The recent dress-code trouble at Brattleboro Union High School (BUHS) is an important story, one playing out in school districts across the nation. A recent New York Times op-ed piece from the West Coast covered similar ground, the tip of the iceberg.
I applaud The Commons for taking it on, because it is a story that really matters - even though now that school is out, it can be easy to forget.
I have some inside information on the issue, since one of my daughter's closest friends was somewhere near the center of the controversy. The moveable feast of teenage girls who sometimes inhabit our home was also involved.
The thing that seems most murky to me is the question of how a protest that began as a sort of ironic nonviolent gesture to wake the BUHS administration up to the flaws in its policy turned into a rumored riot.
Paul Heinz, the political report for Seven Days, recently inaccurately described me as a “leftie.” I am in fact a leader of a new breed, one who can deliver less taxation with more efficient and effective public service from our public servants. I am one who will not be...
The Open Music Collective launches a special Zappa ensemble from Monday, July 14, at 7 p.m. Bolstered by the success of last year's summer Zappa ensemble class, OMC offers its second class featuring such classics as “Mother People,” “Peaches in Regalia,” and “Absolutely Free.” Organizers say vocals and all...
West Brattleboro Association meets July 10 WEST BRATTLEBORO - The next monthly meeting of the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) is at the New England House on Thursday, June 10, at 6 p.m. After a review of sessions planned for this fall concerning the re-use of Melrose Terrace and progress on the Association becoming a Vermont nonprofit, the Association will weigh locations for the welcome signs planned for the Route 9 corridor. The group also will review Route 9 transportation/safety issues...
Town leaders electing to suspend the town's website and listserv as a response to tough new open meeting laws July 7 is just one action Townshend's newly elected Selectboard is grappling with. Here are a few others culled from Selectboard meetings June 30 and July 7: Town needs auditors Townshend is trying to replace its complement of town auditors after Kristine Grotz-Kuch and Ryan Hockertlotz, incumbents, quit their posts. Grotz-Kuch's and Hockertlotz's written letters of resignation were read and accepted...
The Vermont Attorney General's Office has ruled that a Brattleboro Police officer was justified in the use of deadly force during a shooting incident on April 4. “The office has concluded, as a matter of law, that Brattleboro Police Sergeant Mark Carignan was legally justified in the use of deadly force when he twice shot Michael Santiago with his shotgun,” said Attorney General William Sorrell in a July 3 news release. “The legal standard for the use of deadly force...
The Brattleboro branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) awarded four college scholarships for the 2014-2015 academic year. Three high school graduates and one mature woman, already pursuing higher education, each received $1,000. These scholarships are funded in part by the AAUW Annual Book Sale, which is held this year Sept. 4 through 6 at Centre Congregational Church. The recipients are: • Brittany Bills, Leland & Gray Union High School: Bills will attend the University of Maine at...
The Apron Theater Company and Next Stage Arts Project present “August: Osage County,” Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., July 10-12 and July 17-19, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, July 13. One of the most bracing and critically acclaimed plays in recent Broadway history, Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize winning “August: Osage County” is a portrait of the dysfunctional American family at its finest - and absolute worst. When the patriarch of the Weston clan disappears one hot summer...
Brattleboro (where I haven't visited for eight years or so) has now made it into the big leagues with Kerry Secrest's appointment as honorary consul of Lithuania. I congratulate The Commons on the fine coverage of this auspicious event, and hope you'll continue educating your readers on the meaning of the important consular institution as a whole.
I just want to remind everyone that there is a big Democratic Party primary in Windham County on Aug. 26, when four candidates vie for two spots on the ballot in November for Windham County senator. Jeanette White is the only incumbent and definitely deserves our vote, not only because of her excellent record and long list of accomplishments but also because she is the only candidate with the experience, knowledge, and established relationships needed to move forward on the...
Estey Organ Museum hosts a summer concert and tea fundraiser on Sunday, July 13, at 2 p.m. at the Engine House Gallery, 108 Birge St. Come for the concert for pipe and reed organ with strings, and stay for the lovely spread of tea sandwiches, Vermont cheeses, fruit, and pastries, which are served on the loading dock of Estey Building No. 4. Music includes selections from Mozart, Dvorak, Pinkham, and Rheinberger for strings and organ. Performers include Peggy Spencer and...
You are sent for. The New England Youth Theatre's Senior Company invites you to get closer to Shakespeare and experience “Hamlet” on the go. In this roving production, audience members will follow the actors throughout the rooms, halls, and grounds of the building, which stands in for much more than a room in the castle. Here NEYT actors will perform the most powerful and dynamic moments of this famous story of treachery, unrequited love, and madness. Performances are Thursday through...
