The Brattleboro Rotary Club is sponsoring Bridget McMahon of Keene, N.H., for a Group Study Exchange program to the Dominican Republic from Sept. 21 to Oct. 20.
McMahon will be traveling as part of a five-member team including Mia Brown of Thetford, Jake Kingsbury and Kelley O'Hara, both of Keene, and Rotarian team leader Bob Couch of Bow, N.H.
McMahon, a customer service representative at Hannaford in Keene, is a former Spanish teacher who has studied at the School for International Training in Brattleboro and Bay Path College in Longmeadow, Mass.
Offered by Rotary International's Rotary Foundation, the Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40, who have been employed in their profession for at least two years. The GSE team consists of one Rotarian group leader and four non-Rotarian team members who typically represent various professional fields.
Judging by the chatter of newly minted bridge aesthetes [“We need more time to consider Interstate 91 bridge designs,” Letters, Aug. 22], apparently the existing steel arch bridges on which Route 91 crosses the West River are beautiful, artistic works of civil engineering, while the proposed concrete spans are...
With recordbreaking drought and heat waves this summer, the relationship between nuclear power and water has become crystal clear. Nuclear power plants use massive amount of water for cooling. Nuclear reactors in the U.S., including Vermont Yankee, were forced to reduce power or shut down this July because the...
This summer, a resident of Chester's main street staked a homemade sign in his front yard, a few feet from the road. In bold, black letters, artfully arranged on a white background, it asks, “What part of 30 MPH do you not get?” It must be hellish to live on there on Friday afternoons when tourists rip through town and again on Sunday afternoons when they rush to get home to Connecticut, Massachusetts, or New York. There is so much...
Yup, a hard rain fell. And some more hard rain's a-gonna fall. And then some more. A year after Tropical Storm-nee-Hurricane-Irene hit Vermont and changed just about everything, a few people are still arguing whether it was a once-in-a-10-year storm or a once-in-100-year storm. But most acknowledge this uneasy truth: we've entered the Era of Climate Change, and Irene might only be the beginning. A new report by the Environment America Research and Policy Center called “Global Warming and the...
When my grandmother was born, in 1900, her life expectancy was 48 years. Unlike her twin brother, she survived childhood, and at the age of 9, left the Austrian-Hungarian Empire for the United States. She discontinued school after eighth grade and went to work as a milliner. In time, she became quite skilled; for a while, she worked for an exclusive Fifth Avenue hat maker. But after she married my grandfather, she helped him run a delicatessen. When the enterprise...
Lynn Hoeft of Brattleboro will exhibit her watercolors at the Crowell Gallery of the Moore Free Library, 23 West St., for the month of September. An artist's reception and opening will take place on Saturday, Sept. 1, from 1 to 3 p.m. Hoeft works in both transparent watercolor and colored pencil. Focusing on a narrowed-down landscape of the natural world, she paints the beautiful objects that are always around us: a cluster of tiny berries, a bright blue feather, or...
Obituaries • Frances L. “Sugar” Bird, 85, of Whitingham. Died Aug. 13 at Pine Heights in Brattleboro. Wife of the late Francis Bird for 58 years. Mother of Francis Bird Jr. and his wife, Barb, of Wilmington; Steven Bird Sr. and his wife, Sharon, of Dummerston; Linda Bird of Brookline; and Joe Anne Driscoll of Killington. Sister of Leon Sucharzewski, Mary Ann Berry, and the late Paul, Thomas, and Elizabeth Bird. Born in Readsboro, the daughter of the late Josephine...
Tropical Storm Irene's devastation has evoked comparisons with other natural disasters to hit Windham County. As bad as Irene was in parts of the county, it was not nearly as catastrophic as the storm that remains the benchmark for weather disasters in New England - the Great New England Hurricane of 1938. It struck with little warning on Sept. 21, 1938, and by the end of that day, nearly 700 people - almost 400 in Rhode Island alone - died...
