In time for the summer recreation season, the Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRWC) and 16 partners have launched the 2016 Connecticut River water sampling program.
Water samples are tested for E. coli bacteria as an indicator for all types of pathogens that could potentially make people sick. River users can visit the “Is It Clean?” web page located at www.ConnecticutRiver.us to find bacteria test results at more than 147 river access and recreation sites in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and northern Connecticut.
Samples are typically collected at each site weekly or bi-weekly and test results are posted online 24 hours later, through early October.
“When weather gets warm, people head to our rivers to cool off and have fun, and they want to know if our rivers are clean. The data tells us that it is a good idea to stay out of the water for 24-48 hours after a heavy rain, because bacteria levels could be high,” CRWC Lower River Steward Alicea Charamut said in a news release.
Windham & Windsor Housing Trust (WWHT) assisted more than 30 homeowners with rehab and repair projects last year, underscoring its commitment to strengthening communities and improving the health and livability of homes for people living in southeastern Vermont, according to a news release. WWHT released the results to recognize...
The Diocese of Burlington's Vermont Catholic Charities Inc. has awarded a total of $62,000 in grants to 28 nonprofit organizations that make meaningful differences in the daily lives of individuals and families. According to a news release, funding for these Bishop deGoesbriand Appeal for Human Advancement grants was made...
When my tears run dry and my heart stops aching, maybe then I can think more clearly. But for right now, this moment, I need to believe that love is the answer. I need to believe that hate has no home here and will not dominate our beautiful country. I need love to be the answer. I need love to be what keeps the people who lost their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, best friends and...
The 2016 4-H State Day brought more than 150 of Vermont's most talented 4-H members to Barre to enlighten and entertain the public about their 4-H club work through their action exhibits, stage presentations, illustrated talks, tabletop exhibits and more, according to a news release. University of Vermont Extension 4-H sponsored the May 21 event at the Barre Civic Center. While all participants were winners at the regional level, those chosen as state winners are invited to repeat their presentations...
Act 46 has many unintended consequences. At least I hope they are unintended. One most unfortunate consequence is the potential breakup of very-well-operating supervisory unions that have been working well together for many years to serve all of their students. This is happening all over the state, but I am mostly aware of two in our area: Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) and Windham Central Supervisory Union (WCSU). WSESU has been in the 706b study committee mode since last November.
College news • The following local students were named to the Castleton University President's List for the spring semester of the 2015-16 academic year: McKenzie Bover of Brattleboro, Kamelia Crawford of Saxtons River, Alex Derosia of Brattleboro, Callie Ginter of Townshend, Casey Gould of Brattleboro, Ryan Haselton of South Londonderry, Colby Hescock of Brattleboro, Soren Pelz-Walsh of Brattleboro, Meghan Powell of Vernon, and Nicole Wershoven of Whitingham. • The following local students were named to the Castleton University Dean's List...
Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) is sponsoring a workshop, “Social Media for Small Business,” at Marlboro College Graduate Center, Room 2E, on Vernon Street on Tuesday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Social media is here to stay, yet with so many sites to choose from, determining which is best for your business and managing your presence on the platform can be a daunting task.It is constantly evolving and every platform offers varying features, benefits, and market...
Lamont Barnett, the town's newly elected Selectboard chair, has admitted knowingly acting on behalf of the full board - without approval and in violation of the state's Open Meeting Law - when he signed two letters of support at the request of a constituent “at the eleventh hour.” The constituent also happens to be another public official - Saxtons River Trustees Chair Louise Luring - who has described the infraction as a “tempest in a teapot, [a] mountain out of...
The Board of Trustees of Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire (VNH) have voted to approve an affiliation agreement with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. With the May 24 vote, VNH will become an affiliate of Dartmouth-Hitchcock, effective July 1. VNH, the region's largest provider of home health services, will become the first home health and hospice provider affiliate of Dartmouth-Hitchcock, which also includes five hospital affiliates. The affiliation is designed to improve healthcare for the communities served by facilitating...
If you have a passion for writing, journalistic integrity, good business acumen, and are undaunted by the thought of pursuing the noble profession of newspaper publisher in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, this essay contest is for you. The grand - and only - prize: The Hardwick Gazette, a weekly newspaper that has been published in Hardwick for 127 years. The entry fee is $175. Contestants are asked to write an essay of 400 words or less about their skills...
