• Barbara W. Beebe, 75, of Brattleboro. Died July 27 at her home. Wife of the late Victor “Pete” Beebe for nearly 34 years. Mother of Peter J. Beebe and his wife, Lavona, of Brattleboro, and Ann Marie Paterson and her husband, Tom, also of Brattleboro. Sister of Michael Mulvey of North Kingston, R.I., Gwendolyn Baker of Ruckersville, Va, Patricia Frost of Franklin, Tenn., and Deborah Moss of Warwick, R.I. She was predeceased by four brothers and two sisters. Born in Providence, R.I., the daughter of Thomas A. and Thelma E. (Field) Mulvey, she was raised and educated in Wickford, R.I., and was a graduate of North Kingstown (R.I.) High School, Class of 1958. She had been employed in the medical records department at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital whern she retired. She was also a devoted homemaker who loved spending time with her family and talking with her siblings. She was a parishioner of St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: In accordance with her final wishes, memorial services will be private for the immediate family, with interment in St. Michael's Parish Cemetery. Donations to the Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302. Arrangements were under the care of Atamaniuk Funeral Home of Brattleboro.
• Margaret (Peggy) Frances DeLuca, 93, of Brattleboro. Died July 29 at her home. Wife of the late Michael “Mickey” Deluca. Mother of Maria DeLuca of Brattleboro, and her partner, Marty Scales, of Bridgeport, Conn., and the late Paul and Daniel DeLuca. Sister of Mary Ann Hornish of New Hope, Pa. Born and raised in Bridgeport, Conn., the daughter of the late William and Ann (Tickey) Flanagan, she graduated from Warren Harding High School in 1940. In November 1942, she eloped with her high school sweetheart and love of...
Decommissioning Vermont Yankee, safely and efficiently, is a very important issue for the entire region. It is crucial that all concerned and that industry and government cooperate to make this task happen as quickly as possible. So it's hard to understand why the state of Vermont tries to impede...
A few months ago, in response to the steady stream of questions I receive from confused cheese lovers, I created an alter ego, Dear Stabby. Please allow me to assure you that my alias should not be taken as a threat. The only knives I wield are to dissect...
It was pleasing to read that our new legislators Laura Sibilia, Rebecca Balint, and Emily Long had enjoyable and rewarding first years in Montpelier. The first year for any legislator is always filled with excitement and revelation. Although The Commons did not research and report on how these legislators voted on any of the dozen or two most important bills, perhaps just a few generic softball questions was adequate for first-termers. There are no legislative elections this November. One thing...
On Saturday, Aug. 8, at 10 a.m., there will be a benefit auction at the barn on Town Hill in Whitingham, conducted by Bob Lambert of White Wolf Auctions. Contents of the barn, formerly inhabited by Reg and Elaine Maynard, will be sold, and the property (a barn on 2 acres and two additional 2-acre lots) will also be offered for sale. All proceeds from the contents of the property will be donated to the THV Scholarship, administered through Vermont...
Exit 3 on-ramps to be closed next three Sundays BRATTLEBORO - To help reduce congestion on Interstate 91 during high traffic periods, the Vermont Agency of Transportation will close both the Exit 3 on-ramps on the next three Sundays, Aug. 9, 16, and 23, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Southbound traffic will be routed to Exit 1 via Putney Road and Canal Street, while northbound traffic attempting to use the Exit 3 on-ramp will be detoured north of the...
While the response to my open letter to Sen. Bernie Sanders last week has been overwhelmingly positive, some misinterpretations merit clarification and some personal attacks compel response. Some of my detractors felt Bernie's post-Netroots plea was rhetorical in nature and therefore absent the need for a direct response. Others felt that given that race is a sensitive topic, I should have responded in private. And a third group feels I am an operative of the twin devils incarnate, Hillary Clinton...
I wonder if the Japanese barberry study linking its presence to Lyme disease is mere correlation. Did they compare it to similar “native” cover types or native shrubs that offer similar shade and humidity requirements? Japanese barberry - as the author contends - exists because deer do not browse it. Natives would be around under different conditions, including lower deer browse impact. I'm willing to bet that ticks are not this species specific.
Following nine months of construction and several years of effort, the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust (WWHT) will celebrate the renovation of the historic Planz House in Putney, located at 27 Old Depot Road, with an open house and community celebration on Thursday, Aug, 13 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The historic building, located in the heart of Putney Village, will house 11 individuals and families in energy-efficient, freshly-renovated affordable apartments. The building at 27 Old Depot Road was built...
