Issue #796
Rockingham scientist honored for bird studies
ROCKINGHAM-With his recognition as a fellow by the American Ornithological Society (AOS), Stephen Brown joins an elite group of 581 current AOS fellows, the highest level of achievement in ornithology.
Brown has a doctorate in natural resources from Cornell University, an master's degree in natural resources from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor's degree in environmental studies from Hampshire College.
The food festival that wasn't really about food
'I'd spent the first three of the day's eight hours and heard nothing but politics. I'd heard nothing about "new ideas to grow your farm or food business." I left.'
Nicholas Boke is a freelance writer and international educational consultant. CHESTER-It all started when a community-action organization emailed concerns in advance of the Liberty Food Fest, which took place at the Bellows Falls Opera House in mid-December. Several of the speakers had reputations as anti-vaxxers and adherents of conspiracy...
It took a community to repair the Snow Block elevator
BRATTLEBORO-We are so relieved to share that the elevator in the Snow Block building in Brattleboro has finally been repaired. As many folks know, this elevator has been down for months, and the significant delay of the repair has been frustrating for the residents who live in the building...
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Putney Mountain Hawkwatch reports 2024 was 'best year ever' for sightings
PUTNEY-Theresa Armata remembers the scene atop Putney Mountain the first time she came to join her local hawk-watching crew in 2010. "There were these people sitting in chairs staring at the sky," she said, reflecting on their welcoming presence. "And so on my next day off, I came again, and again, and again." She's been an official counter for the Putney Mountain Hawkwatch ever since, one of several making sure the tallies of raptor sightings are accurate. Their work, the...
Conservation area adds nearly 100 acres
WESTMINSTER-The Windmill Hill Ridgeline Reserve has grown by 96 acres after the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association (WHPA) acquired and conserved the land with the Vermont Land Trust (VLT). The conservation completes a 22-year effort by the WHPA to protect this forestland for wildlife, biodiversity, and climate resilience, and to improve public access to nature and an extensive trail system in southern Vermont. The addition is near the WHPA's Jamie Latham trailhead, in the middle of a long corridor running north...
Milestones
Obituaries • Mary Graves Bristol, 91, formerly of Brattleboro. Died peacefully on Dec. 7, 2024, at her home in San Antonio, Texas, following a lengthy illness. Family surrounded her throughout her final days as she responded to the songs, love, and touch of her children and grandchildren. Mary was born on Aug. 31, 1933, in Manchester, New Hampshire. Her twin sister, Miriam Alice, was born 20 minutes later, and they were the fifth and sixth of 14 children born to...
Around the Towns
Sign up now for Pre-K programs in Windham Southeast BRATTLEBORO - Families with children who will be 4 on or before Sept. 1, 2025, and reside in Brattleboro, Guilford, Putney, or Dummerston are invited to enroll in Windham Southeast School District's public, tuition-free pre-kindergarten programs. Programs are offered at Oak Grove School (with a satellite classroom at Canal Street School) in Brattleboro, Guilford Central School, Dummerston School, and Putney Central School. Their classrooms operate on the school year calendar. Those...
Windham World Affairs Council presents Jan. 8 talk on South Africa
BRATTLEBORO-On Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m., Windham World Affairs Council (WWAC) will host professor and documentary filmmaker Dr. Larry Shore, who will speak on the topic "Apartheid in the Rear View Mirror: The Successes and Failures of the First Thirty Years of South African Democracy." The talk will take place at 118 Elliot, at 118 Elliot St. What is the state of South African democracy? The talk will examine the factors that led to South Africa's negotiated revolution, the...
Indie filmmaker showcase features film on Civil Rights Movement
BELLOWS FALLS-In honor of the civil rights work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King to create justice for all, Bellows Falls Films will kick off its independent filmmaker series on Monday, Jan. 20 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - at 7 p.m. with the 2004 film Here Am I, Send Me: The Journey of Jonathan Daniels by Larry Benaquist and Bill Sullivan, formerly of Keene State College. Daniels grew up in Keene, New Hampshire, and joined the NAACP in...
Back from the brink
BRATTLEBORO-Last February, local musician, circus arts performer, visual artist, and hair stylist Re Sheppard was in the throes of treating an aggressive lymphoma for the second time. Fast-forward to December, and Loretta Palazzo, owner of Boomerang, a clothing store on Main Street, sent out an update: "Re Sheppard is back at work a couple of days a week!" What happened in the intervening 10 months is a story of modern medical miracles and a woman who simply refuses to give...
