Next Stage Arts Project will present Chris Smither on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m., at Next Stage in Putney.
Smither is considered one of the most talented and creative guitarists and singer/songwriters in the American folk music scene today. According to the Associated Press, Smither is “an American original, a product of the musical melting pot, and one of the absolute best singer-songwriters in the world.”
From his early days as the New Orleans transplant in the Boston folk scene, through his wilderness years, to his reemergence in the 1990s as one of America's most distinctive acoustic performers, Smither continues to hone his distinctive sound.
Smither continues to draw from the blues, American folk music, modern poets and philosophers with the 14th recording of his career, Hundred Dollar Valentine (Signature Sounds), released last summer.
This past week, Brattleboro Town Meeting representatives approved a $14 million bond for renovations to the police and fire stations. That's just a construction estimate. With interest, the bond will cost close to $20 million. This will cost the typical property owner $2,000 to $4,000, and this cost will...
By now you have probably received several mailings with absentee ballot applications and probably a request to vote straight “up and down the ticket.” Wait! Stop! Look! Listen! Now I won't tell you how I'm going to vote line by line (unless you ask me!), but I do want...
Thank you to all who supported me in the recent primary. Three major challenges face us as we approach the new biennium in January: • Irene long-term recovery. Following our initial handling of the crisis, a response that gave all of us as Vermonters good reason to be proud, we need to revisit some of the original repairs to prepare for future challenges and work with FEMA for the funding that we in good faith have planned upon. • Economic...
Townshend artist and enthusiastic movement practitioner Patricia Burleson will be one of the presenters at a three-day “5Rhythms Workshop,” which merges free-form movement and music with spiritual experience and sacred connection, on Oct. 26 to 28 at Grace Cottage Hospital. The workshop will be led by Maine teacher Sara Wilde at the hospital's Wellness Center. According to her website (maine5rhythms.com), Wilde has been teaching 5Rhythms classes and workshops in Maine for 22 years. She has also taught at the Rowe...
Obituaries • Richard S. “Bummy” Allen, 78, of Jacksonville. Died Oct. 17 at his home. Husband of Caroline Smith Allen for more than 47 years. Father of Keith Allen and his wife, Jenni, of Norman, Okla., Scott Allen and his wife, Jayne, of Jacksonville, and Christine Block and her husband, Travis, of Jacksonville. Brother of David Allen of Jacksonville, Mary Louise Rauschenback of Connecticut, Stella Stevens of Jacksonville, Harriet Maynard of Wilmington, and the late Myron Allen, Jr. Born in...
The Vermont of 1962 was a very different place from the Vermont of today. It was a state slowly starting to awaken from a long economic slumber. The state's population level had pretty much stagnated from the end of the Civil War to the 1950s, and more people were leaving the state than coming in. According to the U.S. Census, 15,000 Vermonters between the ages of 20 and 44 left the state between 1950 and 1960. The number of Vermonters...
It's been nearly 2½ years since the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) opened a Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Brattleboro. While more local veterans received health care in Brattleboro, rather than driving to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction, not everyone has gotten the message yet. So on Oct. 19, the clinic used the occasion of the recent hiring of a new medical director, Dr. Richard Orlan, to hold an open house for local veterans and veterans...
BASIC to host second community forum with skatepark architect BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro Recreation & Parks and BASIC will host a second public design workshop about the skatepark design with Mike Mclntyre, Skatepark Architect from Action Sport Design (ASD), now with Stantec, at Crowell Playground Park on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 5 p.m., with public workshop to follow at the Gibson-Aiken Center, 207 Main St. This public forum presents local skaters an opportunity to provide input into the design process, provides...
On Saturday, Nov. 3, from 4 to 8 p.m., at the VFW on Black Mountain Road, Brattleboro Area Hospice will present its annual fundraiser, an auction with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres called “Chair-ished Goods.” Yes, the name of the event is a pun, because not only could the fine items being auctioned be called “cherished,” but the centerpiece of the event is the selling of a series of chairs that have been refurbished, hand-painted, and otherwise embellished in unique ways.
