Is Lyme the next infectious disease disaster?
In 1995, a young woman discovered a rash that looked strangely like a bullseye on her stomach, but she ignored it. A few years later she began having pain in her knees, irregular heartbeats, then neck pain.
After her feet began to hurt, fatigue set in, and she experienced “brain fog,” she requested a Lyme disease test. The results were negative, and no treatment was prescribed. A second test proved “suggestive,” and she began a course of antibiotics. For a while, she felt better - then much worse. Her doctor suggested she see a psychiatrist.
Value-added producer grants available from USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking farmers and producers interested in turning their agricultural commodities into new products. The USDA Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grant program provides farmers with up to $250,000 in working capital or feasibility funding to turn raw agricultural products into finished products that...
Rebels teams both reach semifinals; BF boys win track title
After starting their season at 1-9, the Twin Valley baseball team had nowhere to go but up. And go up they did. The Wildcats won five of their last six games to surge into the Division IV playoffs and secure the No. 6 seed. That meant a home game...
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Thanks to a wonderful boss and friend
Amy Comerchero: you have been a warm, genuine, generous, wonderful boss and friend. It's been a pleasure to work for you, and I feel very lucky that you took me into your Amy's Bakery Arts Café family. I hope you take lots of time to enjoy that well-deserved break before starting on your next adventure. (I can't wait to see what it will be!) I love you, Amy. Thank you so much for being you!
Around the Towns
Next WBA meeting set for June 11 WEST BRATTLEBORO - The next monthly meeting of the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) will be held at the Hayes Court Community Room on Garfield Drive on Thursday, June 11, at 6 p.m. After a review of the treasury, the group will revisit its recent Chicken Barbecue on Memorial Day weekend. It will also discuss details regarding the planned mixer on Thursday, July 16, with the Brattleboro Chamber of Commerce, scheduled again this year...
Firefighters boosted the BF budget
If you were at the Bellows Falls Village Meeting, it was obvious the 2-to-1 margin of the budget vote was all firefighters who voted that budget back in - and only a handful of citizens.
Co-op hosts mushroom workshop
On Saturday, June 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the Brattleboro Food Co-op (BFC) will hold a workshop on growing mushrooms in the BFC Community Room and at a local farm. When you think of gardening, do gourmet mushrooms come to mind? How about easy-to-grow mushrooms that taste great, are rich in protein, enhance the health of your plants, aid in water retention, and boost the fertility of your soil? At the upcoming “Mushrooms in the Garden” workshop, participants...
Milestones
College news • Garth Blocher of Dummerston and William Parker of Guilford both received degrees at Worcester Polytechnic Institute's 147th commencement on June 5. Blocher was awarded an M.S. in mechanical engineering, while Parker was awarded a B.S. in robotics engineering with high distinction. • The following local students received degrees from Keene State College on May 9: Annelise Kloster of Marlboro, a B.S. degree in Health Science; Jocelyn Lovering of Putney, a B.A. degree in English, magna cum laude;
BUHS Class of ’75 prepares for 40th reunion
The Brattleboro Union High School Class of 1975 will hold our 40th reunion on Saturday, June 20, at 6 p.m. We will hold a cash bar and cash menu event at the Marina Restaurant, inside and upstairs. Please check out the BUHS Alumni Weekend schedule on Facebook Group “BHS/BUHS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION.” A potluck, mid-day brunch gathering will take place the next day at a location to be determined. Classmates are more than welcome to join the “Brattleboro Union High School...
Keeping an eye on nuclear waste for generations?
“The source of danger to the public is the possible release of the radioactive fission products at any time,” writes Howard Shaffer. Thanks for explaining why we should not build any new nuclear power plants until the 70-year-old problem of radioactive waste is resolved. 2015 is the year of eyes wide open, and America doesn't want to hear this aging industry's Yucca Mountain excuses anymore. Highly radioactive waste is currently stored at various backyards in 35 U.S. states because in...
