Rei Carpenter-Ranquist, a junior at Brattleboro Union High School, is a member of the Teen Advisory Board at Brooks Memorial Library and a mentor at New England Youth Theatre.
BRATTLEBORO-A few weeks ago I was made aware of possible cuts to the Brooks Memorial Library budget and potentially its hours of operation. I'm a huge library supporter. I'm a member of its Teen Advisory Board, which helps choose materials and plan numerous events for teens in the area.
The 16 Vermont faith community members signing this open letter, from Vermont Interfaith Action's Clergy and Church Elder Caucus, include Guy Wood (Brattleboro Area Jewish Community), Rev. Telos Whitfield (All Souls U.U. Church, Brattleboro), and Rev. Ralph W. Howe (First United Methodist Church of Brattleboro, Vt./The Beloved Community). The...
Nancy Gassett is a Vernon resident. She ran as a Republican nominee for Windham-1 state representative in 2022 and 2024. VERNON-Dear Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark: As you know, I recently wrote to you to ask the following question: You have publicly stated repeatedly, "No one is above the...
Rick Holmes, of Marlboro, is a retired newspaper editor and columnist. MARLBORO-Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Fifty years ago, North Vietnamese tanks and Viet Cong soldiers streamed into Saigon from all sides, greeted by celebrating crowds. At the U.S. embassy and a CIA outpost on Gia Long Street, helicopters evacuated the last of the Americans, and the luckiest of their Vietnamese allies, to ships waiting offshore. It was the humiliating ending to America's longest war, the only war we'd...
BRATTLEBORO-In Brattleboro, a significant amount of public discourse happens online. While social media can be a great tool for engagement, it also opens the door for something more subtle and more troubling. A Town Meeting representative has been posting in local Facebook groups, asking questions that resemble formal outreach: What does the community think about this issue? Should the town consider doing that? On the surface, it seems like an official request, made by a holder of elected office with...
GREENFIELD, MASS.-When I saw the cover of The Commons, I decided to look over this paper and see what the charming lefties are up to in Vermont. Wow! What a bunch of angry, miserable people! And you know what? I wasn't shocked, not one bit. In case you missed seeing all their handmade, childish signs, the haters in Brattleboro (a town I will avoid like the plague) called the 47th President a "moron," a "clown," and a "rapist." I rolled...
BRATTLEBORO-The Brattleboro Area Interfaith Youth Group went off to Asheville, North Carolina! The multicultural group of 12 youth and young adults, ranging in age from 13 to 22, and six adult leaders left April 12 in two vans for their service and learning week there. The group participated in hurricane- and poverty-relief activities, working closely with social services agencies in the area. The youth's volunteer efforts each day were coordinated and debriefed by Asheville Youth Mission, who purchased their groceries...
NORTHFIELD, MASS.-There are so many hysterical writers to this paper that it's difficult to focus on just one, but here goes. Lawrence Slason says he's "extremely frustrated and profoundly saddened by the decline of America under the present administration." Where was Mr. Slason during the Biden era? On Mars? Americans suffered greatly when Joe wandered around on stages shaking hands with people who weren't there, then threatened Americans to either get the jab or lose their jobs. Gas and grocery...