An all-day “Art as Medicine” extravaganza open to all ages will be held at 118 Elliot St. in Brattleboro on Sunday, April 17. The event is a fundraiser for local participants in this summer's 10th annual Gathering in Gratitude in South Dakota at the Gathering of Eagles on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
The Brattleboro-based Mahalo Art Center will lead a Vermont-based delegation to join internationals in Hill City, South Dakota, from June 21-25 and at the Singing Horse Trading Post on the reservation from June 26 to July 3.
Called “a feast for the soul” by past audience members, Gathering In Gratitude is a presentation of music, dance, visual art, poetry, and drama honoring the natural world.
According to a news release, Gathering in Gratitude is inspired by the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, and with the encouragement of Mohawk Chief Tekaronianeken, Jake Swamp, and “unites the hearts and minds of those present in the spirit of gratitude for our natural world.”...
The University of Vermont is collaborating with Cornell University, NOFA-VT, and UVM Extension EFNEP on research to examine whether low-income participation in a subsidized Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program along with tailored nutrition education can improve the quality of diet for low-income children, who are at highest risk for...
College news • Sam Colleran of Vernon, a member of the Ithaca College Class of 2016, earned an internship with Wisecrack Inc in Los Angeles, Calif. for the spring 2016 semester. Colleran is participating in the Ithaca College Los Angeles Program, a one semester internship-based program that provides juniors...
Donations accepted for Marlboro fire victim MARLBORO - Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) is coordinating monetary donations from the community to assist Nancy Muller Milligan, recently the victim of a fire in her Marlboro home. Milligan, 74, lost her two adult daughters in the blaze, which occurred on the afternoon of March 7, and her home was completely destroyed. She now needs assistance with permanent housing, furniture, and other household items. Marlboro Cares, a local community service organization that has...
Musicians, music lovers, opera buffs, and other culture aficionados are invited to an open rehearsal of the traditional operatic pairing of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci, hosted by the Windham Orchestra. The rehearsal is set for Monday, April 18, at 7 p.m., at the River Garden in downtown Brattleboro. The double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana, an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, and Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo, is known as...
I believe we should use the election process of November to start the change from the two-party disaster to real democracy. I am a write-in candidate for president of the United States as a member of the Real Democracy Party. This movement is explained on my website (jmanimas.com). I have observed the two parties and U.S. politics since 1956. Little change is accomplished by marching, posters, protests, or even letters to members of Congress. Even in the 21st century, African-Americans...
Spend an evening getting to know your local law enforcement officers in a fun, friendly atmosphere - and support a great cause. The second annual “Can Cops Cook?” event, a friendly competition among Windham County's law enforcement officers, will be held at American Legion Post 5 on Linden Street on Saturday, April 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. Each officer will prepare and serve up sample-sized potions of their best homemade dish. The public will vote on the top three...
Taking Steps Brattleboro will join in a nationwide celebration of the right of all adults to think about, talk about and make decisions about Advance Planning. Projects are underway in every state to help people truly consider their personal beliefs and wishes regarding health care options at times of serious accidents or illness. In recognition of National Health Care Decision Day on April 16, Taking Steps Brattleboro is opening its volunteer facilitator training to the general community. Interested community members...
Putney's Next Stage Arts Project presents Peter Aguero, host of NPR's Moth Radio Hour, and Ophira Eisenberg on Saturday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. Eisenberg (NPR's Ask Me Another, and Moth Radio storyteller) and Aguero will join forces for an evening of intimate and hilarious true stories about love and triumph, family and failure, and somehow making it through to the other side. Aguero returns to Next Stage, having thrilled packed houses both at Next Stage and in past storyteller...
Rock Voices, the local community rock chorus, will perform a selection of rock and pop classics at Brattleboro's Centre Congregational Church at 193 Main St. on Saturday, April 16, at 7 p.m. The group's spring concert will include hits from the 1960s to the present day, from Frankie Valli and Marvin Gaye to Sting, David Bowie, U2, and Adele. The songs represent the choir's greatest hits from past concerts and will be included on a CD available this summer. Directed...
