Brandie Starr

By definition, a NIMBY debate

This is the definition of a NIMBY ("not in my backyard") debate.

It's harmful, and I really wish it would come to an end. But since it's not going to, let's not pretend that it's something other than what it is.

This Voices Letters from readers was submitted to The Commons.

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I could have chosen to show up as a friend and an ally. I did not.

In the aftermath of the WSESD mask forum, we must protect our kids and their families from increased health risk — and from the very real consequences that come from angry, stressed, and frightened humans

To Jaime Contois and all parents of immunocompromised children and children who need to mask for any number of reasons; To Lana Dever and all my black and brown friends, family, acquaintances and community members; To everyone who felt a personal harm and betrayal from me at the WSESD...

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What I needed was for my word to carry weight

‘Groomers have friends and acquaintances who will defend them or who will turn a blind eye. Remember, they like and respect your groomer, and they see the things your groomer offers society as valuable.’

I was rushing through my day when I took a break to aimlessly scroll, and came across the piece in last week's Commons written by my friend Mindy Haskins Rogers. I read it through once with an oh-holy-crap response. I then flattened my feet against the floor, took a...

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‘I try to feel shaken to the core/but I am numb in the horror’

Surreal living and grieving when no more than a few years ago I would have said I have not experienced much death in my inner family or circles slowly, about three years ago that began to change but when those friends died we gathered we saw pictures with their eyes and smiles looking back we held each other we sat in established places together no one wondered where to meet and who to hold and now I lose count of...

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Landlords, what do you want to invest in?

Dear Brattleboro, It has certainly been a year of change, transformation, and request for reform - definitely at the national and state level, as well as right here. Those in our community who have not felt supported or even safe have come together and reached out to those who hold power in our town to make their voices heard, to advocate for and aspire to be a part of real, holistic change in the place we all love and call...

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Brattleboro Democrats urge impeachment

At a meeting of the Brattleboro Democratic Committee on Tuesday, Sept. 24, a motion was made and passed to send a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer in support of the impeachment of President Donald Trump. The letter reads as follows: “The Brattleboro Democratic Committee of Brattleboro, Vermont, gathered tonight for our biennial reorganizational caucus, hereby informs you of our support for efforts to impeach and remove from office President Donald J.

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Practicing radical acceptance at the community level

As we read articles and social-media posts touting opportunities for pop-up musicians around town and adding vibrancy to more drab spaces in town (such as the alley way by the Transportation Center), I sincerely hope that we are doing so with the goal of community members of all walks of life being able to enjoy spaces and entertainment side by side with one another. As more and more studies are showing, isolation and ostracization of groups of people directly feeds...

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What can we do personally about opioid epidemic?

After leaving the June Opioid forum, I was asked in person and through several messages, “But what can I do? What can we do?” The question is a normal one to want to ask; however, unless you are going to move into the fields of human services, substance-use treatment, law enforcement, first response, legislating, or government, the “what you can do” is pretty darned limited. The usuals are there: high-level hands-off stuff, all of which are excellent: • Advocate to...

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