The Brattleboro Colonels baseball team has suffered this season through all sorts of agonizing ways to lose ball games. But what happened last Friday against Bellows Falls at Hadley Field tops them all.
Brattleboro pitcher Danny Richardson had a perfect game going through 6{2/3} innings, not allowing a single Terrier to reach base.
The game was scoreless, and the Colonels had to like their chances.
Then it all fell apart.
RE: “BDCC: Out-of-state firm offered the best proposal” [Letters, May 22]: This letter does not address the fundamental issues that my piece [“Ignoring the talent in our own backyard,” Viewpoint, May 15] raised. 1) The RFP process was not communicated to my website, Brattleborology, as a contender nor as...
Vermont Performance Lab (VPL) is one of 817 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Art Works grant this year. VPL was recommended for a $30,000 grant to support the presentation of new works and/or works in progress by six nationally known artists: Ain...
Street closures announced BRATTLEBORO - Strand Avenue will be closed to through traffic tentatively until Aug. 6 while BUR Construction performs drainage and retaining wall construction. Crosby Street will also be closed to through traffic from the intersection of Crosby and Strand to 65 Crosby St. tentatively until Aug. 6. Access will still be provided for emergency services and local traffic. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes. If there are questions or concerns, contact the Department of Public Works...
What to make of Sandy Golden's letter [“People are in greater need of help, so count blessings,” April 20] which basically tells Shela Linton to shut up and count her blessings? I have no idea, though her attitude is unfortunately common. As to Golden's specific claims: I find it hard to believe Sandy Golden “could not qualify” for student loans despite being unable to afford tuition. Student loans are available to almost everyone. Even if she, for some odd reason,
Vermont recently took the top spot in the 2013 Localvore Index, meaning it has the nation's greatest number of farmers' markets, food hubs, and CSA programs per capita. As part of the effort to ensure that all Vermonters have access to local foods and to ensure farmers a bigger customer base, 45 farmers' market sites in Vermont - more farmers' markets than ever before - now accept 3SquaresVT benefits via Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. According to Erin Buckwalter, direct...
At this year's Bellows Falls Village Meeting, the majority voted to dissolve the memorial fund of Sarah Burr Howard, founded in her memory in 1900, in a disgraceful act of modern capitalism. The original $10,000 trust fund has been in place in the village since 1916 ($5,000 donated in 1900, another $5,000 donated in 1916), when her husband, Luther, donated what was then a very large amount of money to be set aside in a trust fund with the interest...
You would think that the news of May 9 that, for the first time in human history, climate warming greenhouse gas had reached 400 parts per million (ppm), would command much greater attention than being relegated to the Environment section of The New York Times, and the back page of the weekend edition of the Brattleboro Reformer. While admittedly symbolic, and only minutely worse than we were at 399 ppm the day before, it's nevertheless a number that should give...
College news • The following area students will be awarded associate degrees from the Community College of Vermont on June 1: Beatrice Amidon of Cambridgeport, Jason Garciadealba of Grafton, Rachel Stebbins-Navy of Saxtons River, Sarah Choquette of Westminster Station, Lisa Burgess of Guilford, Rachel Damon of Brattleboro, Alexander Francis of Brattleboro, Ashley Frost of Brattleboro, Jasmine Martin of Brattleboro, Donald Matthews of Brattleboro, Tanya Mayhew of Brattleboro, Alison Phillips of Brattleboro, Ronnie Raymond of Guilford, Robin Shannon of Brattleboro, Kristina...
RE: Responses to my letter [“As Vermont moves to green power, VY won't be missed,” May 8]: To John Dougherty [“VY will be missed,” Letters, May 22]: Vermont Yankee is approximately 2 percent of the New England grid. It will not be missed. Basically, it will be missed in a similar way that Kleen Energy Systems - the cogeneration plant in Middletown, Conn., that exploded in 2010 - will be missed. Not much. A 650 Mw reactor is a small...
To be honest, I'm one of the world's biggest admirers of Japanese knotweed. This plant has helped define and shape who I am and has provided me strength and healing, as well as motivated me to write a book, while it continues to provide me a source of income. We are now seeing Japanese knotweed flourish in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene, and the plant is gaining a further bad reputation for spreading throughout the flooded area, though I...
We campaign in poetry but govern in prose, said former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo during his career. As we worked through the issues of the 2013 legislative session, the verse of the campaign morphed into the detailed prose of bill drafting and creation of budget spreadsheets. The good news is that Vermont is doing well, especially compared to other states - enjoying low unemployment, a forward-moving economy, and the solid foundation of a balanced budget. Within all that, a...
