When I worked in a medical office, I learned how to transcribe the notes the physician dictated after each patient visit, describing symptoms, observations, assessment, and plan. These SOAP notes were a good tool for breaking down a patient's interrelated and complex problems, so I thought I'd apply it to the local and ailing body politic.
Symptoms: In Newfane, we have seen a steady decline in attendance at the Leland & Gray Union High School Annual Meeting, the annual Newbrook Elementary School Meeting, and the annual Town Meeting.
Observations: Last year, 64 Newfane voters cast ballots when the $6.5 million LGUHS budget came to a vote. Forty voters, from Newfane and Brookline combined, attended the meeting where the $1.9 million elementary school budget passed.
About 70 voters showed up at Town Meeting, where an hour-long debate about raising two full-time salaries from $33,600 to $34,608 was followed by passing a $1.2 million town budget with almost no debate whatsoever.
College news • Shannon Weatherup, an international studies major from Vernon, received her Bachelor of Arts degree from American International College in Springfield, Mass., on May 19. • Lawrence Farley of Brattleboro received a Bachelor of Arts from Emory College of Arts and Sciences of Emory University in Atlanta,
Independent filmmakers wear many hats, from screenwriter to director to chief coffeemaker. The executive director of the eighth annual Independent Television Festival (ITVFest) also wields a paint brush. Philip Gilpin Jr. spent part of a recent muggy Sunday painting the movie theater in Dover, preparing the building to welcome...
Meat birds begin their life in transit, inside the arteries of the United States Postal Service, crossing state lines with bestsellers from Amazon and stretch jeans from Lands' End. But unlike those other packages, chick boxes contain a surplus, a couple of extra baby birds to make up for the wear and tear of travel. It's an inexpensive way to console the customer when a pile of feathers arrives without any peeps. Chicken farmers, however, are a peculiar type of...
Milestones upon milestones! Brattleboro's free, family-friendly July 4 celebration celebrates its 40th anniversary this month. The event, with its morning parade downtown, and its afternoon and evening of sports, music, and fireworks at Living Memorial Park, began in 1973 under the leadership of the late J. Wayne Corbeil, then-president of the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber organized the celebration until 2010, at which time local leaders formed the “By the People: Brattleboro Goes Fourth” citizens committee to take...
Opponents of Vermont Yankee say there is no solution to the used fuel problem. What is true is that there is not a political solution (yet) to the used fuel problem in this country. Other countries have political solutions, having chosen one of several technical solutions. Nuclear opponents don't want a solution. Their tactic is to oppose and stall everything that moves the progress of nuclear power forward. They have the misguided belief that if they somehow manage to get...
Will a new world record for the longest “stroll” line dance be set in downtown Wilmington? Come to the July Village Stroll on Saturday, July 6, from 5 to 8 p.m., and step into history. Stop by the boardwalk outside Jim McGrath Gallery and Pickwell's Barn for a quick dance lesson. Then, at 7:45 p.m., make your way to the new footbridge where everyone will do the stroll. No dancing experience is necessary, just be prepared for lots of fun...
The BUHS Class of 1963 held its 50th reunion on June 15 and 16. Fifty-five classmates and 30 guests attended. The weekend started Saturday afternoon with a tour by Bob Johnson of his business, Omega Optical, followed by a buffet dinner at the Brattleboro Country Club. Special entertainment was provided by classmate Anton Mastaler and his wife, Betty Smith-Mastaler, with background music for dancing provided by David Sutherland. A picnic was held on Sunday at the home of Richard Rudolph...
Vermont-based choreographer and performer Ashley Hensel-Browning is leading three intensive dance classes for youth the week of July 29 through August 2 at Main Street Arts. Hip Hop and Modern Dance (ages 9-12) meets from 9 to 10 a.m. Participants will explore a variety of styles including modern and hip hop dance moves and choreograph their own dances. Modern Dance and Creative Movements (ages 6-8) meets from 10 to 10:45 a.m. The aim is to encourage kids to get to...
The town of Guilford will hold its annual Independence Day Celebration on Saturday, July 6, at Broad Brook Grange. The event will begin with a 5K race and continue with a small parade with a marching band and two hours of family fun, food, and music. Registration for Guilford's third annual 5K run is 9 to 10 a.m., with the registration fee of $10 benefiting the Grange Building Fund. The race starts at 10, beginning at the Grange, and takes...
What would you do to support your cause? Six young adults concerned about climate change are bicycling more than 1,000 miles around Vermont and New Hampshire to focus attention on the impacts of fossil fuel use on New England. They arrived in Brattleboro on June 25 and departed on July 1. Between, they held “tabling” sessions at the Brattleboro Bike Shop, Burrow's Specialized Sports, and the Brattleboro Area Farmers' Market; held “climate cafés” at Equilibrium and the Stone Church; and...
