Ballots now available for early voting
BRATTLEBORO - Early/absentee ballots for the General Election to be held on Nov. 4, are now available in all Vermont town clerks' offices. Anyone wishing to vote prior to Nov. 4, may apply for an early/absentee ballot until 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3.
Early/absentee ballots may be voted in person in the clerk's office, mailed to the voter by the clerk's office, picked up by the voter or delivered to the voter's residence by two justices of the peace. All voted ballots must be received by the clerk before the polls close on election day in order to be counted.
For more information or to request an early/absentee ballot in Brattleboro, call 802-251-8157.
Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 5 p.m. is the deadline to register to vote in this election. If you are registered to vote in the town you reside in, you do not need to register again.
If you are unsure if your name is listed as a registered voter in your town or for more information about voter registration and early/absentee voting, contact your town clerk.
Office hours for the Brattleboro Town Clerk's office are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
In addition to regular hours, the office will open Saturday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to noon, for early voting and will be closed Tuesday, Nov. 4, Election Day.
Brattleboro voting on Nov. 4, will be held at the Municipal Center, 230 Main St. Polling hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
WBA meeting scheduled for Oct. 9
WEST BRATTLEBORO - The next monthly meeting of the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) will be held at the New England House on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m.
The group will address several ongoing agenda items, including welcome signs and pedestrian and bicycle safety on Route 9, and will also consider the possibility of holiday lights for the community and of having a holiday party again this year.
The group will host Jeff Nugent of the Windham Regional Commission as he describes the Vermont Economic Resiliency Initiative (VERI). This directly relates to the Whetstone Brook and resiliency from future flooding.
Another agenda item is the planning for a public meeting on Oct. 23 over the report “Revitalizing Southern Vermont's Villages – West Brattleboro.” This was developed with the direct help of the Windham Regional Commission and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation.
This special meeting will be held in the Community Room at Hayes Court on Garfield Drive (just past the West Brattleboro post office) on Thursday, Oct. 23, from 7 to 9 p.m. All are invited.
Vernon Historians host potluck meeting
VERNON - The next Vernon Historians Quarterly Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at the Town Office Building will be preceded by a potluck supper.
Everyone is invited to bring a dish to share for supper at 6 p.m. Plates, napkins, utensils, beverages, and desserts will be provided. A business meeting will follow the potluck, beginning at 7 p.m. For more information, call Trustee Chair Peg Frost at 802-254-2263.
Dover Free Library conducts online survey
DOVER - From now until Oct. 18, Dover Free Library will be conducting an online survey to learn how community members use the library's computers and Internet connection, and how this service has made a positive impact on their lives.
This information will help the library improve its technology services and assess the value of providing free access to computers and the Internet here.
The survey, coordinated by the University of Washington Information School with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is anonymous, is available in English and Spanish, and takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
Patrons can access the survey at www.doverfreelibrary1913.org, from home, on mobile devices, or through the free public access computers at the library. For more information, inquire at the library's information desk.
Windham Regional Career Center offers fall classes
BRATTLEBORO - The Windham Regional Career Center at Brattleboro Union High School offers a variety of community education and training programs for this fall.
Courses offered this fall include: American Red Cross Nursing Assistant Training Program; Forklift Training the Trainer; Introduction to Basic Welding; Introduction to Computer Applications; Intermediate Microsoft WORD; Introduction to Microsoft Excel; Introduction to QuickBooks 2014; Using Google Tools to Collaborate; Introduction to Spanish; Beginning and Advanced French; Cooking with the Chef; Financial Workshop: Your Source for Financial Education; Maximize Your Electronic Phones and Tablets; and Digital Photography.
The Career Center also offers over 300 on-line courses and certificate training programs available throughout the year. For more information visit www.wrccvt.com and click on Adult Learners or call Betsy Gentile at 802-451-3965 to receive detailed information on all the courses and a registration form. Class sizes are limited so early registration is suggested.
Osher lectures continue
DUMMERSTON - The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) continues its series of autumn morning and afternoon lectures on Oct. 13 with programs on the nature of comedy and the meaning of economic well-being.
In the morning series of six lectures, Stephen Stearns will present movie comedy classics of the past. In the afternoon lectures, Jim Tober will examine whether self-interested economic behavior can be consistent with generosity and altruism.
Morning lectures run from 10 a.m. to noon; afternoon lectures, from 1 to 3 p.m.
All lectures will be held at the Southeastern Vermont Learning Collaborative, 471 Vermont Route 5, Dummerston. Parking and handicapped access are available, and light refreshments will be served at the lectures.
For further information, call 802-257-8600 or 866-889-0042.
