Issue #786
VIM celebrates 20 years with community awards
BRATTLEBORO-Vermont Independent Media (VIM)/The Commons celebrated its 20th anniversary on October 6 at the Retreat Farm North Barn.
Highlights of the celebration included the presentation of two community awards - The Community Partner Award which was presented to Brattleboro Savings & Loan (BS&L) to honor and recognize their commitment and vital role in successful collaboration that brings a community closer together, and the initial Diana Bingham Award, awarded to Diana Bingham herself this year, and to a community member each year going forward.
Scottish and fiddle music at Next Stage on Oct. 20
PUTNEY-Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of traditional and contemporary Scottish and fiddle music by duos Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas and San Miguel Fraser (Galen Fraser & Maria San Miguel) on Sunday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. at Next Stage. The musical partnership between Alasdair...
Fuel and energy assistance now available
SOUTH BURLINGTON-As Vermonters prepare for the approaching colder months, Hunger Free Vermont wants to remind people about the fuel and energy assistance programs offered by the state to those who need them. A program of the Vermont Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Seasonal Fuel Assistance Program can...
More
Film festival, exhibit honor Stewart siblings
BRATTLEBORO-In what organizers say is an ideal pairing, one of the greatest actors from Hollywood's golden era and a grand theater built in that era have united for a Jimmy Stewart Film Festival at the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro from Oct. 25–28. The festival features seven films representing some of the greatest and most interesting performances of Jimmy Stewart's career. Stewart family members, including his daughter and nieces and nephews, will be on hand at many of the screenings to...
Around the Towns
Final Candidates at the Coffeehouse event on Oct. 19 in Bellows Falls BELLOWS FALLS - The Flat Iron Cooperative, 51 The Square, hosts the last in its pre-election Candidates at the Coffeehouse series on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 10:30 a.m. Voters will have the opportunity to ask questions and express concerns before the November general election. Legislators in attendance will include State Senator Wendy Harrison and State Representatives Michelle Bos-Lun and Leslie Goldman. Snacks will be provided as well as...
Thousands more Vermonters to get access to affordable child care
WATERBURY-More Vermont families are now eligible to access reduced child care costs through Act 76, the state's new child care law. The Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) helps Vermont children access high quality care by covering some or all child care costs for eligible families. The program currently serves more than 9,000 children across the state. Through Act 76, income eligibility for CCFAP will increase to include thousands more Vermont children and their families. It also provides a 35%
Milestones
Milestones • Timothy Roger Brown, 57, of Readsboro. Died peacefully at his home, surrounded by family members, on Oct. 2, 2024. Born Oct. 8, 1966, in North Adams, Massachusetts to Roger and Sue Ellen (Yorke) Brown. Timothy was a lifelong resident of Readsboro and a graduate of Whitingham High School, Class of 1984. He showed remarkable resilience, bouncing back from a house fire that tested his strength and spirit. He worked at Long Falls Paper Board in Brattleboro, dedicating 24...
Canal Street Art Gallery grows with 8 artist studios open 6 days a week
BELLOWS FALLS-Canal Street Art Gallery hosts the Working Artist Program, providing local artists with a self-curated exhibition and work space within a gallery setting. The gallery recently expanded this program from three to a total number of eight artist studios. The program offers visitors a personal experience by introducing them directly to artists, their artworks, their materials, and practices. Participating artists have the opportunity to provide the community with free public events and private learning opportunities, such as artist talks,
Latchis plans film, discussion about state's first conservation cemetery
BRATTLEBORO-A short documentary on Vermont's first Conservation Cemetery will be shown on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 5:30 p.m., in the main theater at the Latchis in downtown Brattleboro. Following the screening, there will be a Q&A session featuring founder and head cemeterian Michelle Hogle Acciavatti and the After Death Care Team at Brattleboro Area Hospice. Admission is free, with donations to cover the cost of theater rental gratefully accepted. From Earth to Earth, The Lost Art of Dying in America...
In Stile Moderno presents ‘Delights of the French Baroque’ at BMC on Oct. 18
BRATTLEBORO-In Stile Moderno presents "Enfin la beauté: Delights of the French Baroque" at the Brattleboro Music Center Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. The concert will feature airs and secular pieces by Étienne Moulinié, Sébastien Le Camus, Joseph Chabanceau de La Barre, and others. In Stile Moderno is an ensemble for early music, founded in Basel, Switzerland, in 2012 by soprano Agnes Coakley and lutenist/cornetist Nathaniel Cox. Named after the "modern style" of music which emerged in Italy around 1600,
BMAC seeks imaginary creatures for Glasstastic by Dec. 16
BRATTLEBORO-Imaginary creatures dreamed up by children are brought to three-dimensional life by professional glass artists in GLASSTASTIC, a biennial celebration of youthful creativity and artistic ingenuity at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC). BMAC invites children in grades K–6 to submit drawings of imaginary creatures, a selection of which will be turned into sculptures by glass artists for the museum's exhibition, Glasstastic 2025. Glass artists from around New England pore over the submissions and choose the drawings that will...