Leland & Gray's Summer Performing Arts Explorations ready for another season
The eighth summer of Leland & Gray's Summer Performing Arts Explorations (SPAE) is fast approaching. SPAE originated as a way to provide a program for the youth of Windham County to come together and create theatrical productions. More than 78 campers have come through SPAE, which explains how we the program was able to build a staff largely made up of SPAE alumni. From its first summer in 2009 with 10 campers in a production of Peter Pan, to last...
Actors Theatre Playhouse celebrates 40th year in new season
The Actors Theatre Playhouse (ATP) is the one of the oldest continuous performing arts groups in the tri-state region of southeastern Vermont, southwestern New Hampshire, and central Massachusetts, and it is still going strong. This year, to mark its 40th anniversary, ATP offers a variety of theatrical experiences ranging from two productions from a new Playhouse program called Literature as Performance, to a trio of Saturday Staged Readings, to a four-week main stage run of a Broadway hit by playwright...
Local woman donates art collection for benefit auction
A local arts patron is donating her art collection for a cause. In the early 1980s, Beverly Alberts became a fan of the area's many fine artists. With just one dedicated gallery in town, however, she decided to extend their marketing outreach by serving as an artist's representative further afield in New England in 1981-84, an effort cut short by a bout with breast cancer. Her devotion to promoting local artists had been noted by George Becker, who invited her...
Legislature runs a marathon, fixes the roof
At the start of this legislative marathon, there was quite a pack of issues to deal with and - this being Vermont - a lot of hills between the starting line and finish. We faced big problems: a budget gap larger than originally thought, due to flagging revenues; health-care access and cost; a plan to clean up our state's waters before the Environmental Protection Agency would come in and impose a solution; and concerns about how to keep growing the...
Giving a hoot about nutrition and taste
Allison Wright, owner of Brattleboro's OWL Energy Bars, was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Vermont Small Business Administration. Vermont Business Magazine and the U.S. Small Business Administration will present Wright her award on June 11 at the Shelburne Museum's Pizzagalli Center. Wright said “all who were considered were nominated by someone,” and “Richard Meunier, my dad, nominated me.” She said he saw “something on the television about the Small Business Administration taking nominations for stellar business owners.”
June is LGBT Pride Month
Now you can stay in the area, and have your Pride Cake too. For many years, if you had wanted to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riot, the riot that occurred in New York City on June 27, 1969, and sparked the birth of the modern LGBT movement, you would head out to Boston, New York City, or even north to Burlington. Seven years ago, a few LGBT activists and allies in the Brattleboro area got together and decided...
Firefighters deserve healthy, safe work environments
Fire Chief Mike Bucossi is 100-percent correct in all that he states in this article about fire stations that are old, unhealthy, and unsafe for personnel. Not to take anything away from Chief Bucossi's story, but there are many fire stations across the U.S.A. that are also in deplorable conditions to one degree or another. When I was employed by the City of Boston (Mass.) Fire Department, most of the 30-plus fire stations were already old and aging back in...
Village to tear down carriage barn
The Bellows Falls Village Corporation has contracted with Hodgkins and Sons for the demolition and cleanup of the carriage barn building at 35 Front Street. The building will be removed and the site graded and leveled. It is anticipated that this work will start on Monday, June 15. The work will require the closure of the north end of Front Street. This will affect both vehicular traffic and pedestrians, as the area will be closed to all types of traffic...
Brazilian music comes to Brattleboro area
Local trio Serenata Bossa Nova, with Chilean guest artist Natalia Bernal, will present two house concerts of Brazilian Bossa Nova in the homes of Marlboro and Guilford residents at 7:30 p.m. on June 20 and 21, respectively. The first concert takes place at Ede Thomas' home at 1563 Ames Hill Rd., Marlboro. The second concert is at Wendy Redlinger's home at 2596 Tater Lane, Guilford. Both concerts are open to the public. Suggested admission is $12. For more information about...
