The town of Brattleboro makes it pretty clear when snow removal (to keep streets clear and safe for drivers and pedestrians) is going to be happening. The town does post signs on the streets and alerts local media that parking bans will be enforced for snow removal.
For the writer: as someone who lives in a state which gets so much snow, and in a town which provides information on when these bans are taking place, why would you park in the location you did? Why not park in the suggested parking garage to ensure you wouldn't get towed?
If the town had put up six, or eight, or 20 warning signs, I wonder if you would complain that you should also have received a written warning as well.
Here's an idea: Take responsibility for your actions. Instead of complaining that the police are unfair and the town is unfair, admit you made a mistake.
At this point it appears to me and many others that Mimi Yahn has some axe to grind. Not only is this installment of hers completely divisive, but it is also antagonistic and distasteful, too. The Putney Food Co-op board and members who attend the meetings all want to...
Wonderful article - thanks. It prompted me to listen to Feathers tonight for the first time in a few years; the group still sounds great. I'm going to look for Ruth Garbus's solo music online now!
It is very unusual for me to think about running for public office. If fact, I have never considered it before one of my neighbors called me over to chat in Newfane common. “We want you to run for the Newfane Selectboard,” he said. “Why me?” “Because we need fresh ideas, creative people, and to bring new life to Newfane.” I was stunned. What did it take? What could I contribute? Why me, of all people? After all, I was...
Births • In Manchester, N.H. (Elliot Hospital), Feb. 7, 2015, a daughter, Kathryn Ariana Haggerty, to Claire Willscher and Stephen Haggerty of Bedford, N.H.; granddaughter to Betty and Hugh Haggerty of Bellows Falls, and to Lynn Willscher and the late Max Willscher of Wolfeboro, N.H.; great-granddaughter to Patricia Garbarini of Ossining, N.Y., and Scarborough, Maine. • In Burlington (University of Vermont Medical Center), Jan. 10, 2015, a son, Jaiden Joseph Perkins, to Nicole Davis and Jeremy Perkins of Morrisville. College...
Once again, the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company will light up a winter night with a free concert of songs from an exciting new musical performed by top Broadway talent. On Saturday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m., a cast of five will sing selections from Katya Stanislavskaya's new musical Resident Alien. The event has been designated a Vermont Arts 2015 event by the Vermont Arts Council. On stage will be Sarah Uriarte Berry and David Bonanno of Broadway and Weston's The...
The Brattleboro Rotary Club is once again raising money to help upgrade the radio station KILI, a nonprofit station broadcasting to the Lakota people on the Pine Ridge, Cheyenne River, and Rosebud Indian Reservations, part of the Great Sioux Nation in South Dakota. On Sunday, March 1, from 4 to 8 p.m., at the New England Youth Theatre, the Brattleboro Rotary Club presents its sixth annual International Film & Food Festival, with proceeds benefiting KILI, which serves 30,000 people on...
I thank the many people in the area who have traveled with me through the Brattleboro Senior Center program. Almost 15 years ago, former Activities Director Irene Alexa asked me to lead a small group of Brattleboro senior travelers to a St. Patrick's Day Celebration just for the day. From local day trips, to longer journeys (Nova Scotia; Prince Edward Island; Montreal; Nashville, Tenn.; Cape Cod; Ogunquit, Maine; New Orleans; and Savannah, Ga.), to one of our most memorable adventures...
Guilford Sound is now accepting applications for audio engineers interested in learning multitrack analog recording in a small, hands-on environment. Larry Crane, renowned engineer and founder of Tape Op Magazine, will track two songs by Massachusetts rock band Speedy Ortiz while demonstrating the workflow and process of running an analog-based session on June 25 to 28 at Guilford Sound. The workshop is limited to 11 students and will be held in one of New England's premier residential recording studios on...
Veteran Kurn Hattin teacher Tom Fontaine has taken over as acting principal of the school at Kurn Hattin Homes for Children. Fontaine stepped in to fill the position following the death in January of former principal and longtime Kurn Hattin educator Tom Fahner. Fontaine, who has headed the science department and farm science program at Kurn Hattin since 1999, said in a news release that he is pleased at the opportunity to help. “We're a fairly small organization, and we...