The Selectboard unanimously approved the fiscal year 2015 property tax rate at its July 1 meeting. For the upcoming tax year, the combined municipal and school total homestead rate is 2.8156. The non-residential rate is 2.6725. Both tax rates are up over the previous fiscal year. The homestead tax rate is up 3.45 percent. The non-residential rate is up 4.05 percent. Representative Town Meeting members approved a revised $15.7 million municipal budget 112 to 12, at a special town meeting,
Twilight Music continues its 12th annual Twilight on the Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, rock, jazz, zydeco, Celtic, swing, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, July 13, with Philadelphia-based Americana and acoustic blues duo Beaucoup Blue. This father and son team of David and Adrian Mowry features soulful voices and acoustic slide guitar virtuosity. From blues to bluegrass, their traditional and contemporary styles mesh into an innovative and authentic sound. Winner of Billboard's grand prize for world...
A municipal tax rate of $0.4427 is set for the town for fiscal year 2015, up over the current year's $0.4238 for homeowners, nonresidents, and businesses. The education tax rate, set by the state, is $1.4787 for residents, $1.4815 for nonresidents and businesses. The rates were announced at the top of two hours' worth of business that the Selectboard put in during their regular meeting on July 2. At that meeting, the Selectboard also heard an update on Lynch Bridge,
The Grafton Inn hosts the second annual Grafton Food Festival, a celebration of local food and farms in Vermont, on July 12 and 13 in Grafton Village. Organizers say this year's festival highlight is the appearance of celebrity chef Mary Ann Esposito, host of the popular PBS show “Ciao Italia.” The weekend's celebration of Vermont's taste of place, presented by Northeast Flavor Magazine, invites festival-goers to sample food from regional food providers, enjoy celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, and attend a...
A new exhibit of works by members of Brattleboro-West Arts is headed for the Strolling of the Heifers' Gallery at the Garden, at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, 157 Main St., for July's Gallery Walk, Friday, July 11. Entertainment during the opening is by the Bondville Boys, an edgy, eclectic bluegrass band playing a huge assortment of music - original tunes and everything from Flatt and Scruggs to Blondie. A free reception, with refreshments, runs 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
I have a hard time believing that Elayne Clift is lamenting the treatment of the poor, particularly children, in the United States. One would almost think she has never seen a UNICEF commercial, where children overseas are shown literally starving to death for lack of food. It is insulting the way people in our very privileged nation compare our “poor” with the poor of the world. Most of our “poor” have shelter (or the ability to get it, whether through...
The In-Sight Photography Project returns to Gallery Walk at the Hooker-Dunham Gallery on Friday July 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with a Pop-Up Print Sale & Exhibition, a collection of nearly 300 prints from In-Sight's archives. Here you can view and purchase fine art photographs at 20 percent of retail - or less. Included in the exhibition are prints by nationally recognized photographers. Sales benefit In-Sight's Scholarship Fund. Families pay what they are able for classes, and no youth...
Four powerful recent films that might have slipped beneath your radar - and are worth seeing - are featured in the Latchis' inaugural Off the Beaten Path series, which runs Saturdays and Sundays from July 12 through Aug. 3. Organizers call the series “an antidote for a summer cinema season dominated by blockbusters.” It comes as the suggestion of loyal Latchis audience members who wanted more diverse cinema offerings. “We love our big-budget blockbusters here, but many people told us...
If Brattleboro had a town garage where all the trucks were kept and serviced, with all the repair facilities, the fire protection system in the building would have to be designed for the potential hazard of gasoline in trucks (that might leak or spill), of gas bottles (for cutting torches), etc. If a new garage is built and the old one converted to storage of metal furniture, then the fire protection could be reduced. A nuclear power plant is the...
On Saturday, July 12, and Sunday, July 13, volunteers will host the Women's Freedom Center's 20th annual “Glove, Sweat, and Cheers: Safe at Home” women's softball tournament at Living Memorial Park. Teams from around New England will compete for top honors in two divisions in the double-elimination tournament. Games will be played on both the upper and lower fields in Living Memorial Park, beginning Saturday at 9 a.m. and continuing through Sunday afternoon. Updated schedules will be posted at each...
“Very preliminary” talks are under way with Chroma Technology Corp. to explore a possible move to the Island. Rockingham Development and Bellows Falls Area Development Corporation (BFADC) Executive Director Francis “Dutch” Walsh and Municipal Manager Willis “Chip” Stearns III told Rockingham and Bellows Falls officials at a joint meeting last week that bringing the employee-owned company downtown is a “once in a lifetime” economic development opportunity, and that passing it up may be something the town and village would come...
Throughout his administration, Gov. Peter Shumlin has focused on ensuring that the economy of Windham County, and that of Vermont as whole, continues to strengthen. With the closing of the Vermont Yankee nuclear facility after over 40 years, the Shumlin administration is also working hard to ameliorate the immediate impact to the plant's employees and to the region as a whole, while helping position Windham County for vibrancy in the coming decades. Through the work of the administration in the...