Jimmy Carter, 1924–2024
Much has been said about Jimmy Carter in the outpouring of grief that came with the announcement of his death on Dec. 29, 2024 at the age of 100. Most striking is the overwhelming consensus that the 39th president of the United States was so rare in character. The primary lesson we should take from President Carter's life is not that he should be celebrated for standing so far apart from others in how he aligned his faith and his...
Yellow Barn Artist Residency hosts ‘Works in Process’ performance by Sequentia
PUTNEY-Yellow Barn Artist Residency hosts "Works in Process," a performance of Gregorious - The Holy Sinner by Sequentia, featuring Benjamin Bagby, Jasmina Črnčič, and Lukas Papenfusscline, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. "The 12th-century German knight and poet, Hartmann von Aue, relates an astonishing tale of victory over despair," organizers wrote in a news release. "Sequentia performs this premiere reconstruction about a man tossed about by fortune and unaware of his incestuous origins, who returns from near death to...
Main Street Arts offers winter courses for all ages
SAXTONS RIVER-This winter, Main Street Arts is adding nine new classes: Jumpstart Your Ukulele with Stu Fuchs; Unlock Your Creativity based on The Artist's Way with Ashley Storrow; and Feldenkrais and Vocal Improv Workshop, both led by Paris Kern. MSA will also offer three Creative Aging Classes that are free to anyone over the age of 60. These classes include Booking Making Using Sewing Techniques with Amber Paris, Printmaking with Annie Quest, and Theater Play with Michael Zerphy and Ham...
EOS Project offers ‘Many Hands’ on Jan. 5 at BMC
BRATTLEBORO-The EOS (educate, open, strengthen) Project opens the new year on Sunday, Jan. 5, with "Many Hands," a concert exploring percussion-centric works. The 3 p.m. concert at the Brattleboro Music Center will include percussion ensemble works, a marimba solo, a Brazilian Choro, and jazz tunes. Of the ten pieces, six were composed by women - a highly significant percentage in a field that has historically been dominated by men. The concert will feature Stefan Amidon, Wes Brown, Wyatt Cudworth, Julian...
All Souls hosts Harmony Collective artists
WEST BRATTLEBORO-All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church is partnering with Harmony Collective Artist Gallery to present "Welcome to the New Year!" This collaborative exhibit includes the work of 16 local artists who are members of the collective and "celebrates the coming of a new year, with all its possibilities and potential incarnations," according to organizers. The participating artists are Marie Formichelli, Stu Copans, Melody Squires, Kay Curtis, Julia Sorensen, Larisa Volkavichyute, Kathie Capcara, Cyndi Ferrante, Hone Williams, Jeanne Sutherland, Nancy Ghitman,
Is Hamas Netanyahu's best friend?
BRATTLEBORO-With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu currently on trial (for breach of trust, accepting bribes, and frauds), unpopular, and clinging to power: Are not the reports plausible that Hamas leadership planned the Oct. 7 atrocities intending to keep him in power and trigger massive Palestine civilian casualties in order to turn world opinion against Israel? Eighty-five percent of Israeli citizens want a probe of Netanyahu's security failures after the war is over. Putting his own self-interest first, Netanyahu must keep...
Echoes
15 years ago • With expenses outpacing contributions, the decision of the First Baptist Church in Brattleboro to sell a valuable one-of-a-kind, 9-foot-tall Tiffany stained-glass window caught the national press attention and triggered an outpouring of donations and community concern. The 88-member church's finances have been ravaged by declining membership. • Recent repairs to the 100-year-old Rockingham Free Public Library have improved the environment for employees and patrons, but an architect has warned that, without an additional $1.9 million in...
Twin Valley once again champions of GM Tourney
-The boys' basketball season has barely begun in Vermont, but the Twin Valley Wildcats already look like a team that will be playing in March for a Division IV state championship in Barre. After losing their season opener to Twinfield/Cabot on Dec. 13 in the Bob Abrahamson Tip-Off Classic in Proctor, the Wildcats went on to win four games in a row to close out a hectic first week schedule before the holiday break that featured five road games in...
Evans-Frantz: ideas, energy, and enthusiasm
BRATTLEBORO-I support Isaac Evans-Frantz, who is running for the Brattleboro Selectboard in March. He recently helped work successfully with Brattleboro voters to get the Selectboard's code-of-conduct ordinance rescinded. He believes that it's essential to be investing in housing, public transit, and social services to address root causes of crime. And while he supports law enforcement efforts against large-scale drug dealing, he believes that people struggling with addiction should be treated for this, not punished. I completely agree and feel it...