We've known Marion Dowling as a neighbor and friend for many years. Before deciding to run for the Newfane Selectboard, she gave it a great deal of consideration, and we believe she would bring that same thoughtfulness and integrity to the position if elected. She is a conscientious homeowner who cares deeply about the town and its affairs. Marion brings many years of experience as a retired educator and real estate agent, as well as a relationship with Newfane going...
Would I be the only person taken aback by the news that Vermont Teddy Bear Company supports Rush Limbaugh by choosing his radio show as part of its marketing plan? The company confirmed that it advertises on Rush's show, adding, “We truly appreciate your thoughts and have forwarded your comments to our marketing team for further review.” Why would any responsible company consciously choose to fish from this toxic cesspool for its profits? Certainly, no CEO of a company that...
Wednesday Evening Conversations begin at St. Michael's Episcopal Church BRATTLEBORO - “Speaking of Faith: Stories of Christ-Centered Practice,” a series of Wednesday evening conversations, will be offered at St. Michael's Episcopal Church beginning on Feb. 25 and continuing through March 25. Five individuals from the community will share stories about their life, their faith, how these intersect, and the particular spiritual practice in which they engage. On Feb. 25, Iconographer Zachary Roesemann will speak about “Prayer through Art and Iconography.”
The Brattleboro Concert Choir's year-long celebration of director Susan Dedell's 25 years on the podium continues with a community sing of the Mozart Requiem on Sunday, March 1, at the River Garden on Main Street, at 3 p.m. The Requiem in D minor, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart just before his death in 1791, has always been shrouded in a bit of mystery. Commissioned by an unknown benefactor, Mozart was convinced it was to herald his own demise. So obsessed...
Whether Mother Nature turns a cold shoulder or buries us in blankets of white, Mother Nurture is there to greet our children and gently guide them into the prevailing winterscape to play and explore outdoors. She has patiently, persistently coped with the fickle temperaments of Mother Nature and raised a generation of schoolchildren to embrace winter no matter what the weather. Through this millennium and a year of the previous one, Linda “Mother Nurture” Bailey has overseen the Brattleboro Outing...
Five adults and a cat escaped injury after a Feb. 2o fire severely damaged a home on 66 Town Farm Road. The fire was reported at around 3:15 a.m., and fire crews from East Dover, Guilford, Halifax, Putney, Readsboro, Stamford, Wardsboro, and Whitingham assisted the Wilmington Fire Department in battling the blaze. Crews were hampered by sub-zero temperatures which froze fire hoses and firefighters alike. According to Red Cross spokesman Larry Crist, the family was provided with shelter by nearby...
The town of Newfane has been engaged in a whirlwind of democracy in action over the past year or so. We've held town-wide votes and re-votes concerning the school's solar power project, we've debated and defeated a proposed charter for the town, and we will soon be engaged in another Annual Town Meeting where we will set the agenda for the next 12 months. At times like these, we come to understand the full value of the Town Meeting process.
Per the data in the press, the Strontium-90 found at Vermont Yankee is already diluted to below the safe level. The site could be a playground now, as far as Sr90 is concerned. The playgrounds in Brattleboro have Sr90 now from weapons testing fallout. The river has uranium from rain falling on the granite mountains. Since radiation and radioactivity are a natural part of the environment, what matters is, “How much?” The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the scientific community work...
There will be a pair of contested races for the Westminster School Board when voters go to the polls on March 3. Incumbent Elise Manning is being challenged by John Sciacca for a three-year seat, while incumbent and current board chair Molly Banik is being challenged by David Major. As a parent of two children attending the school, Manning said she sees an opportunity to generate broad thinking and progressive re-evaluation of the school's needs and strengths by engaging the...
A man accused of breaking into a residence on Oak Grove Avenue took refuge in the women's bathroom at Oak Grove School before he was arrested by police on Feb. 19. According to Brattleboro Police Capt. Mark Carignan, the man - 31-year-old Christopher R. McLean of Brattleboro - was arrested without incident and no children were in danger. McLean was arraigned in Windham District Court on charges of burglary of an occupied building, possession of a narcotic drug, and possession...
Thank you, Joyce Marcel, for this wonderfully written and accurate tribute to my mother.