John John Brown at Stage 33 Live on Oct. 19
BELLOWS FALLS-John John Brown's "Songs, Stories & Art - Lessons from Strangers" is coming to Stage 33 Live, 33 Bridge St., on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. Brown brings giant comics, iconic photographs, and moving panoramas to the stage, weaving together storytelling songs and visual arts in live performance. The protagonists come from all walks of life - from an aging Vietnam veteran, to a trumpet-playing orphan, a married couple debating evolution, and a young man with mental illness...
An agricultural love story
DUMMERSTON-"I called her the Gilly Filly of Vermont," says Bill Schmidt, who is speaking about his wife Mary Lou and their farm, Elysian Hills. And with good reason. Mary Lou Schmidt died in 2021 at the age of 94. She and Bill spent 40 years together at the farm, which produced thousands of Christmas memories for the hundreds of folks who purchased their trees. The Schmidts also were responsible for the revitalization of the Gilfeather turnip, named the Vermont state...
Antioch University, Landmark College announce new academic partnership
PUTNEY-Antioch University and Landmark College recently announced a new academic alliance, forging what they call "a unique and dynamic partnership to leverage their strengths and create a legacy of learning that is accessible to all." An online information session has been scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m., where members of the academic and admissions teams from both institutions will be available to discuss the benefits of this collaboration and the enrollment process for interested students. Go to event.antioch.edu/landmark...
Awards celebrate preservation of historic homes, sites in Rockingham
ROCKINGHAM-The Rockingham Old House Awards have been announced, celebrating the efforts of local property owners and organizations committed to preserving historic sites in the area. This year's honorees include: • P. Michael Myers, recognized for his home at 17 Westminster Terrace in Bellows Falls Village. • Richard DeMuzio, for his work on 60 Green St., also in Bellows Falls Village. • Erica Daniels and Tim Wells, for their contributions to Studio 92 on Rockingham Street, near the Bellows Falls Village...
An ongoing difficult conversation
A gentle reminder that contributions to Voices are the opinions of the individual contributors, including those on the particular topic of the war that is raging between Israel and Hamas. As we do so, we condemn the rise of antisemitism in our society, we acknowledge the pain that the Jewish community experiences of the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, the loss of life, and the kidnapping of hostages still in captivity. And, of course, we look in horror at the...
Who bears responsibility for the atrocities of war?
BRATTLEBORO-A recent photograph in The New York Times shows President Biden warmly greeting the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A few days earlier, on Sept. 18, Nicholas Kristof's article, "I Just Went to Darfur. Here's What Shattered Me," appeared in the newspaper. In it, he documents massacres of males followed by the rape of girls and young women and starvation in the Darfur region of Sudan. These widespread atrocities are part of a strategy openly carried out by...
Grace Cottage Hospital: a model for American health care
BRATTLEBORO-Thank you for The Commons' article detailing what Grace Cottage Hospital is and does for the people of our region. Your interview with the GCH CEO Olivia Sweetnam brought to the fore a number of important points about not only the hospital and the communities it serves, but also the remarkable lack of knowledge and insight shown by the Green Mountain Care Board and its evaluation of Vermont's medical care future. As a physician who has worked in a number...
From changing minds to softening hearts
Jan Ameen has enjoyed a long career in managing community and regional solid waste challenges in Massachusetts and Vermont. WESTMINSTER-I appreciate Jeff Potter's earnest commentary in a recent issue of The Commons. I can imagine how challenging it is to offer everyone the chance to speak their truth and express their beliefs and choices, especially in a dualistic world where most people believe "I am right, and the other is wrong. I am good, and they are bad." The most...
Seniors honored as fall season nears end
-The fall high school sports season in Vermont moves fast. It seems like it only just began, but this week is the final week of the regular season for football, soccer, field hockey, and cross-country. The final regular season home game for each team usually features a tribute to the seniors and their families. These pre-game ceremonies are filled with joy tinged with a bit of sadness - sadness because, for many of the student-athletes, it is the last game...
Antisemitism comes from both ends of the political spectrum
Tim Stevenson is a community organizer with Post Oil Solutions from Athens ([email protected]) and is the author of Resilience and Resistance: Building Sustainable Communities for a Post Oil Age (Green Writers Press), and Transformative Activism: A Values Revolution in Everyday Life in a Time of Societal Collapse (Apocryphile Press). ATHENS-In September, Donald Trump sent a warning to American Jews that "If I don't win this election, the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss." Though he...