Town trash bags on July 1 will comply with state law
Athens residents will need to begin using special Town of Athens trash bags starting in July 2015 to be in compliance with the Vermont Universal Recycling Law – Act 148. Regular trash pickup in Athens will continue on the same weekly schedule; however, any trash that is not in the special green Town of Athens bags will not be picked up by Triple T Trucking, the town's contracted trash hauler, starting with the July 6 trash pick-up. The same curbside...
Here's some vinaigrette to go on your greens
The freshest way to dress a salad of locally-grown greens is with a simple homemade vinaigrette. Matt Goddard, owner of Brattleboro's Backside Cafe, shared the recipe for his house vinaigrette salad dressing. “It is super-easy,” Goddard said. No special equipment other than a jar or bowl, and either a fork or whisk, is necessary. If you have a jar with a lid, you can skip the fork or whisk and just shake it. “I use the classic combo of one...
‘Brattleboro Goes Fourth’ still short of fundraising goal
Organizers of Brattleboro's Independence Day celebration are seeking the public's help to close a fundraising gap a month before the 42nd annual event. The “By the People: Brattleboro Goes Fourth” citizens committee will mark July 4 with a morning parade downtown and afternoon and evening of sports, concerts, and fireworks at Living Memorial Park. Brattleboro's Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks not only will lead the march with its giant American flag, but also will cover all of this year's...
Grace Cottage Fair Day seeks arts and crafts for show
TOWNSHEND-The Grace Cottage Hospital Auxiliary Fair Day will again include an arts and crafts show on Aug. 1. Artists and craftspeople are encouraged to display their work in this show, which will be held in the Townshend Church on the Townshend Common throughout Fair Day. The artwork and crafts pieces in the show will be for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Grace Cottage Hospital. Those interested in exhibiting in the arts and crafts show should...
Bernie strolls, and Brattleboro shows the love
It wasn't the first time that Bernie Sanders has marched in the Strolling of the Heifers parade. And it wasn't the first time that Bernie Sanders has basked in the cheers of spectators as he walked up Main Street. But last Saturday was different. The crowd was bigger, and the cheers were louder for the junior U.S. Senator from Vermont. That's because Sanders is now running for the Democratic presidential nomination. The enthusiastic reception for Sanders in Brattleboro on June...
Twilight on the Tavern Lawn presents The Stockwell Brothers
Twilight Music continues its 13th annual Twilight on the Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, rock, jazz, zydeco, Celtic, swing, blues, and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, June 14, with contemporary bluegrass and folk music trio The Stockwell Brothers. Bruce, Barry, and Alan Stockwell's music spans traditional and progressive styles, but their trademark acoustic sound features new singer/songwriter material recast with banjo, alternative rhythms, and three-part harmonies. They cover straight-ahead bluegrass songs, finger-picked acoustic guitar ballads, full-tilt breakdowns and...
Go for the greens!
As the green things of spring and summer begin popping up all over Windham County, the time is right for green things to pile up on our dinner plates and in our salad bowls. The delicate leaves of salad greens are among the first crops available at farm stands and farmers' markets, and their cheerful appearance helps us shake off the last vestiges of a long, cold winter. Purchasing these greens from our local farmers means they can begin earning...
FOMAG presents A Cappella à la Carte on June 13
Friends of Music at Guilford (FOMAG)'s traditional season finale on Saturday, June 13, is a three-part event dubbed “A Cappella à la Carte.” Set at Guilford Community Church, just off Route 5 near Interstate 91, the evening includes a short meeting, a potluck dinner, and a 7:30 p.m. concert of vocal music. Each optional segment is open to the general public; admission to the concert is by donation. The FOMAG Annual Membership Meeting at 6 p.m. is typically short and...
The joy of sax
As it begins now, with its Young Artists Program (YAP) and then its 2015 Summer Season with more than 30 public events between mid-June and early August, Yellow Barn Music School and Festival is presenting a performance that is unusual in two ways. First, unlike most of their concerts, this one will not be performed in Putney. Second, in the strictest sense, it is not even a concert of classical music. But what kind of concert it is exactly may...
