Paula Melton

An apostrophe — please!

Citizens Bridge” would not have been my first choice of name for the new structure, but it is a creative solution to rising contention over the name.

Since that name has now been voted in, I have an important plea that I hope is “punctual”: an apostrophe, please! The proper way to punctuate the new bridge name is “Citizens' Bridge.”

Aside from being correct, that little mark should also help dispel confusion about whether the new bridge enjoys corporate sponsorship. The senseless lack of an apostrophe is part of Citizens Bank's branding, and I do think it's important to distinguish our town's new structure from that brand.

And speaking of brands, Brattleboro's own “brand” includes our intellectual heritage. Given the number of travelers who flock here year-round for cultural events, including the recent literary festival, proper punctuation is a wise choice.

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Grafton’s own Bradford Voight comes to Gallery North Star

Longtime resident artist Bradford Voight - who is nationally renown as a classic, regional landscape painter - is showing his latest paintings at the Gallery North Star. This unique exhibition from the 88-year-old painter, which began with an opening reception on July 10, will run through Aug. 8 at...

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Brattleboro Post 5 falls in semifinals of state Legion baseball tourney

Teams love to be on a roll heading into the playoffs, and perhaps no team in the Southern Division got so hot at just the right time as Post 5. Brattleboro had to win all of its remaining five regular season games to clinch one of the four Southern...

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Brattleboro Little League All-Stars open district tournaments

Both the 9-10-year-old and 11-12-year-old Brattleboro Little League All-Star teams have begun their respective District 2 tournaments. In the 11-12 tourney opener, the defending state champs lost to Connecticut Valley South, 6-5. Marcus Shapiro was the starting pitcher for Brattleboro, but was removed when he hit the league-maximum of 85 pitches before he could finish the sixth inning. Shapiro gave up four hits, two walks and six runs, while striking out seven. Blake Bashaw faced the game's final two batters...

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Post 37 riding high, Post 5 struggles in Legion baseball action

Brattleboro Post 5 is getting off to a rocky start in the early going of the American Legion Baseball season. After a late rally saw players take a brief 2-1 lead, Post 5 could not hang on late, as they dropped a 3-2, walk-off loss to Bennington Post 13 at Spinelli Field in Bennington. The loss put Post 5 at 4-3 on the season, while Post 13 improved to 6-1. Things looked good early for Brattleboro, taking a 2-0 lead...

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Area high school baseball all-stars play in North-South Game

Five local high school baseball players recently participated in the annual North-South doubleheader, with the top, recently-graduated senior ballplayers throughout Vermont. The Brattleboro Union High School battery included pitcher Devin Rhodes and catcher Kyle Whitworth, who were both named to the squad, along with another pretty good local battery from three-time state champs Leland & Gray, pitcher Gabe Pozzi and catcher Tyler Russell. Also named to the team was Vermont Academy and Brattleboro Post 5 Legion infielder/pitcher Adam Harrison. Rhodes...

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Local rockers Curst are finally charmed

After six years, the on-again/off-again hard rock and metal band Curst is definitely on again. The band recently completed and released its debut CD, Vermont Democracy, which has actually been in the works since 2006. In fact, all the delays and various ebbs and flows of this band and this recording have not only changed the music over time, but also became an inside joke of sorts for the band. It spawned the CD's tongue-in-cheek reference to the many-years-long recording...

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Rebels roll to third consecutive state baseball championship

It was a big deal in 2008 when the Leland & Gray Rebels won their first-ever Division III state baseball championship. It was an even bigger deal in 2009 when the Rebels repeated as state champions. This year, the Rebels made it three in a row as they shut out No. 6 Oxbow, 8-0, at Montpelier Recreational Field on June 15. The title game victory gave the Rebels an impressive 18-2 record on the season and cemented Leland & Gray's...

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