The Vermont Principals' Association released its playoff pairings for soccer and field hockey on Monday, and three of the local teams will have a chance at some home games. In field hockey, Bellows Falls got the No. 2 seed in Division III and will host No. 7 North Country (3-8-3) in a quarterfinal game on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 11 a.m. Brattleboro did not qualify in Division I. In girls' soccer, all the local teams will have playdowns scheduled for...
Visitors to the seventh season of the Winter Farmers' Market in the River Garden in downtown Brattleboro will find more farms and more local produce than ever before. Starting on Saturday, Nov. 3, the River Garden will be transformed into a warm, welcoming indoor marketplace with more than 30 vendors, including favorites from past seasons such as Dwight Miller Orchards, Fertile Fields Farm, Deep Meadows Farm, Wild Shepherd Farm, Higley Hill Farm, Susan Dunning Pottery, Orchard Hill Bread, Vermont Wild...
Union Institute & University (UI & U), a nonprofit, accredited, private university offering flexible degree programs designed for engaged and busy adults, will host an information session Monday, Oct. 29, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at the Brattleboro Academic Center, 3 University Way. Pizza and beverages will be served. Faculty member Ben Mitchell will be on hand, hosting a frank discussion on “The Challenges and Benefits of Returning to School as an Adult.” Mitchell is an affiliated professor and graduate...
Forest of Mystery may be the biggest fundraiser for Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center (BEEC). However, being only a little humorous, BEEC's Director of Development Belle Coles asserts, “If it did not raise a cent, we would have to do it anyway. People come to us and plead for the event. They love it. It was not an option for us to cancel Forest this year.” For 17 years, Forest of Mystery has enchanted audiences by the stories of spirits that...
Kudos to Olga Peters for her in-depth reporting of local elections around our region this year. After reading the recent article about the race for state representative in my legislative district [“Candidates vie to fill Olsen's Legislature seat,” News, Oct. 17], I picked up on a comment attributed to me that was not reported quite right. The story correctly reported my concern with certain statements about health care highlighted in a recent candidates' forum, but called out the one statistic...
Sophomore Corey Nystrom scored two goals and Jake Sherman added another as the Leland & Gray Rebels defeated Twin Valley, 3-1, Oct. 16 in a win that avenged a bitter overtime loss to the Wildcats earlier in the season. Sherman got the Rebels started with an unassisted score five minutes into the game on a beautiful hooking shot from about 20 yards out. Later in the half, senior captain Billy Nupp dropped a corner kick right in front of the...
After talking with many Brattleboro District 3 voters since the August primary election who were dissatisfied with the negative campaign that was waged against Kate O'Connor, it is important to note that there is still a choice for the voters in the general election. You can write in the name of Kate O'Connor for state representative for District 3. Kate's experience in working at the Vermont Statehouse for almost 20 years should be used to benefit residents of District 3...
I am running for Justice of the Peace here in Windham County, and I request the privilege of your vote when you cast your ballot this November. I am known by some of you as the co-founder of Green Mountain Traffic Control, a growing, local employer doing work on jobsites all across the state for the past 10 years, and as a charter member of the Vermont Work Zone Advisory Council, which seeks to improve on-road safety for workers and...
New survey results published by the Centers for Disease Control show that the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Birthing Center compares favorably to hospitals of similar size both statewide and nationally. BMH scored an 88 out of a possible 100 on the Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care survey (mPINC). Contributing to that mark were perfect scores in the two subcategories of “Postpartum Care -- Feeding of Breastfed Infants” and “Facility Discharge Care.” The average composite score across Vermont was 76...
Beth Pearce's pragmatic problem-solving skills and apolitical approach to managing the state treasurer's office are exactly what we need to ensure the financial health of our state. As our new state treasurer in 2010, Beth's leadership caused Vermont's bond rating to improve from AA stable to AA positive, during a time when Standard and Poor's downgraded the U.S. bond rating. Vermont now has the best bond rating in New England. Why does this matter to the average Vermonter? Now, homeowners...
