The remaining members of the Brattleboro High School class of 1944 (left to right): Alice Anderson Stockwell, of Vernon;  Sylvia Smith Morse, of Guilford; and Janice Pratt Martin, of Brattleboro.
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A lifelong bond

The three surviving members of the Brattleboro High School class of 1944 share memories — of growing up in the shadow of the Great Depression and World War II, and of long lives well-lived in Windham County

BRATTLEBORO-The three remaining members of the class of 1944 didn't spend a lot of time together in high school, but these women have remained lifelong friends.

Now, at their recent 80th high school reunion visit, Sylvia Smith Morse, of Guilford, Janice Pratt Martin, of West Brattleboro, and Alice Anderson Stockwell, of Vernon, reminisce about their teenage years.

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News

Families First fundraiser supports programming - and recovery from a surprise flood

Editor's note: We had hoped to run this story in the Nov. 27 issue but were unable. The auction takes place on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Our apologies to our friends at Families First for the stumble. ----------- BRATTLEBORO-There's still time to make your bid in the Families First Giving Tuesday Auction, where you can choose from almost 100 items donated by local businesses and artisans to support the nonprofit that supports adults and youth with developmental disabilities, helping them live...

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Selectboard looks to start budget process with cuts to services

BRATTLEBORO-Selectboard members have asked Town Manager John Potter and his staff to go back to the drawing board and return scenarios that describe 5% and 10% reductions to the proposed nearly $26.5 million budget for the next fiscal year. "I want to be clear with the public that a 22% increase in property taxes is extremely high, very hard to swallow, and, for many people, really, really concerning," said Board Chair Daniel Quipp of the current draft budget implication. The...

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Board authorizes new $1.3 million trash contract

BRATTLEBORO-Come New Year's Day, the town will have a new trash contract. Following a lengthy negotiation with Casella Waste Systems - the sole bidder for a new town trash disposal contract - Selectboard members have authorized Town Manager John Potter to pen and sign a $1.3 million, five-year contract with the company. Assistant Town Manager Patrick Moreland explained that after about a half year in negotiations, the new contract will include curbside collection for downtown public trash and recycling cans...

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New ordinance will face scrutiny of Representative Town Meeting

BRATTLEBORO-"It's not about ordinance or no ordinance," said Mel Motel, co-director of Restorative Justice Programs at Interaction: Youth Services and Restorative Justice. "It's about a third way. What can we build instead?" Motel was one of five panelists who proposed alternatives to the town's recently adopted Acceptable Community Conduct ordinance at a Nov. 18 public information meeting at Brooks Memorial Library. Opponents of the ordinance have obtained signatures from the 5% of registered voters necessary to trigger a Special Representative...

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Toxic air levels plummet to safer limits at BFUHS

WESTMINSTER-There was good news for Bellows Falls Union High School last week: Several major projects are completed or nearing completion, and air quality testing done for PCBs last week produced some very encouraging results. The School Action Level (SAL) of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) for high schools is 100 ng/m³, and some parts of the school had tested as high as 850 ng/m³ over the past two years. However, in testing at the school last week, the results ranged from 43...

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A new owner revives the Old Newfane Inn

NEWFANE-Many in the West River Valley remember the inn at the center of Newfane village, right across from the general store, for its old-world-y ambience, the local-color charm of owners Eric and Gundela "Gundi" Weindl, and the exquisite meals served in dining room on the southwest side. The inn had figured prominently in the life of Lori Damato, whose family has had a home in Brookline since the 1960s. Originally from Norwalk and, later, Trumbull, Connecticut, Damato started coming to...

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Housing nonprofit honors memory of Byron Stookey

BRATTLEBORO-Byron Stookey, who died earlier this year, was the spearheading founder of Brattleboro Area Affordable Housing (BAAH) - a nonprofit organization made up of volunteers who work to create, maintain, and support affordable housing in this community. The BAAH Board of Directors has made it its mission to carry out Stookey's vision. The nine-person board maintains a variety of programs. The Apartments in Homes program assists people who have spare room in their homes to create affordable apartments. The Housing...

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It’s almost ready

BRATTLEBORO-An achievement that has been decades in the making is about to finally happen with the announcement that the new General John Stark Memorial Bridge linking Brattleboro and Hinsdale, New Hampshire, will be open to motor vehicle traffic by the end of the day Thursday, Dec. 5. According to the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), a new traffic pattern is scheduled to be in place in Brattleboro on that date. Barricades will be set up on Bridge Street to encourage...

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