• Eugenie Marshall Tuck Beeman, 93, formerly of Wilmington. Died May 20 at Fillmore Pond in Bennington. Born on Nov. 5, 1924 (Guy Fawkes Day) in London, England, she was the daughter of Alexander John Marshall Tuck and Eugenie Philbin Tuck. She was educated at the Tuxedo Park School, and the Chapin School in New York City. When she graduated in 1941, she worked at Town & Country magazine and the Stork Club. In May 1943, Eugenie married John Remington Northrop; who was killed in action a year later over Normandy in August 1944. She married Lyman Arpin Beeman in June 1947 and they lived in Williamstown, Mass., before settling in Glens Falls, N.Y. They divorced in April 1966. She served as the first executive director of Southern Adirondack Planned Parenthood, covering Warren, Washington, Saratoga and Essex counties. She worked as the coordinator and tumor registrar at Glens Falls Hospital, when it began under Bill Philion. She was an avid traveller and lifelong learner who was always involved in her community, and served as a volunteer for the American Red Cross, Crandall Library, Glens Falls Hospital, the Sagamore Great Camp and the Hyde Collection Art Museum from 1988 until 2010. She was predeceased by both of her husbands, her sister Alexandra Walsh and brother John Tuck. She loved to garden and entertain on her screened porch. She was a generous spirit and shared her knitting, crossword puzzles, garden bounty and storytelling with friends and neighbors at 9 Lincoln for 60 years. She loved nature, reading Thoreau, exploring the world and, above all, her family. As she stated, “I missed nothing and leave with no regrets and no unfinished business. I hope your lives will be as joyful and fulfilled as mine.” She moved to Wilmington in 2012 and...
Writers for Recovery (WFR), a Vermont network of free writing workshops for people recovering from addiction, is bringing a 10-week writing workshop to Turning Point of Windham County at 39 Elm St. The workshop is underwritten by the Brattleboro Retreat. It will run on Monday evenings from 6 to...
I almost wrote to The Commons in response to Jessica Mack's Viewpoint about homelessness and panhandling, but I just couldn't seem to find the right words. After seeing the letters in response, I'm glad to see that others feel the same way about the article as I do. I...
Brattleboro Clayworks is preparing for the 14th annual Empty Bowls Dinner with a Bowlerama event on Saturday, June 10. Bowlerama offers an opportunity for those who have little or no experience working with clay to create a bowl to donate to the dinner, held each Columbus Day weekend at Landmark College as a fundraiser for the Groundworks Food Shelf. Bonnie Stearns, Alan Steinberg, and Annie Lauterbach will be available to help bowl-makers get started, provide basic instruction, and troubleshoot if...
David Sedaris, humorist and bestselling author, will appear at the Latchis Theatre on Friday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. Sedaris is the author of Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice, and many other books. His pieces appear regularly in The New Yorker and have twice been included in The Best American Essays. There are a total of seven million copies of his books in print, and they have been translated into 25 languages. His newest book, Theft by Finding, is due...
Poetry of Emily Dickinson at Putney Library PUTNEY - Poet, writer, and teacher Michelle Blake will offer a free two-session program on the brilliance and challenges of the poetry of Emily Dickinson at Putney Public Library, 55 Main St., on Thursday, June 1 and 8, at 7 p.m. All are welcome to come to either session or both. The first session on June 1 will be an informal lecture and discussion, exploring the poet's life and work, though the main...
The Arts Council of Windham County is inviting artists throughout the region to participate in its new logo contest. They are looking for artists to design a new logo for use by the Arts Council of Windham County and for Gallery Walk. The logo contest is being supported by a number of sponsors, including the Brattleboro Chamber of Commerce, Latchis Theatre, Mondo Mediaworks, River Gallery School, T.J. Buckley's, and Zephyr Designs. Entries can include a range from typography and photography...