For World Learning, a new way to bring together cultures: housing
BRATTLEBORO-World Learning Inc. is in the first stages of developing a creative answer to the region's housing shortage - a problem that is hitting close to home. In 2018, when its School for International Training ended on-campus degree programs, World Learning was left with many empty dorm rooms in a cluster of campus residential buildings. That made the facility the perfect place to temporarily house refugees from such countries as Afghanistan and Senegal when they began arriving in the region.
Rugged and fierce
MARLBORO-After a successful first year at the arts-friendly Marlboro campus, the Boston States Fiddle Camp (BSFC) returns to Potash Hill Wednesday through Sunday, Oct. 23 to 27, for a four-day camp culminating in a staff concert. It is called the Boston States Fiddle Camp because, as told on bostonstatesfiddle.com, "'The Boston States' is the nickname Cape Bretoners have for New England, where [immigrants] came to live and work in droves in the late 19th/early 20th century (predominantly in the greater...
Going for Baroque
BRATTLEBORO-After a warmly received concert as part of the summer's Pikes Falls Music Series, Ensemble Amphion Baroque is back with "Bigwigs of the Baroque," a concert of chamber works by premier French, German, and Italian composers of the 18th century: J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, and Jean-Féry Rebel. This time around, though, audiences will hear this ensemble of top-shelf instrumentalists at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) downtown. Of the venue, Amphion's founder and...
Mrowicki's record reflects his values
PUTNEY-Mike Mrowicki, who represents the Windham-4 district (Dummerston and Putney) in the Vermont House of Representatives, is running for re-election. His legislative record shows his values. He has sponsored bills that address property tax reform, support for farmers, affordable housing, climate change, education, flood relief, and health care, to name a few issues. He speaks truth to power. He has demonstrated that he can work across the aisle in the State House if doing so benefits not only the district...
Goldman translates beliefs, values into laws
BELLOWS FALLS-I ask you to re-elect Leslie Goldman as one of the two Windham-3 representatives to the state Legislature. Leslie has a tremendous background in health (nurse practitioner with a master of public health degree), and education (12 years as a Bellows Falls Union High School board member and founding member of The Compass School.) She has done extensive work in the community (three years on the Rockingham Selectboard, founding member of Parks Place and Rockingham Help and Helpers, and...
Brattleboro board mulls messaging for acceptable conduct campaign
BRATTLEBORO-Amid rising reports of drug dealing and related crime, the town is considering an "acceptable community conduct campaign" in hopes of educating both public rule breakers and residents who are increasingly complaining about feeling unsafe. "The goal is to influence behavior," Municipal Manager John Potter told the Selectboard, "to encourage everyone in town to be nice to each other." So far, the yet-drafted proposal is sparking less decorum than debate. "Decent messaging will define what we're looking for," Selectboard member...
Cota: concerned about what is good and fair
BELLOWS FALLS-I have known Casey Cota, a candidate for the House of Representatives, for more than 20 years, and I consider myself to be a personal friend. I've watched him grow as a very dynamic young man to the sophisticated, intelligent, thoughtful, and caring man that he is today. I've had many thought-provoking conversations with Casey over the years. One thing that has always struck me is, in addition to being a highly successful businessperson, he is always thinking about...
Eastes: a friend's perspective
MARLBORO-For all who reside in Vernon and Guilford, I urge you to vote for Zon Eastes to represent you in the Vermont House. Many have reported on Zon's civic experience, skills, and accomplishments. I am sharing my observations as a friend and professional colleague since he first came to teach in Vermont over 40 years ago. Zon is a dear and dependable friend. I can always count on him for good advice and his broader perspective on ways to meet...
On finger-pointing and homelessness
PUTNEY-Thank you for publishing Annie Pisgah Searsburg's thoughtful and informative piece. It is an issue that needs more attention and awareness! There are opinions and viewpoints about homelessness, poverty, and disability that need to be addressed openly and frankly, especially when many of these are not only inaccurate, but they also continue to give energy to a disempowerment and discrimination. Of the people who experience homelessness, 99.9% are no different from most of us. They are people trying to navigate...
Chase works hard for affordable solutions
The writer is a former Democratic member of the Vermont House of Representatives, representing Windsor 3-1 from 2011 to 2017, and served with Chase on the Chester Selectboard. CHESTER-I am delighted to support Heather Chase, a person of integrity and compassion, in her re-election for state representative for the people of Athens, Chester, Grafton, and Windham. Heather has served us well in Montpelier. As a nurse and a mother, she is a champion of the right of a woman to...
