Issue #789

Jack Quartet to perform on Potash Hill

MARLBORO-Next Stage Arts and Potash Hill present a free community concert by Jack Quartet, on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m., at Ragle Hall on the campus of the former Marlboro College.

This fall, the world-renowned Jack Quartet and its cadre of musical collaborators descend upon Potash Hill to workshop and develop new musical work. Three resident artists of the quartet's Jack Studio program will work closely with the ensemble on new material and receive mentorship from current Jack Studio commissioned composer, Anthony Cheung, who will also work with Jack on a new work for its premiere on Nov. 10 at the 92NY.

This event is co-presented by Next Stage Arts and features music by Travis Laplante, Eduardo Aguilar, Seare Farhat, and other Jack Studio artists.

Founded in 2005, Jack is a Grammy-nominated string quartet dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. The New York-based ensemble consists of violinists Christopher Otto and Austin Wulliman, violist John Pickford Richards, and cellist Jay Campbell, the last of whom spent three summers on Potash Hill as a participant at Marlboro Music.

Read More

If you vote by mail, you can’t pet the town clerk’s dog

Many Vermonters continue to head to the polls to experience the ritual of civic duty, cultivate community connections, and embrace a more personal voting experience

-This year's general election marks the third time that Vermont has mailed ballots to every registered voter, initially in 2020 as a response to the pandemic. The practice has been mostly accepted by - and even embraced by - voters. However, many still believe in voting in person. Whitingham...

Read More

Health Dept.: Now is the time to take steps to prevent flu, Covid, and RSV

WATERBURY-Getting vaccinated against respiratory viruses like Covid, flu, and RSV is one of the most important steps to stay healthy during the fall and winter months - and now is the time to do it, according to Vermont health officials. They encourage everyone 6 months and older to get...

Read More

More

Around the Towns

Brattleboro Area Hospice to hold Lantern Walk BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro Area Hospice will hold its second annual Lantern Walk on Thursday, Nov. 7, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. "A fall Lantern Walk is a traditional autumn celebration to bring light into the darkness as the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer," organizers said in a news release. "It reminds us that we are each the light in the darkness and is also a time to remember, and carry,

Read More

A ‘Tempestuous Hubbub’ comes to 118 Elliot

BRATTLEBORO-Sparkles, the Giant Evil Clown, presents Turbulence Orchestra & Sub Units performing Tempestuous Hubbub on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at 118 Elliot Gallery. Led by multi-instrumentalist Dave Peck, The Turbulence Orchestra is a large format improvisation ensemble that includes six or more horn players and a rhythm section. For this performance, they will play four 15-minute improvisations each with a quarter of the total ensemble, take a short break and then perform an hour-long improvisation with all the...

Read More

Theatre Adventure marks 20 years with new film

BRATTLEBORO-Theatre Adventure invites the public to help celebrate its 20th anniversary with the screening of A Ballad of Belonging, a documentary honoring Theatre Adventure's past, present, and future, on Friday, Nov. 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the Latchis Theatre, 50 Main St. Some of Theatre Adventure's actors will don the costumes of their favorite characters from previous shows. They will engage with the audience before the screening and participate in a brief talkback session afterward. A Ballad of Belonging is...

Read More

BMC presents Duo Balalaika

BRATTLEBORO-Celebrating cross-cultural creativity, and exploring the range of possibilities for balalaika, piano, and voice is Duo Balalaika, performing Sunday, Nov. 10, at the Brattleboro Music Center. The 4 p.m. performance will feature Oleg Kruglyakov on the balalaika and Terry Boyarsky on piano. Duo Balalaika is an international project "born out of a love of traditional music and classical elegance," say event organizers. Kruglyakov is a balalaika virtuoso from Siberia and Boyarsky is an American concert pianist. Their performances draw on...

Read More

Milestones

College news • Grace Conety of Brattleboro and Sam Mills of Marlboro were named to the 2024 spring semester Dean's List at Simmons University in Boston. Transitions • Edward Hogan has accepted a position on the board of directors of Members 1st Credit Union in Brattleboro. Hogan has been a member for more than six years and his interest in cooperative ventures was his prime motivation for becoming a volunteer member of the governing body. Hogan replaces David Cotton, who...

