The Board of Trustees of Grace Cottage Hospital/Carlos G. Otis Health Care Center announces the appointment of Roger Allbee as chief executive officer and administrator, effective immediately.
Allbee, interim CEO since January, 2014, will oversee the operations of Grace Cottage Hospital/Carlos G. Otis Health Care Center.
A Townshend resident, Allbee has served on the Grace Cottage Hospital Board of Trustees since 2003; he's served on Grace Cottage Foundation's board of directors for the past seven years.
He was Vermont's secretary of agriculture, food, and markets from 2007 to 2011 under Gov. Jim Douglas; prior to that he was Vermont's executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency.
“Don't Drink the Water,” which some Woody Allen fans say is his zaniest comedy, follows an American family on vacation in an unnamed European country behind the Iron Curtain. The family take refuge in the nearby U.S. embassy, and a farce ensues. The 1969 movie, starring Jackie Gleason and...
Newfane Garden Club to meet NEWFANE- The Newfane Garden Club will hold its monthly meeting Thursday, May 1, at the Newfane Congregational Church in Newfane, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Following the business meeting, members and guests will make spring flower arrangements for patients at Grace Cottage Hospital. Bring...
School news • The Windham Regional Career Center in Brattleboro and the River Valley Technical Center in Springfield sent local students from several programs to the 2014 Vermont SkillsUSA competition, held in early April in Burlington. • WRCC students fared very well, earning awards in five different technical areas. Leon Ogden, a Guilford junior, earned a silver medal in Technical Drafting. Trevor Houle, a Brattleboro junior, earned a bronze medal in Fire Fighting. Una Oarcea, a Brattleboro senior, Joshua Parro,
In the midst of Vermont's campaign to require the labeling of genetically modified foods (GMOs), which led up to the state legislature's recent passage of the GMO-labeling bill, the Brattleboro Food Co-op invited Gary Hirshberg, co-founder and chairman of Stonyfield Farms, as its guest of honor at its annual shareholder meeting last year. “I'm a proud capitalist,” Hirshberg told us, but there was now a call to action beyond duty to his company. Long the champion of organic causes, Hirshberg...
Fish will be biting at Saxtons River Recreation Area on Saturday, May 3, when the annual fishing derby, for kids 4 to 14, gets underway at 9 a.m. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The pond is 1.3 miles north of the rec area on Pleasant Valley Road. Derby participation is free, but the rec area is conducting a 50/50 raffle and a bake sale to support its activities. Prizes are donated by J & H Sporting Goods; trophies are underwritten...
Brattleboro Union High School track and lacrosse teams have their rosters overflowing with players this spring. Other spring sports teams, such as boys' tennis, aren't quite as fortunate. “It's getting tough to get people to come out for tennis,” Colonels boys' tennis coach Justin Duncan said Friday as he looked out from the BUHS courts to a jammed Natowich Field, where track and lacrosse practices were going full-bore. “The numbers are down for boys' and girls' tennis this year.” Duncan...
The Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD) recently received a $26,958 grant from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to assist the district with the expenses associated with its hazardous-waste collection programs. The grant, awarded annually to municipalities by the DEC, a department of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, provides assistance for education and collection programs for household hazardous waste, conditionally exempt generator waste (HHW/CEG), and mercury-added consumer products. Household hazardous waste (HHW) is the unused or leftover...
Kurn Hattin Homes for Children Music Director Lisa Bianconi is one of 10 finalists for the inaugural Grammy Music Educator Award, established in 2013 to recognize educators who “have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools.” On April 24 Bianconi was honored for the distinction at a ceremony held on Kurn Hattin's campus that was attended by Grammy Foundation...
Edee Edwards says “thank you” for reliable Internet every morning when she starts her workday. The Halifax Selectboard chair, who also serves as a member of the town's Broadband, Cell and Economic Development Committee, is still grateful for the high-speed Internet three months after it became available to her location in town. Edwards - also a librarian and information technology specialist who telecommutes - said the faster Internet service she receives through FairPoint Communications has increased her productivity. Halifax is...
