Issue #636
Project Feed the Thousands campaign kicks off Nov. 5
Project Feed the Thousands kicks off its 28th annual campaign against hunger in the community on Friday, Nov. 5. WTSA will mark the occasion by broadcasting live from 7 to 9 a.m. at at Market 32 (formerly Price Chopper), 499 Canal St.
The community-wide food drive and will be collecting cash and non-perishable food items through the end of the year at a number of collection points, including Market 32, Hannaford, and the Brattleboro Food Co-op. Boxes for cash donations will be available at some local banks and credit unions, as well as area convenience stores and other retail locations.
Artist B. Lynch offers online talk
Exhibit 'Pull Back the Curtain' on display at BMAC
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) will present an online talk by artist B. Lynch on Thursday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m., via Zoom. Register at brattleboromuseum.org. Lynch will discuss her BMAC exhibit “Pull Back the Curtain,” a multimedia installation that examines the effect of income disparity on...
SIT has local scholarships available for 16 Experiment global programs in 2022
Windham County high school students have an opportunity to earn college credit next summer on any of seven new global programs offered by The Experiment and School for International Training. Through the Janeway Family Foundation, high school sophomores and juniors who live and attend school in Windham County are...
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Double bill of Dartmouth jazz coming to Next Stage
Dartmouth College's Coast Jazz Orchestra will perform on Thursday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m., in Next Stage's theater on Kimball Hill. The double bill includes the sextet led by Mali Obomsawin, a bassist, singer, composer, and songwriter from the Odanak W8banaki Nation. “Mali's distinctive fusion of indigenous culture and jazz, and her journey from the folk traditions of her youth to avant-garde jazz, place her in a unique position among her generation of artists. We couldn't be more excited to...
VSAC shows how to get financial aid for college
Vermont Student Assistance Corp. (VSAC) has a full lineup of virtual resources to help young students and their families, as well as adults returning to school, learn about the financial aid that is available and how to apply for it. By completing a 2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application, the doors open wide to a world of financial aid designed to help pay for education and training opportunities beyond high school for graduating high school seniors, returning...
Milestones
College news • The following students at the Community College of Vermont (CCV) were named to the summer 2021 Student Honors List, which recognizes part-time students with a 4.0 grade point average: Grace Brissette of Bellows Falls; Cheryl Christophe, Amanda Conley, Rena Dimes, Art Miess, Jade Newton, and Jason Trigg of Brattleboro; Brooke Chaney, Mark Geno, and Cecil McLaury of Guilford; Kathleen Sullivan of Jacksonville; Emma Lane of Jamaica; and Hannah Hoffman of West Dover. • Ella Warner of Putney,
Around the Towns
Witches-themed reproductive rights fundraiser set for Oct. 30 GUILFORD - Dancers of all ages and abilities will perform in the Brooms & Wombs fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 30 to benefit National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) and Planned Parenthood. The performance at 5 p.m. (with a rain date of Sunday, Oct. 31) at the Mineral Springs Farm at 49 Carpenter Hill Rd. will be a celebration of fertility and reproductive freedom, according to organizer Mary Wallace Collins. “It is a...
Seven from Windham County named ‘Rising Stars’
Seven from Windham County have won Vermont Business Magazine's Rising Stars recognition award, which honored 40 winners under the age of 40, selected by a panel of judges based on a commitment to business growth, professional excellence, and community involvement. This year's roster of winners included Juliette Carr of South Newfane, Samba Diallo of Brattleboro, Eric Durocher of Newfane, Conor Floyd of Bellows Falls, Maribeth Fonda of Brattleboro, Zach Rounds of Vernon, and Brittany Schmidt of Brattleboro. All 2021 Rising...
BMAC presents workshop for fans of knitting and democracy
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) presents “Knit Democracy Together,” a free workshop with artist and former election lawyer Eve Jacobs-Carnahan, on Saturday, Nov. 6. This hybrid event will take place in person at BMAC from 4 to 5:30 p.m., and remotely on Zoom from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Register at brattleboromuseum.org to receive instructions and a materials list. This event is for anyone who likes yarn and democracy; no knitting skills are required. Jacobs-Carnahan will lead a maker...
EOS Project ‘Speaks of Rivers’ concert set for Oct. 30
The Brattleboro Music Center EOS (Educate. Open. Strengthen.) Project's first performance of the 2021-2022 season draws its inspiration from Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes' iconic “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” The concert is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at the BMC at 72 Blanche Moyse Way. Tickets at $20 are available at bmcvt.org. As analyzed in a news release, “The Hughes poem recounts ancestral connections from days long since past, cultural roots that extend wide and deep/past...
