BRATTLEBORO - Registration is now open for community members who wish to take a class at Marlboro College Graduate School on a single-course, continuing education basis or enroll in the school's Nonprofit Management Certificate Program.
Courses are available in Educational Technology, Web Development, and Nonprofit Management. In addition, undergraduate courses will be open in the school's Managing Information Systems program.
The Winter Trimester begins on Jan. 4, 2013. To accommodate those with busy schedules, classes will be held on weekends at the Grad School in Brattleboro with energetic online learning supporting the lessons. The full list of courses, the times they will be offered, and the online application can be found at gradschool.marlboro.edu/admissions/application.
If you have questions about any of these courses, how to apply, or Marlboro's degree programs, contact Graduate Admissions Director Joe Heslin at 802-258-9209.
Obituaries • Richard A. “Dick” Bernier Sr., 74, of Brattleboro. Died Dec. 2 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital after being stricken ill at home. Husband of Sandra Batchelder Bernier for 32 years. Former husband of Yvonne Fisher. Father of Deborah Bernier Sontag and Mary-Rebecca Bernier, both of Brattleboro, Gillian Chartier...
I am happy to report that, thanks to the faith and support of my fellow Rockingham residents, I have been elected as a new justice of the peace, with my term starting Feb. 1, 2013. As soon as I'm sworn in, I shall begin serving the needs of taxpayers,
RE: “Safe haven,” Memoriam, Dec. 5: Thanks, Harral Hamilton, for sharing your memories of Gary Blomgren - right on. I'm a creative nut who enjoyed Mr. Blomgren's encouragement and kindness as well. I will miss bumping into him around town and having brief catch-up conversations. I often recall lessons I learned from him when my daughter and I discuss the art she is creating. When thinking about those days, I always see him with a glint in his eyes and...
Thanksgiving is a time when we give thanks for what we have and who we have around us. The Putney Foodshelf is thankful for the Putney community! Thanksgiving is about food and being thankful, so we handed out 49 turkeys to our recipients this Thanksgiving - a turkey and a harvest basket/bag filled with the fixings for a delicious meal. We could not have done so without the support of the Grammar School (which provided 10 beautifully decorated and packed-full...
I have worked in Brattleboro since 1970 and, for most of those years, I hardly noticed the Brattleboro Retreat. Then one day, I read that the Retreat had restored its name to honor its roots. This resonated. I am an employee/member of the Trust Company of Vermont, an employee-owned company, founded 13 years ago when eight of us left the Vermont National Bank when it merged with the Chittenden Bank. All of us spent many years in a corporation where...
This is an invitation for you to join me, my fellow volunteers with the Healthy Communities Coalition, and the volunteer leaders of Project Feed the Thousands to ensure that all people in our region not only have food and drink on their tables in the coming year, but also to make sure that that sustenance nourishes their bodies and supports their health. The types of foods we contribute to Project Feed the Thousands - or directly to our local food...
Friends of Brooks Memorial Library will participate in World Book Night, on April 23, 2013, when more than 25,000 volunteers across America- or “givers,” as they are called - will gift more than a half million books to residents in their communities. Brattleboro resident Kristine Alden will coordinate this nonprofit event, which began in the United Kingdom a few years ago and is now celebrating its second year in the United States. Alden participated as a “giver” last year, and...
Heading into this season, there was doubt about whether Brattleboro Union High School would have a varsity girls' hockey team. Coach Linda Burke barely had enough players to field a competitive team last season and, after losing half of that team to graduation, she wasn't sure whether she would have enough players this season. “Give the juniors and seniors credit,” Burke said Saturday night after her team lost the season opener, 4-0, to the Burr & Burton Bulldogs at Withington...