It is hard to believe, but a year has passed since Tropical Storm Irene ravaged our community. Aug. 28, 2011 is a day that will forever be etched in our memory. We all remember the great tragedies of our lifetime. We remember where we were and what we were doing on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Those who are old enough can recall, in vivid detail, the day when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. But unlike many events that...
'Load the Latchis' to collect for for Drop In Center BRATTLEBORO - For the second straight year, WKVT-FM morning man Peter “Fish” Case is collecting food for the Brattleboro Area Drop In Center. Flooding from Tropical Storm Irene forced the “Load the Latchis” event out of the Latchis Theatre last year, where the goal was to fill all 750 seats in the main theater with a bag of food. With the Latchis high and dry this year, Case is once...
The Guilford Fair kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 1, with live music from 1 to 3 p.m. with the band American Pop. American Pop features Kevin Parry on guitar, George Adair on bass, and Richard Mayer on drums. Their song list includes radio hits from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. They might also channel their alter-ego, “Classic Country,” for some old fashioned country and western music. A full day of music is on tap for Sunday, Sept. 2, starting at...
The Friends of Brooks Memorial Library is holding a concert event on Friday, Sept. 7, at 7:30 p.m., in the American Legion Post 5 Hall on 32 Linden St. The suggested donation is $12, and proceeds benefit the library. Former New Christy Minstrel singer Jackie Davidson and Michigan folksinger Gary Brandt will continue the rich tradition of folk music with their program, which they call “singing the good old songs again.” They combine classic and original folk songs into an...
The Vermont Green Building Network (VGBN) has recognized The Putney School's net-zero energy, LEED Platinum Field House as the 2012 Vermont's Greenest Building. The distinction goes to the building in Vermont with the best annual energy performance. To qualify for consideration, buildings must consume 50 kilo-BTUs per square foot (kbtu/sf/yr) per year, or less. That standard is roughly 30 percent more efficient than the average for buildings in the northeast. The Field House, which is super-insulated and solar powered, measures...
The Brattleboro and Bellows Falls football teams had their final dress rehearsals before their opening games this Friday night. The results of the team's scrimmages couldn't have been more different. On Friday night, the Colonels went to Keene, N.H., to play the Blackbirds. Brattleboro's starters had no luck at all either moving the ball on offense or stopping Keene on defense in the first half. In the second half, the Colonels fared a little better against Keene's second team. The...
RE: “Here Comes The Sun” [Letters, Aug. 15]: I agree with John Wilmerding's sentiment that we need to move toward renewable energy, and for everyone else out there who also agrees, I would like to offer an avenue to do so. A 150-kilowatt solar collective is being organized by Putney-based SunFarm and built by Brattleboro-based Integrated Solar. The collective offers individuals and businesses the opportunity to lease shares of a photovoltaic field for a 20-year period. Each kilowatt-hour produced by...
I am honored to be appointed to two advisory positions in relation to Vermont's evolving health-care system, whose workings I hope to share with my neighbors. The Green Mountain Care Board Advisory Committee (GMCBAC) is comprised of 41 Vermont residents. We serve as a public sounding board for the five Green Mountain Care Board Members who are responsible for planning Vermont's roadmap to a health-care system that improves health and moderates costs. The charge of the Medicaid and Exchange Advisory...
On Sunday, September 16, 2012, the Athens Historic Preservation Society (AHPS) will host an afternoon of history and food. Starting at 2 p.m at the Athens Brick Meeting House, learn more about black history in the state of Vermont and locally through the story of the Turner Family as told through the voice of Jessie Daisy Turner. Eric Gilbertson of the Vermont Preservation Trust will be sharing insights on the early history of African-Americans in Vermont, and Naima K. Wade,
The Brattleboro Women's Chorus starts on Wednesday, Sept. 12, with an Open Sing for Women at All Soul's Church in West Brattleboro from 7 to 8:30 p.m.. All community women are welcome to join in on this evening of singing together, which is also the opening night of rehearsals for the chorus' 17th year. The chorus meets Wednesdays, from 7 to 8:45 p.m. after the Open Sing, and welcomes all women and girls over 10 who enjoy singing. Most songs...