With this year's session of the Vermont Legislature in the rear view mirror, local lawmakers took the opportunity to tout what got done in Montpelier at a breakfast put on by the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce at the Brattleboro Retreat on May 23. Most of the Windham County delegation was present, except for Sen. Peter Galbraith and Reps. David Deen, D-Putney; Richard Marek, D-Newfane; Charles Goodwin, D-Weston; and Matt Trieber, D-Bellows Falls. Here's some of what the delegation worked...
As part of her first New England tour, soulful folk singer Diane Cluck will perform at Equilibrium, 14 Elm St., on Sunday, June 9, at 7 p.m. Accompanied by the classically trained cellist Isabel Castellvi, Cluck will play songs she wrote for her soon-to-be-released EP “Boneset,” as well as songs from her other eight albums. Cluck's show will be opened by Sam Moss, a Brattleboro-based composer, songwriter, and string player. His playing is heavily informed by pre-war American country, blues,
Mesabi LLC, the investors behind rebuilding the Brooks House, checked two more boxes toward that project at the May 7 Selectboard meeting. The board approved the terms for Mesabi's loan with the town through the town's Community Development Block Grant Program Income Fund. The $100,000 loan will be for 10 years at 3 percent interest. “We are scrambling to have it all come together,” said Bob Stevens, one of Mesabi's five principals, of funding the multimillion-dollar rehabilitation project. A five-alarm...
Through his innovative one-man show that combines scholarship and activism, Peterson Toscano wants people to look at the Bible in new ways. On June 15, at 7:30 p.m. in Brattleboro's Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery, the comic performance artist and writer will present “Jesus Had Two Daddies: A Ridiculously Serious Look at Scripture,” which explores the bizarre, quirky and, at times, disturbing world of the Bible. Drawing on his skills as a character actor and scholar, Peterson unpacks both well- and...
The Selectboard voted May 21 to table discussion on whether to award an outdoor consumption liquor permit to Arkham, a bar at 16 Harmony Place, pending submission of a design for fencing. The board requested owners Alan Blackwell and Alyssa Blittersdorf, of A&B Squared, LLC, return June 4 with a proposed fence system that will corral patrons, prevent the passing of alcohol beyond the property, meet the fire code, and allow police to view activities within. Arkham faces the Harmony...
Camp for a Common Cause, a fundraiser benefitting the Brattleboro Area Drop In Center and Morningside Shelter, is a continuing success, the organizations report. The event, a campout held on the Brattleboro Common May 3-4, has raised roughly $10,000 to date, and donations reportedly continue to arrive by mail and online. Most importantly, the groups said, participants and the community gained valuable awareness and perspective on homelessness in the greater Brattleboro area.
hacked by saeed hacked by saeed hacked by saeed hacked by saeed hacked by saeed...
There will be moments of bitter as well as sweet. The 14th annual Roots on the River Music Festival promises to be an event to remember as perennial headliner Fred Eaglesmith tips his hat to the four-day event for the last time. The lineup is set, excitement is rising, and the Sunday show is already sold out. Roots 2013 will be held June 6-9 at a number of venues throughout town, and will see the last festival appearance of headliner...
Vermont and three other states have petitioned the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to re-evaluate the environmental impacts of long-term storage of spent radioactive fuel on nuclear plant sites. Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell and the Department of Public Service joined attorneys general from New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut in a petition requesting that the NRC reconsider its decision to continue to allow storage of spent fuel rods in on-site pools instead of dry cask storage. The petition also asks the commission...
The Renée Taylor and Joseph Bologna play “Lovers and Other Strangers” is headed for Newfane Union Hall, opening May 30. Showtimes are Thursday-Saturday, May 30-June 1. All performances are at 7:40 p.m. This production is directed by Bob DuCharme of Brookline, and features five comedies touching on the theme of women's superiority. A 1970 film version of the play starred Richard Castellano, Gig Young, Cloris Leachman, Anne Jackson, Beatrice Arthur, Bonnie Bedelia, Michael Brandon, Harry Guardino, Anne Meara, Bob Dishy,
You could, if you wanted, get up one morning and drive across the country. You could start out in Brattleboro, filling your tank in the shadow of the underpass and head out into the unknown. You could tell people, if they asked, that you were a road scholar, that you attend Four Lane University. And in a way you would be right. As you head South or West, you would pass the rotted hulks of the great industrial cities and...
Brattleboro Area Hospice's 16th annual Memorial Planting Service is Sunday, June 2, at 1:30 p.m. at the Brattleboro Area Hospice Memorial Garden at Living Memorial Park on Guilford Street. The public is invited to plant small annuals, contribute longer-lasting perennials, paint memorial messages on stones to be placed in the garden, and listen to beautiful music, all to honor and remember loved ones who have died. This event is informal and can be an especially meaningful experience for children. The...