DVFiber awarded $4.1 million for broadband project
The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB), the new state board charged with overseeing broadband development in the state, recently approved DVFiber's $4.1 million grant request. The funding comes through the provisions of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and is being awarded through the VCBB to provide universal access to high-speed Internet. With the grant, DVFiber says it can now move ahead with its partner, Great Works Internet, Inc. (GWI) of Biddeford, Maine, to secure high-speed broadband access for...
Mike Block and Joe K. Walsh Duo joins the Stockwell Brothers in Next Stage concert
Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary bluegrass, roots, and folk music by the Mike Block & Joe K. Walsh Duo and The Stockwell Brothers on Saturday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. Drawing on contemporary and international influences, Mike Block and Joe K. Walsh bring an exciting and personal perspective to American roots music. Block is a pioneering cello player, singer, composer, and educator; Yo-Yo Ma has called him the “ideal musician of the 21st...
Selectboard issues statement condemning display of Nazi flag
The appearance of a Nazi flag flying in front of a private residence in the center of town has prompted the Selectboard to issue a statement condemning the act. After residents and concerned people from neighboring towns brought the matter before the Selectboard at its Oct. 12 meeting, Chair Sherwood Lake Jr. wrote in an Oct. 21 email to The Commons that “a commitment was made by the board to address the concerns presented in the situation and hate-based behavior...
Democrats elect Lawrence as county committee chair
On Oct. 18 at their county caucus, the Windham County Democrats elected Angela Lawrence of Dummerston as their new county chair. Lawrence, a first-generation Vermonter and a first-generation American, came to the United States 20 years ago from Kenya and grew up in Brockton, Mass. She is a Marine Corps veteran, having served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. She came to Brattleboro in 2013 and has recently moved with her family to Dummerston. She is married to a local carpenter...
Time for the world to divert the resources from war to climate
An armistice is a bilateral (or multilateral) agreement to stop fighting. The Will Miller Green Mountain chapter of Veterans For Peace is urging our representatives in Washington to introduce legislation in Congress to change the name of Veterans Day back to Armistice Day, with the goal of creating a World Armistice Day to promote halting hostilities and the support for hostilities. The hope is to foster real cooperation among the nations of the world. It is time for nations of...
Time for Sanders to introduce a Yemen War Powers Resolution
In February, President Biden announced he would end support for Saudi Arabia's offensive operations in Yemen, which, with U.S. backing, have caused the largest humanitarian crisis on the planet, with millions of people on the verge of famine and the world's largest cholera outbreak in recorded history. Unfortunately, the U.S continues to provide maintenance support for Saudi fighter jets, which bomb civilians and blockade the country from receiving desperately needed fuel. More than 100 members of Congress have now written...
Self-protection should be the WSESD's last priority
Since I published my Viewpoint in The Commons [“No more secrecy,” Voices, Aug. 11], detailing the various investigations into Robert “Zeke” Hecker's behavior with students over the years and the culture of complicity that gave him ongoing access to them, numerous other people have come forward with stories of grooming and abuse by Hecker and others at Brattleboro Union High School. I have been working with local parents, survivors, and advocates to push for actions from BUHS and the Windham...
Bernie, introduce a Yemen War Powers Resolution now
At the Labor Day Town Hall on Brattleboro's Town Common, I publicly thanked Sen. Bernie Sanders for his leadership to end the U.S.-backed war in Yemen. I appreciate his earlier efforts to stop this country's warmongering without congressional approval. When asked that day, he agreed to introduce another Yemen War Powers Resolution. It's time to make that happen, now, the tools already exist. This is the only legislation that meets the urgency. Yemeni-Americans agree that other war powers reform actions...
Ben Coplan: a valued public servant
Ben Coplan of Marlboro Avenue died Oct. 18 at 82. He had devoted most of his work life to human services. Ben's way of serving meant doing, always, whatever it takes. If he'd helped someone find housing, he got his pickup that evening and helped them move. If someone needed a job, he didn't rely on ads or the Department of Labor - he went after an employer he thought should help and persuaded them to. If the police were...
No cheers for Ben & Jerry’s
Let's hold the cheers for Ben & Jerry's and review some history. First, Joel Doerfler's commentary promotes a major factual inaccuracy about Israel's alleged illegal occupation. While reasonable people in Israel and around the world can and do criticize Israel's policies in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem, its control over these territories is not “illegal.” The West Bank and eastern Jerusalem were unlawfully seized by Jordan in 1948 and illegally occupied until 1967, when Israel pushed Jordan out in...