Read More

Canal Street Art Gallery announces new Solo Show Program open to all artists

BELLOWS FALLS-Canal Street Art Gallery, 23 Canal St., presents the Solo Show Program, offering an exhibition schedule of small, eight-week long shows of varying sizes open to all artists. Solo shows, formerly offered by the gallery only to its represented artists, are now open to help build all artists' careers. This new programming replaces the gallery's open call group shows and continues to support the gallery's mission of "offering an open space where all creative voices may be heard." The...

Read More

Circus Festival features performances, activities

BRATTLEBORO-On Nov. 8, 9, and 10, more than 100 circus artists, students, a traveling circus company, performing alumni, guest coaches, and circus enthusiasts will travel from across the country to Circus Workshop Weekend (CWW), hosted by the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA). This festival of circus classes, performances, and community gatherings celebrates coming together around this noncompetitive art form. Circus enthusiasts can purchase tickets to three shows over the weekend at NECCA's Trapezium on Putney Road. Guest company...

Read More

Vets Town Hall convenes in Brattleboro on Nov. 17

BRATTLEBORO-Vets Town Hall, a Vermont-based nonprofit that works to increase understanding between veterans and civilians, is partnering with local organizations to host six events throughout the state this fall, including in Brattleboro on Sunday, Nov. 17, at American Legion Post 5 on Linden Street. Veterans are invited to speak for up to 10 minutes each about what it was like to serve their country. Non-veterans are encouraged to attend and listen. The Brattleboro event, hosted by Norman VanCor and organized...

Read More

Latchis hosts acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke

BRATTLEBORO-Acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke will perform at the Latchis Theatre, 50 Main St., on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. Kottke was born in Athens, Georgia, but left town after a year and a half. Raised in 12 different states, "he absorbed a variety of musical influences as a child, flirting with both violin and trombone, before abandoning Stravinsky for the guitar at age 11," report event organizers in a news release. Kottke says his influences include the country-blues of...

Read More

Dana Cooper celebrates release of his 32nd album

BELLOWS FALLS-Singer-songwriter Dana Cooper will perform at Stage 33 Live on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. Only 40 tickets will be sold. Cooper celebrates his 32nd full-length release, The Ghost of Tucumcari, which features an all-star lineup of guest artists. The new album marks a major achievement for the veteran musician after over 50 years in the business. Artists lending their voices to this project include Lyle Lovett, Hayes Carll, Susan Gibson, Mando Saenz, Darden Smith, and more. The...

Read More

WWAC to discuss civil society, social control in China today

BRATTLEBORO-The Windham World Affairs Council (WWAC) will host Mark Sidel, professor of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for an insightful discussion on the evolving landscape of civil society and social control in China under the leadership of Xi Jinping on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Centre Congregational Church, 193 Main St. "I'm delighted to be speaking at the Windham World Affairs Council on China and look forward to a great discussion with an exceptionally...

Read More

Organizations clean up syringes from Brattleboro

BRATTLEBORO-The Community Substance Use Response (CSUR), in collaboration with the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont, says it would like to extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in the recent Syringe Clean-Up Day on Oct. 30. This event, held in downtown Brattleboro, brought together more than 20 dedicated staff and volunteers who worked diligently for two hours to collect more than 500 syringes from various locations. Among the participants were staff and volunteers from the AIDS Project, Turning Point Recovery...

Read More

Slaters stop Terriers in Division II football semifinal

-The third time was a charm for the Fair Haven Slaters, who punched their ticket for the Division II state football finals with a dominating 34-7 victory over the Bellows Falls Terriers at Hadley Field on Nov. 2. The Slaters made it to the semifinals in 2022 and 2023. Now, they will face top-seeded Rice for the state title this Saturday in St. Johnsbury. In their regular season meeting in Week 5, BF pulled out a 14-7 win over the...

Read More

A feel-good play it’s not

BRATTLEBORO-Rock River Players presented Jean Genet's The Maids last weekend at the Williamsville Hall. This weekend, the edgy 1947 drama plays the Hooker-Dunham Theater in Brattleboro. As Hilton Als wrote of The Maids in a 2014 review in The New Yorker of a revival production, "It is an unequivocally literary work," one that inspired the 1933 Papin case in France in which two sisters, employed as maids, infamously lashed out against their employer. "Much was made of the scandal by...