Food Connects, a new organization with its early roots formed under another nonprofit, launched at the end of June dedicated to cultivating healthy food and farm connections in classrooms, cafeterias, and communities. Formerly under the auspices of Brattleboro-based Post Oil Solutions, the Windham County Farm to School program and other food-related programing begun about five years ago, have reached a self-sustaining level and become an independent organization, said Richard Berkfield, executive director of Food Connects. Co-founders Katherine Gillespie, Berkfield, and...
When Hallie Flower tells people about the new production of “Wit” that she's directing for the Apron Theater Company, she says they too often respond, “Isn't that that cancer play?” Flower is a little chagrined that Margaret Edson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play should be pigeonholed as a medical drama. Although “Wit” does indeed concern a woman with cancer, Flower feels it is about so much more. Apron Theater Company and Next Stage Arts Project present Edson's “Wit,” directed by Hallie Flower,
A new exhibit of the works of Red Grooms is the most expensive that the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) has ever mounted. Expense does not necessarily mean quality, but this show promises to be something special. “Red Grooms: What's the Ruckus?” - a major new exhibit by the venerable Pop artist - includes rare early work and large sculptures, and is Grooms' first exhibit in New England in 17 years – and his first-ever in Vermont. Opening alongside...
Rescue Inc., which provides community-based emergency medical services to 15 towns in the greater Brattleboro area, is raffling off a 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek to help finance the upgrade of key emergency response equipment. The annual car raffle kicks off during the Brattleboro Goes Fourth Independence Day Parade. Rescue Inc. is also offering a subscription membership package to area residents. Raffle tickets are $50 each, or three for $100. The winning ticket holder will have the option of taking a...
The new fiscal year brings with it state budget cuts that reduce access to emergency housing for Vermonters on the verge of homelessness. In an attempt to fill the gap, Brattleboro's Continuum of Care (BCC), a group of 13 local nonprofits, has begun a drive to collect tents and sleeping bags. Local housing agencies anticipate an increased need for these survival tools when the budget cuts take effect July 15. The state emergency housing program provides limited motel vouchers for...
On behalf of Gun Sense Vermont, I thank those who attended our vigil on the Brattleboro Common, commemorating the six-month anniversary of the massacre in Newtown, Conn. I also thank the singers who contributed to this occasion, Pastor Susanna Griefen of the Dummerston Congregational Church for her reading, and state Rep. Mike Mrowicki, who spoke about his efforts to pass sensible gun legislation favored by a majority of Vermonters. Our goal is to keep guns in the hands of those...
The Windham Child Care Association is adding hours and flexibility to its child care program. Sprouts Early Learning Cooperative/Evening Care is opening a full-day preschool program for children ages 3-5 beginning July 29. Hours will be from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Parents can choose a full- or part-time program. According to WCCA Executive Director Elizabeth Raposa in a program announcement, many local families have benefitted from Evening Care's non-traditional hours. Three years after taking the program on, she said,
Brattleboro Farmers' Market to double 'Harvest Health' coupons BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Farmers' Market is matching EBT dollars spent at market (up to $10 per person per visit) with Harvest Health Coupons during July. The Brattleboro Farmers' Market operates the Wednesday Market, downtown by the Co-op on the Whetstone Pathway, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the Saturday Market on Route 9 in West Brattleboro (past the covered bridge). Come to the market, swipe your EBT card at the manager's...
• Humble Kitchen is moving - a proposition made much easier by the fact that the restaurant operates out of a food cart. Operated by Amy Gallant and James Smith, Humble Kitchen serves Vietnamese street food made primarily from local sources. Previously at the Harmony Lot in Brattleboro, Humble Kitchen has begun serving from 47 Flat St., across from the footbridge over the Whetstone Brook. The move was prompted by the impending construction activities at the Brooks House. Gallant and...
Every village needs a center, a focal point for activity. But South Newfane has struggled to have a focal point in recent years, particularly after Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011 turned the Rock River into a raging torrent that left massive amounts of flood damage in its wake. The general store and post office closed a couple of years ago. The Inn at South Newfane has been closed even longer, and is now a private residence. The South Newfane...
The 1950s are out and change is in the...hair. “Hairspray,” winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, is a family-friendly musical piled bouffant-high with laughter, romance, and deliriously tuneful songs. It's 1962 in Baltimore, and the lovable plus-size teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire – to dance on the popular “Corny Collins Show.” When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star. She must use her newfound power to dethrone the reigning teen...
Five years ago, the Most Rev. Salvatore R. Matano, the Bishop of Burlington, assigned a young priest from Bellows Falls to St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Brattleboro. He sent the young priest here with a mission: to strengthen and rejuvenate a Catholic school whose fortunes were flagging. Five years later, the Very Rev. Richard C. O'Donnell told parishioners at his farewell Mass on Sunday that “We've done amazing things because of how amazing you all are.” The priest, whom...