Specialist will address the climate at BUHS
The Windham Southeast District School Board has approved a consulting contract with Dr. Christopher Overtree, who teaches at the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Also an independent consultant, he has been a specialist in school climate assessment since 2002. At the close of their Oct. 26 meeting, board members voted to authorize Chair David Schoales to approve a contract once details are worked out. Rep. Shaun Murphy of Guilford was the sole dissenting vote. “I've...
Compass School honored for holistic education
Compass School was recently designated as a Whole Child Certified school by Educate the Whole Child, a national educational advocacy group promoting holistic education. In a ceremony at the school on Oct. 19, Chris Nye and Tom McGuire from Educate the Whole Child presented the award to the school community. Compass School is a state-approved grades 7–12 independent school serving families from towns in southeastern Vermont and adjoining towns in New Hampshire. “As an objective observer of some truly beautiful...
A centennial celebration
After taking a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Harris Hill ski jump will celebrate its centennial with the return of the annual President's Day weekend competition on Feb. 19 and 20, 2022. As one of just six 90-meter ski jumps in the United States and the only one in New England, Harris Hill is known throughout North America and Europe as one of the more enjoyable jumping venues on the international circuit, with big crowds and a...
Artful Ice Shanties outdoor exhibit accepting entries for 2022
Last winter, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center's inaugural Artful Ice Shanties outdoor exhibit drew more than 1,000 visitors to Retreat Farm to view structures shaped like a giant iridescent fish, a black die with moon-shaped dots, a seascape with a three-dimensional octopus, and more. Conceived as a place-based celebration of artistic talent, creative ingenuity, and the rich history of ice fishing at the Retreat Meadows, the exhibit also proved to be a welcome opportunity for safe, outdoor winter fun.
Marking multiple legacies
With its unveiling on Oct. 19, a new historical marker at the Southeastern Vermont Welcome Center on Interstate 91 now commemorates a multifaceted legacy of an 18th-century African American couple. Abijah and Lucy Terry Prince were pioneers of African American land ownership in Vermont during the late 1700s, and Lucy Terry Prince's ballad poem, “Bars Fight,” is considered the oldest known work of literature by an African American, its 28 stanzas preserving an account of a 1746 conflict. The marker...
BCTV honors video producers for work during pandemic
Brattleboro Community Television has announced the winners of its 2021 Annual Producer Awards. The six awards recognize organizations and individuals who have created outstanding local programming in the last year. The public is invited to a ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m. at the Latchis 4 Theatre downtown. Food and drink will be served. Proof of vaccination will be required, following Covid protocols for special events at The Latchis. The award presentation will also be available on Zoom.
Wildcat boys edge Rebels in wild overtime finale
The Leland & Gray Rebels and Twin Valley Wildcats have long been rivals in high school boys' soccer, and their games are usually hard-fought and tense affairs. The two teams did not disappoint on Oct. 22 in Townshend in their regular season finale, as Twin Valley rallied from a two-goal deficit to force overtime and ultimately come away with a 4-3 win. Sophomore forward Luke Rizio gave Twin Valley a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute of the game with...
My mother's croning was beautiful
DesertCrone53. “What a weird username,” I thought to myself. Back in the early days of the internet, I was appalled the day my mother showed up on MySpace with that strange combination of words. (Thinking back, maybe it wasn't so much the name as it was the fact that she'd followed me to MySpace and was now commenting on every aspect of my life and interactions and photo evidence of stupid decisions I was making that I never wanted her...
Governor, there is no permanent housing
Dear Gov. Scott, We have now slept on the unforgiving granite of the State House steps for 11 days. We continue to be concerned that there are over 1,000 people on the street - and more to come - who are not sheltered by General Assistance Motel Program right now, many of whom were not included in your extension. We last left you after day five. Since then, the beginning of the bitter cold of late fall and winter has...
Olson’s artwork heads to Mitchell-Giddings gallery
Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts, 183 Main St., presents “Object and Memory,” an exhibition of paintings and collages by nationally and internationally celebrated Pennsylvania artist Chuck Olson. An opening and artist reception is planned for Saturday, Nov. 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. An artist talk is scheduled for the following day, Sunday, Nov. 7, at 5 p.m. The exhibit continues through Sunday, Dec. 12. As described in a news release, “[a] first impression of Olson's work is the artist's infectious joy...