Windham World Affairs Council presents Dr. Therese Seibert, who will speak on “Postâ€Genocide Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in Rwanda,” on Friday, April 15, at the Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St. The 7:30 p.m. talk, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a question-and-answer period and preceded by coffee, tea, and conversation at 7 p.m. In April 1994, genocide erupted in Rwanda. More than 800,000 Tutsi were slaughtered in the following 100 days along with...
Putney-based artist Adrienne Ginter has installed two solo exhibits for spring viewing at opposite ends of the state. Locally, a show of 20 finely detailed watercolors, oils, and paper-cuttings can be seen through May at All Souls Church Unitarian Universalist in West Brattleboro. An opening reception is set for Saturday, April 16. The Governor's Gallery at the State House in Montpelier is hosting a large exhibit of her paper-cuttings through late June. The exhibit gracing gallery spaces at All Souls...
Local real estate agents honored BRATTLEBORO - Better Homes & Gardens The Masiello Group recently held its Annual Awards Reception for 2015 at Labelle Winery in Amherst, N.H. The top real estate agents from all of Masiello's 32 offices throughout Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine were recognized for their exceptional service representing buyers and sellers this past year. Two agents in the Brattleboro office were among those receiving top honors. Out of more than 600 agents company-wide, Darlene Conca...
Distinguished pianists Peter Serkin and Julia Hsu will perform a concert at Marlboro College to honor Luis Batlle and benefit the endowed chair in his name. Batile was music professor at Marlboro College for 30 years as well as longtime participant of the Marlboro Music Festival and School. The concert of music for piano four hands will take place Thursday, April 21, at 7 p.m., in Marlboro's Ragle Hall. It is free and open to the public, but donations toward...
Stone Church Arts presents the Celtic duo, Magical Strings, in concert Saturday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. Magical Strings centers around the Celtic harp and hammered dulcimer of Philip and Pam Boulding from Seattle. The concert will take place in the Chapel at Immanuel Episcopal Church, the stone church on the hill, at 20 Church St. in Bellows Falls. At times Philip and Pam Boulding augment their harp and dulcimer with violin, cello, pennywhistle, percussion and various instruments from around...
Forest workshop planned VERNON - Steve Hardy of Green Mountain Forestry visited the March 21 Selectboard meeting to seek the Board's approval for his hosting a workshop in the Town Forest on April 29. Hardy said his previous workshops were well-attended, with approximately 80 foresters participating. At the April 29 workshop, foresters from Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire will be there, Hardy said, and the public is welcome “to come hear some interesting things.” There will be a catered barbecue...
Due to the change in the law-enforcement contract between Vernon and the Windham County Sheriff's Department, both parties must now strategize how to schedule coverage. At this year's Town Meeting, voters opted to decrease from round-the-clock service to 20 hours per day. Windham County Sheriff Keith Clark and Lt. Mark Anderson appeared at the April 4 regular Selectboard meeting to work out the new patrol plan. “We don't want to schedule four-hour blocks and say, 'There's never anyone on from...
Entergy wants additional disposal options for Vermont Yankee's contaminated water, but federal regulators say they don't yet know enough about the liquid to approve that request. Citing “uncertainty in the concentration of radionuclides in the water,” the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is holding off on allowing Entergy to ship Vermont Yankee water to a facility in Idaho. “We're doing our due diligence to understand the radioactivity levels that would be involved with the shipments,” NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said. Vermont Yankee...
Selectboard questions dog officer's duties GUILFORD ― After questions about the dog officer's duties arose during the March 14 Selectboard meeting due to an animal complaint, some Board members brought their research to the March 28 meeting. But, there was some disagreement on the findings. The question of whether the dog officer's duties include shooting dogs caused two different interpretations of state statute. According to Board member Gabriella Ciuffreda, it is not the dog officer's job to shoot dogs. Her...
The Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) of Brattleboro is sponsoring a Marketing Bootcamp Workshop, at Marlboro College Graduate Center, Room 2E, in Brattleboro on Monday, April 25, from 9 a.m. to noon. This workshop will include a panel of marketing professionals who will discuss their own marketing experiences and answer your questions. What are your marketing goals for 2016? Do you want to reach more customers? Do you have the capacity to expand? Do you want to grow your...
A dozen 11th and 12th graders at the Compass School have spent the past six weeks studying films, writing screenplays, and producing their own short films in preparation for the 12th Annual Compass Student Film Festival on Thursday, April 14, at 7 p.m. - the culminating event for their filmmaking class. This interdisciplinary course is a popular course at the school, led by humanities teacher Julia Taylor and science/technology teacher Eric Rhomberg. Taylor and Rhomberg say they enjoy team-teaching the...
The Wendy Redlinger Jazz Soiree will host the Bob Stabach 4tet on Monday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m., with Eugene Uman on piano, George Kaye on bass, Jon Fisher on drums, and Bob Stabach on sax. The evening will feature music from the European record label ECM (Editions of Contemporary Music). The ECM style is an outgrowth of the American cool jazz of the 1950s and fusion styles of the 1960s - with their restrained and subdued aesthetics - that...
These spring scenes come to us via “Quotidiously,” by Rich Holschuh of Brattleboro, who describes the photo blog as “a casual repository of things encountered nearby, whether at home or wandering about.” As a personal challenge, Holschuh takes all his images with his iPhone camera and presents them as-is - “no filters, apps, or editing, except for a rare crop,” he writes. You can find the blog, with photos of all seasons in and around Brattleboro and the region, at...
It has become a cliché to say: “Towns targeted for industrial wind installations are torn apart by the experience.” If it's an experience you haven't had, you might well wonder what's behind the cliché. If you really want to understand, you might start by asking the question: “What is the nature of the bonds that hold a community together in the first place?” I don't know about your small town, but in ours, neighborly bonds tend to be of the...
July 11 is the day Brattleboro will transition to a new trash collection schedule. As a cost-saving measure, the town is reducing weekly trash collection to every other week. Curbside recycling and compost collection will remain weekly. Assistant Town Manager Patrick Moreland and Pay-As-You-Throw guru Moss Kahler presented plans for rolling out the new town-wide curbside trash collection schedule, April 5. According to Moreland, residents have successfully adopted PAYT, which went into effect last summer. The volume of trash has...
A request to launch a town promotion committee with a budget of $20,000 is going back to the drawing board after a long, and slightly heated, discussion at the April 5 Selectboard meeting. Members of the Town Arts Committee presented the proposal with the goal of coordinating and expanding the promotion and marketing of Brattleboro, its arts and culture scene, and small businesses. While the proposal was presented by the Arts Committee, it appeared the promotion committee would be a...
The Selectboard approved a grant April 5 of up to $50,000 for the Bradley House expansion project. The grant's final amount is contingent on the success of the organization's application to the state's Vermont Community Development Program (VCDP). Bradley House has submitted an application for a $507,000 grant. The town has pledged to grant 10 percent of the total amount awarded by the state. Bradley House, along with its sister institution Holton Home, is a residential-care facility providing assisted living...
The “me-first” mentality is alive and well in Brattleboro, and one only has to be waiting one's turn to drive across the now-one-lane Elliot Street Bridge to observe how this plays out. Folks, take your turn. It is an easy concept to understand. The car approaching down the hill from the direction of Birge Street waits, then the car approaching the bridge from the five corners has an opportunity to advance and cross to the other side … and vice...