On Sunday, June 19, at 7:30 p.m., Brock Eide, M.D., will present a free talk titled “How Should We Think About Learning Differences? Why It's Time For a New Approach,” according to a news release. Eide and his wife, Fernette Eide, M.D., are the authors of the book “The Dyslexic Advantage” and the founders of the nonprofit advocacy organization Dyslexic Advantage (www.dyslexicadvantage.org). Landmark College invites local and regional educators, professionals, community members, parents, and adults and teens who learn differently...
On July 31, the Halifax Union Society will celebrate its 125th anniversary as an independent, nondenominational church in nearby Halifax Center. The Society's inclusive, neighborly atmosphere and its peaceful hilltop setting have appealed to a diverse group of local residents, summer residents, and visitors since 1891, according to a news release. This year, Sunday evening services begin June 19 and will continue through Sept. 4. A special 125th anniversary celebration service will be held July 31. All services begin at...
This year, Jasmine Day Spa is celebrating its 10th year in business. Each month, from June through December, the spa will feature a different activity to show appreciation for its success, including sales, gifts with purchase, and a party in September, according to a news release. New signage will appear outside the spa, new services will be offered, and an updated website will be online. Jasmine Day Spa opened in 2006 as Jasmine Massage and Skin Care, the private practice...
The Sustainable Energy Outreach Network, Inc. (SEON) announced the formation of their second networking group, The Facility Managers Guild. According to the news release, the intention is to assist facility managers in becoming more proficient in all aspects of energy management and conservation. “This collaboration will open opportunities to share best practices and project outcomes, engage in problem-solving, connect to additional resources, and participate in continuing education,” the release said. Facility managers, technicians, and associates working in a nonprofit, public,
Land managers to learn how to battle invasives BRATTLEBORO - Invasive plants are becoming all too common in Vermont's forests. They overrun native plants, pose health risks, and damage the region's vital forest ecology. The Vermont Land Trust is partnering with Polatin Ecological Services to present a free workshop for people who manage private land infested with invasive plants. According to a news release, the field workshop will happen in West Brattleboro on land owned by the Vermont Land Trust.
Bartleby's Books 17 West Main St., Wilmington, 802-464-5425 • Hours: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. daily. • Website: myvermontbookstore.com • Facebook: facebook.com/bartlebysbooks • Twitter: twitter.com/myvtbookstore • Founded: 1989; under current ownership since 2001 • Employees: 5 • Annual sales: About $300,000 • Services: “We offer a wide variety of new books across most genres, as well as a carefully chosen selection of cards, gifts and games. Serving regular coffee and espresso drinks from our self-serve espresso machine. Bartleby's hosts local artists' work...
Now in its 50th season, Friends of Music at Guilford is moving its season finale to a special hilltop property in Guilford. The annual A Cappella à la Carte menu traditionally offers three distinct elements: a membership meeting, a community potluck, and a vocal concert. The festivities begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 25. The brief and entertaining annual membership meeting sums up the year's events, introduces plans for the following season, and offers a slate of trustees for...
On June 21, 2016, the Halifax Selectboard will hold a public hearing on whether to repeal all zoning. This is the final step before the issue is put to a vote at a special town meeting sometime later this summer. The process began with a public petition that was circulated before the March 1 Town Meeting Day. The petition, which was ultimately submitted to the Selectboard by Wayne Courser, garnered roughly 125 signatures. A copy of the petition is available...
Our hearts break with sadness for 49 more beautiful and fabulous LGBTQ people being needlessly ripped from this earth. At the same time, our hearts break open with anger when we find ourselves within a culture and society that continue to create a world where queers are not able to donate blood to our families, even in times of emergency; where colonialist borders and immigration laws unjustly keep LGBTQ people apart; where we are imprisoned for things like fighting back...
The partial collapse of the Tucker Reed Road bridge on Friday, May 13, caused the span to be closed, according to Town Clerk Laurie Frechette. “The north abutment of the bridge had collapsed into the brook,” she said. “We don't know what caused it to do so." A neighbor walking by the bridge discovered the failure of the abutment and contacted town officials. Since then, Highway Foreman Lee Chamberlin and the Selectboard met three times and heard public comment on...
On June 2 at a Boston hotel, a team of officials and experts spent hours dissecting a vexing question: What's the best way to find a new home for the nation's nuclear waste? The inquiry is vitally important for Windham County and the town of Vernon, where Vermont Yankee's spent nuclear fuel will be stored for the foreseeable future. So the region's diverse representation at the Boston meeting included a Windham County planner; members of a Brattleboro anti-nuclear group; and...
After two Selectboard meetings - and 121 confirmed signatures on a petition - the West Dummerston Fire Department finally got its wish to have the townspeople vote on a proposed new Central Fire Station. At the May 25 regular Selectboard meeting, all Board members voted in the affirmative (with the exception of the absent Joe Cook) to schedule a Special Town Meeting. Voters will be asked if they would like to decide the request to raise funds for the Center...
