Two independent nonprofit media organizations in Vermont have teamed up to hire a seasoned reporter to report on a broad range of news in Windham County, including the ongoing decommissioning of Vermont Yankee nuclear power station.
On Aug. 24, Mike Faher began reporting and writing for both VTDigger (vtdigger.org), a nonprofit state news organization, and The Commons (commonsnews.org), a weekly newspaper based in Brattleboro covering Windham County.
Faher has worked as a daily newspaper journalist for 16 years, most recently as lead reporter at the Brattleboro Reformer, where he was laid off in June during a round of nationwide budget cuts by the newspaper's parent company, Digital First Media.
At the Reformer, he covered several towns and schools as well as the Vermont Legislature and Windham Superior Court.
School zones Be particularly alert at all times for children and pedestrians in a school zone. Also watch for school buses which may be arriving and departing. Signs or flashing lights warn you that you are approaching a school or school crossing. Many school zones have lower speed limits,
If you're among the 75 percent of Windham County who voted to elect Bernie Sanders to the U.S. Senate - and perhaps among those who have voted for him in every election since 1990, like me - you were probably mighty excited when he announced that he would run...
With fewer law-enforcement patrol hours in Newfane during the past few months, the Selectboard is seeking alternative methods to deter speeders along Route 30. Dennis Wiswall, recently appointed to the Selectboard, offered a possible solution: flashing signs displaying a car's speed. “People speed because they aren't paying attention,” and a flashing sign can help deter speeding, Wiswall said. At the Aug. 12 special board meeting - the regular, Aug. 3 meeting was postponed over a fire at Valley Cares in...
This week, we welcome to our newsroom Mike Faher, a familiar face to the Windham County media landscape. In what all of us involved hope and anticipate will be a relationship that is as innovative as it is practical, Faher will cover the Vermont Yankee decommissioning beat and will report general county-wide news stories for both The Commons and VtDigger (vtdigger.org), a similarly young and similarly not-for-profit state news website based in Montpelier. If Faher's name is familiar, it is...
The Brattleboro Rotary Club recently awarded a total of $18,000 in scholarships to six local high school students who will be attending college this fall. The scholarships are funded by The Gateway Foundation, an affiliate of the Brattleboro Rotary Club. This year's recipients include Tanmatra C. Bhanti of Brattleboro, who will attend George Washington University; Nina Goodhue of Brattleboro, who will attend DePaul University; Christian Lugtu of Hinsdale, N.H., who will attend James Madison University; Emily L. Stockwell of Townshend,
Alice Charkes is a teacher at Green Street School (GSS) and the Fit and Healthy Kids Coalition has named her the Summer 2015 Community Champion. When her daughter Olivia was born, Charkes towed her to childcare in a Burley trailer behind her bike. When Olivia grew out of the trailer, they got a tandem and biked together. When Olivia was in first grade at GSS, Charkes worked with the principal to get a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program grant.
Lead Safe & Healthy Homes has been selected as the recipient of a $7,000 from United Way of Windham County. The funds will be used to promote healthy housing in Windham County by providing free, in-home assessments to families with pregnant women or children up to six years old. The assessment will include evaluations for safety, allergy triggers and indoor air quality. It also includes testing for carbon monoxide, and lead dust. “This program aims to provide families with the...
The 219th edition of the Bondville Fair will take place Aug. 28-30 at the fairgrounds off Route 30. Vermont's oldest continuous fair invites residents to enter garden produce, cooking specialties, artistic endeavors, and original art works to be judged and possibly awarded ribbons for excellence. Judging and displays will be at the Ailene Capen Floral Hall. Entries are accepted Thursday, Aug. 27, from 4 to 7 p.m., and Friday, Aug, 28, from 9 to 10 a.m. Two items per category...
More than 150 volunteers from local communities, companies, schools, and civic organizations will participate in volunteer service projects across Windham County on Saturday, Sept. 12 in United Way of Windham County's sixth annual Day of Caring. An estimated $10,000 in labor will be donated during the county's largest one-day volunteer service event. Day of Caring begins for volunteers at 8 a.m. with kick-off breakfasts at the American Legion in Brattleboro and Our Place Drop-In Center in Bellows Falls. From 9...
The Brattleboro Area Jewish Community (BAJC) “Synagogue Outdoors” Project has won a $3,000 grant from the Gendler Grapevine Foundation for innovative work to connect community life with their 12 acres of land. This Gendler Grapevine Grant enables BAJC to add welcoming, interpretive signs, new trails, benches, and outdoor gathering spaces for study, prayer, storytelling, meditation, and more. The grant builds on the volunteer labor of BAJC members and friends who have already accomplished planting a vegetable garden, a heritage wheat...