Sunday, June 4, will mark the 12th annual Walk for Amber walkathon, raffle, and dinner. Amber Bernier was beloved by many in our community. In a continuing effort to honor her memory, friends and family have organized a day of remembrance and fundraising. All funds go to the Amber Bernier Scholarship. To date, the Walk for Amber scholarship committee has awarded 30 scholarships and over $20,000 to graduating seniors from Brattleboro Union High School and high schools throughout the region.
I am glad to see that the 100-percent-white town-government staff is considering taking action to make itself more reflective of the people who live here. I hope that the conversation reported in The Commons bears some fruit. Being aware of the problem and discussing it is not enough. Minds need to change also. In order for change to happen, we need to venture out of our cocoons, look around, ask questions, and then act differently. Curtiss Reed Jr. of the...
In the interest of serving more children in Vermont with mentors, Youth Services is transitioning its successful Big Brothers Big Sisters program into a statewide organization over the next two months. “Presently there are 70 community and school-based Big Brothers Big Sisters matches in Windham County, with more than triple the number anticipating being served statewide by the new structure,” explained Russell Bradbury-Carlin, Youth Services' Executive Director, in a news release. “In this move to serve more Vermont young people...
I did not want to write another piece about wind turbines, but two recent letters from people I know and whose intelligence I respect struck me with their absence of clear thought and lack of logic. Focusing on decibel levels is extremely subjective and avoids the larger issue with wind generation in Vermont: habitat destruction and potential flooding brought about by mountaintop clearing. Saying that the sound of the wind in the grass or leaves is louder than that of...
A new industry can pose challenges for a municipality. Do existing laws cover it? Which entities are responsible for overseeing safety, business transactions, and permitting or licensing? Lately, Dummerston officials are asking these questions in response to a resident's concern with short-term rentals - also called “Airbnb's” after the website that brought the concept into common use. Most such rentals are rooms or apartments in private homes - or are outbuildings or entire homes - that visitors rent on a...
With the daily chaos raining down on the nation from the Trump White House, the 2017 state Legislature had to add a Trump Protection Plan to its work focused on Vermonters. Unfortunately, though, that chaos started to leak into the Vermont scene at the end of the session - more on that later. Some of the highlights of the session: • We passed a balanced budget that protects vital services while rejecting Governor Phil Scott's proposed $50 million property tax...
Recent articles on NorthStar's bid to take over decommissioning of the Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee site have raised some questions for me. The issue surrounds “rubblization,” defined on Wikipedia as a “technique that involves saving time and transportation costs by reducing existing concrete into rubble at its current location rather than hauling it to another location.” NorthStar CEO Scott State pointed out that concrete was used as fill at Yankee Rowe and the technique was approved at Connecticut Yankee. On...
Gogi Abroad will depart this July with a team of high school students to experience the Maasai culture in Longido, Tanzania. While in Longido, one of the team's projects will be assisting at the MELOC School. The acronym MELOC in Maasai means “something sweet,” according to a news release. Although mainstream students will also attend, the school's specialty will be working with the blind and deaf children in the area. The Gogi group will work directly with the children, build...
The latest federal “budget” is proof, if more proof were needed, that Donald Trump views himself, as do his minions, not as the elected representative of our nation, but as the all-powerful CEO of his own company (and we know how well he runs those). This creation is an abomination, designed to simultaneously erase Barack Obama's legacy while lining the pockets of Trump and his partners in, essentially, a robbery. If even one aspect of this “budget” is enacted, people's...
Algiers bridge work update GUILFORD - Last week, the Vermont Agency of Transportation's contractor, Renaud Bros, completed reconstruction of the emergency access ramp located at milepost 5.75, south of Interstate 91 Exit 1 in Brattleboro. Renaud Bros. paved the ramp to accommodate wider turns by emergency responders who may need to use the ramp while the Route 5 bridge in Algiers is closed for four weeks during reconstruction. One I-91 southbound lane will be closed during the day and reopened...