In January of 2015, a young woman was sexually violated by a star swimmer from Stanford University. This young woman has shown the courage to speak not only of her own trauma and loss, but of the common experience of women around the world who are the victims of sexual assault. In her address to her attacker and to the court, the unnamed victim brought to light the excruciating aftermath of the assault, describing an experience shared by millions of...
Police-Fire Project bond approved BRATTLEBORO - The Selectboard on June 7 moved forward with obtaining the $7.8 million in additional funding needed for the Police-Fire Project, according to a news release. The board unanimously approved signing bond certificates and loan agreements authorizing getting municipal bonds through the Vermont Municipal Bond Bank. Board Vice-Chair Kate O'Connor reminded board members that Representative Town Meeting Members authorized borrowing the additional funds for the project earlier this year. Signing the Municipal Bond Bank's documents...
The most recent version of the open-meeting and public-records laws, Act 129, signed into law by Governor Peter Shumlin in May, clarifies “five days” as five calendar days, scuttling hopes of smaller town governments for a little leniency in complying with the law. This legislation did not make the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) happy. The municipal advocacy group's executive director, Maura Carroll, who blamed the Vermont Press Association for being “unreasonable,” said this requirement could be onerous...
Time constraints, regulatory issues, and competitive pressures will make it “extremely difficult” for Vermont to independently submit a purchase bid for TransCanada's hydroelectric stations on the Connecticut and Deerfield rivers, a new document says. The Department of Public Service memo details several options by which the state still might partner with another entity or entities and “acquire some beneficial interest” in the dams. In fact, the memo - penned by Regional Policy Director Ed McNamara - says four companies already...
Students at the elementary school welcomed a special guest during the first week of May. Judy Dow, an Abenaki teacher, storyteller, and basket maker, was the school's visiting artist-in-residence. She worked with all the students from Kindergarten through sixth-grade on topics teachers identified as fitting with their curriculum, said fourth-grade teacher Maresa Nielson. Nielson serves on Vernon Elementary School's Diversity Committee and described the group's work as “about equity for all of our children and staff.” Much of the history...
“Horror and pornography are often lumped together as the two genres that are the most degrading to women,” says Hannah Neurotica, filmmaker, writer, and mixed media artist based in Vermont. “I don't think that is true, at least for horror. “I am convinced that horror can explore issues in women's life better than practically any other genre, for through the lens of horror, voices can be heard that you don't often get anywhere else. Whether on the screen, behind the...
Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts, a two-year-old gallery showcasing contemporary art in solo and group exhibitions, has expanded. The gallery founded and operated by Petria Mitchell and Jim Giddings has opened up an annex in the atrium of the Brooks House, according to a news release. Mitchell said this expansion will enhance MGFA's ability to increase exposure of its artists by offering rotating exhibitions in the new, spacious, and light-filled public venue. “We will continue in our established location,” Mitchell said in...
As of July 1, Vermont law will bar mental-health providers from trying to change a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity. Vermont has become the fifth state to place limits on what's called “gay conversion therapy.” The District of Columbia and the city of Cincinnati also prohibit its use on minors. Two linked stories - one of the hysteria epidemic in Europe in the late 1800s and the other of one of the first conversion-therapy cases - underscore the folly...
A group of quilters from Readsboro and nearby towns will display their work starting June 18 at Confluence, a gallery on Main Street in Readsboro. The exhibition will run for six weekends, through July 24. There will be an opening reception for the artists on Friday, June 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. Norma Abel is the organizer and curator of Confluence's second show. Finding herself in the little mountain town on a backroads trip from Albany to Boston, she...
It was one of the more improbable state baseball championship games in recent history. The No. 8 Mount Abraham Eagles beat the No. 6 Bellows Falls Terriers, 11-1, for the Division II title at Centennial Field last Saturday. But that doesn't even begin to tell the story of these two longshots and how they ended up playing for a state championship. Despite only having three seniors on the roster, the Terriers made it to the Division II final for the...
Funk and world beat band Simba celebrates the beginning of summer and the longest day with their annual Summer Solstice Celebration on Monday, June 20, at 8 p.m., at the Evening Star Grange in Dummerston Center, at the intersection of East-West, Middle, and Bunker roads. A news release invites music lovers to “dance your heart out with the area's most beloved world beat band featuring all kinds of funky grooves and some of the best local musicians.” Those musicians are:
On Thursday, June 16, at 8 p.m., Yellow Barn welcomes alumni ensemble The Parker Quartet - Daniel Chong and Ying Xue, violins; Jessica Bodner, viola; and Kee-Hyun Kim, cello - back to Putney for a special preseason performance. The program includes Webern's Five Movements for String Quartet, Bartók's String Quartet No.1, and Schubert's String Quartet in G Major, D.887. The concert takes place at the “Big Barn” on 49 Main St. near the Putney Food Co-op.