Resignation narrowly averted, Fritz decides to stay on Selectboard
Newfane recently lost, and regained, a Selectboard member within the span of about an hour. Board member Rosalind Fritz announced her resignation at the June 1 meeting. She read a letter to the board explaining why. It all began with the Arch Bridge. During the May 18 board meeting, Jennifer Fitch and Carolyn Carlson, project managers with the Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT), presented studies and data supporting replacing the crumbling one-lane historic bridge with a two-lane model. At the...
Putney briefs
Gassett Road building burns PUTNEY - The abandoned house at 15 Gassett Road that has plagued the town of Putney has burned down. Putney Fire Chief Thomas Goddard confirmed this in a telephone call with The Commons. Goddard said the fire was deemed “suspicious." Because the Vermont State Police are investigating, he provided no other information. For months, the Selectboard has weighed what to do about the building. The building's owners have not responded to repeated communications from Town Manager...
Dear Stabby: Advice for the lactose-intolerant cheese lover
Last month I decided to change the format of the Cheese Log to better incorporate the numerous cheese questions I field almost daily. I invented an alter ego for myself: “Dear Stabby.” Why “Stabby”? I'm not a violent person, but I am skilled with a knife after many years of cheesemongering. Plus, it's fun to have an alias, even if you're not running from the law. And “Abby” is taken. So far, response has been good. I want to send...
Selectboard weighs options for Arch Bridge
As Newfane decides on the new design of the Arch Bridge replacement, the Selectboard continues to conduct research to inform themselves and the public, and figure out how to keep the public engaged. Selectboard member Rosalind Fritz reached out to Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) project manager Jennifer Fitch, who presented to the board at their May 18 meeting. Fritz learned the engineer assigned to the project, AOT Traffic Safety Engineer Mario DuPigny-Giroux, is available to visit the Selectboard to...
Amy’s to remain open
On June 5, one day before Amy Comerchero planned to close her namesake bakery and café, a sign appeared on the front door saying the shop would stay open. According to Comerchero, she is “working on selling” Amy's Bakery Arts Café, located on Main Street. “We're in talks,” she said, referring to an unnamed party interested in purchasing the business. Meanwhile, Comerchero said she wants to stay open, and “they would, too.” She said it made sense to keep the...
‘This is not the Londonderry we know as home’
With a number of unsolved arson and burglary cases in the region, concerned residents filled the seats on the main floor and balcony of the Town Hall on Monday night. All eyes were focused on three state troopers, Commissioner of Public Safety Keith Flynn, and State Rep. Oliver Olsen, I-Jamaica, the legislator who brought them to town. After approximately 12 suspicious fires in 10 years, and 17 burglaries in just one month, the community's patience and sense of safety had...
‘Food justice’ is a hot topic at Slow Living Summit
The Slow Living Summit, the three-day conference that each year kicks off the whirlwind of activities known as the Strolling of the Heifers, had people traipsing throughout the downtown, sharing heady ideas about the way we live. During the fifth year of the conference, attendees and speakers gathered in the Latchis Theatre, Marlboro College Graduate School, and the River Garden, discussing the “slow” movement, which some see as an antidote to our world of fast food, fast money, and fast...
Then and now
When I delivered my first inaugural address, I said that my administration would focus on one goal: making our economy work for every single Vermonter and making their lives more secure: • Secure in their jobs. • Secure that their children have the same opportunities to succeed as any other child. • Secure that their kids will grow up in a clean environment that has a chance of remaining livable by putting renewable energy on steroids. • Secure that our...
Sweet and sour
When the rhubarb hits the farm stands, you know the first strawberries will be close behind. The two spring treasures are a perfect balancing act - the berries sweet and vibrant, the rhubarb tart and sour. The good news is that both the strawberries and the rhubarb freeze beautifully, so there is no excuse not to serve local all winter long. This recipe is on the tart side, with minimal sugar. I must take after my mother for this; she...