If, on Nov. 1, you hear furious keyboard pounding echoing around the world, it is the sound of more than 250,000 people beginning a literary challenge of epic proportions: 30 days, 50,000 words, and one original novel. November is National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, the world's largest writing event and literary crusade. Throughout November, the Rockingham Free Public Library (RFPL) will hold programs for teens and adults focused on writing. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write...
It's the end of a day of meetings and time to sit down with the press for Congressman Peter Welch, D-Vt. Such a day is common for the three-term representative. Although he is the heavy favorite to win the November general election, Welch continues to campaign. “I love the opportunity to represent Vermonters,” said Welch of why he is running for a fourth term. Vermonters tend to support practical solutions and are “committed to civility,” he said. Welch has tried...
The Townshend Town Hall will be the venue for the third annual “Grace Cottage's Got Talent” variety show on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 6:30 p.m. All performers are Grace Cottage Hospital employees and their family members. The Master of Ceremonies will be Grace Cottage's Dr. Robert Backus, and a variety of skits (music, dancing, singing and comedy) will be performed. Admission is by donation. Refreshments will be available at intermission. The proceeds will help Grace Cottage expand its Messenger Valley...
Candidates representing the Liberty Union Party have been on Vermont ballots since 1972. But Liberty Union enters its fifth decade in electoral politics trying to rebuild itself after a fire on July 2 destroyed the home of one of the party's founders, Peter Diamondstone. He and his wife of 55 years, Doris, escaped unharmed, but the Diamondstones not only lost all their personal possessions, but also the entire history of the Liberty Union Party. “It really discombobulated us,” said Peter.
Town Meeting Representatives voted on October 20 to approve upgrades to the police and fire stations, and to reject a new 1 percent sales tax to offset the $14.1 million construction project. Town Meeting Members hold the fiduciary authority to decide whether to bond projects and approve taxes. By secret ballot, they voted 99-34 to approve bonding the police and fire upgrades. Of the 145 Town Meeting Members, 133 cast votes. According to Town Finance Director John O'Connor, the estimated...
Mark Donka, the Republican candidate for the U.S. House seat held by three-term incumbent Democrat Peter Welch, calls campaigning “interesting” and “enlightening.” Donka, a police officer from Hartford, said fellow Republicans urged him to run. “I want to be a representative of the people,” he said. Donka said his more than two decades of experience in law enforcement will help him negotiate tough situations in Washington. He said he relates to, speaks with, and listens to people from “all walks...
While Brattleboro Food Co-op (BFC) workers are waiting to have their chance to vote yes for their union, they are not waiting to start improving their workplace. This past week, staff members and their supporters met with BFC human resources to propose and win a suitable space for nursing mothers to express breast milk during their work day. Under Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers are required to provide “a place, other than a bathroom, that...
I thought it would be a good idea to elaborate on some important issues facing our state. Vermont is a state of roughly 626,000 people. With such a small population, an even smaller tax base, and a still-recovering economy, Montpelier shouldn't be pondering any tax increases. That means our property taxes shouldn't spike, nor should we be considering taxing services. Vermont has a long history of fiscal strength, so we need to ask ourselves whether a discussion about increasing taxes...
RE: “Written in stone” [Editorial, May 30]: I served with Bill Bassignani in Vietnam. Thank you for reminding people of the tremendous sacrifices made by the men and women in uniform, especially those in combat zones.
Recently my friend, the apostate Bob Oeser, has encouraged people to vote for Republican Vince Illuzzi for state auditor [Letters, this issue]. I argue the wise vote is for Democrat/Progressive Doug Hoffer. While Illuzzi's positions on some issues are better than those of some Republicans, there are serious faults in some of those positions, too. Illuzzi has endorsed Mitt Romney in public appearances with John Sununu and Steve Forbes, who have recently declared President Obama un-American, “a disgrace,” and a...