After retiring from writing computer programs and supporting computer users in the business world, Margaret Marple started experimenting with jewelry making. Her work is featured during the month of June at the Wardsboro Public Library. According to a news release, Marple started with seed bead weaving and then found a greater interest in making things from metal-copper, brass, and silver. She is mostly self-taught, learning from books and YouTube, although she did take a class called “Soldering Bootcamp” to learn...
A brisk and beautiful evening set the stage for the Bellows Falls Union High School (BFUHS) Class of 2016 graduation ceremonies June 9. Sixty-seven members of the Class of 2016 received their diplomas. As is tradition, the BFUHS band, led by Nicolas Pelton, and joined by incoming freshman band members, played Pomp and Circumstance as the Class of 2016 marched to their seats. Senior class president Christian Terry, Salutatorians Elena Tansley, Trinna Larsen, Arianna Parris, and Nicole Murry, and Valedictorian...
As you near the end of a steep dirt road just off Route 121, one of those inexplicable Vermont hillside farms appears, almost defying the laws of gravity. But for a handsome older horse named Chesapeake, five barnyard ducks, two dogs, a drove of pigs, 30 rambunctious goats, and the Ware family, AlpineGlo Farm is a comfortable home. “We have 22 acres here, and most is mountainous hillside, which goats love,” said Rachel Ware, AlpineGlo's proprietor, goatherd, and cheesemaker. Goats...
Robert Frost wrote in 1920: “Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice.” In 2011, we learned that one doesn't have to wait until hell freezes over, thank you. Water itself - in its most liquid form - proved hellishly devastating to us. That April, a one-two punch knocked the life out of the iconic Brooks House, the largest building in downtown Brattleboro. An electrical fire and the thousands of gallons of water needed to put...
Eagle Creek Renewable Energy has traveled a “long road” to get two hydroelectric generation projects up and running in Windham County, a top administrator acknowledges. The New Jersey-based company finally has reached the end of that road, as newly installed turbines at Ball Mountain Dam in Jamaica and Townshend Dam are now operational. Crews remain on site to handle a few final details, but the projects have been successfully tested and have met state commissioning deadlines, Eagle Creek Chief Executive...
It should come as no surprise that energy was a hot topic at a Democratic gubernatorial forum here on June 6. The debate came just hours after Gov. Peter Shumlin vetoed a bill concerning renewable energy project siting. And the event was held a short drive from the site of a controversial, 28-turbine wind-power proposal in the towns of Windham and Grafton. Each of the participating candidates - Matt Dunne, Peter Galbraith and Sue Minter - made a case for...
Rose are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet and now there's a jazzy new trio that actually calls itself Sweet As Sugar. The group is fronted by well-known area musician Bill Shontz, and it's putting on a benefit show this Friday, June 17, that opens with a tasting of gourmet chocolates by master chocolatier Kerstin Roos. Sugar is sweet, indeed. The show is at 7 p.m. at 118 Elliot St. Tickets are $15 at the door. Proceeds from the...
When we began worship Sunday morning, the news said 20 people were dead in Orlando. By the time I took off my robe and stole an hour later, it said 49, plus the shooter. The worst mass shooting by an individual in American history. Orlando is my hometown. The LGBTQ community is my family. All afternoon I waited to hear if any of my friends had been killed. So far, there has been no bad news for me. But my...
Citing a combination of factors, officials with the Guilford Community Church are making 2016 the last year they offer the Strawberry Supper. The chair of the event, Fred Breunig, told The Commons the main reasons for discontinuing the supper are attendance, the cost of running the event, and a need to pare down. “For several years, attendance has fallen off,” Breunig said. He explained that before “eight or 10 years ago,” the one-day fundraising event had three separate seatings. In...
Groundworks Collaborative's plans for an emergency overnight shelter at 39 Frost Street regained steam recently after sitting on the new organization's back burner. For many years, when the seasonal overflow shelter at the First Baptist Church on Main Street closed each spring, Groundworks staff - who then worked for Morningside Shelter and the Brattleboro area Drop-In Center - felt uncertain about where the seasonal shelter would be located the following year if the church couldn't house it. Last year, Morningside...