Read More

Cuba’s crisis is our crisis

Lissa Weinmann is a board member of Windham World Affairs Council, a partner in 118 Elliot, and director of the Brattleboro Words Project. She helped found and direct Americans for Humanitarian Trade with Cuba, a coalition that helped ease the embargo's restrictions on food sales to Cuba, and she directed the former World Policy Institute's National Summit on Cuba. BRATTLEBORO-On Oct. 30, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn the U.S. embargo on Cuba. The vote in the...

Read More

Convince us, and stop Trump hatred

HINSDALE, N.H.-I've seen so many writers bashing Donald Trump and not convincing anyone why Harris is a great choice for president. Stop focusing hate and wrath on Donald Trump. Instead, convince me (and others) how policies are going to help us in our daily life, how they'll improve conditions for all of us regular folk who are not wealthy. Start telling us all why Harris is such a great choice (without mentioning gender, skin color, or race). Sell us on...

Read More

Farcical framing of ethnic cleansing

BRATTLEBORO-The Commons' "difficult conversation" op-ed notes that "several hundred thousand" innocents were displaced. Indeed, that number was forced from their homes and into camps - back in 1948. In the ensuing decades, by waging war Israeli land bloated in size and another few hundred thousand were uprooted. Currently, three million live under military occupation in the West Bank. In the past year well over two million Gazans were dispossessed by violence; months ago The Lancet stated roughly a tenth were...

Read More

Not that Scott

BRATTLEBORO-I wish to sincerely apologize to Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, whom by accident I named incorrectly in my recent article. I, of course, meant Sen. Rick Scott from Florida. I have the highest regard for Gov. Phil Scott; in fact, I am supporting him in the current election. Neil Senior Brattleboro This letter to the editor was submitted to The Commons. This piece, published in print in the Voices section or as a column in the news sections, represents the...

Read More

What you left out

WILLIAMSVILLE-You inadvertently left out some important historical quotes that give context and credence to what I wrote in my letter. To wit: The Zionist founders were well aware of what they were doing. To quote just two of them: Vladimir Ze'ev Jabotinsky: "[It is the] iron law of every colonizing movement, a law which knows of no exceptions, a law which existed in all times and under all circumstances. If you wish to colonize land in which people are already...

Read More

Prison Educator Fired For Writing a Poem

On Oct. 24, I was fired by the Vermont Department of corrections for having written a poem: Elegy to Gary Partridge. Partridge was a student of mine at Southern States Correctional Facility who died in September from an infection he had had for over a year. I hadn't published the elegy or shared it with the public in any way, but I read it to the prison's creative writing class, and that was enough. Certainly this begs the question: what...

Read More

Elegy for Gary Partridge

Ben Mitchell most recently worked as a corrections educator at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield. He has had a long career as an educational administrator and consultant, and he is publisher of the online magazine Divergents, which celebrates neurodiversity and advocates for those who are neurodivergent. For the story behind this poem, see "I was fired for writing a poem," Viewpoint, Nov. 6. WESTMINSTER WEST-I remember the first time I saw you - big fella, weird haircut, Medicaid...

Read More

Where is the bulk of the divisive name calling coming from?

WESTMINSTER WEST-As a bleeding heart liberal, and unapologetic progressive, I actually agree with Christine A. White that the hot political rhetoric needs to be dialed down, vilification of the other side needs to stop, and a return to a more "normal" political debate and constructive dialogue would benefit us all. This means the end of using slanderous language, demonizing the other side with extreme language, and lies, lies, lies. Everyone, no matter your political leanings, should agree with this. However,

Read More

A ‘once-in-a-lifetime leader’? That’s a good one!

BELCHERTOWN, MASS.-The Viewpoint by Robert Fritz made me laugh. He's smitten with Kamala Harris, who he calls a "once-in-a-lifetime titan leader." Good one! Harris is no leader, but she is a spectacular failure. Madam DEI makes zero sense, and without her teleprompter, the woman can't function. She is also a hatemonger: she can't hide her contempt for evangelical Christians, Jews, or Catholics. She also promises to magically fix everything when elected, so why hasn't she done anything for the past...