On Tuesday, April 19, at 6:30 p.m., the Community Development Action Team of the West Brattleboro Association will host its springtime BizUp! event. This will be hosted by the CX Silver Gallery and Teahouse at 814 Western Ave. BizUp! events spark connections, collaborations and innovations between West Brattleboro businesses and organizations. Join us for local bites and drinks and meet fellow business owners in West B. At this event we will launch a new BizUp! feature-Pecha Kucha presentations about local...
I'm so sorry - and embarrassed. I live in a small village. Lucky me? From my retirement perch on Main Street, I must report a problem and/or threat to tranquility and safety. Shockingly, there are many drivers who completely ignore the posted speed limit! What? Break the law and endanger pedestrians, pets, and any other entity in the way just to get where you're going to start that dinner, walk that dog, have that drink? It has to be for...
Leonard Weldon DDS, OMF of Monadnock Oral Surgery in Keene is transitioning his practice after many years of providing expert care to clients of southwestern New Hampshire and southeastern Vermont. This letter is to publicly recognize the quiet, respectful and compassionate care Dr. Weldon provided the low-income population of Windham County. I write these words as a dental professional working with people at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale. Many, many times I have heard clients praise Dr. Weldon...
Susan Odegard's essay is a missing piece of my personal puzzle on racism and a reminder to us all how important it is to continue sharing our experiences. I believe the more we learn from one another, the better equipped we will be in our fight. I recently found myself thinking about Donald Trump and his supporters, pondering what might happen if he doesn't get the Republican presidential nomination. “Will it be safe living in Brattleboro?” I asked myself. “But...
The issue of ethics and the lack of an ethics commission has been of great interest over the last year or so to the media. How many Vermonters are passionate about the issue is not clear, but we in the Senate have taken the issue seriously and have just passed a bill out of the Government Operations Committee that will come to the floor of the Senate sometime this week. While at first blush it seems pretty straightforward to set...
Those who want Vermont taxpayers to buy 13 merchant hydroelectric plants, three storage reservoirs, and 30,000 acres of land along the Connecticut and Deerfield Rivers from their latest owner, TransCanada of Calgary, Alberta, are overlooking some devilish details: • These interrelated assets are located mostly in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. How would the state of Vermont administer them? How would towns tax the respective properties? (The New Hampshire state line is along the Vermont side of the Connecticut River.) •
I doubt that Senator Patrick Leahy will run for another term. It's one reason he can cut his losses and do as he pleases, which may get him some honorary post in a Hillary Clinton presidency. How can that balance out: years of service, tarnished by a betrayal of his constituency at the very end? He should know better that his legacy will be stained.
It sounds to me like Patrick Leahy doesn't want to be a senator from Vermont anymore.
Excellent article, thanks! Do you think Hillary Clinton asked Patrick Leahy to be vice president or secretary of state?
Sean Gaskell will give a Friends of the Library fundraising concert on the Kora, an ancient, 21-stringed harp from West Africa, at Brooks Memorial Library on Friday, April 15, at 7 p.m. The performance will feature traditional songs - the heart and soul of the Kora's musical repertoire - and some of Gaskell's own compositions. The Kora is native to the Mandé peoples, who live within the countries of Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau. The music is traditionally...
March Madness was not simply about the NCAA basketball tournament this year. It was also about the revelations that February was the hottest month on record, that the oceans are rising faster than had previously been thought, and that our nation is leaking methane into the atmosphere in massive quantities as a result of the fracking boom. It also included the research that showed that the West Antarctic ice sheet that is larger than Mexico and thought to be vulnerable...
On a bright February day, more than 400 Vermonters converged in Randolph to contemplate climate change and the production of lemonade. The summit that brought them together was designed to look for economic opportunities from dealing with this looming global problem, and there are many opportunities indeed. Breakout groups included legislators, utility leaders, youth, business leaders, investors, the working lands community, and a municipal action panel that included Brattleboro's Peter Elwell. Alongside Elwell were the mayors of Rutland, which has...