College news • Kristina Wittler, a Putney School graduate from South Newfane, is a member of Colgate University's bicentennial Class of 2019. • Robyn Avery of Brattleboro is enrolled at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., as part of the Class of 2019. • Eben Holderness of Brattleboro, a freshman at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., was named to the spring 2015 Dean's List. School news • Kaelan Selbach-Broad, 18, of Putney, placed third in his age group in the American...
Molly Geidel will discuss her new book, Peace Corps Fantasies: How Development Shaped the Global Sixties, on Friday, Aug. 28, at 6 p.m., at Everyone's Books, 23 Elliot St. To tens of thousands of volunteers in its first decade, the Peace Corps was “the toughest job you'll ever love.” In the United States' popular imagination to this day, it is a symbol of selfless altruism and the most successful program of John F. Kennedy's presidency. However, in her provocative new...
Mushroom foraging workshop series begins BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Food Co-op is sponsoring a series of mushroom-foraging trips in the local area this summer. Participants will learn the basics of safely identifying and cooking wild mushrooms. Justin Garner, a clinical herbalist with Sweet Flag Medicinals, will lead the trips and identify local mushrooms and their culinary, medicinal, and other characteristics. The dates are Aug. 26 and Sept. 9 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to...
For the 18th consecutive year, Meeting Waters YMCA's after-school program, known as Y-ASPIRE, will provide important supports for hundreds of area youth, their working parents, the businesses that employ these parents, and the seven communities served by the program. According to Meeting Waters YMCA Program Director Susan Fortier, Y-ASPIRE was designed in 1998 with a focus on multiple benefits. “When Steve [Fortier, MWYMCA executive director] and I created Y-ASPIRE 17 years ago, we applied all of our knowledge and experience...
Just like the former West River Railroad that once traveled from Brattleboro to its terminus at the South Londonderry Depot, the recreational trail that now lies on its railbed has seen its share of challenges. But, unlike the ill-fated railroad, progress on the trail keeps chugging along. The West River Trail, developed and maintained by the Friends of the West River Trail (FWRT), is a publicly accessible system of paths meant for “educational, recreational, and alternative transportation purposes,” according to...
Americans love to celebrate the Labor Day holiday with family, friends, food, and fireworks, but all too often the festivities turn tragic on the nation's roads. The fact is, this iconic American holiday is also one of the deadliest of the year due to drunk-driving crashes. The Vermont State Police will be on the roads, statewide, for Operation Combined Accident Reduction Effort (Operation CARE) to provide additional traffic enforcement over the final weeks of summer and the Labor Day weekend.
After months of fruitless searching for a new animal control officer, the town selected Williamsville resident Michael Young from a field of not one but two interested parties. At the Aug. 12 Selectboard meeting, board member Marion Dowling read correspondence from Young, who expressed his interest in the position. Young wrote that he moved to the area last year and wants to volunteer in the community. He said he has experience with people, businesses, animals, and wildlife. Board Chair Todd...
The Brattleboro Family Services staff of the Vermont Department for Children and Families deeply appreciates our Agency of Human Services colleagues and community partners who have provided support to us following the loss of our colleague Lara Sobel. Your messages of condolence and thoughtful gestures have been comforting during this difficult time. We are grateful to all those who have shown us such support and to be part of such a caring community.
The best back-to-school supply is a library card. It's free and never goes out of style. That's according to youth services librarian Sam Maskell, who adds, “Here at the Rockingham Free Public Library, we believe that the playing field in education is leveled when everyone has free access to information.” Any student attending a Windham Northeast Supervisory Union school – no matter the home address - is eligible for a free library card. All residents of the town of Rockingham...
The American Lung Association of the Northeast reminds Vermonters to do their part to keep the air clean and healthy by limiting unnecessary vehicle idling. Not only does vehicle idling contribute to air pollution, which can exacerbate lung disease, it is against the law and could result in violators being fined. Under Vermont law, no vehicle may idle more than five minutes within any 60 minute period. Fines range from $10 for the first offense to up to $100 for...
Jerry Appell, a resident of town and founder and artistic director of Rock in the Classroom, is offering a workshop entitled “Creating Educational Songs and Music Videos” at the Brooks Memorial Library Meeting Room on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 1 p.m. The goal of this workshop is to help educators and home-school families discover a variety of ways to use songwriting and music as learning tools for students of all ages. It is free and open to the public. Appell...