The third annual TubaChristmas will be held on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 3 p.m., at the First Congregational Church on Western Avenue. TubaChristmas is a concert held in cities around the world, celebrating those who play, teach, and compose music for instruments in the tuba family, such as the tuba, Sousaphone, baritone, and euphonium horns. The concert was first held in 1974 in New York City, featuring more than 300 musicians. Tuba and euphonium players from Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Break out your dancing shoes on Friday, Dec. 21, for the final countdown with Simba to celebrate the Winter Solstice and the end of the Mayan calendar. The annual dance and music extravaganza coincides with the alignment of the sun, earth, and galactic center, and with the completion of the ancient Mayan calendar on that day. The celebration takes place at the Evening Star Grange in Dummerston Center. This night of drumming, dancing, music, and fun for the entire community...
Bullying is not good, because if you bully people too much, they can get all upset and they can try to kill themselves, or they could run away and get lost. I think bullying should stop, so people don't get upset to the point that they don't want to live anymore. So don't bully people who are gay, bisexual, or lesbian. That is who they are, so don't pick on them.
The National Honor Society and the CLEA Committee are hosting the annual Project Feed the Thousands food drive at Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School. Every year during the holidays, designated food shelves around southeastern Vermont and southwestern New Hampshire - including the Townshend Food Shelf - collect various non-perishable food items while distributing them back into the community wherever hunger relief is needed. Representatives from some of these food shelves around the area came to promote their...
For the second consecutive year, Vermont Theatre Company is offering VTC Bucks, a convenient and flexible way to gift VTC show tickets to family and friends, allowing recipients to decide how to apply them. Essentially gift certificates, VTC Bucks are sold for $1 each, and should be multiplied for the proper admission for all VTC productions. Performance tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, except Shakespeare in the Park, in June, 2013, which costs $5 for...
How can someone stand eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs)? For example, scientists fed a pregnant mouse GMO corn for a week. So, when she gave birth to her babies, some of them had hair growing on the roofs of their mouths and other birth defects. Pesticides made by Monsanto are killing the crops and getting into nearby rivers, killing frogs and other animals. I don't want to have to die from poisoning. I want to live a healthy life.
I am writing about my experience with my recent voter registration drive, which ended on Election Day. My intention was to assist in the effort to make the voting process clear to all people, to remind, and inform. This meant contacting and networking with facilities in Brattleboro that work with the sick, the elderly, and the poor. It also meant ensuring that voter registration forms were available. It was executed pretty much independently. I tried to remain nonpartisan. However, I...
The Brattleboro Police Department promoted officer Robert Perkins to the rank of lieutenant in a short ceremony on Dec. 6. A lieutenant slot is rare, because those positions usually open only when another officer retires, said Capt. Michael Fitzgerald. Most officers usually have 10 to 15 years of service before promotion to the rank of lieutenant, said Fitzgerald. Choosing a lieutenant takes more than checking the applicant's seniority: The department also considers an applicant's character, work ethic, leadership abilities, decision-making...
Before America had talking heads it had public intellectuals. These were men and women who were respected for the quality of their minds, their educations, their ideas, their contributions to the intellectual and cultural life of the country and to the world. “The public intellectual (is) someone deeply committed to the life of the mind and to its impact on the society at large,” wrote Barry Gewen in The New York Times in 2008. “Public intellectuals were free-floating and unattached...
Brattleboro School of Dance will present its annual “Excerpts from the Nutcracker” benefit performance on Friday, Dec. 14. Current students enrolled at the Brattleboro School of Dance will be featured in some of the better known scenes and pieces of this holiday-themed ballet, including “Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy” and the “Chinese Dance.” Additional performances will incorporate other interpretations of Tchaikovsky's work within other dance genres, including a jazz dance to Duke Ellington's “Sugar Rum Cherry” and a belly dance...
The Lydia Taft Pratt Library has come to an agreement with the Dummerston Community Center to trade building repairs for three years of back-owed rent, keeping the library open. The resolution to the dispute, which had threatened to close the library on Dec. 9, has resulted in the library requesting a 71 percent increase in town funding. The town leases the building to the community center for $1 per year, and the center maintains the property. Both the library, which...