After a month of packet upon packet of never-ending paperwork, imagine my surprise when I received a notice of official kindergarten registration and not my acceptance to the CIA. The meeting was to take place at 10:30 a.m. Well-played, school. It is the perfect time between third snack and lunch, providing the stay-at-home parent enough time to possibly shower, clean the chocolate-granola-bar residue off the children's faces, and to show up only five minutes late instead of our usual tardiness...
Twilight Music presents an evening of traditional Irish music with a modern edge by the trio McAuley, Horan, O'Caoimh at Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery on Friday, May 31, at 7:30 p.m. Accordionist/vocalist Mick McAuley and fiddler Winifred Horan are both long-time members of Irish-American supergroup Solas, which has recorded 10 albums to worldwide critical acclaim and been praised by the Boston Herald as “the best Irish traditional band in the world.” The sound of Winifred's fiddle and Mick's accordion have...
Samba will shake the halls at Main Street Arts in a three-week workshop beginning Thursday, June 6. Dancer Marji Pivar and her husband, musician Derrik Jordan, co-creators of Samba=Joy, will lead the class in the dance inspired by the festive Brazilian Carnival. Participants will be able to continue the fun by dancing as Samba=Joy under Jordan's leadership in the Saxtons River 4th of July parade. The class meets June 6, 20, and 27 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The fee...
Brattleboro Union High School social studies teacher Bill Holiday delivered a history lesson, and a critique of American foreign policy over the past century, in his remarks at the annual Memorial Day service on the Common on Monday. Holiday has taught at BUHS for 41 years, and has been involved with the American Legion Post 5 Oratorical Contest for many years. He said his brother-in-law had asked him why he was delivering a keynote speech at a Memorial Day service,
Students at Bellows Falls Union High School recently learned that texting while driving has disastrous consequences. Fortunately for them, this time it was only simulated. At the Youth Safety Council's closed course, in which students drove a golf cart among cones representing pedestrians, cars, trees and guardrails, texting while driving proved to be a killer. Students drove the course without distractions while their time and number of items struck were recorded. Then a Youth Safety Council instructor had them drive...
The Selectboard unanimously approved the first bond for the police-fire facilities upgrade project at its May 21 meeting. The bond will be for $5 million over 15 years. The funds will cover early project costs such as securing an architectural firm, drawing up early designs, and preparing a construction bid document by spring 2014. Total costs for upgrading the town's three emergency services facilities are estimated at $14.1 million. Breaking the project total into two bonds will likely save $565,000,
Members of Brattleboro Country Club are cleared to rename the stretch of Upper Dummerston Road leading into the club Senator Gannett Drive. The Selectboard unanimously approved the name at its May 21 meeting. Brattleboro resident and State Sen. Robert Gannett died Aug. 26, 2012, at 94, after decades of dedicated service to the region. “He never stopped having an interest in helping others,” retired Brattleboro attorney Chuck Cummings told The Commons at the time. “He was a good friend to...
The Wilmington Police Department recently completed the installation of a new dispatch console system at its station in Wilmington. The console was purchased and installed at a cost of $16,500. The previous console was destroyed in the flood waters of Tropical Storm Irene. In the weeks following Irene, the Vermont Sheriff's Association allocated $20,000, to be shared equally by the Wilmington and Waterbury police departments, to offset the cost of replacing equipment lost in the flood. According to Sheriff's Association...
Tropical Storm Irene's rains lasted hours, but Vermont's rivers and streams may take years to stabilize in their wake. The North Branch of the Deerfield River swamped downtown Wilmington on Aug. 28, 2011, claiming one life and leaving the town under a layer of mud. Representatives of the state Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) and the Windham Regional Commission (WRC) hosted the first of two public meetings to present a draft River Corridor Management Plan for the North Branch of...
Vermont's first community solar garden will pump out the power by August. The solar array differs from other installations in the state as multiple people will own individual photovoltaic panels within the farm. The 146 kilowatt (kW), 588-panel, photovoltaic array will provide its multiple owners access to renewable energy and a potential break on their electric bills. Panels cost $813 each and financing is available. According to Nick Ziter, founder of SunFarm Community Solar, the photovoltaic system, located behind Santa's...
The Rockingham Free Public Library will move to the Merchant's Bank lobby on the Square while renovations are under way. But tensions continue to flare behind the scenes. At a special library trustees' meeting warned for 9 a.m., Wednesday, May 22, six of the nine library trustees discussed renovations, alternative library sites, and personnel issues - including a withering censure of Librarian Célina Houlné. The meeting came on the heels of a similarly short-noticed (though still warned within the required...
Hannah O'Connell sits back in a brown desk chair in the Department of Public Works conference room. She grins. “I like to get dirty as much as I don't like pushing around a pencil,” O'Connell said. O'Connell started last October as the Department of Public Works water and highway superintendent. She succeeds Rick Ethier, the former superintendent, who retired in June after more than 30 years in the department. “I feel like I'm a part of something,” said O'Connell, 29,