News

High school students study in Community House’s new classroom space at the historic Holbrook House on Linden Street in Brattleboro.

Alternative school expands campus, program

Historic Holbrook House is now the classroom for seven students in the Community House’s new program

Community House has added a high school at 80 Linden St. to its Community School House programs and Oak Street campus holdings.

With the acquisition and renovation of the historic, newly renovated Deacon John Holbrook House, day students in grades 9-12 in the program now, for the first time, have a dedicated high school building.

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Village mural gets some repairs

Mural on Flatiron Building gets some attention after nearly 25 years of exposure to Vermont’s fickle weather

As it approaches a quarter century since it was originally painted, the large mural on the Flatiron Building greeting northbound travelers as they enter the Bellows Falls Square is undergoing repairs and stabilization efforts. Based on original design sketches and paintings by local artist Ezra Veitch, the 32-foot-by-40-foot mural,

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The toughest job

A Hinsdale author chronicles the ups and downs of how he and his wife cared for three aging parents and offers advice for how to cope

The number of people in the United States age 65 and older reached 55.8 million in 2020, or nearly 17% of the population. That is estimated to grow to 73 million by 2030, and by 2050, it is estimated that 27 million people will need long-term care. That figure...

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Foes of planned housing project return to court

A third appeal to the proposed Windham & Windsor Housing Trust (WWHT) 25-unit, mixed-income, residential rental housing project on Alice Holway Drive has been filed in Vermont Superior Court. A hearing date has been set for Monday, Nov. 27, at 3 p.m., via remote video conference. It is expected that next steps will be defined at that hearing. Appellants Laura Campbell and Deborah Lazar, represented by attorney Harold B. Stevens, oppose the Environmental and Superior courts' previous opinions, effectively dismissing...

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SEVCA bids goodbye to Good Buy stores

After more than a half-century of operation, Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) has announced that it is closing its Good Buy thrift stores in Bellows Falls and Springfield. The recent decision by the anti-poverty nonprofit's board of directors takes effect Dec. 16. The stores will remain open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., until then but will no longer accept any donations for the stores as they sell the remaining inventory at a 20% discount. SEVCA says...

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How can bystanders address mental health crises?

Imagine walking downtown through the Harmony Lot in broad daylight when a young man approaches and asks you for some money. You refuse. He passes by you and then starts shouting and howling into the wind. He's not even looking at you as he shouts. Disconcerting? Yes, of course. Threatening? Could be. Did you cause the incident? You'll never know. Is there anything you can do about it? Well, maybe. One person who knows how to handle events like these...

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Remembering a Rosie

The only registered Rosie the Riveter Memorial Garden in the state now has a more prominent location at Hetty Green Park, where it honors the memory of Margaret Clapper Tidd, a Rosie who lived in Bellows Falls from the time she graduated from high school until her death in 2019. A brief history and dedication of the Rosie the Riveter Memorial, in its new location at the park on School Street, was given by historian David Deacon on Oct. 14.

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Paper mill oil leak pollutes nearby waters

An estimated 15,000 gallons of heating oil spilled from a tank at the Soundview Paper Company mill on Nov. 2, much of it entering Sacketts Brook, which flows into the Connecticut River. Authorities have thus far recovered more than 12,000 gallons of the sludgy No. 2 heating oil, according to Mike Nucci, an environmental analyst with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation spill team. He said he expected authorities to discover more of the missing oil when they excavate the...

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