The upcoming first Saturday “Wild Asparagus” contra dance in Greenfield, Mass., will feature the Brattleboro Music Center's Celtic Band, with nationally recognized caller George Marshall. The long-running first-Saturday dance in Greenfield is typically hosted by the well-known “Wild Asparagus” dance band. However, on June 3, the BMC Celtic Mega Band takes center stage. Keith Murphy, Becky Tracy, and their students are preparing an array of French Canadian, Irish, and original tunes for the occasion. All are invited to dance or...
Organizers of Brattleboro's Independence Day celebration are launching a public fundraising effort to help pay for the town's 44th annual free family 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, known for leading the annual march with its giant American flag, is kicking off the fundraising by contributing enough...
Highway equipment purchase approved NEWFANE - At the May 15 Selectboard meeting, the Board unanimously approved the purchase of a landscape rake from Brown Enterprises for $4,199. As Road Foreman Todd Lawley noted during his report, “we have rebuilt the frame on our York rake several times but it is pretty well worn out.” “We rake every day with that and if it doesn't rake the way it is supposed to then the roads don't come out right,” Lawley said,
The Brattleboro Film Festival and the Latchis Theatre will host the southern Vermont premiere of the award-winning documentary film Waking the Sleeping Giant: The Making of a Political Revolution on Saturday, June 3, at 4 p.m. According to a news release, Waking the Sleeping Giant is the first feature-length documentary to tackle last year's U.S. presidential election, chronicling the challenges and opportunities faced by a resurgent political movement on the left. The film tells the story of five remarkable individuals...
Good day to you! We've got more unsettled weather on the way, I'm afraid. It was nice for a while, because we were in a drought situation and, in some areas, the drought was severe for a time. But now, the drought has been fully mitigated in Windham County, and we really need more stretches of dry, sunny, and warm weather. However, that is not in the cards over the next week, and this setup could last into at least...
If the state accepts the town's application, parts of Newfane could soon become a designated village center, bringing a variety of financial benefits. Lynn Forrest, chair of the town's Planning Commission, presented Selectboard members with a brief overview of the Village Center Designation program at the May 15 Board meeting. The program, administered by the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, “supports local revitalization efforts across the state by providing technical assistance and state funding to help designated municipalities build...
On a gray and rainy May morning, the people of Brattleboro gathered on the Common to pay homage to the men and women who gave their lives in service to the nation. The annual Memorial Day Service, hosted by American Legion Post 5 on May 29, had fewer people this year due to the weather. But incoming Post 5 commander John Hagen told those who did show up that they were reminding “the folks driving by what today is about...
Armed with charts and graphs, two economists brought a message to southern Vermont: You are not alone. Speaking at the inaugural Southern Vermont Economic Development Summit on May 24, the experts said this region's struggles - including a decline in the working-age population and the lack of job growth compared to more urbanized areas - are shared by many other rural communities across the nation. “You're fighting not a local trend ... you're fighting a national trend, and in many...
It's that time of year again, when summer theaters re-open and New England stages gift us with a potpouri of offerings that make us laugh, cry, smile, and ponder. The Actors Playhouse Theatre in West Chesterfield, N.H., begins its new season on June 8, with its 10th Ten Minute Play Festival, featuring seven winners of the theater's year-long Regional Competition. This year's plays once again promise a wide range from comedy to drama, guaranteeing a little something for everyone. The...
Radicals in Miniature, a new work incubated at Vermont Performance Lab, pairs a gay and straight man of different generations to conjure many of the forgotten players who shaped urban creativity in the 1970s and 1980s, but were lost to AIDS or faded from the cultural record. For award-winning playwright/director/performer Ain Gordon, Radicals in Miniature is a deeply personal work conjuring seminal but forgotten figures he met while coming of age in New York City's audacious artistic and gay fringe...
For the first time in more than five years, pedestrians can safely set foot on the historic Scott Covered Bridge. A contractor has finished an extensive, $2.35 million rehabilitation of the wooden structure that stretches 277 feet over the West River in Townshend. Despite its expense, the project was not aimed at restoring motorized traffic: Only pedestrians and bicycles are allowed on the bridge. But officials say they had no choice but to make a significant investment in the 147-year-old...
