Essayist and author Tim Brookes will visit Landmark College to talk about the role of Twitter, texting, and other technology in shaping writing.
Brookes will speak on March 30, at 7 p.m. in the Brooks M. O'Brien Auditorium in the East Academic Building. This event is free, accessible, and open to the public.
Brookes is the director of the Professional Writing Program at Champlain College. He is also a Vermont Humanities Council Speaker, and the author of a dozen books on diverse topics including travel, guitars, and medical epidemics.
He worked with Writers Without Borders (WWB), an organization dedicated to supporting emerging voices in the developing world. For 20 years, Brookes's essays have been featured on public radio programs, including “Performance Today,” “Morning Edition,” and “Sunday Weekend Edition.”...
The Honor Society of the Vermont Technical College Associate Degree in Nursing Program in Brattleboro, in partnership with Rutland Regional Medical Center and Be the Match Registry, are hosting a bone marrow drive at the Chesterfield Police Station in Chesterfield, N.H., on Saturday, March 28, 9 a.m. to noon.
Recently, members of our Windham County early childhood education community attended “Early Childhood Day” at the state capital to advocate for support for early education programs and initiatives. The word from our local legislators was that this budget year was “ugly.” We were treated to many versions of the...
President Obama is on the fast track toward signing on to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This trade agreement allows corporations to sue member countries whose laws have caused them to lose expected profits on their investments. A corporate tribunal will judge these cases in the 12 TPP countries, which will range from Vietnam to the U.S. The more I learn about the TPP, the more I hope that President Obama will get off the fast track to signing it and...
After Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, the late Juanita Nelson - a Black resident of Greenfield and a long-time tax resister, civil rights and anti-war activist who passed away on March 9 - told a reporter that she had not voted for Obama because he would be “presiding over something that's the same old, same old.” As a civil rights worker in the early 1960s, I had tears in my eyes when the Obama family walked on the...
The last chance for signing up for the 2015 Brattleboro Little League season is Thursday, March 26, 4:30 to 6 p.m., at American Legion Post 5 on Linden Street, Any boy or girl, ages 9-12, who intends to try out for a Little League team must sign up at this time. Children living in Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, Vernon, Marlboro, Halifax, Newfane, or Putney are eligible to play in the league. Returning players should sign up at this time as well.
Peter Pan will be flying through the Bellows Falls Union High School on March 27and 28, with shows at 7 p.m. on both nights and a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. General admission for all shows is $5. Directed by Katy Emond, with musical director Nicholas Pelton, and choreographer and flight director Matthew Burke, the show is expected to feature theatrical flight. With the assistance of Flying by FOY, a company that specializes in theatrical flight, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell,
I am very concerned with the budget plan that has been presented. The new heath care system is costing much more than we anticipated. Essentially, Gov. Peter Shumlin is asking for state employees to fix a budget issue that we did not create. Why is it up to us? We have given up and sacrificed enough over the years. The Vermont State Employees' Association (VSEA) has been quoted as being “unreasonable” and not willing to work with the state. What...
A 90-year-old Florida man risks 60 days in jail and a $500 fine for feeding the homeless. “Drop that plate right now,” the arresting police officer orders Arnold Abbott of Love Thy Neighbor as he hands food to a hungry person. “Wherever this flag is flown,” sings Bruce Springsteen, “we take care of our own.” The purpose of government, whether state or national, is to protect and empower. In Vermont, we protect and empower through our motto, “Freedom and Unity.”
According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children and adolescents in the United States. About 10,450 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2015. When Alexis “Lexy” June Giallella of Brookline lost her battle with cancer on Nov. 12, 2013, Brenda Lynn Siegel knew she had to do something. Siegel, a family friend and Executive/Artistic Director of IBIT Dance Company, decided to...