The fourth annual Brattleboro-West Arts Open Studio Tour on Sept. 29 and 30 will feature two new studio spaces and one familiar site with a new look. As southern Vermont's autumn colors grace the landscape, 16 local craftspeople and artists will open their doors to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The tour will feature active demonstrations, with original craft and artwork on display and for sale at 13 sites just off the beaten path in...
A year after the flooding, the final box score for Tropical Storm Irene in Vermont is still being tallied. We know 3,500 homes were damaged or destroyed. We know that 20,000 acres of farmland were flooded. We know 500 miles of state roadways and dozens of bridges were torn apart. We know seven lives were lost due to the storm. The final cost of damage to homes, farms, businesses, and public property could eventually be as high as $1 billion.
Like Sackett's Brook in Putney and Whetstone Brook in Brattleboro, the Stevens River winds its way through Peacham and Barnet, down to the Connecticut River. Just as in older times, when the streams in Windham County powered mills, water worked for Barnet's farmers until the 1980s, with Ben Thresher's mill being one of the last one remaining. That mill's story will be told in Putney in a special presentation about water power by the Putney Historical Society. On Thursday, Aug.
The Vermont Theatre Company will present a mystery dinner theater production: a Las Vegas wedding and murder, Viva Las Vegas. The play is to be presented at the Evening Star Grange in Dummerston Center on Sept. 21 and 22. The action takes place in rockin' Las Vegas where it appears love has won out in the battle of wills between the spoiled Virgen White and her controlling and brilliant father, Pearly Gates Gamboling Emporium owner Blackjack White. E.Z. Ryder, the...
Friends of Music at Guilford’s 47th annual Labor Day Weekend Festival highlights music by Handel, Haydn, Delius, and Debussy, among other composers, in an organ concert set in an intimate rural barn and an orchestra concert on the expansive lawn just outside. The Festival opens on Saturday evening, Sept. 1, at 7:30 with “The Magnificent Mr. Handel!” on the Guilford Tracker Organ. Clark Anderson plays keyboard versions of Handel’s overture to Semele, Voluntary #2 in C, the pastorale from Il...
Good weather and no hidden repair problems allowed a covered bridge to reopen, a result that pleasantly surprised the Selectboard last week. On Aug. 21, the board met for a special morning meeting at the West Dummerston Covered Bridge for one last check of repair work done by Renaud Brothers of Vernon. Satisfied with what they saw, the board reopened the bridge to traffic at the end of the day. Renaud Brothers, charged with repairing an erosion problem with the...
Is teenage pregnancy something to sing about? On Aug. 30, Weston Playhouse Theater Company (WPTC) will present the world premiere of Pregnancy Pact, a pop-rock musical with music by Julia Meinwald and book and lyrics by Gordon Leary. Rena Murman, former WPTC education director, said Pregnancy Pact was inspired by the sensationalized news story of an epidemic of teen pregnancies at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts several years ago, and concerns a group of teenage girls who decided to become...
B-1 Brattleboro morning route (elementary) ||7:22||Route begins at Mountain Home Trailer Park (mailboxes, west side of park). Turn right onto Sunset Lake Road. ||7:25||At Gulf Road. Proceed to Marlboro Road; turn right. ||7:31||At 775 Marlboro Rd. ||7:33||At 1017 Marlboro Rd. ||7:35||At 1033 Marlboro Rd. ||7:37||At Hamilton Road. Proceed to Marlboro town line; turn around, then return to Marlboro Road. ||7:39||At Cooke Road. Turn right onto Westgate Drive. ||7:42||At Sherwood Circle and Tudor Lane. ||7:43||At First Level Drive. Turn right onto...