Dear Bernie Sanders: In a moment of bewildered frustration after your encounter with Black Lives Matter activists in Arizona, you asked, “How do we best deal with racism in America?” Your inquiry and affect indicated that you have moved from a state of being unconsciously unskillful with people of color to a state of being consciously unskillful. And this shift sets the stage for powerful, effective change if you are up to the task. As executive director of Vermont's longest...
In my area of eastern Long Island, we did not have serious problems with deer ticks and Lyme disease for 40 years before deer arrived in the early 1990s and the deer population exploded. Once the latter occurred, deer ticks and Lyme disease became major issues. Lone star ticks and a variety of other, serious tick-borne diseases have since been added to the mix. As an experienced professional mammalogist, I know that smaller mammals were abundant from the early 1950s...
These words echo from Seattle to Wisconsin to Vermont. They are real words describing how real teachers feel, what real teachers know, from coast to coast. When will someone hear us, for our children? In the meantime, those of us who have been in the classroom and have been at Green Mountain Camp teacher's camp have, more importantly, been blessed with this experience. It makes a difference, for our lives and thus for our students. Teachers, anywhere, give yourselves this...
We are so proud of you, Maryalice DeAngelis! Keep up the great work. Your students are blessed to have you. Enjoy the rest of the summer!
I loved the pie article and can't believe that another store manager refuses to sell a pie! I wonder if there are others, and if there is some alternate-reality pie-shop-manager manual they are reading? Let's hope it's not a trend! We had a very similar, very frustrating, and completely insane experience at a small-town pie shop in Maine. Each side thought the other was crazy, and there was absolutely no way to get the manager to budge and agree to...
I have a few simplified statements. • There are no bad people; I believe all people are good, but it's the behavior of addicts that becomes the “bad,” and in order to bring more people into treatment, I think it's wise to note the difference more often. They are all good people with a very bad addiction that does drive many of them into criminal acts to support their habits. • Drug treatment, when it lasts only for 30 days,
In response to some previous discussion amongst Selectboard members about its structure - specifically, if the board should add a clerk - Chair Anne Rider consulted with the Handbook For Vermont Selectboards, published by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. She said the handbook states there is “no requirement” for a Selectboard to elect a clerk. Because Guilford has a town administrator, Rebecca Stone, who also assists the board, Rider said there is no need for a clerk. What...
The net-metering solar project at 120 Tinker Hill Road should begin this autumn, according to Dan Ingold of GLC Powersmith Solar. Net metering credits the owner of a solar energy system for the electricity they add to the grid. Ingold said his company has applied for its Certificate of Public Good from the Vermont Public Service Board. Ingold told the Guilford Selectboard at its July 27 regular meeting that his company has applied for a temporary driveway to allow construction...
Twilight Music continues its 13th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series on Sunday, Aug. 9, with funk and world beat band Simba. Simba features blazing horns and scorching percussion on a highly danceable mix of funk, Latin, reggae, world beat, soca calypso, ska, jazz and blues. The eight-member band has been together 26 years and includes Charlie Schneeweis, Wim Auer, Steve Sonntag, Derrik Jordan, Dan DeWalt, Johnny Yuma, Steve Leicach, and Bob Stabach. Simba has released one CD, a...
The Children's Room at Brooks Memorial Library will present nationally known “Kindie” musician Steve Weeks in concert on Friday, Aug. 7 at 10:30 a.m. The concert will be held in the Children's Room and is free and open to the public. Weeks performs with both a boisterous sense of humor and a deep sense of purpose. He has four albums, multiple No. 1 hits on Sirius XM satellite radio (Kids Place Live), and several awards to his credit. His song...
New England Youth Theatre (NEYT) is putting the final touches of the current phase of its ongoing cleanup of its campus on Flat Street. All that's left are the light poles, a second coat of asphalt on the parking lot, and flower gardens. They hope you'll celebrate this huge accomplishment and the full bloom of their campus on Satuday, Aug, 15, with a free community celebration at 4:30 p.m., after the matinee performance of their summer musical, Urinetown. For the...
Thanks to Bre Ginty, Erich Kruger, Peter Siegel, and Hal Kuhns who organized the event honoring me, and to Wendy M. Levy for writing such a good article about it. Bre and Hal gave me an award as well as a pot of thyme (to allow me to have more “time” to do things) and a forever pass to the twice-a-month Sunday night contradances at the Stone Church in Brattleboro, the legacy of the dances from the Chelsea House Folklore...
The Westminster Historical Society Museum is open Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. for the remainder of the summer season. Visitors can explore the history of Westminster through its many exhibits, new and historic. “Weep Not For Me” is the museum's new mourning exhibit that features a full size hearse (1910-1920) that would be pulled by a team of black horses in front with the large wheels spinning - or slicing through fresh snow on sleigh runners. Compare this to...
