Joyce Marcel

State lawmakers react to a political shift

Republicans whittle down Democratic majorities, prompting members of Windham County’s delegation to be concerned — and working to figure out why

With the election now in the books, change is in the air. But how this change might manifest itself is still unknown.

Many people in Vermont are voicing concerns about the national election, which puts former President Donald Trump back in the White House.

"The results of the national election are devastating," said Rep. Mollie Burke, D-Brattleboro, who was re-elected to the House.

"I worry about how the policies of the new Trump administration will impact Vermont," she said. "Will ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents be entering dairy farms in Addison and Franklin counties to drag Mexican workers out for deportation, leaving our farms without workers and devastating our dairy economy? Will there be cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, and other programs that help people get the assistance they need? Will federal highway funding for our roads and bridges be cut to punish Vermont for its blue-state status?"...

Read More

Sibilia says she will run for Speaker of the House

Dover independent says current speaker, Jill Krowinski, not moving fast enough to address Vermont’s many crises

DOVER-With a strong sense of urgency and just weeks before the election, Rep. Laura Sibilia is planning to challenge House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, for the leadership role when the Legislature returns to session in January. The reason for the rare challenge? Sibilia, who represents Dover, Jamaica, Somerset, Stratton,

Read More

Deep-blue faithful rally at the Latchis

Balint, Sanders, Pieciak, and Zuckerman urge supporters in a Democratic stronghold to keeping working toward victory

BRATTLEBORO-When it comes to voting, Brattleboro is as blue as the ceiling of the Latchis Theatre. So when U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Becca Balint spoke to more than 250 people gathered there for a Democratic rally on Oct. 19, it was as if they were preaching...

Read More

More

For World Learning, a new way to bring together cultures: housing

BRATTLEBORO-World Learning Inc. is in the first stages of developing a creative answer to the region's housing shortage - a problem that is hitting close to home. In 2018, when its School for International Training ended on-campus degree programs, World Learning was left with many empty dorm rooms in a cluster of campus residential buildings. That made the facility the perfect place to temporarily house refugees from such countries as Afghanistan and Senegal when they began arriving in the region.

Read More

Brattleboro makes slow, but steady, progress on housing

BRATTLEBORO-First, the good news: The Town Planning Office has issued at least 54 permits for new housing projects this year - the highest number in years, as town Planning Director Sue Fillion told the Selectboard on Oct. 1. "That's a conservative estimate of our permitting activity for 2024, actually," Fillion told The Commons later in the week. "We have approved 63 new units as of the end of September. And just so you know, that is the highest number of...

Read More

Republicans, independents mount challenges

BRATTLEBORO-The Commons reached out to challengers to incumbents in state legislative seats, inviting them to contribute some basic information to introduce them to readers as early voting in the general election gets underway. Following are brief profiles from those who responded to the newspaper's outreach for this story, with additional reporting and context from public records. A number of Republican challengers declined to participate, all claiming hostile treatment in the local press. A campaign website or social media presence follows...

Read More

State treasurer hits the road with unclaimed funds

BRATTLEBORO-The sun had just set when a lone car pulled into the partially hidden and empty parking lot of the Brattleboro Collision Center on Old Ferry Road. Out popped State Treasurer Michael Pieciak, who was on a mission to return $5,150 in unclaimed funds to Todd DeAngelis, who owns the business. All in all, Pieciak returned $150,000 of unclaimed property to businesses, nonprofits, and service providers across Vermont's 14 counties on Sept. 9 and 10. This Unclaimed Property Road Tour...

Read More

The mean streets of Brattleboro

BRATTLEBORO-A great tsunami of pain is coming toward us, and there's no getting out of the way. Oh, sorry. False alarm. It's already here. I'm talking about homelessness. We see some piece of the situation every day. On the streets, camped by the river, in the library, panhandling near the supermarkets. Every day we see people who are vulnerable, exposed, and hungry. Vulnerable to violence, to theft, to all sorts of criminality. Exposed. So exposed. Imagine not ever having a...

Read More