Many residents in town have waited years for broadband Internet service to reach town. Apparently, when no one was looking, it did. Selectboard Vice-Chair Edee Edwards, also chair of the Broadband Committee, reported last week that she had been hearing from residents that a wireless broadband tower owned by VTel in Halifax center is now operational. Edwards said she asked that this news be added to the agenda of the Aug. 18 Selectboard meeting. Several residents reported hearing from friends...
Escape to the mountains to celebrate summer one last time at the first Stratton Village Summer Fest, kicking off Friday, Sept. 4. Festivities will continue throughout Labor Day Weekend with fun for the whole family, including the annual tent sale, live music, and lively entertainment for kids. Gear up for winter with the best deals of the season at the annual Labor Day Tent Sale. Save on skis, snowboards, boots, bindings, clothing, and accessories from the industry's top brands. Put...
Marlboro College's Teaching with Technology (MAT-T) program offers a clear pathway to becoming a licensed Vermont teacher with the Vermont Educational Technology Specialist endorsement. In cooperation with Vermont's Agency of Education (AOE), Marlboro's state-approved ETS credits will enable participants to acquire a level-one teaching license in this very-high-demand area. According to Caleb Clark, degree chair of the MAT-T program at Marlboro, Vermont needs more passionate educators who can use technology effectively in the classroom. “Not technology merely to teach tried...
Despite the warmth of this summer, the staff of Groundworks Collaborative have the cold days of winter on their minds. In November, the organization, which serves the area's homeless population, will open its winter emergency night shelter. Come this November, however, the emergency shelter's traditional location, the First Baptist Church on Main Street, may not be available. To avoid leaving an average of 25 people out in the cold Vermont winter, Groundworks has sought a new location for the emergency...
The multi-generational world music choir, River Singers, led by Mary Cay Brass, is starting their 24th year of singing diverse, soulful, thrilling world music. The fall session will focus on an eclectic blend of village music from Eastern Europe, freedom songs, processionals and spirituals from the African continent, work songs from the Caucasus mountains of Georgia and a mix of pub carols, Appalachian tunes and the exciting gospel music from Montpelier Gospel Choirs' John Harrison. This non-audition community choir meets...
Dear Wilmington: I loved you dearly, but you've already sold yourself to Jim Barnes and the Hermitage Club. What hasn't burned down has been torn down, and I expect the O.O. Ware building will be next on the demolition list. You think a Dunkin' Donuts is going to destroy the “character” of the town when it's planned for a building next to the Family Dollar store? What is the problem, exactly? You'd rather a Starbucks?
The Athens Planning Commission has promised to do all it can to encourage citizen participation in the creation of a Town Plan that would be acceptable to voters. Toward this end, the commission invites fellow residents to attend its next meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8, to discuss what they liked and didn't like about the draft that was defeated by Australian ballot at Annual Town Meeting this past March. The commission meets on the second Tuesday of each month at...
My oldest son had a lot of the same qualities as writer Chrissy Howe's son Teddy. Christopher started life very colicky and did not sleep well at night. He was very loud and very verbal, but nobody could understand him other than my husband and me. My son cried a lot and had no interest in playing with other children. He had no interest in learning or in any preschool stuff, but like Teddy, he was a genius with his...
Main Street Arts celebrates the completion of its major renovation with an open house on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 2 to 5 p.m. The non-profit community arts center, at 35 Main St., plans to celebrate with haiku, spin art, a magic show, and performances, with refreshments and tours of the building on offer. Rides on the elevator will show off new, full access to all activities at the center. “It has been a long process but we are happy with...
Vermont's bear hunting season starts Sept. 1, and judging by the number of bear raids on gardens, berry patches, garbage cans, and compost piles that have been reported to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department over the past couple of months, it comes not a moment too soon. Bears are abundant all over Vermont, and some have shown a distinct lack of fear when it comes to humans and food sources. That has kept Fish and Wildlife game wardens busy...
Join Bartleby's Books for an evening of poetry with two New England poets: Deborah Gorlin and Phil Holland. The event runs Friday, Aug. 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the bookstore. Reading and discussion with signing follow. Gorlin has published in a wide range of journals. Before winning the 2014 May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Prize, she won the 1996 White Pine Poetry Press Prize for her first book of poems, Bodily Course. She holds an MFA from the University of...