A date has been set for employees of the Brattleboro Food Co-op to vote on unionization. Late last week, the Co-op's Union Organizing Committee and general manager Alex Gyori reached an agreement to hold the election on Wednesday, Nov. 14. That was the date that the workers and the union that seeks to represent them, Local 1459 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, had sought for a vote that would be supervised by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
A dazzling assortment of paintings, photographs, drawings, sculpture, and installation artwork by 13 artists from around New England will be on display at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) beginning Friday, Nov. 2, as part of the museum's major new exhibit, New England Biennial 2012, sponsored by People's United Bank. The artists featured in the juried exhibit were chosen from among more than 400 applicants by Stephen Haller of the Stephen Haller Gallery in New York City. BMAC's chief...
RE: “From Vermont family court to judging war criminals” [News, Oct. 10]: “World peace begins at home”: The work of my friend and former colleague, the Hon. Patricia Whalen, epitomizes this saying. Her work at Vermont Legal Aid, in Vermont Family Court, and in the International Court of Justice has done our community, our Windham County and Vermont bar associations, Vermont, and the United States proud. She is and always has been an inspiration to me. It will be good...
After standing vacant for more than a year, the Brooks House has received a preliminary nod to house two colleges, their faculty, their staff, and their students in a new joint downtown college campus. Community College of Vermont (CCV) and Vermont Technical College (VTC) will be the anchor tenants of the mixed-use building. The two institutions are part of the Vermont State Colleges, the umbrella organization for the state's five public colleges: CCV, VTC, Castleton State College, Johnson State College,
In these times of economic distress, partisan deadlock, concerns about taxation, and worries about how the needs of our citizens are to be met, we need as our state representative someone who is rooted in the community, has extensive experience in the community, and can truly represent all the people in our community regardless of party affiliation. Tim Goodwin's active involvement in a wide range of community and regional services - from fire department to lister to planning commission to...
RE: “From Vermont family court to judging war criminals” [News, Oct. 10]: My goodness! What a lot of hoopla. When does the book The World According to Patty come out? When Patty Whalen sat in the Magistrate's Court, she had a reputation, at least among attorneys representing males, of being totally gender-biased against male litigants. The description of her background in this article certainly adds weight to that thought. In fact, if I had known about that background several years...
RE: “From Vermont family court to judging war criminals” [News, Oct. 10]: Patty Whalen, and the entire wave of women appointed to the bench during the Madeleine Kunin era, brought Vermont forward in reducing gender bias in Vermont courtrooms, but she did not end it. Vermont still has a long way to go.
Doug Hoffer's candidacy for State Auditor offers Vermonters a unique opportunity to vote for a numbers guy who understands the policy and the people behind government spending. From his days working with Senator Bernie Sanders (then mayor of Burlington) to the present, Doug certainly understands accountability regarding government spending. Numbers need to add up and represent the work that government funding intended it for. Doug also understands the real people behind the need for that spending and how it has...
Snow Geese are beginning to make the passage overhead on their way to coastal wintering areas along the mid-Atlantic. On a few occasions I have had the good fortune to watch as thousands of birds have materialized out of the gray sky in line after line, then reset their wings, applying the brakes to their flight. In a swirling mass they settled with the few thousand on the ground to rest and feed. Snow Geese nest on the Canadian tundra,
One billion dollars! That's how much Vermont state officials claim it could cost to repair damages caused by Hurricane Irene. There's no doubt that many of us are still dealing with the financial and emotional havoc wrought by last year's tropical storm. That's why I was extremely troubled when I heard Tim Goodwin, a candidate for state representative, questioned the reality of global warming at this week's candidate's debate at Flood Brook Union School. ''I'm no scientist,'' Goodwin said, as...
I'm wearing purple today. I'm sitting at the counter of my small town's diner, wearing a purple-and-white checked shirt, and ordering an omelette. I'm wearing purple as a sign to the LGBTQ youth who are being bullied that someone cares, and that someone is on their side. But I'm wearing purple for another kid, too. I'm wearing purple for a 14-year-old who entered Winter Park High School one Florida day in 1990 and sat next to a future police officer.