Hilltop Montessori School and the Latchis Theatre will present a family concert with the New England-based folk quartet, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, on Saturday, April 23, at 2 p.m., at the Latchis Theatre. This is the first partnership between the two organizations. Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem are Rani Arbo (fiddle, guitar), Andrew Kinsey (bass, banjo, ukulele), Anand Nayak (electric and acoustic guitars) and Scott Kessel (percussion). The group, which has been together for 15 years, has played folk...
How does a band find a name for itself? The string and vocal trio Low Lily had an innovative idea: run a contest on Facebook. The Brattleboro ensemble consists of Liz Simmons on guitar, her husband, Flynn Cohen, on mandolin and guitar, and Lissa Schneckenburger on fiddle. All three provide the vocals. Together, they explore the roots and branches of American folk music with traditional influences and modern inspiration that weave together a unique brand of acoustic music. On Saturday,
This spring season, there is a new sports team at Brattleboro Union High School. Unified Basketball is debuting as an interscholastic sport at BUHS. It is part of a pilot program with the Vermont Principals' Association, in partnership with Special Olympics Vermont, that created Vermont's first interscholastic Unified Sports basketball league. The BUHS team will play other schools around the state, and the season will culminate in a tournament in May. Fair Haven, Rutland, and Springfield are the other schools...
New England Center for Circus Arts is celebrating World Circus Day in a big fashion as is fit for the school that is now the most comprehensive circus training destination in the United States. Saturday, April 16 is the seventh annual World Circus Day. Established in 2010 by H. S. H. Princess Stéphanie of Monaco to “publicize the role of circus as part of our shared cultural heritage,” World Circus Day is held each year on the third Saturday of...
Visit The Nature Musuem on Friday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., for a special program for youth and families in honor of Earth Day. An indoor program, titled “Predators and Prey,” by Environmental Educator Jamie Maloof-Schilling, will be followed by a moderate hike in the forest and fields surrounding the Nature Museum. The power and prowess of a predator are amazing, but so are the skills and abilities of their prey. Through stories, games, and touchable artifacts...
Windham County Sheriff Keith Clark took an extended, public drubbing for his now-defunct Liberty Mill Justice Center proposal, and he admits the experience left him “bloodied a little bit.” But Clark is unbowed in his quest for new programs that he believes could change Vermont's criminal justice system and bolster local law enforcement. In fact, he insists that nearly all aspects of the Liberty Mill plan - aside from the controversial detention center - remain feasible in the not-so-distant future.
Jordan Baldwin-Page of Brattleboro has just been selected to represent the state of Vermont in the Northeast Regional Youth of the Year competition in New York City this summer. The 16-year-old will compete against other Boys & Girls Club members for 14 Northeast states for the title of the Northeast Regional Youth of the Year and an additional $10,000 scholarship. As the Youth of the Year for The Boys & Girls Clubs of Brattleboro, Baldwin-Page is among hundreds of local...
The Selectboard had its first chance to review the report on the Town Office building at the March 21 regular Selectboard meeting. Planning Commissioner Doris Knechtel presented some details on the report Cotton Design prepared on two proposals: fix the existing Town Office building, or sell it and construct a new one. Because of continuing issues with the building ― including a lack of space and privacy, concerns with heat and air quality, and structural problems. The Selectboard decided last...
A developer says preliminary environmental studies - including detailed assessments of noise and visual impacts - have shown no “red flags” for the proposed 28-turbine, 96.6-megawatt Stiles Brook Wind Project in Windham County. But no scientific studies are needed to gauge the level of skepticism some residents feel about the project. Even as wind developer Iberdrola Renewables and its consultants presented new findings inside the crowded Grafton Elementary School gym on April 5, some said they believed little of what...
I used to count on the robins, but I have been wrong quite often. Over the last several years, I have noticed that the arrival of turkey vultures and planting time are fairly close. -Pamela Simmons * * * When I stop procrastinating and pay attention to my lawn. -Tim Johnson Arsenault * * * When it is summer and I realized I missed it. (Totally off the cuff, but it is going to be one of those years, I...