Next Stage Arts Project, in collaboration with Strong Coffee Stage, will present Putney Vaudeville for a family matinee on Sunday, March 29, at 4 p.m., at Next Stage, 15 Kimball Hill. Putney Vaudeville is the creation of Rebecca Waxman, Bronwyn Sims, Patrick Donnelly and Peter Siegel, an ongoing showcase that debuted its first three performances last year. The event will include a professional act, a live band, assorted friends and neighbors displaying skills you may never have seen, and good-natured...
WBA plans meeting with Brattleboro Police on rash of home break-ins WEST BRATTLEBORO - On Thursday, March 26, the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) will host a discussion with the Brattleboro Police Department about recent property break-ins. It will be held in the Hayes Court Community Room on Garfield Drive at 7 p.m. All residents are invited to pose questions to the police and get pointers on how best to avoid future break-ins. This forum will also provide an opportunity for...
College news • Caitlin McCloskey-Meyer of Brattleboro, a first year student pursuing a BFA in dance, was named to the Dean's List for the fall 2014 semester at Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y. • During the week of March 8, Caitlyn Reilly of Wilmington participated in Emmanuel College's annual Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trip to New Orleans, La. ASB, a week-long service trip held during the college's traditional spring break, bridges volunteer work with education and reflection on larger...
After 15 years as The Animal Rescue and Protection Society of Chester (TARPS), the organization has changed it name to Webster's House Animal Shelter, unveiled a new logo, and elected a new board of directors. The animal shelter, located at 1758 Route 103S in Chester, is primarily a cat rescue facility though they do take in various other small animals. The Webster's House Animal Shelter takes in special need, injured, or chronically ill animals that might be euthanized at another...
Thank you for the great article you ran regarding my upcoming ordination and concert, and the community I have the honor to serve [Town & Village, March 18]. The Brattleboro Area Jewish Community is a warm and welcoming group, who I hope will embrace my having characterized them (and myself, it must be said) as “Jews in the woods.” Wendy M. Levy writes well and is a delight to talk with. However, there are couple of startling things in her...
Local artist and children's illustrator Christine Mix is exhibiting her watercolor, pencil, and ink illustrations at the South Londonderry Free Library in South Londonderry through April 29. Original paintings, cards, prints, design pillow covers, and hand painted items will be available for sale throughout the exhibit. An open art reception will be held on Wednesday, March 25, from 7 to 9 p.m., with refreshments and live music by local musician Jake Geppert. Mix's illustrations have appeared in Stories for Children...
Abigail and William Gerdts, leading scholars in the history of American Art, recently presented a collection of 176 underground comic books to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C The gift marks the first time that comic books have been added to the permanent collection. Offering a snapshot of the era, the Gerdts' collection showcases the heyday of these counterculture publications, which were born in response to the Comics Code Authority's restrictions on content relating to violence, sexuality, and...
“Scale and Presence,” an exhibit of large scale ceramics on display at Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts, 183 Main St., through April 26, highlights a new body of work by Brattleboro artist Stephen Procter. Known for the disciplined lines and unglazed surfaces of his historically-inspired monumental vessels, Procter's more recent work revels in the sensuality of curves and the painterly effects of layered glazes. Whether austere or exuberant, these vessels transcend the usual experience of pottery and broach the realm of sculpture,
Guilford painter John Dimick is exhibiting a mix of his oil paintings and water color paintings at the West Village Meeting House in West Brattleboro. Dimick splits his studio time working with oils and water colors. The works are primarily landscape paintings and prints of many of the places and scenes in the surrounding region. There will be a few examples of paintings of the same scene using both mediums which will allow the viewer to compare the techniques used...
The annual Representative Town Meeting zipped along - by local standards - on Saturday. Town Meeting members approved all but two of the 26 binding agenda items, including the municipal and school budgets as presented, along with other spending. They defeated, yet again, a proposal to enact a 1-percent local option sales tax as a new revenue stream. And members approved some crucial infrastructure repairs. Topping the list is the Green Street retaining wall, which is failing and threatening to...