Two weeks remain to view the exhibits “Out of the Shadows: Paintings by Jim Giddings” and Jennifer Stock's “Water Studies, Brattleboro” at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. The exhibits close May 4. “Flora: A Celebration of Flowers in Contemporary Art” continues through June 22, and three new shows open Friday, May 9. Their opening reception is set that day for 5 p.m., and all are welcome. Giddings maintained a painting studio and exhibition schedule during the 31 years he...
One floor below street level in a former shoe warehouse at 139 Main St., the Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery will have a new director this month. Hooker-Dunham's current manager, Barry Stockwell, is stepping down this month after having run the center for arts, culture, and public gatherings since 2007. He hands the reins to Jon Mack, who affectionately calls the space “the theater in the cave.” “With shakes of hands and the blessing of the building's owner, I will be...
The most dramatic library cuts are up for discussion this week, but my whole tenure at the library has been under level funding at the best points and cuts at the worst. The current proposal is to cut two full-time positions from the library, which would cut our staffing by one-third. I am not going to go into detail about the general value and history of public libraries. I will just mention that I got a master's in Library and...
Award-winning playwright and performance artist Deb Margolin joins students from Marlboro College's “Borders, Boundaries, and Crossings” performance seminar in a show of solo works in progress. The event is Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. at the school's Whittemore Theater. Admission is free. Students Laura-Rainbow Stakiwicz, Olivia Schaaf, John Marinelli, Peter Scibak, and Sophie Tulip will present work they developed in the seminar under visiting performance artist Carmelita Tropicana and Marlboro theater professor Brenda Foley. Margolin is an associate professor...
The second in a series of arts classes for women takes place at Main Street Arts on Saturday and Sunday, May 3 and 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Allison Teague leads the class, which puts watercolor and mixed media to work in helping participants explore a vision, the best techniques for identifying that vision, and the secrets of clean color and composition. Teague leads a class in acrylics on Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8, from 10...
Girls on the Run Vermont presents its annual Southern Vermont 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, May 17, at 10 a.m. at Brattleboro Union High School. This celebratory event is the culmination of GOTRVT's 10-week after-school program for girls in grades 3-8, and is open to anyone wishing to participate in - or just enjoy as a spectator. Proceeds benefit the scholarship fund at Girls on the Run Vermont, a non-profit organization now in its 15th year that works to inspire girls...
The Vermont Interpreter Referral Service (VIRS) hosts deaf entertainer Warren Snipe, known as Wawa, at its ninth annual Yolande Henry Community Fund fundraiser on Saturday, May 3, at 3 p.m., at the Austine School gym. Organizers said in a press release, “When you go to 'Wawa's House,' you'll be taken to a whole new level of music through deaf eyes! Yes, deaf as in can't hear - but he wears hearing aids, speaks, and signs. This multi-talented performer with a...
The Vermont Historical Society is sharing what it calls groundbreaking research into the history of slavery in Vermont through a series of public programs and teacher workshops around the state. Harvey Amani Whitfield, author of The Problem of Slavery in Early Vermont, 1777-1810, presents his research on Tuesday, May 6, at 7 p.m. at the the Brattleboro Historical Society's History Center in the Brattleboro Masonic Center. Whitfield, an associate professor of history at the University of Vermont, will touch on...
The New England Youth Theatre, 100 Flat St., presents a sing-along tribute concert to Pete Seeger, “How Can We Keep From Singing,” on Friday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. An additional show for children and families is set for Saturday, May 3, at 10 a.m. All proceeds will benefit NEYT's scholarship fund, “Angels in the Wings.” NEYT founder and evening host Stephen Stearns, and co-host Peter Amidon, will present a galaxy of well-known singers and songwriters, many of whom have...