The Latchis Theatre is bringing back by popular demand its Off the Beaten Path film series, which showcases recent films that may have slipped under the radar but are worth seeing. The series, presented in collaboration with the Brattleboro Film Festival, continues Saturdays and Sundays at 4 p.m., through Aug. 22-23. Off the Beaten Path continues on Aug. 8 and 9 with Wild Tales, a subversive satire that doubles as an anthology film about inequality, injustice, and the demands of...
Marlboro Music, the Vermont retreat celebrating its 65th season, will share some of the discoveries made by its 75 resident artists during its first six weeks of in-depth rehearsals during upcoming performances. A special concert on Friday, Aug. 7 at 8:30 p.m., in the Marlboro College Dining Hall, is the annual benefit for area organizations and will offer an eclectic mix with works for string quartet, voice and guitar, woodwind octet, and piano trio. The beneficiaries of all the proceeds...
Grace Cottage Hospital has received a grant from the Dunham-Mason Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation. The grant has been used to purchase a collection of assistive eating devices. These eating utensils are specially designed for people with little or no muscle strength. The purpose of these innovative items is two-fold: to allow patients recovering from strokes and other debilitating conditions to feed themselves while they are in the hospital, and in the process, to teach these patients skills they...
American Craft Week, the nation's largest annual craft celebration, is launching a competition to discover the Top Ten Craft Towns in America. Directors have curated a list of 33 communities with a wealth of interesting artistic elements. They took into consideration towns and cities with a high concentration of professional craft artists as well as places - galleries, shops, and artist cooperatives, and studios - selling quality handmade items. Criteria included craft events such as distinguished festivals and artist studio...
It's almost dinnertime, and the line in front of Zohar Arama's stand is growing. A woman carrying an infant stops to dip a piece of pita bread, baked earlier that day by Arama, into a sample jar of skhug, a condiment of cilantro, garlic, hot pepper, and spices. With patches of flour dusting his pants in the shape of handprints, he swiftly builds sandwiches of pita bread, hummus, tahini, sweet and savory red cabbage, three-hour smoky-flavored hard-boiled eggs, skhug, and...
Citing a need to gather more data, Stiles Brook wind-farm developer Iberdrola Renewables has filed a motion to keep its meteorological (MET) towers operating for three years beyond Dec. 20, when its current Certificate of Public Good (CPG) expires. The July 7 filing, which seeks to amend and extend the CPG for the towers, installed in 2012, came as a surprise to residents who attended an informational meeting called by Meadowsend Timberland Limited, LLC, (MTL) and Iberdrola Renewables - the...
Forestry students of the Windham Regional Career constructed a heavy duty portable skidder bridge. A portable skidder bridge is a temporary structure for crossing streams during logging. The students worked under the direction of Forestry Instructor Dennis Hamilton, assisted by Vermont Association of Conservation District's Technical Assistance Contractor Kevin Beattie. The students who helped with the skidder bridge construction are Taylor Crawford, Lukas Wallace, Alec Fleming, Shawn Lynch, Justin Lanouette, Keegan Marino, Justin Wheeler, and Troy Wood. The Windham County...
The Brattleboro All-Stars reached the finals of the Vermont 11-12 Little League Baseball Championship at Legion Field in St. Johnsbury, but fell short to South Burlington, 12-4, on Aug. 1. On July 31, Brattleboro beat Northwest, 7-2, to win the elimination bracket and advance into the finals. Brattleboro pulled away from Northwest in the fourth inning on a three-run homer by Tyler Millerick. Alex Lier pitched a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts to get the win. Waiting for Brattleboro was undefeated...
On Saturday, July 25, the Brattleboro Swim Team (BST) captured the Division I Southern Vermont Swim League (SVSL) District Championship held in Rutland. This is the fourth consecutive year BST has captured the district title. BST's age 10-and-under swimmers established a solid lead in the morning and the afternoon swimmers built on that lead with a final team score of 1264.5. The Manchester Triton Swim Team came in second with a total of 832.5 points and the Rutland Swim Team...
It started in 1998, when Kate and Charles Dodge made a few bottles of apple wine in the cellar of their farmhouse. Now, 17 years later, Putney Mountain Winery is selling 40,000 bottles a year of its fruit wines, liqueurs, and non-alcoholic sparkling juices, and the Dodges are expanding their operation to keep up with the growing demand. “We're just a little family business that went berserk,” Charles said. Putney Mountain Winery recently held an open house at its expanded...