The Sweetback Sisters' Country Christmas Singalong Spectacular, with singers Emily Miller and Zara Bode, is returning for its fourth year at the New England Youth Theatre, on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 p.m. This popular audience participation show requires only a willingness to sing and a love of holiday music. Lyric sheets will be provided for the audience singalong. All the songs are presented with the Sweetback Sisters' signature mix of harmony singing, rollicking Telecaster guitar, and twin fiddling, along...
Selectboard and department heads met on Dec. 8 for what was slated as the final budget meeting before 2013. After four hours, the board voted to table the budget until its Dec. 18 meeting. Board members asked Town Manager Barbra Sondag to assemble additional information for the board on the capital plan and whether to use undesignated funds, or “surplus” money, to ease pressure on the budget. Sondag said she had tried to assemble a budget that wouldn't significantly decrease...
They don't have big hair, gold chains, implants, tattoos, or screechy voices. But they're all furry, purry, and from Jersey. And Long Island too. They're a group of cats and dogs from shelters in the New Jersey and New York City area who were taken in by the Windham County Humane Society (WCHS) after Hurricane Sandy. Of the 11 cats and six dogs brought to Brattleboro, nearly all have found new homes, according to WCHS Operations Coordinator Carolyn Conrad. Conrad...
On Sunday, Dec. 16, at 4:30 p.m at Latchis 4, Dave Eisenstadter will present stories and more from his new book, Embattled Brattleboro: How a Vermont Town Endured a Year of Fire, Murder and Hurricane Irene. Eisenstadter chronicles the series of disasters that struck Brattleboro in the span of a few months in 2011: the Brooks House fire in April, a pair of murders in August, and flash flooding caused by Irene that caused extensive damage to those who lived...
It's here: the season of good cheer. With days and nights filled with holiday-themed office parties, social gatherings, gift exchanges, and celebrations, it's the time of year when friends come to call and glasses of wassail are raised to toast the old and the new. Holiday parties are a great way to spread the joy of the holiday season, show gratitude, and celebrate accomplishments. But while enjoying the festivities, if alcohol is involved, it's important to be reminded of our...
Following are some recipes for non-alcoholic drinks. Cranberry Sparkler ¶1{1/2} ounces blackberry puree ¶2 ounces white cranberry juice ¶2-3 ounces sparkling water ¶1 sprig mint for garnish Place blackberry puree and cranberry juice in a champagne flute. Add sparkling water to fill. Garnish with fresh mint. Peppermint Hot Chocolate ¶1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ¶1 quart milk ¶{1/2} cup semisweet chocolate chips (3 ounces) ¶7 peppermint sticks: 3 crushed ({1/4} cup), 4 left whole ¶Pinch of salt Place cocoa in...
RE: “Guilford's fire station needs paint” [Town and Village, Dec. 5]: A well-reported article. I drive by the Guilford Fire Department all the time and wondered why it was blue.
There are a ton of great Web resources related to substance abuse and addiction, including www.allaboutaddiction.com and www.spiritualriver.com. For a great blog post specific to dealing with addiction during the holidays, visit bit.ly/QMA0FZ. In addition, here are several local resources and service providers to assist you. • 2-1-1 Vermont. Dial 2-1-1 from your home or cell phone and ask about resources and services available in your area. • Substance-abuse therapists in Windham County: bit.ly/SNU3n7. • Phoenix House: 802-257-5654; www.phoenixhouse.org. •
The 2012 season of Sam's Sunday Set & Shed mentor-protégé concert series closes Sunday, Dec. 16, at the Elliot Street Cafe, 134 Elliot St., with a 4 p.m. concert by Samirah Evans and five students who have studied jazz vocals with her. Evans will begin the program, performing a few songs with Jamie MacDonald (bass), Kate Parsons (piano) and Ben Carr (drums). Each of the five vocalists then will be invited to perform solo, with Evans joining on a few...
A private discussion that was to take place between two Selectboard members and state legislators representing the town was canceled on Monday after a backlash from press and public. But according to the Secretary of State's office, which implements the state's public records and open meeting laws, the gathering did not need to be warned, despite planning by board members to limit attendance by board members to keep a quorum from being reached. Under state law, if three of the...