Residents are invited to come out from the cold to share food and seeds at the second annual Community Seed Swap & Potluck on Thursday, March 26, 5 to 8 p.m., at the South Londonderry Train Depot, just south of the bridge on Route 100 in South Londonderry. The seed swap will take place between 5 and 6, and dinner and talks follow from 6 to 7, with a Q & A and a short film closing out the evening.
At the March 7 Gallery Walk, the Arts Council of Windham County (ACWC) celebrated its 35th Student Art Month at an opening reception for students and their families at the River Garden. Susan Rosano, vice president of ACWC and Coordinator of Student Art Month, presented awards to Windham County student artists during the event. Students who won “Best in Show” awards received a $25 gift certificate to Zephyr's Art Supply Store, along with award certificates. Judges Adrienne Ginter, John Dimick,
My condolences on the loss of your husband. I have had a mother, father-in-law and brother-in-law die painfully of cancer. My wife and I have both had cancer but were cured by early detection and treatment. We know it is painful. Radiation was discovered in the 19th century. Early users were enthusiastic, but soon cancers of limbs showed up. The first international conference on protection standards was in 1928! There has been oodles of research on the health effects and...
I appreciated this great article on a small coterie of young “workers,” whose chosen afternoon job is not books or handing over food at a counter but, instead, learning the physical and mental skills requisite for getting opponents' shoulders to a mat. What other teenage boys around Windham County regularly do cartwheels and somersaults and handsprings? Also great: two mature men as coaches, sometimes working one on one with 10 young men and always monitoring everyone's moves toward improvement. What...
Two residents are suing the town for its handling of three proposed charter amendments. Kurt Daims and Craig Newbert filed papers with Vermont Superior Court on March 16 against the town of Brattleboro. In court documents obtained by The Commons, the two men allege that the Selectboard misused its authority and swayed the outcome of a March 3 town-wide vote on three charter amendments submitted by Daims and fellow supporters. The plaintiffs' complaint notes that the “Selectboard, unsupportive of the...
New England Youth Theatre (NEYT) has received a $200,000 grant and low interest loan from the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund, administered by the Windham Regional Commission (WRC). Previously, in 2013, the theater received a brownfields cleanup grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. NEYT will use the funds from WRC and EPA towards a project to improve the overall look of the campus, add an extension to the 100 Flat St. building, and open useable and safe green space at...
Stevens & Associates, P.C. received an award in this year's Engineering Excellence Awards Competition by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Vermont. The awards recognize outstanding examples of engineering excellence in projects recently completed within Vermont. The architectural design and engineering firm received the competition's highest honors, the Grand Prize Award, for its work in renovating and rehabilitating the historic Brooks House located in downtown Brattleboro. Stevens & Associates accepted this award and acknowledged Hardy Structural Engineering, LLC...
Nimbus Dance Works will present a staging of historic, original, and new works on Saturday, March 28, at 8 p.m., in The Putney School's Michael S. Currier Center's Calder Hall. Admission is free and the public is invited. Nimbus Dance Works of Jersey City, N.J., celebrating its 10th anniversary season, has been in residency at The Putney School every spring since 2012, working with the school's dance program and developing new work for its upcoming performance season. Last year's work...
Even as we delight in watching water dance across the riffles in a river, we fear floodwaters sweeping all before them. We treasure a summer afternoon at a lake or seashore, splashing, boating, fishing, or swimming, but our need for clean water goes far beyond fear or pleasure. Despite all the water around us, we seldom consciously think about how often we need clean water. We use water to wash our food, our possessions, and ourselves. We cook our food...
Our family recently had to say goodbye to a dear, sweet friend. It was and continues to be heartbreaking, and each one of us is struggling to find ways to cope with the loss. Our 5-year-old chocolate labrador, Wonka Buttercup, died of renal disease. Watching your family dog in the prime of his life rapidly decline to the point where he is unable to eat is terribly sad. And knowing that it was his love of eating and his “dietary...