Eastes builds bridges in a complex political landscape
VERNON-It's of the essence that our Windham-1 district has strong and steady leadership to address the most important concerns of Guilford and Vernon. Despite the reputation Windham County has as a Democratic stronghold, the next legislative leader for Guilford and Vernon will be stepping into a complex political landscape. Challenges such as the taxes, affordable housing, energy, and gun control make the skills a candidate brings to the role of legislator more critical now than ever. If elected as your...
Bos-Lun's community work: positive, powerful, and productive
WESTMINSTER-If citizens of the Windham-3 district want a state representative whose primary concern is the welfare of our community, you will vote to re-elect Michelle Bos-Lun. Since we moved to Windham County in 2017, we have watched Michelle and her positive, powerful, and productive work in the community: working with COSA (Circles of Support and Accountability) to help recently released prisoners re-enter society, teaching classes at Southern State Correctional Facility, advocating for gun safety, teaching English to asylum seekers, working...
Plumbing the depths of Vermont’s origin story
BARNET-I'll play my new film Lost Nation at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at the Bellows Falls Opera House, as a part of the film's Vermont 50-town tour. The picture is a Revolutionary War–era action drama set in the early upstart Republic of Vermont. It features Vermont founding father and rebel schemer Ethan Allen (Kevin Ryan), who leads resistance to New Yorker land claims, launches an ill-fated attack on British forces in Montreal, and leads invasions by his Green Mountain...
A simple, homelike beauty
BRATTLEBORO-On Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18 and 19, the Brattleboro Union High School Players will present their production of Our Town by Thornton Wilder, a script that playwright Edward Albee called "probably the finest American play ever written so far." First produced in 1938, the play has provided thought-provoking entertainment for audiences ever since. Wilder's dramatic innovations, considered radical at the time, included no props and a minimal set (some chairs, a couple of tables); and a non-linear plot. Its...
Response chooses myths over facts, dismisses other points of view
WILLIAMSVILLE-Mark Treinkman responded to an opinion he didn't like by belittling its author, questioning the legitimacy of its points, and offering his own more "scholarly" opinion as a substitute. He advocates for "knowledge and context," so let's try to apply some to what he wrote. Mr. Treinkman correctly reminded us that Jews have lived alongside Arabs in Palestine for centuries. Jews and Arabs, in fact, coexisted with minimal friction between them for a very long time. It was only when...
This candidate embodies the American spirit
Robert Fritz (robertfritz.com) works as an author, composer, filmmaker, and management consultant. NEWFANE-This election is, as has been said, the most important in our lifetime. The reason is simple and clear. Our system of government is on the line. The old-time Republican Party no longer exists. When it did, one could argue that there was not that much of a difference between the parties. Of course, there was. It was about the function of government - how much, how little.
'Presenting both sides' as legitimate? That's not educational.
DUMMERSTON-Every time I see a Trump sign or flag, I'm shocked and dismayed. The extremist remains of the Republican Party decided that a serial sexual assailant, a convicted felon, and a president who planned and executed an attempted coup of our democratic republic deserves to be president again. Because of a corrupted Supreme Court, Donald Trump is yet unconvicted for his crimes to conspire to steal a presidential election! So, no, I don't think it's "educational" to pretend that there...
Mrowicki is not just a rep - he's a natural social worker
PUTNEY-Despite meager compensation, Rep. Mike Mrowicki has consistently supported people in Putney, Dummerston, and beyond, whether or not the Legislature is in session. A true advocate, he helps constituents navigate complex systems and cut through red tape, embodying the spirit of a social worker rather than just a politician. He is the guy who shows up right after a severe flood to support you. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me Mike was there for them,
We tried to bomb our way to peace in 1972. It didn’t work.
BRATTLEBORO-During the Christmas season of 1972 - the year I graduated from high school - the United States undertook a massive bombing of North Vietnam. It came to be known as "the Christmas bombings." President Richard Nixon had promised an end to the Vietnam War. The North Vietnamese had left the negotiating table. The bombings were meant to "teach" the Vietnamese "a lesson." More than 20,000 tons of bombs were dropped by B-52s over an 11-day period. Yet within three...
Staying connected to art and expression and creativity
NEWFANE-Moore Free Library, 23 West St., will present a variety of art work by Nora Daniel through Oct. 29. The show, "Think Ink!," is an exhibit of ink drawings and paintings that vary between the relatively realistic and the more expressive, with a few watercolor pieces. For decades, Daniel has been doing these ink pieces with subjects ranging from people to animals, landscapes, and more. The show underscores "the idea of the importance of carrying a sketchbook with you and...