TransCanada has launched a campaign of litigation against a number of towns in Vermont, most recently Putney, using data from a state revaluation to assess the energy giant's local property tax obligations. At its Feb. 11 meeting, the Selectboard agreed to take a “wait-and-see” approach, asking Town Attorney Richard Coutant to limit his hours spent on the case. The hydroelectric utility's lawsuit, filed last September in Vermont Superior Court, Windham Civil Division, is in the very early stages of “a...
Voters of Newfane should welcome the coming election, which comes after years of strife in our local government. This year, we will be able to choose from a fine slate of candidates. First, let me say that Gloria Cristelli deserves to be re-elected as town clerk, not only for the excellent work she's been doing for our town, but because she will now will be able to perform her duties free from harassment. We have three women running for the...
A few weeks ago, while walking my dog on Newfane Hill Road, one of our neighbors asked me, “What made you decide to run for Selectboard?” Since we were walking in opposite directions, I thought of a short, precise, one-sentence answer. “Well... I think I'll do a good job because I am a good listener and have common sense when solving problems,” I said. We shared a few other words, we wished each other well, and continued walking on. Thinking...
The New England Youth Theatre on Flat Street is a recipient of a $7,500 Cultural Facilities Grant award from the Vermont Arts Council. This money will fund installing an automatic door opener to their main entrance, and outdoor lighting on the walkway. “We're so thankful for the many ways the Vermont Arts Council Support us,” said Development Director Naomi Shafer in a news release. “Our front doors are heavy, and a lot of folks struggle to get them open. This...
Voters throughout the county will assemble on Town Meeting Day on Tuesday, March 3, unless otherwise specified. For original copies of most of the warnings for these meetings, visit townmeeting2015.commonsnews.org. Athens • Voting for town officers takes place at the Athens Elementary School from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. • Town Meeting convenes at the Elementary School at 10 a.m. Brattleboro • Town elections will take place Tuesday, March 3. Polling is at the Municipal Center, 230 Main Street, Selectboard...
This is a letter to encourage Brattleboro voters to turn down the proposed 1-percent hike in the Vermont sales tax for Brattleboro. Although everyone would love to see property-tax relief, basing it on Brattleboro's sales - which, according to state figures, have been diminishing steadily over the past few years - is not in the best interests of townspeople. We're fortunate to have local investors who have been reconstructing the iconic Brooks House on Main Street. They are still looking...
I strongly support the proposal that the town of Westminster purchase the stone quarry on Wellington Hill, in the best interests of the residents. The quarry would then be used exclusively by the town for road maintenance, repairs, and road building in Westminster. I live near the site, near the bridge on Goldies Road. There will be many very unhappy residents in the northeast corner of Westminster if this parcel is purchased by a private business and operated as a...
The UMass Percussion Group presents a program of contemporary music for percussion ensemble at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. Other than J.S. Bach's “Lute Suite in E Minor,” an excerpt of which will be performed on marimba, the oldest work on the program is composer Steve Reich's “Drumming” from 1971. Reich was heralded by The New Yorker as “the most original musical thinker of our time.” Other works to be performed...
Proposed amendments to Brattleboro's Charter are on the March 3, 2015, ballot. The Brattleboro Selectboard asks you to consider the following when voting: • Town Meeting term limits - Brattleboro's Town Meeting is both participatory and representative democracy. Up to 155 residents get elected and gather annually to make budget and policy decisions for the town. It is anti-democratic to ban Brattleboro residents from Town Meeting because they have attended six years in a row. Term limits would bar many...
Federal regulators set down rules for nuclear power plants to follow. Entergy pledges to adhere to those regulations - but are they adequate? Nope, said multiple speakers at a four-plus-hour public meeting held by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Feb. 19. The NRC came to town to hear public comment on Entergy's Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR), the road map the company intends to follow to decommission the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon over the next...
Townspeople will decide whether to allow a space designated for children's interaction with the outdoors at the heart of their town. A proposal to create a village green and natural play area on town land is on the agenda for Town Meeting Day on Tuesday, March 3, at 10 a.m. Andy Loughney, an enthusiastic young resident, has provided much of the brains and heart behind the project. In support are Michelle Frehsee of the planning commission, a handful of townspeople...