Read More

HCRS, please reconsider AI software — especially for psych patients

DUMMERSTON-I am a psychiatric survivor. Since moving to Vermont over 12 years ago, I have been doing peer support, education, and advocacy across the state. Recently, I learned that Health Care & Rehabilitative Services (HCRS), the largest provider of mental health services in Windham and Windham counties, has signed a contract with Eleos Health, an Israeli start-up company, to provide artificial intelligence (AI) note-taking software in its clinical programs. I have serious concerns about this action. Throughout my decades of...

Read More

In green burial, a glimmer of hope and an affirmation of life

BRATTLEBORO-I took a break from watching the ongoing three-ring circus of train wrecks in the news (our environmental, social, and political self-destruction), to enjoy a bit of good news - relating to death, of all things. The Latchis Theatre hosted a film and presentation on green burial by Michelle Hogle Acciavatti from Vermont Forest Cemetery, organized by Brattleboro Area Hospice. I have long been concerned about how we process the natural deaths of friends and family, and how we avoid...

Read More

Please let our schools be schools and our children be children

The writer is a former WSESD board member and current member of the Dummerston Selectboard. DUMMERSTON-Regarding the recent opinion piece by Kurt Daims and his take on the Dummerston School flag debacle, numerous errors need to be addressed. These are errors of logic and basic fact. First, Mr. Daims confuses (with an implied shrug of "so what?") the display of political candidate advertisements on a public school with a civics lesson. The decision by the Dummerston School to hang political...

Read More

On climate science

GUILFORD-My brother recently spoke with a woman who insisted that global warming is all a hoax. "It's not the Earth's atmosphere getting too warm due to man's emissions," she insisted. "The trouble is that the Earth is moving closer to the sun." What an idiot! We all know that the planets don't jump out of their orbits. Obviously, what's happening is that the sun is moving closer to the Earth. Wendy Ireland Guilford This letter to the editor was submitted...

Read More

Grafton Village Cheese will seek new owner or partner

GRAFTON-The nonprofit entity that owns the Grafton Village Cheese Company (GVCC) is looking for either a partner or a new owner as the next step in the award-winning cheesemaker's future. The nonprofit Windham Foundation has operated GVCC for over a half century, having resurrected the 132-year-old company in 1967. Last year the Foundation brought in new CEO Curt Alpeter, a seasoned business leader with experience at IDX Systems Corp., Runamok Maple, and other startup companies. In addition to the GVCC,

Read More

WSESU board signs Speno for three years

BRATTLEBORO-Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) Supt. Mark Speno has negotiated a three-year contract, to the surprise of some. On Feb. 14 of this year, the WSESU board entered executive session. Minutes of the meeting state that, upon returning to open session, vice chair Kerry Amidon moved that the board vote to authorize chair Anne Beekman "to negotiate and sign an administrative contract." The board approved. Eight months later, at the board's Oct. 9 meeting, Beekman made a statement with the...

Read More

Artists find ‘great opportunity to grow’

NEWFANE-Crowell Art Gallery at Moore Free Library, 23 West St., is now featuring artwork by the Connecticut River chapter of the Vermont Watercolor Society. As described in its mission statement, the organization is "dedicated to promoting the awareness and appreciation of watercolor to its membership at all levels of ability and to the community by providing opportunities and venues for participation, education, fellowship and exhibitions." This show offers a diverse selection of original watercolors by approximately 20 members. Most of...

Read More

Voters turn out with vigor

-For political races both nationally and throughout the state, many of the outcomes of Tuesday's election were far from surprising, with almost 69% of exactly 26,000 voters in the left-leaning region backing the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz Democratic Party ticket. Harris and Walz won Vermont's Electoral College votes in a race that nationally, at press time early Wednesday morning, appeared destined to go to their Republican Party opponents, Donald Trump and JD Vance. Incumbents Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent, and Democrat...

Read More

Planting musical seeds

GUILFORD-On a 2017 YouTube video, the popular, multistyled, genre-molding English singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran calls Luke Concannon his "childhood hero." "I grew up listening to him, I went on tour with him, doing guitar checking and learning everything there is to know about performing, writing songs, singing, playing guitar," Sheeran says. "So I owe a large amount of my career to him." Since those days, Concannon and his wife and music partner, vocalist Stephanie Hollenberg, have settled in Guilford, entering the...

Read More