Turning over a new page?
WEST TOWNSHEND-Nancy Braus, former owner of Everyone's Books, unequivocally states: "Vermont does not ban books." She has a point. The state of Vermont and public school districts do not appear to be banning books. But Braus, when she owned the bookstore, did her best to block her clientele from access to certain books - specifically anything written by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Not only would she not have his books on display in her store, she would not order them...
Thanks to library, community for World AIDS Day observance
BRATTLEBORO-We at the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont extend our heartfelt thanks to Brooks Memorial Library and the community for their invaluable support during our observance of World AIDS Day from Dec. 2 through Dec. 6. The library staff thoughtfully selected a range of books that highlight the history, present-day realities, and future of HIV/AIDS, offering patrons a unique opportunity to explore this important subject. Thank you to Everyone's Books for contributing to our raffle prize. The lucky winner will...
Thoughts on parking
HINSDALE, N.H.-As per the front page article regarding parking in Brattleboro and the new kiosk system: Seeing as how these dang machines are all dialed-in on the Internet, it would seem to me that one should be able to park wherever one wants! It makes no sense that someone should have to pay differently in each zone - the machines are on the internet. To bring in business, the town should take hours off on Saturdays and Sundays. Let the...
End of an era
WILLIAMSVILLE-Theresa "Tego" Maggio has been at it again. Following her homage-driven heart, she's recently created another documentary. Bills Lumber, about the last days of the Bills family's antique sawmill in Wardsboro and the lives of those who ran it, premieres this Saturday at the Williamsville Hall. A filmmaker by avocation for some 25 years, Maggio's latest project dials in on the family and on the divesting of their family business and its 433 adjoining acres. "It's basically about the destruction...
Wildlife policy based in fact and science, not feelings and emotions
VERNON-RE: "Hound-hunting is out of control" [Viewpoint, Dec. 18, 2024] and "Coyotes don't seek to be cruel. But humankind certainly does." [Letters, Dec. 18, 2024]. As a lifelong outdoor enthusiast and safety instructor, I am always amazed at how people are willing to ignore the facts when it comes to these two issues. Hound hunting has been attacked by self-serving organizations whose only agenda is to control any and all hunting activity here and elsewhere. The isolated incidents referred to...
Ending the stalemate
Laura Sibilia represents Dover, Jamaica, Somerset, Stratton, and Wardsboro in the Vermont House of Representatives, where she has served as vice-chair of the Environment and Energy Committee and co-chair of the Rural Caucus. House members select the speaker by secret ballot when it convenes on Jan. 8, 2025. DOVER-In October, I announced my campaign to be Vermont's next speaker of the House. Now, after an election that eliminated the House supermajority, I want to acknowledge the challenges we face, share...
Lawmakers press governor to respond to homelessness
Five former and current state legislators who have worked on housing are calling on Gov. Phil Scott to declare a state of emergency to address Vermont's homelessness crisis. They say the crisis demands leadership and a coordinated approach at the highest level. "Vermont's homelessness crisis is an ongoing emergency just as was the flooding that hit Vermont in 2023 and 2024," said former state Sen. Vincent Illuzzi, R-Essex-Orleans, at a Dec. 23 press conference in South Burlington. Former state Sens.
Homeowners deal with fallout from property reappraisal
WINDHAM-The lag in the property tax credit afforded to homeowners may potentially have serious implications for some residents, as well as residents of other towns throughout the state. Earlier this year, for the first time since 2014, Windham underwent a reappraisal, some residents saw a dramatic increase in the value of their homes which, in turn, caused a large spike in their property tax bills. According to an article at vermontpublic.org, the homestead taxes paid by the median home in...
Jamaica set to decide fate of village school
JAMAICA-The town will soon hold a vote to determine whether to permanently close Jamaica Village School - a potential first step in making NewBrook Elementary in Newfane into a regional elementary school hub. The Selectboard has warned an article to be voted on by Australian ballot on Tuesday, Jan. 14, asking voters to authorize the board to close the school, "such that the Jamaica Village School would not be used for an elementary school or provision of direct educational service...
A huge pig in Putney creates community
Carolyn North (carolynnorthbooks.com) is a writer of books that address "the interface between matter and spirit." PUTNEY-I am a relative newcomer to the tiny village of Putney, living on a narrow dead-end lane bordered by deep woods on one side and, on the other, Main Street, with the village grocery, library, and even a world-famous music center. I share an old priory close to the dead end with six other people. It is up the lane from a property that...