“Totally Scrooged!,” comic actor Pickles Reese's saucy solo sendup of Charles Dickens' holiday classic, “A Christmas Carol,” returns to Town Hall Auditorium, 117 Main St., for a benefit performance on Friday, Dec. 14, at 7:30 p.m. A $15 donation at the door is suggested, with proceeds benefiting Grafton Cares and Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA). Pickles Reese (the stage alter-ego of Grafton blacksmith Adam Howard) has garnered rave reviews around the country for his comedic interpretation of the holiday classic,
Selectboard member David Dezendorf continued to work on preparations for a FEMA aid request through the state of Vermont on repairs to East Hill Road, which was washed out during Tropical Storm Irene. The project was put on hold for much of 2012 while the Selectboard worked on submitting an appeal to FEMA after learning the town was to receive significantly less aid money toward replacing the Dam Road culvert than expected initially. The town's first appeal was rejected. The...
RE: “Grafton residents weigh in on proposed wind farm” [Nov. 28]: Industrial wind-turbines do not produce usable energy at a reasonable price, and they wreak havoc on lives and environment in their manufacture, logistic placement, and ongoing operation.
RE: “A poet chronicles her sudden eden” [Arts, Dec. 5]: Thank you for honoring the spirit and strength of Verandah Porche. Those of us who know her poems love them, and it's refreshing to know they'll be available for a wider audience now. Write on.
RE: “Municipal manager disciplined” [Dec. 5]: Tim Cullenen shouldn't have said what he did, but I can't blame him for reacting as he did. People can act badly and say anything they want without repercussion. Jim Mitchell's emails, where he copies hundreds of people, are borderline libelous. I had to call the Vermont State Police to get him to stop. I served on the Rockingham Selectboard for 10 years and took a break because of the stress from these people.
The first annual Brattleboro Film Festival launched the first weekend in November and, folks, it was an amazing success! We thank everyone who came to see films and to show support. Attendance was terrific, with some shows selling out, including the repeat showing of our Best in Fest winner, Chasing Ice. These great films might never have had a chance to be shown in our area without the help of all the volunteers, partners, and area businesses that made this...
When the Green Mountain Care Board approved the core insurance plans for the state's health benefit exchange, board members raised concern that the new insurance marketplace would leave some of Vermont's most vulnerable residents in a precarious position. Several key lawmakers say they must deal with the impact of the fiscal fallout of the exchange on thousands of low-income Vermonters who now receive subsidized health care and will face higher out-of-pocket costs in the new system. “Front and center we...
The Public Service Department asked the Vermont Supreme Court on Monday to deny the New England Coalition's request to halt Vermont Yankee nuclear plant's continued operation until the plant has a new or amended certificate of public good. The department's request comes on the same day that Vermont Yankee's operator, Entergy, filed a motion against the state in federal district court. The motion calls for a mandated withdrawal of the coalition's complaint. What's interesting about the motion is that it's...
Voters on Dec. 4 overwhelmingly rejected proposed revisions to the Village Charter, the product of more than a year's work by the Bellows Falls Village Corporation Charter Review Committee, in a turnout of 12 percent of the village's 1,821 registered voters. The tally was 212-69. Amid accusations that suggestions for amendments were ignored during the hearing process, and that private agendas were being played out, the committee did not seem to have gained the confidence of village residents. Supporters of...
The Windham Regional Commission and the Bennington County Regional Commission will receive $470,000 in Economic Development Administration (EDA) funds to bolster long-term recovery efforts in southern Vermont following Tropical Storm Irene, Vermont's congressional delegation announced on Tuesday. The funds will be used by the regional planning commissions to expand the capacity of public officials and economic development organizations to work with businesses and encourage innovative public/private approaches to promote job creation, support economic diversification, and foster disaster resiliency. Sens. Patrick...