Experience new dimensions of energy in performance with Grammy Award-winning master drummer Glen Velez, vocal phenomenon LOIRE, and acclaimed cellist Eugene Friesen on Friday, Aug. 28, at 7:30 p.m., at Immanuel Episcopal Church. Velez, a four-time Grammy winner, is the founding father of the modern Frame Drum movement and is regarded as a legendary figure among musicians and audiences worldwide. During his illustrious career Velez has single-handedly popularized this ancient drum for the modern world. LOIRE (a.k.a. Lori Cotler) has...
Everyone these days seems glued to their smartphones. But how far would you let your smartphone lead you? That question will be posed in The Rounds, an unconventional performance experience presented by Vermont Performance Lab (VPL) as part of its upcoming Progressive Performance Festival. French artists Martin Chaput and Martial Chazallon of Project SITU use smartphone technology as a choreographic tool that will guide participants to make the “rounds” of the town: to travel pathways, explore spaces, and experience downtown...
Dawn dances are a longstanding tradition here in Brattleboro, and this Labor Day weekend hundreds of contra dancers of all ages, from New England and beyond, will converge downtown for yet another all-nighter at the Gibson-Aiken Center. Beginning at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6, and continuing until 7 a.m. on Monday, three excellent bands, three nationally known callers, and an estimated 400 dancers will join in a joyful and merry-making event in the center's upstairs gym. As a warm-up,
Here's a look at what's coming up for the new school year in school districts around Windham County. We attempted to contact every single public school in the county, and we are able to bring you some brief updates from most of them this week. Brattleboro Union High School • Due to a number of retirements last year, Brattleboro Union High School has hired three math teachers, a French teacher, and two social-studies teachers. • Ace (Academic Challenge and Excellence)
Local economic development gurus, policy wonks, and economy watchers warned that Vermont Yankee's shutdown would ripple through the economy even before the plant's owners formally announced the nuclear plant's closure. The announcement came in August 2013. Entergy, the plant's owner, cited economic reasons - not social pressures from local activists or the state - as its reason for closing. The reactor went dark December 2014 after 633 days of continuous power generation without an outage. Entergy has conducted multiple rounds...
B-1 Brattleboro morning route (elementary) ||7:22||Route begins at Mountain Home Park (mailboxes, west side of park). Turn right onto Sunset Lake Road. ||7:25||At Gulf Road. Proceed to Marlboro Road; turn right. ||7:32||At 1215 Marlboro Rd. ||7:42||At Sherwood Circle and Tudor Lane. ||7:43||At Third Level Drive. ||7:43||At First Level Drive. Turn right onto Western Avenue (Route 9). ||7:44||At 364 Western Ave. ||7:45||At intersection of Western Avenue/Marlboro Road and Edward Heights. ||7:47||Route ends with pickup at intersection of Western Avenue and Stockwell...
Everyone now recognizes Cecil, the majestic lion who roamed the Zimbabwean savannah until he was lured into danger by an American hunter who paid megabucks to kill him. Cecil's death set the Internet on fire and garnered huge amounts of mainstream media attention. The Doris Day Animal League demanded “Justice for Cecil,” and the Empire State Building put his regal face on its urban façade as if he were part of a guerilla marketing campaign. A bill introduced in Congress...
Depending on which way you entered the Windham County History Fair on the Newfane Common this past Saturday, you might have been greeted by a really old cop car, burger-flipping ladies, a pair of wooly alpacas, or a man shooting a long-barreled gun into the trees. According to nearly every vendor and organizer who was asked, this year's fair was a hit. “This is the funnest, best event,” said Vikki Butynski of WildWood Acres Alpacas, as she introduced an attendee...
The grounds crew at the Brattleboro Country Club was busily sawing away on a massive tree limb on the 12th hole last Friday afternoon as a caravan of golf carts went streaming by on a tour of the course. The limb had fallen of its own accord the night before. The gnarly maple tree has long been a prohibitive gatekeeper to approach shots that drift right. The absence of the overreaching limb will open up the right side of the...
Windham Superior Court Judge John Wesley has sided with the town of Rockingham in a lawsuit against TransCanada, affirming the Grand List valuations set in 2012, 2013, and 2014 for the utility's hydroelectric facility. “The Court finds that the Town has produced sufficient reliable evidence of its fair market value assessment of the Bellows Falls hydroelectric facility at $130,000,000, yielding the value of the portion in Rockingham at $108,495,400,” Wesley wrote in the Aug. 21 court ruling. The company has...