First, Eileen Parks [“Requiem for a Dollar Store,” Aug. 22] calls an elderly woman who was momentarily unpleasant in a grocery store a “wrinkled mass of pure uck.” Then, the employees of a small store are derided for being too helpful, and described as “pitifully stinky bums.” I have no idea if Ms. Parks is, or is not, “one of the coolest school librarians ever,” as she's described in her bio, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't want someone...
The spirit of resilience in the face of disaster was celebrated on Sunday in the villages of South Newfane and Williamsville with a parade, a barbecue, and sheer joy at having survived the worst of Tropical Storm Irene. South Newfane artist Christine Triebert, along with other community members, organized the Rock River Revival parade to honor how the community came together last year during and after Irene's devastation. Hundreds of area residents turned out for the parade, which followed the...
RE: “Why we're leaving Bellows Falls,” Viewpoint, Aug. 1: I'm deeply sorry to hear this story. I know that the entire WNESU district has worked on anti-bullying measures, off and on (thanks to prodding by parents and former board members like Jan Mitchell-Love), but this piece provides more evidence that what we have done to date has not been as effective as it needs to be. One of the reasons our town of Grafton sends so few children to Bellows...
Artists, town officials, politicians, and media-types escaping the heat of a late-summer sun stood in the cooling shadow of the Whetstone Studio for the Arts on Saturday morning. Many of the visitors left their houses still under repair, drove down patched roads with gleaming guardrails, and walked across still-sandy yards, to stand by the building rehabilitated by owner David Parker after Tropical Storm Irene's floods tore through it last year. Irene barreled through Vermont on Aug. 28, 2011. According to...
As a hospital founded 178 years ago with a $10,000 bequest, the Brattleboro Retreat is a testament to how philanthropy can chart the course of history. It is with both a nod to this history and an eye toward the future that the Brattleboro Retreat hosts a gala event on Saturday, Sept. 15. The Lawton Hall 100th Anniversary Gala will serve to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Retreat's iconic Lawton Hall. The event will also honor community leader Larry...
To start his statewide tour of towns most affected by Tropical Storm Irene on Saturday, Gov. Peter Shumlin chose the site of the former Lower Bartonsville Covered Bridge. “I came here first, because this is where it started,” he said. The Bartonsville Covered Bridge was built in 1870 and is the main link to the village of Lower Bartonsville. Record flooding on the Williams River caused by Irene on Aug. 28, 2011, swept the bridge off its abutments and carried...
Over the last two years, the Rockingham Selectboard and the Bellows Falls Village Trustees have been grappling with unsafe housing issues in the village, trying to address them through fire and safety codes. In some cases, aging housing stock built during the boomtown days in the late 19th and early 20th centuries of this former mill town has not been properly maintained. The problem has been made worse by absentee landlords who have been unable to maintain these older buildings.
With comments addressing issues of zoning changes and economic development issues, members of the public had their chance at Monday's Planning Commission meeting to comment on the town plan in progress - “an entirely new plan” that will replace the town's 2008 document, according to a Planning Commission report. The Town Plan serves as a guide to boards and commissions, like the Selectboard or Development Review Board, when reviewing development proposals on the proposed 2012 town plan. Brattleboro's current town...
There are few figures in the history of Brattleboro over the past seven decades who match the list of accomplishments of former state Sen. Robert T. Gannett. “He never stopped having an interest in helping others,” said retired Brattleboro attorney Chuck Cummings. “He was a good friend to a lot of people, and a special friend to me.” The longtime resident of Pleasant Valley Road died on Sunday at the age of 94, exactly one month shy of his 95th...
Come January, there will be a new face in Montpelier representing Brattleboro's District 3. Political newcomer and local businessman Tristan Toleno was declared the winner of the Democratic primary on Tuesday, defeating challenger Kate O'Connor by a 352-323. The winner of the District 3 race will be succeeding retiring incumbent Sarah Edwards, who chose not to run for another term after 10 years in Montpelier as a Progressive lawmaker. There is no Republican candidate for the seat, which will make...