A board governing the regulatory process for large-scale wind power installations has been meeting in Montpelier for the past six weeks in a process that has drawn criticism for either its caution or its haste, depending on one's view of large-scale wind-power installations. A fifth and final information meeting of the five-member Vermont Energy Generation Policy Siting Commission (VEGPSC) will take place in Montpelier on Dec. 19. An executive order by Gov. Peter Shumlin on Oct. 2 established the VEGPSC...
Vermont State Police from the Brattleboro barracks, in conjunction with local and county law enforcement agencies, will be conducting sobriety check points and saturation patrols in the Windham County area between Dec. 16 and Dec. 30. State police say that Vermont has experienced 74 fatalities in 67 crashes this year. “The scheduled checkpoint is an opportunity to use high visibility enforcement to turn the tide, across the state, in the number of traffic fatalities,” according to a press release announcing...
Outrageous. No other word comes close to describing the Brattleboro Selectboard's attempt this week to circumvent public meeting laws to avoid warning a planned meeting with two members of the board and the town's legislative delegation. Why two members and not all five? Selectboard Chair Dick DeGray specified that the meeting take place with only him and vice chair David Gartenstein. As he explained to at least one of the other three board members, the town would have to warn...
At the Dec. 4 Brattleboro Selectboard meeting, a member of the public informed the board that some of the “Re-Site the Skatepark” signs that had gone missing had later turned up at a party and were subsequently returned to the police. One of my colleagues then questioned aloud, to those present (including the media and those watching the meeting at home), whether members of the BASIC Committee were at that party, saying that if they were, then they were complicit...
Rescue Inc. representative needed HALIFAX-At the Dec. 4 Selectboard meeting, the board accepted the resignation of Christina Moore as the town representative to Rescue Inc.'s board of trustees. According to meeting minutes, Moore offered to help the Selectboard recruit a replacement for the board of the 15-town nonprofit ambulance, to be named with other town appointments in March. “A candidate for the position would be someone with an interest in public service administration or a public charity board member who...
The Selectboard has voted to hold a hearing and site visit at James Road on Dec. 18 in response to residents' request that the town accept the private road as a Class 3 highway. The dead-end road begins at Morse Brook Road. By state law, a highway with this designation is “negotiable under normal conditions all seasons of the year by a standard manufactured pleasure car." According to policy adopted in 2002, the town will upgrade private roads to a...
A lease to continue operations of the Grafton Village Store has been awarded to the store's current operator, Sandi Wood. In a press release, Bob Allen, chief executive officer of the Windham Foundation, said that Wood, of Saxtons River, had completed a new plan of operations for the store and has secured the necessary financing. “This will ensure virtually uninterrupted service for the village,” Allen said. The store will offer new products and brands, an improved wine selection, and “a...
A representative for the United Nurses and Allied Professionals (UNAP) has confirmed that Local 5086's bargaining team and Brattleboro Retreat management have reached a tentative deal on a new labor contract. According to Jack Callaci, UNAP's director of collective bargaining and organizing, the local's bargaining team had “tough judgements to make,” and a “difficult job” hammering out the contract. Callaci said members of Local 5086 will vote to ratify the contract Monday, Dec. 17. He would not release details of...
The holiday season can be a fantastic, festive time. It can be a time for us to slow down, reconnect with the people we care about, and reflect on the year gone by. The holidays can also be overwhelming. Stress caused by work, school, strained relationships, or finances can certainly take a toll. Some might turn toward drugs or alcohol to cope, or some might already be quietly struggling with a substance addiction. More than 22 million Americans over the...
As contract negotiations between the Brattleboro Retreat and United Nurses and Allied Professionals Union Local 5086 have concluded, the question of how to care for the caregivers remains unanswered. During informational pickets by union members in front of the Retreat over the past few weeks, staff members raised concerns about an increasing rate of violent incidents for direct-care staff at the 178-year-old private, non-profit mental health facility. Workers' Compensation numbers from the Vermont Department of Labor and incident reports from...