The Bellows Falls Union High School Jesse A. Judd-Marilee B. Huntoon Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) welcomed 16 new members in their induction ceremony recently. Principal Chris Hodsden spoke about the qualities it takes to be considered in NHS; Scholarship, Service, Leadership, Character and Citizenship. He said that each of these new inductees do not exhibit one of these qualities, rather they must exemplify all of these qualities to be considered for membership in the National Honor Society.
Mark Twain's quote could not be more relevant for us in New England this year. After a very mild winter, Mother Nature has been teasing us mercilessly this spring. One recent Friday had us enjoying a summer-like 70 degrees. Then, Saturday was an appropriate 50 spring-like degrees. And on Sunday, I awoke to snow on the ground, with flurries continuing during the day and the temperature about 30 degrees, with a brisk wind. We must be as resilient as the...
It's spring, and the daffodils are confused. So are the ants. And the goldfinches. And so am I. Even given the famed changeability of Vermont weather, you have to admit we had a weird winter. The biggest snowstorm hit the day before Halloween, and the next snow of any significance came on Leap Day. Notice the four-month differential? In between, this was perhaps the sunniest and least precipitation-filled winter that anyone can remember. What happens when you've gone through a...
Pianist Renee Rosnes will perform at the Vermont Jazz Center on Saturday, April 16, at 8 p.m., with her quartet including vibraphonist Steve Nelson, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Lewis Nash. Cited as “one of the finest pianists in jazz,” Rosnes has recorded and toured with Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, J.J. Johnson, James Moody, Buster Williams, Bobby Hutcherson and others. In a review of her most recent recording, Written in the Rocks, Downbeat magazine says “Rosnes is a virtuoso jazz...
Laurel Green and Steve Crofter of Singing River Farm welcome the community to the farm's second annual Pansy Festival on Saturday, April 30, from noon to 3 p.m. “Looking into the bright face of a pansy can bring happiness to anyone,” says Green. For three years, she has been cultivating an heirloom variety of field-grown pansies. Last July, she saved enough seeds to start about 1,000 plants for this year. In September, she transplanted them into growing beds where the...
Back on home turf for one final “lunch with the governor” event, Gov. Peter Shumlin got an honorary Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce membership and a chance to defend his six-year record as the state's chief executive. Speaking April 11 at American Legion Post 5 in Brattleboro, the Putney native touted accomplishments in economic development, energy, education, health care, and agriculture. He said he has served in “a remarkable time” and hasn't “shied away from the tough fights.” Shumlin addressed...
Speaker of the House Shap Smith laughed. No, said the state representative, a Democrat from Morrisville. He's not tired of being asked if he will re-enter the race, either for governor or lieutenant governor. But for the next few weeks, Smith said, he will focus on finishing the legislative session, which, he predicts, will conclude May 7. “So, stay tuned,” said Smith, who will leave the Statehouse when his term ends later this year, after 14 years in the House,
Four local boys brought home awards from the Vermont Scholastic Chess Championship in Berlin on April 2. They were joined by their coach, Eric Strickland, who teaches chess through the Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department. Strickland's crew did well at this year's meet. Of the five youths who competed, three earned trophies and one received a certificate. Two of the trophies were for first place. Tommy Hyde won in the fourth-grade division, and Max Madow was the top winner of...
Recently, I chaired the first meeting of the newly formed Vermont Chapter of Women Grow. For those who are not familiar with Women Grow, it is perhaps the fastest-growing organization in the cannabis industry and was profiled in a 2015 Newsweek cover story on women taking over the billion-dollar cannabis industry. During the meeting, discussions turned to the current debate in Montpelier over the legalization of cannabis across the board in Vermont. Amid strong feelings and ideas emerged frustration that...