnic table, umbrella, and Adirondack chairs for all to use and enjoy. There are garden tools from shovels and rakes to wheelbarrows...
BUHS Early Spring Concert showcases modern composers
The Brattleboro Union High School will present an Early Spring Bands Concert on Thursday, March 30, at 7 p.m. in the BUHS auditorium. No admission will be charged and the public is welcome to attend. The concert band will present four selections, each by living composers under the age of 50. The first is Cait Nishimura's “Chasing Sunlight.” The Asian-Canadian composer wrote she composed this piece drawing inspiration from driving west into the setting sun, “as if trying to keep...
Around the Towns
Brattleboro begins new dirt road monitoring system BRATTLEBORO - As we enter the spring season, be aware that dirt and gravel roads in Brattleboro may become muddy due to the thawing of winter snow and ice. The Department of Public Works will be monitoring these roads and providing status updates through roadside signage, which will be placed at the end of gravel roads throughout town. The roadside signage will display a QR Code, which you can scan using the camera...
Early Education Services earns national award
Early Education Services (EES) in Brattleboro and Westminster has earned renewed accreditation for its Canal Street and Westminster Head Start programs from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children. “We're proud to have earned this mark of quality from NAEYC once again and to be recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards,” said EES Executive Director Deb Gass. Early Education Services serves as the...
Local singer returns for annual a cappella concert
The 19th Annual Collegiate A Cappella Benefit Concert will take place on Saturday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m., at Brattleboro's historic Latchis Theatre. Among the six groups slated to perform are the Vassar Devils, featuring Brattleboro native Ben Brady. Brady, a 2020 graduate of Brattleboro Union High School, is studying astronomy and physics at Vassar. He sings baritone with the Vassar Devils and serves as the group's assistant music director. As a high school student, Brady was a frequent performer...
BDCC partners with SCORE, seeks mentors for local entrepreneurs
Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) says it is partnering with (1)Score NH-VT to help leverage its strong national business assistance program to assist Windham County entrepreneurs. Score trains volunteers who work one-on-one with entrepreneurs to assist with business fundamentals. Participants seeking help from mentors also receive access to hundreds of videos and lessons on topics ranging from social media marketing to cash flow analysis. Currently, the BDCC seeks local community members to join the ranks of Score NH-VT as Windham...
HCRS to host art show at 118 Elliott
Health Care and Rehabilitation Services (HCRS), Southeastern Vermont's community mental health agency, announced today that they will be hosting a multidisciplinary art show at 118 Elliot in Brattleboro during the month of April. The artwork comes from talented artists, both classically trained and outsiders alike, who are part of the HCRS community. The show is expected to represent more than 50 artists who are employed or served by the nonprofit agency. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April...
A musical love letter to Brattleboro
Kyle Thomas says when reflecting on his new album, “I felt a deeper connection with nature and sense of community that had once been so close at hand, so I wanted to make an album to remind myself that life is magical.” The 40-year-old Thomas was back in his hometown of Brattleboro last weekend, playing a sold-out show at The Stone Church and promoting his new album, Smalltown Stardust, released in January, with a multi-city national tour. Several of his...
Musicians from Marlboro presents varied program at BMC April 8
Musicians from Marlboro touring program, which has been lauded as a “virtual guarantee of musical excellence” by The Washington Post, returns to the Brattleboro Music Center Saturday, April 8. The concert, set for 7 p.m. at the Brattleboro Music Center (BMC), will include Mendelssohn's Two Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 81; Wiancko's Benkei's “Standing Death”; Kurtág's Duos for Soprano and Double Bass from The Notebooks of G. C. Lichtenberg; Kirsten's “yes I said yes I will Yes”; and Beethoven's String...
Awareness and empathy
David Blistein sits in his “office,” a table at the back of Amy's Bakery and Café downtown, enjoying soup while we talk about his work. A novelist, screenwriter, essayist, and former ad man, Blistein casts a wide net which, he notes on his website, “is the culmination of a lifelong pursuit of wisdom, transcendence, and humor” nurtured by years of meditation and writing. Recently, he's dialed in that writing on issues of health - particularly mental health. After college, Blistein...
Rock River Players hold open auditions for evening of contemporary one-act plays
Rock River Players hold open auditions for “An Evening of One: Contemporary One Acts” at the Williamsville Hall. The public is welcome to audition either Thursday, March 30, from 5:30 to 7:30 or Saturday, April 1, from 10 to 12. Scripts will be provided. One-acts to be cast include Beautiful Noises by Scott Sickels. Directed by Randy Lichtenwalner, this piece is about a recently deceased man who encounters his long-lost sister in the afterlife. But instead of offering guidance, she...
The state is taking money from foster children
As Vermonters, we have a responsibility to take care of the state's youngest residents, especially those children who may be abused and neglected and, as a result, enter the foster care system. Unfortunately, our state is instead stealing from those vulnerable residents rather than caring for them and securing for each child a bright future. The reality is that Vermont is taking approximately $1 million each year from the pockets of children in foster care who are entitled to Social...
Woke capitalism meets odd reality
I grew up in a tiny New England town known for attracting the odd violent hurricane. One of my earliest experiences of a power outage was during Hurricane Gloria in the 1980s. We basically camped in our own house, tried to wash our clothes with any water we could find and cooked on the neighbor's gas stove (ours was electric). The memory of that time has been indelible - how quickly we went from living comfortably to roughing it -
Unified basketball returns to BUHS on April 3
The spring high school sports season begins on April 3 at Brattleboro Union High School with the return of Unified basketball. The Colonels will host Burr & Burton for a 2:15 p.m. contest at the BUHS gym. That starting time is significant, said returning coach Tyler Boone, for it allows the students and faculty to fill the gym to watch the game and gives the players a chance to do their thing in front of a big crowd. Unified basketball,
A sweet tradition returns
Sugaring in Vermont is a springtime gig. The sap won't run until a series of cold nights and warm days, and the sweet, clear liquid from the sugar maples needs to be stored colder than 38 degrees and boiled down to syrup within two to three days. In Vermont, keeping a sugarbush has always been a way to supplement a farmer's income. That's certainly true for Don Hazelton, who used to raise strawberries on his hillside farm in June and...
The just-cause evictions question failed in Brattleboro. Why?
In municipal elections on March 7, ballot questions in support of just-cause eviction policy won in Winooski and Essex. Last year, voters in Burlington passed a measure there. But it lost in Brattleboro. Why? Just cause is a local ordinance to force a landlord to have a reason (a just cause) to evict a tenant who plays by the rules - i.e., pays their rent on time, doesn't break clauses in the lease (like no pets), doesn't sell drugs out...
Brattleboro approves $20.5M budget for FY24
Representative Town Meeting (RTM) voters on March 25 approved a $20.5 million operating budget for fiscal year 2024 after increasing the bottom line by $350,000. Members were also clear in wanting more transparency and participation in how the town's remaining $2.7 million federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money is used as well as how town emergency medical services are contracted. The approved budget is about an 8.1% increase to this year's operating budget. Due to use of unassigned fund...
Ex-principal sues school system for wrongful termination
Fired Brattleboro Union High School Principal Steven Perrin has filed a civil lawsuit against the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU), the Windham Southeast School District (WSESD), and its board members. A March 21 filing names the two entities as well as board members at the time of Perrin's firing and his subsequent hearing to appeal that action. Those defendants are Anne Beckman, Lana Dever, Michelle Luetjen Green, Emily Murphy Kaur, Tim Maciel, Robin Morgan, Shaun Murphy, Deborah Stanford, and Kelly...