Public forum on human rights and the economy offered
BRATTLEBORO - On Tuesday, Oct. 14, there will be a public forum on human rights and the economy, hosted by the Vermont Workers' Center in collaboration with Vermont Center for Independent Living and other local and statewide organizations.
The forum will take place in Room 2E at the Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St., Brattleboro, and will run from 6 to 8 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.. Childcare will be available and the event is accessible to all and will have ASL interpretation. Light refreshments will be served.
All Windham County candidates for the state Legislature have been invited to this forum, where members of the community will be sharing stories and asking questions of the candidates. The forum is intended to provide a space for people to talk with candidates about how they will work to ensure that the needs of our communities are met if they get elected.
Out of respect for people with chemical sensitivities, refrain from using chemically-scented products at this event. For more information or accessibility requests, contact shela@workerscenter.org or call 802-275-2363.
Grace Cottage Hospital hosts annual Poker Walk
TOWNSHEND -- October is National Physical Therapy Month. To encourage everyone to get out and exercise, Grace Cottage Hospital's Rehabilitation Department will hold its 16th Annual Poker Walk on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
This free, fun, two-mile walk/run is held each year, rain or shine. No pre-registration is required.
Playing cards are distributed along the way; a prize for the best poker hand is awarded at the end. All participants are also eligible for door prize drawings. You may do the course as often as you wish, collecting a new poker hand each time.
Start any time between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Register at the Grace Cottage Wolff Outpatient Building, Route 35, Townshend. The course goes north for one mile on Route 35, then back again to the Wolff Building. It's relatively flat by Vermont standards.
For more information, call 802-365-3637.
Women's hockey team seeks new players
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Riverhawks women's hockey team will an organizational meeting on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 6:30 p.m., at the home of Kristin Gottschalk, 241 Wantastiquet Drive.
The team, which has been playing in Brattleboro since the 1990s, is open to all ages and abilities of adult women. Home games and practices take place at Living Memorial Park's Withington Rink, and the season runs from late October to early March.
For more information, contact Gottschalk at kkgottschalk@gmail.com.
Take a trip on Vermont's African American Heritage Trail with the RFPL
BELLOWS FALLS - Join the Friends of the Rockingham Library and The Compass School in exploring a piece of Vermont's History along the African American Heritage Trail.
The trip will take place on Friday, Oct. 17, departing from Compass School at 8:30 a.m. and will include visits to two of the most outstanding sites along the Trail: The Rokeby Museum and Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home.
The trip will also include a picnic lunch and various presentations and activities, including listening to a tape of Daisy Turner telling stories about her family's slave background and their life farming near Grafton. Tickets are $40 and include transportation, lunch, and entrance fees.
The Rokeby House was on the Underground Railroad. Its museum features a compelling exhibit that takes visitors through the history of slavery and abolition. A dramatic presentation recounts the story of a young slave who stayed at Rokeby House and tried, with the help of Mr. Rokeby, to buy his freedom from his North Carolina master. To see more about the exhibit, visit www.rokey.org.
Hildene, home of Robert Todd Lincoln, has on exhibit the Sunbeam, a very grand Pullman railroad car. An exhibit recounts the story of the Pullman Porters who gave rise to a black middle class in America in the early 20th century. For more information, visit www.hildene.org.
Proceeds from this trip will benefit the library through the Friends of the Rockingham Library. Call 802-463-4270 for more information, or stop by the library to purchase your tickets.
Spanish, German language potlucks at MSA
SAXTONS RIVER, Vt. - Main Street Arts continues it fall series of foreign language potluck suppers with a potluck for Spanish speakers Sunday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m.
They continue on the fourth Sunday, Nov. 23 and Dec. 28.
German speakers will meet for their potluck the third Sundays, Oct. 19 and Nov. 16, with no meeting in December.
The potlucks are generally a small group of friendly people with a wide range of proficiency in the language who join in an informal sharing of culture and language practice. Those who want to listen more than join in the conversation are also welcome. Native speakers are often present to lend encouragement.
There is no fee, and potluck contributions need not be ethnic. A beverage is provided. Information is available by calling MSA at 802-869-2960, e-mailing info@mainstreetarts.org, on Facebook, or at www.MainStreetArts.org.
Dementia respite grants available
SPRINGFIELD - Senior Solutions (formerly the Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont) offers Dementia respite grants funded by the state of Vermont.
These grants help primary unpaid caregivers of elders to get respite services for a time of rest and relief from caregiving.
This grant requires a diagnosis of Dementia, and there is an income qualification. There are other grants and resources for caregivers in various situations, so all caregivers are encouraged to call and find out what kind of help they qualify for.
For more information or application assistance, call the Senior HelpLine at 1-800-642-5119.