It is fair to say that Brattleboro has asked about as much as it can of its citizens from property taxes. There is, however, another route to gaining more resources. It does not include taxation or fees. Rather, I am suggesting that the town take advantage of some key but underappreciated qualities it enjoys and raise money from contributions over and above the property tax. I am suggesting that Brattleboro do what many, if not most, charitable organizations do: invite,
In the final concert of their tour through the Northeast, world-class Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and cellist Natalie Haas will perform at First Baptist Church, 190 Main St., on Sunday, May 4, at 7 p.m. Fraser's concert and recording career spans 30 years, including a long list of awards, accolades, television credits, and feature performances on top movie soundtracks. Haas, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, was 11 when she first attended Fraser's Valley of the Moon Scottish...
Compass School has broken ground on what Admissions Director Rick Cowan calls the biggest capital construction project in the school's history. Backed by a $1,105,000 direct loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development's Community Program, the school is building a 2,000-square-foot addition that will create a new arts lab, a new science lab, a Spanish-language classroom, two quiet-study spaces, new staff offices, and what Cowan calls “a welcoming front porch.” The addition will feature energy-efficient lighting and ceilings.
Its staff, trustees, and nonprofit friends group invite the community to the Rockingham Free Public Library's grand re-opening celebration, May 8 through 10. Events are planned for all ages to enjoy marking the completion of the library's recent yearlong renovation. Festivities begin Thursday, May 8, at 6 p.m., when Bill Hosley presents, “More Than Books: Reflections on Libraries, Community, and Historic Preservation.” Hosley's program traces approximately 200 years in American library practice with a special focus on New England and...
Anyone who caught the national Homelessness Marathon that was broadcast live from Brattleboro on Feb. 19 was no doubt struck by the courage and thoughtfulness of all the local participants interviewed and was no doubt reminded of our collective need to keep them and their plight from becoming invisible. But also poignant that night was the resilience and activism of two untelevised guests - a mother and her teenage daughter - with an added barrier to speaking out. They joined...
Assistant Fire Chief Pete Lynch counted people standing five abreast as he descended the stairs from the Municipal Center's second floor on Tuesday night. Attendance at the special Selectboard budget meeting had exceeded safe occupancy numbers. People waiting to speak on the town budget jockeyed for space in the hallway, the Hanna Cosman Room, and the Selectboard Meeting Room, which is certified for only 100 people. Twice that many had streamed to the meeting to speak on the town's budget,
We recently adopted a dog whose daily walks have resulted in my becoming something of an archeologist of the roadside. What have I found? I have discovered continuing proof of a society in decline, in which some (fueled by despair or self-loathing) litter without a second thought. The artifacts we find while sidestepping broken glass from beer bottles (not friendly to dog paws) are empty beer cans and fast-food packaging. The favored brands are Budweiser, Busch, McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts,
Main Street Arts got some good news just before the groundbreaking ceremony on April 26 for its renovations and addition. A $133,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, administered through the Windham Regional Commission, came in last week following timely action by MSA Managing Director Margo Ghia. That's according to Capital Campaign Committee Chair Kathleen Bryar, who said that when a need for more brownfield remediation work became apparent, Ghia completed and submitted the application for a grant from...
The mantra of the Federal Emergency Management Agency - disaster recovery is a marathon, not a sprint - has definitely been true for Southern Vermont in the nearly three years since flash flooding from Tropical Storm Irene caused millions of dollars of damage to homes, businesses, and public infrastructure. An assessment of what has been done, and what work remains, was presented at the semi-annual meeting of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corp., held in Bellows Falls April 22. The biggest...
Safe Kids Vermont joins Green Street School in celebrating Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 7. The event brings together children, parents, and educators in raising awareness of bicycle safety. After school, kids will enjoy a bike rodeo - hands-on and on-bike opportunities to learn about helmet fit, bike fit, and rules of the road. In partnership with Bell Sports, Bike to School Day is celebrated across the United States in May as part of National Bike Month. All...
The sound system buzzed in the Vernon Elementary School cafeteria as a handful of residents waited for the School Board to take their seats. The School Board presented its reduced Vernon school budget in an information session Monday starting at 6 p.m. Voters defeated the fiscal year 2015 budget during a three-night Annual Town Meeting in March. According to informational materials presented at the meeting, the revised fiscal 2015 budget is $50,732 lighter than the version proposed in March. “We...