Big Picture Farm recently took home two prestigious gold sofi awards at the 2015 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City, for their farmstead goat milk caramels. The sofi - “specialty outstanding food innovation” - awards are given by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) and are judged by members of the industry, including members of the media who cover the food beat and buyers for specialty food shops. Big Picture Farm's raspberry-rhubarb goat-milk caramel won...
When my kids were little, they loved hearing that we were going to have “spider cake” for dinner. With a little drizzle of maple syrup on top, it could easily stand in for dessert. This is an old New England technique, a cross between luscious, creamy corn pudding and traditional corn bread cooked in a cast-iron skillet with either cream or milk poured directly into the center just before baking. The cream sinks into the cake and makes a lovely...
Vermonters will have until Sept. 15 to offer comments on the state's new rail plan. According to the Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT), the period for public comment was extended after many requests from Vermonters to review and speak to the plan. AOT released the new rail plan in June and held two public hearings on in July in Essex Junction and White River Junction. Topping the plan is extending Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express to Burlington and the Vermonter to...
One may have noticed a new presence where the Shin-La's sushi bar used to be on Brattleboro's Main Street -ۥ Angel Boy Art Resource Center. In business since 2006, Angel Boy has occupied the space between Twice Upon A Time and Shin-La Restaurant since March of this year. The towering, plate-glass windows are covered with colorful handprints, and hand-painted signs announce just some of the contents and activities beyond the door: “art by those with disabilities,” “free art therapy,” “vintage...
When I slid into the driver's seat of my sparklingly clean rented Ford Focus in Fort Myers en route to a vacation in Naples, Fla., I little suspected where I was really going. It was early May, and I had decided to escape the fickle weather of Vermont's early spring and spend nine days lolling in a sunny climate, where I would wear shorts and a halter top when not in a bathing suit, eat simple meals prepared in my...
Michel Tremblay's Albertine in Five Times will have two staged reading performances at the Actors Theatre Playhouse on Saturdays August 8 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. Staged readings enable actors to sit with script in hand for a fully realized and rehearsed performance - minus the scenery and the staging. Michel Tremblay's well-loved and award-winning play Albertine in Five Times presents the story of one woman, Albertine, played simultaneously by five actresses at five different times in her life. Each...
“This corner of Vermont is emerging as a place where young filmmakers want to be,” said Lissa Weinmann, vice-president of the Brattleboro Film Festival. On Aug. 8, the festival, in conjunction with Southern Vermont Young Professionals, presents the Summer Cinema Slam, featuring films made by young, local filmmakers. The slam takes place at 118 Elliot, the new arts and music space in the former laundromat, across the street from the Central Fire Station. The event is a fundraiser for the...
Vermont lawmakers might consider legislation to legalize cannabis in 2016 following in the footsteps of states like Washington and Colorado. At a conversation on legalizing marijuana that drew a large, well-informed, and passionate audience to the River Garden on July 27, speakers highlighted potential benefits of legalization like economic development and job creation. The discussions also pointed to unanswered questions. How can communities or leaders be persuaded to speak about a stigmatized issue? Can Vermont balance state-level legalization with federal...
On Saturday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m., West Townshend-based singer-songwriters Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson, the husband and wife folk duo Hungrytown, will debut their new CD Further West at a record release show in Wardsboro's Town Hall. Admission is $10 at the door. This one-time performance on their home turf will feature long-time collaborator, cellist Suzanne Mueller and Vermont fiddler Lissa Schneckenburger; both played with Hungrytown on this latest recording. Further West, their third album, was recorded in Vermont...
On a breezy, sunny Saturday, beneath a bright blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds, scores of fairgoers filled the town common for the 65th annual Grace Cottage Hospital Fair Day. After an uncomfortably humid week, many attendees and volunteers expressed relief that the weather was so cooperative that day. Deven Wicker thought it was too hot and was happy to take the plunge into the chilly water at the dunk tank, near the northern entrance of the fair. Wicker,
Plaintiffs claiming the town practiced voter suppression after their efforts to amend the town charter failed at the ballot box intend to take their case to the state's highest court after losing their lawsuit in Windham Superior Court. Kurt Daims and Craig Newbert of Brattleboro Common Sense (BCS), a grassroots community organization whose tagline is “common sense and fairness in town government,” filed suit against the town earlier this year, claiming that the Selectboard violated state law by interfering “with...
The Main Street Arts children's theater camp presents “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” on Saturday, Aug. 8 and Sunday, Aug. 9, at 2 p.m., at the community arts center. The play is an adaptation of the classic German folk tale by the Brothers Grimm and a 19th-century poem by Browning and relates how the rat-infested German town of Hamelin hires a strange figure who claims to be able to lead all of the vermin out of town by playing his...