The town's historic Round Schoolhouse received extensive renovations during the last decade, but more work is needed. According to Cynthia Nau, chair of the Brookline Round Schoolhouse Historical Committee, the committee seeks volunteers to continue the work. The Round Schoolhouse, built in 1822, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building and property in Brookline Center is owned by the town. Nau says that the schoolhouse, near the town offices and the Baptist church, is not easily...
To mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, the Brattleboro Historical Society and Vermont PBS will present a free screening of the film The Last Days in Vietnam on Thursday, April 2 with a panel discussion to follow. In April of 1975, the North Vietnamese Army was closing in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance was crumbling. With the clock ticking and the city under fire, 135,000 South Vietnamese managed to escape with help from a...
Act 250 proceedings are inching along in Halifax, where a Massachusetts-based stone company has proposed a quarry site within the Halifax Conservation District. The proceedings, meant for “reviewing and managing the environmental, social, and fiscal consequences of major subdivisions and developments in Vermont,” began in September. A second all-day hearing was held on March 6 and a recess order was issued, leaving plans for development in the air. On Dec. 20, 2013, a Springfield-based consulting firm submitted an assessment of...
The town is in the midst of its plans to develop the Town Common area to answer the question, “How can we enhance the look of the town of Dover?,” says Economic Development Director Ken Black. Located in the town center, the common is surrounded by Holland and Taft Brook Roads. The Dover Free Library and the Town Hall sit on the property. Black stresses the Town Common plan will “enhance and beautify an already iconic area, and it will...
Two tree trunks support part of the 200-foot-long Green Street retaining wall, and the road above has cracked wide enough for Director of Public Works Steve Barrett to fit his boot in it. At its March 17 meeting, Barrett described to the Selectboard the urgent need to fix it before it collapses. The town had included funds in the fiscal year 2015 budget for an engineering evaluation, said Barrett, and the board approved the infrastructure repairs for the wall. “The...
The Melissa Aldana Trio are coming the Vermont Jazz Center on Saturday, March 28. They will be performing jazz standards and original compositions. Aldana will be performing with her Crash Trio, with fellow members Pablo Menares on bass and Francisco Mela on drums. Melissa Aldana was the third generation in her family to follow the saxophone as her calling. Her father, Marcos Aldana, now considered one of the most important musicians in Chile, was her first teacher. She still performs...
The Windham Orchestra's “Listen Local” programs, with the aid of a grant from the Vermont Council on the Arts, commissions new works from local composers. As a member of the first violin section, I had the pleasure to interview both the composer and the director of Lucifer's Love Song for the Lord, the song-length new work by Newfane composer Etan Nasreddin-Longo. Here is a summary of the conversations I had with Nasreddin-Longo and Hugh Keelan, the Windham Orchestra's musical director.
Dancer/choreographer Wally Cardona is currently an artist in residence at Vermont Performance Lab (VPL) in Guilford, where he is studying classical Burmese dance, as part of his multi-year project, The Set Up. According to Sara Coffey, VPL's founder and director, “He is a choreographer who is deeply interested in the place of dance in our culture - where it is and why it is. Dance being the main motor of his thought process, Cardona actively creates projects for his dance...
The family of a man killed by a hit-and-run driver in December 2013 is offering a $10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the driver who was responsible for the fatal incident. Eugene Narrett, 64, an artist, author, and scholar from Maynard, Mass., was struck and killed on Dec. 5, 2013, at about 7 p.m., while crossing Western Avenue at Union Hill. Brattleboro police have been investigating the case ever since. They believe that the vehicle involved in the...
A heavy Vermont winter, delayed storm water management permits, and soil issues have extended the expected opening date for the Interstate 91 West River bridge into November 2016. The project's original deadline was by the end of the 2015-16 winter season, Secretary of Transportation Susan Minter told town officials Monday. Minter broke the unpleasant news to the Selectboard and department heads during a special board meeting. “This bridge is behind schedule,” she said. “That is not the news I like...