Brattleboro Clayworks is preparing for the 11th annual Empty Bowls Dinner, a benefit for the Brattleboro Drop In Center, with a Bowlerama on Saturday, July 12. This year's Empty Bowls Dinner is Saturday, Oct. 11, at Landmark College in Putney. Bowlerama is a chance for those who have little or no experience in clay to create a bowl to donate to the dinner. Bonnie Stearns, Alan Steinberg, and Annie Lauterbach will be available to help bowl makers get started. Basic...
The fifth Annual Going the Distance Ride for Boys & Girls Club of Brattleboro on June 28 drew 53 riders who, all told, raised more than $41,000. The riders left the Marlboro College Graduate Center that morning on routes of 40, 60, and 100 miles. “We were a pretty eclectic group,” said Dr. Robert Nassau, the club's board president and the ride's main organizer. According to Nassau, riders from Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts joined local riders. “We even...
It is the responsibility of parents to monitor their children's personal appearance during school time. [This policy] is based on the need to foster a climate conducive to a caring learning environment that nurtures personal growth and promotes safety, security, and positive attitudes. Paramount to this effort is the expectation that students dress appropriately for the school setting. Apparel that draws undue attention to the wearer can detract from the educational process and is therefore inappropriate. School regulations prohibit student...
A few short months before Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is to cease operations, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) has posted a draft renewal water permit for public comment. If approved, the draft water discharge permit would replace a permit that expired about eight years ago. VY reapplied for the permit Sept. 30, 2006. ANR will take comment on the permit as part of the renewal process through Aug. 3. A public hearing will be held in Vernon, where...
Rain fell hard at dawn on the Fourth of July, and it looked then as though there was no way a parade would be held in Brattleboro. However, the organizers at “By the People: Brattleboro Goes Fourth” had faith in the weather forecast and that the rain would let up by the 10 a.m. parade time. They made the call that the show would go on a little after 8 a.m. Roughly an hour later participants started gathering at Brattleboro...
Next Stage Arts Project, with the Putney Historical Society, was recently selected as one of 55 recipients nationwide to be awarded a $370,000 grant from ArtPlace America, a nonprofit collaboration of national foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts aimed at accelerating “creative placemaking” across the United States. Next Stage's executive director, Maria Basescu, said that landing the highly competitive grant from such a major foundation - 1,300 applicants applied for it - “is really a thrilling validation of...
Their works have been exhibited in prestigious venues, fine galleries, and public and private collections the world over, but the artists of Vermont's Rock River Valley can been seen together at home just one weekend a year. Equal parts journey and destination, the 22nd annual Rock River Artists Studio Tour runs Saturday and Sunday, July 19 and 20, and features 17 artists who welcome friends, neighbors, and visitors from all over the country to their studio spaces. The tour runs...
College news • Katarina C. McDonald, a history major from Londonderry, was one of 472 seniors who graduated from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, on May 25, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree at the college's 193rd commencement. • Lise Moran of Townshend was awarded a Master of Arts in Historic Preservation from Plymouth (N.H.) State University at their 143rd commencement on May 17. • Natasha Cummings of Windham received a B.S. in textile fashion merchandising and design from the...
New York City's Kate Pallardy, 29, not only won the women's division, she also took top honors overall at Friday's 2014 Bill Powers Memorial Firecracker 4-Miler in Brattleboro. Pallardy finished in 22 minutes, 56 seconds - 29 seconds ahead of Ryan Gilligan, 17, of Vernon. Bob Parks, 44, of Brattleboro, was the male runner up at 23:35; Meghan Paugh, 29, of Williamsville, placed second among females in 26:43. Soggy and humid conditions kept the field of competition much smaller than...
In the wake of recent reports of major problems at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities around the country, Deborah Amdur, director of the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, wanted to make it clear that her hospital is fulfilling the mission of delivering quality health care to the region's military veterans. “We take our mission very, very seriously,” Amdur said during a visit to the Brattleboro Outpatient Clinic on July 2 for an open house. “We're fortunate to...
On a recent hot and sunny afternoon, regional high school students attending the Governor's Institutes of Vermont gathered for lunch at the SIT Graduate Institute, School for International Training. They'd already had a busy day attending group discussions on suicide prevention and other personal issues. This was a needed break before they'd press on with sessions and discussion on global issues. The students were part of a statewide program, hosted during the summer and winter, that facilitates study in a...
During my stay at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, I got a rude lesson in portion control. I assumed my meals had been designed for me, an overweight diabetic who had presented with a heart attack, so the lean trays brought to my bedside did not surprise me. Even so, my disappointment over one particular item helped awaken me to the realities of my relationship with food. After three days, the cheerful woman who checked in every morning to discuss the...
We were certainly inspired last month by the global #yesallwomen campaign to end all forms of violence against women. More than two million tweets told of growing outrage as well as activism worldwide. But just as you don't have to be female to be a feminist, it's not just women who are fed up and speaking out about sexism. Case in point: when a West Virginia restaurant owner got a recent online review of his business which suggested that female...