In the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's much-heralded return to Windham County, there were two primary themes - land and money. On both of those issues, NRC officials pointed directly to NorthStar Group Services, the New York company that wants to buy and clean up Vermont Yankee. Facing questions about redevelopment of land that hosted a nuclear plant for 42 years, NRC representatives assured those attending a May 25 meeting that NorthStar will have “unrestricted use” of the site after decommissioning. And...
On a recent sunny Sunday, 39 college-bound Los Angeles high school students and their teachers and chaperones joined a handful of locals for “Building Bridges,” a special art project and presentation. On the first floor of the Marlboro Graduate Center, attendees sat around big tables and made postcards with hearts, flowers, and messages of love and support. Through the efforts of Ann Braden's group, the Local Love Brigade, these notes will go to groups and individuals on the receiving end...
Every spring, Southeastern Vermont Community Action has an annual meeting, open to the public, to showcase its work. From its Westminster headquarters and three thrift stores, SEVCA's staff of approximately 100 workers addresses a wide range of poverty-related needs, including assistance with housing, heating fuel, food and nutrition, early childhood development, and affordable clothing and household needs. This year, said SEVCA Executive Director Steve Geller, “we're having a more open event, revolving around the community, not just us.” On May...
Fifteen years ago, the people of the Brattleboro area were treated to an unusual sight - a parade of flower-bedecked heifer calves led by future farmers strolling up Main Street. What was a curiosity that attracted national media attention in 2002 is now a tradition in 2017 - one that draws tens of thousands of people to Brattleboro. And while the young cows are still the center of attention, the Strolling of the Heifers has grown into a weekend full...
A bill that would have bolstered Windham County's representation on the Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel has stalled in the state Legislature. H.144 was controversial in part because it would have booted longtime Sen. Mark MacDonald, D-Orange, from the advisory panel while guaranteeing seats for three Windham County lawmakers. MacDonald is vice chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, where H.144 remained when the Legislature adjourned on May 19. But another committee member, Sen. Dustin Degree, R-Franklin, said the bill...
In nearly three decades of covering high school sports, I never saw an ending to a baseball game quite like this. In the final regular season game on May 27 between Brattleboro and Rutland at Tenney Field, Brattleboro entered the bottom of the seventh, trailing 5-4. With two outs, and Tanner Bell on first base, Matt Dulmaine hit the ball to the deepest part of Tenney Field. Bell tried to score but two great relay throws got the ball from...
On May 20, in the main theater at the Latchis, the Landmark Trust USA announced the finalists of the second Rudyard Kipling Young Writers Award, a challenge offered to all Windham County students in grades 4-6. This challenge began in 2016 in celebration of Landmark Trust USA's 25th Anniversary. “As owners of five historic homes that have been painstakingly restored and opened for guests, including Rudyard Kipling's home, Naulakha, in Dummerston, where he wrote the Just So Stories, The Jungle...
Vermont 4-H members once again proved that they've got talent as they displayed their 4-H project work and performed for the crowds at 4-H State Day on May 13. University of Vermont (UVM) Extension 4-H sponsored the annual event, which was held at the Barre Civic Center in Barre. The 4-H'ers selected to participate were all winners at the regional level. The top action exhibits, photographs, posters and stage presentations, including fashion revue, will represent Vermont at the Eastern States...
There is a clip on YouTube of Donald Trump being asked to read from a legal document in a court case. Trump's lawyer, obviously nervous, objects. Trump says that the print is too small as he squints at the document. He says that he does not have his glasses - an odd note, since there is no public image of him in glasses. The opposing lawyer keeps after him like a schoolmarm in a third-grade class. The look of shame...
The Vermont Public Service Board has sent recommendations to the Legislature for new sound standards for utility-scale wind projects. Critics say the standards are so strict that they effectively kill development of wind power in the state. This has come as a surprise to a number of people who have regarded Vermont as very progressive in pursuing clean energy. Those more familiar with what has been going on among the Green Mountains have found it more predictable. People who hate...