Following are links to warnings for Town Meeting Day in Windham County. • Brattleboro - sample ballot (charter amendments) • Brookline • Dover • Grafton • Guilford • Halifax • Jamaica • Londonderry • Marlboro • Newfane - sample ballot • Putney • Stratton • Wilmington...
The news was as stone cold as the freezing Hampton Inn meeting room where community members sat for four hours: The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced that over the next three to four years rules governing decommissioning will be rewritten - too late for decisions being made right now about the future of Vermont Yankee. In other words, we are guinea pigs in an experiment to see how long our country can delay facing the gigantic problem of nuclear...
Here's to the Gilfeather turnip! We were surprised and pleased to learn that the Legislature is considering designating the turnip as the state vegetable. The humble Gilfeather hasn't won any beauty contests, but it has won the palates and hearts of people who enjoy a sweet, mild, delicately flavored, sweet-tasting vegetable served in a variety of dishes. A neighbor friend gave us a thimbleful of seed in 1977 and told us about John Gilfeather of Wardsboro, who developed the plant...
Stone Church Arts brings Pete's Posse, a roots trio to heat up a winter's eve at the stone church on 20 Church St., on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Dillon Walsh of The Vermont Standard wrote, “For three people who initially weren't going to become a band, some things, like their chemistry together, were meant to be.” Pete's Posse is composed of Pete Sutherland (fiddle, piano, banjo and vocals), Oliver Scanlon (fiddle, mandolin, dobro, foot percussion and vocals) and...
A new show featuring works from nine regionally and nationally acclaimed artists is now open to the public at Landmark College's Fine Arts Gallery. The show includes works in video, collage, photography, painting and sculpture by artists Cynthia Atwood, Lucinda Bliss, Sabrina Fadial, Toby Gonzalez, Linda Adele Goodine, Amy Jenkins, Michael Oatman, Evie Lovett, Susan Newbold, and Leonard Ragouzeos. Curated by Landmark's art department chair Humberto Ramirez, a fundamental premise of the show is that “the most basic precondition for...
The Brattleboro girls finished the regular season at 5-15, but that was enough to earn the No. 8 seed in Division II and host a first-round playoff game against the ninth-seeded Stowe Raiders (5-15) at Withington Rink on Feb. 21. The two teams split the regular season series. Brattleboro won 10-9 at Stowe on Jan. 28, a victory that launched a three-game winning streak for the Colonels. On Feb. 13 at Withington Rink, Stowe came out on top, 4-2. Last...
The Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA) is conducting a survey of residents in four Windham County towns in which small cellular phone antennas have been installed and are operating along an underserved corridor. The VTA seeks to gather information about cell phone use from individuals who live or travel along and near a stretch of Route 30 stretching from Interstate 91 in Brattleboro through West Dummerston, Newfane, Townshend, and Jamaica. This survey will also raise awareness of the new network built...
Two bands with wildly different yet compatible takes on jazz, Joel Harrison's Mother Stump and the Julian Gerstin Sextet, appear at the Vermont Jazz Center at the Cotton Mill on Saturday, March 7. Mother Stump is a blues-roots project by a guitarist and composer whose previous work ranges from jazz through Indian music and chamber music. Gerstin's sextet explores the rhythms and sounds of Martinique through lyrical jazz compositions. Together, this concert promises a wealth of soulful new music. Harrison,
Ezlerh “The Laugh Guru” Oreste will be showcasing his comedy at the Hooker-Dunham Theater on Friday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. He will be doing a unique comedy routine with some local performer friends. The show will feature music, comedy sketches, improv comedy, dance, and, “bad magic.” The show will be filmed for use in a planned hour-long special. “Along with carpenter, activist, and herbalist in life, I'm a comedian, actor, and overall entertainer,” says Oreste,
The man whose voice has kept the community abreast of important news for more than 40 years bowed his head, humbled, as he approached the podium at the front of the Retreat's Education Conference Center. For a moment, Tim Johnson Arsenault, news director for WTSA, disappeared within the crowd as members of the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce gave the news veteran a standing ovation. Re-emerging from the sea of applauding Chamber members, Johnson graciously accepted the Chamber's 2014 Person...