Broccoli tends to elicit love or hate. George H. W. Bush famously hated it, but I love broccoli. I love broccoli rabe. I love broccolini. All have a superficial resemblance to one another, but each has its own distinct character - cousins in the large colorful Brassicaceae family. All are packed full of vitamins and antioxidants. All are full of fabulous flavor. So if you hate broccoli, read on. I might convert you to embrace a more liberal view of...
For the members of the Newfane Congregational Church, the addition to their historic sanctuary was not just about more space, although the wing provides 1,000 square feet for offices, a meeting room, and storage. It wasn't just about safety, although it has added a second exit to the church. With the addition of a ramp that takes visitors right to the doors of an elevator that can accommodate two people and two wheelchairs, the project is, first and foremost, about...
The Brattleboro Union High School track team recognized two graduates with postseason honors at the school's graduation ceremonies on June 14. Paxton Reed was awarded the Leroy Johnston Memorial Trophy, given by the Class of 1945 in memory of Johnston, who was a science teacher and coach at Brattleboro High School from 1929 to 1942. The cup is awarded annually to a male student prominent in track and field who exemplifies the qualities of dependability and good citizenship which were...
Village voters returned for a special meeting on June 25 to decide whether to pass a new budget reworked by the Trustees, having failed to pass the proposed 2013-2014 budget at the annual village meeting in May. Option 1, as presented by the Trustees, was passed. The May budget proposal asked the voters to approve $1,945,357, of which $1,864,482 was to be raised by taxes. This was not passed, and a special meeting had to be called to revisit and...
Celebrate America's birthday at the town's annual Independence Day party and fireworks, July 4 at Baker Field, behind Twin Valley High School. The event starts at 6 p.m. with a party, live entertainment, and vendors on the field. The evening culminates in a fireworks display at 9 p.m. Rain date is July 5. Parking in town is very limited. Look for “park and ride” sites at the Howe Farm on Route 100 North and on Route 9 West, where free...
I recently came across a press release from early June that made many a cheesemonger's ears perk up, mine included. It appeared in The Wall Street Journal, a publication I normally avoid like the plague because there are no funny pages and it's just kind of ugly, but this time I couldn't resist. “New Studies Confirm: Raw Milk a Low-Risk Food” is written in “sciencese” (that's the science version of “legalese”), but here's the gist of it: The Centre for...
When I was a kid, there was a pretty little popular song called “Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries.” I was just young enough when I first heard it not to really know what that meant. But the image it conjured up still resonates with me. I don't know what it says about me (and if you know, keep it to yourself!), but truth be told, I never see a bowl of cherries without singing that number in my...
Thousands of retaining walls, fashioned from steel, wood, fieldstone, and granite blocks - to name a few - line Brattleboro's roads. The walls hold earth, gardens, and roads in place. The Brattleboro Department of Public Works recently received a state grant to repair a 150-foot dry-laid fieldstone wall on Washington Street. The dry-laid stone wall supports Washington Street where it meets Canal Street. It failed more dramatically this season. The sidewalk has sloped and the roadway has cracked. “It's not...
We are flying out today, over Boston, the city where marriage equality got its start. We are flying out over Old South Church, the place where we were married. We are flying in to California, a place where yesterday morning our marriage wasn't legal. And we are flying to General Synod, the biannual meeting of the United Church of Christ, the church that recognized our marriage before the federal government ever did. Our marriage certificate from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
Every town has its own way of welcoming summer. Vernon celebrated the return of sun and fun on Saturday with the annual town picnic, complete with a parade, barbeque, and fireworks. And, as has been the case for the past four decades, the center for all the action was the town's recreation area, more than 25 acres of land on Pond Road, featuring a playground; cookout facilities; tennis, basketball, and shuffleboard courts; a ball field with dugouts; hiking trails; and...
In observance of the July 4 holiday, all town offices will be closed on Thursday, with the exception of emergency services. Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on July 4. All other violations, including extended parking, will be enforced. Brooks Memorial Library will be closed on July 4. Trash, recycling, and composting will not be picked up on July 4. All pick-ups normally scheduled on Thursday will be conducted Friday, July 5. The BeeLine...
After 11 years working in Central America on humanitarian projects while meeting members of U.S.-trained “death squads” and counter-revolutionaries in El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, Jody Williams felt truly “fried.” Before she became a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and chair of the Nobel Women's Initiative, Williams started looking for a “straight job.” Luckily, says Williams, she was saved from that path when two friends asked her to help them ban anti-personnel land mines. Land mines sit buried, waiting for activation.