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Sponsor a Library

Every week, The Commons mails newspapers to libraries and schools throughout Windham County, and beyond. Of course we do! Part of our mission is make sure that honest, award winning reporting is available to all, regardless of ability to pay.

Now you can help further our mission. Only $75 guarantees a library or school delivery of The Commons for a full year. Join our Sponsor-a-Library program today! Click here (and select “Sponsor a Library” when asked “Apply My Donation To.”)

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Make a recurring donation today.

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• Send to Milestones (obituary, wedding, birth, academic achievement)

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• Write a letter in response to a story

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• We would love local artists to submit work to illustrate the section.

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Basic deadline information

• Please book your ad space before Friday at 3:30 p.m.

• We are happy to design your ad. If you would like that, please make sure we get your copy by that time.

• If you are designing your ad, please send by Monday at noon.

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We’d love to help you with your ads! Please let us know a little bit about your advertising and your needs, and one of our team will be in touch promptly. You can also call us at 802-246-6397 (please leave message for advertising)

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More than a newspaper

The Commons is the public face of a larger nonprofit organization, Vermont Independent Media, Inc.

We came to life from the ground up in 2004, as members of the community became increasingly concerned about the consequences of absent corporate ownership of the daily newspaper in town and the need for local people to have access to the skills to create their own grassroots media.

VIM came to life lovingly and carefully thanks to indefatigable volunteers. The first public programs of the Media Mentoring Project began in 2005, and the first issue of The Commons was published in 2006. The newspaper was published monthly until 2010, when we began a weekly schedule. We are published on Wednesdays 51 times a year.

View our bylaws here.

Our mission

Recognizing that a vigorous exchange of ideas and information allows democracy to function and is the lifeblood of a community, Vermont Independent Media:

• creates a forum for community participation,

• promotes local independent journalism,

• fosters civic engagement by building media skills

through publication of The Commons and commonsnews.org, and through the Media Mentoring Project.

Nonprofit IRS filings

By law, every 501(c)3 nonprofit organization must make its IRS filings available to the public. Here are ours.

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• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
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• 2010

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Office hours

Owing to the pandemic, our office is open by appointment only, and masks are required at all times.

Directions to the office

We're at 139 Main St., Brattleboro, Vermont (the Hooker-Dunham Building).

Office #601A: Newsroom

Office #604: Business/Advertising

Mailing address:

The Commons
P.O. Box 1212
Brattleboro, VT 05302

Phone/email

Connecting all departments: 888-511-5150

Email for general inquiries: info@commonsnews.org

Submit items for publication in the news sections (News, Arts, Milestones, Around the Towns): news@commonsnews.org

Submit items for publication in the Voices section: voices@commonsnews.org

Submit news tips and story ideas (not for publication): tips@commonsnews.org

General advertising address: ads@commonsnews.org

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Recent PDFs

These PDFs are built from the final files that were printed and represent an accurate facsimile of the issue’s content.

Please be warned: These files are very large and not at all suitable for dialup connections.

We maintain files of a limited number of back issues in our office. Please email info@commonsnews.org, and we will make them available if we can.

Issue #700

Feb 01, 2023

Issue #699

Jan 25, 2023

Issue #698

Jan 18, 2023

Issue #697

Jan 11, 2023

TODAY’S FEATURE/NEWS

‘I had nothing left’

The closing of Hotel Pharmacy marks the end of family-run drugstores in Brattleboro — thanks, its owner says, to insurance and pharmaceutical industry pricing practices that made it impossible not to lose money

BRATTLEBORO—The closing of the 83-year-old Hotel Pharmacy on Elliot Street on Jan. 17 marked the end of so many eras like a Shakespearian tragedy without the poetry.

Much sadness. Many tears. Emptying shelves. Emptying space. A sense of emptying lives.

The end of family-run pharmacies in Brattleboro. The end of owner Mary Giamartino’s long-held desire to help people. The end of 20 important, well-paying jobs.... Continue reading story

TODAY’S FEATURE/NEWS

‘I had nothing left’

The closing of Hotel Pharmacy marks the end of family-run drugstores in Brattleboro — thanks, its owner says, to insurance and pharmaceutical industry pricing practices that made it impossible not to lose money

BRATTLEBORO—The closing of the 83-year-old Hotel Pharmacy on Elliot Street on Jan. 17 marked the end of so many eras like a Shakespearian tragedy without the poetry.

Much sadness. Many tears. Emptying shelves. Emptying space. A sense of emptying lives.

The end of family-run pharmacies in Brattleboro. The end of owner Mary Giamartino’s long-held desire to help people. The end of 20 important, well-paying jobs.... Continue reading story