Brattleboro Retreat psychologist Dr. Jilisa Snyder is used to counseling Vermonters on how to cope with personal upheaval ranging from anxiety and depression to illness and death.
She has been surprised to see coronavirus squeeze all those challenges together into a particularly dizzying punch.
“We're living in the midst of an unprecedented situation of uncertainty,” she says. “People can feel fearful, terrified, insecure, worried, stressed, conflicted.”
“This is like a major social psychological experiment, except it's real,” she adds.
Obituaries • Elmer J. Bodnar, 88, of Jamaica. Died April 24, 2020 at Bennington Health and Rehabilitation. Elmer was born in Morristown, N.J., on Jan. 11, 1932, the son of the late Andrew and Bertha Lazur Bodnar, and attended local schools. Prior to college, he served in the Air...
Make no mistake, the curtain has been drawn back in the United States - actually, several curtains. We are in nightmarish times with a nightmare of a president, and that double whammy has had and will have dire consequences for many. All of Donald Trump's lies, misinformation, delays, obfuscations,
The Windham & Windsor Housing Trust (WWHT) says its Bellows Falls Garage development downtown has reached “an important and exciting milestone.” In a news release, WWHT said the project has now secured 90 percent of the project funding. Settled at the northern end of the village, the now-blighted historic building will be repurposed from a garage to a 26-unit mixed income housing with commercial space on the ground floor. WWHT says the redevelopment “will provide quality, highly efficient, and healthy...
Brooks Memorial Library resumes curbside service BRATTLEBORO - Brooks Memorial Library will again offer curbside pickup of reserved items. Patrons may borrow up to 10 items. Contact the library at circulation@brookslibraryvt.org or 802-254-5290 to request specific titles, or a librarian-selected collection (like picture books, spy thrillers, funny DVDs). Patrons will be notified when their order is ready, and a specific pick up time will be arranged. Allow one full business day for fulfillment. Borrowing limits on DVDs, new books, and...
With the cancellation of its longtime Bowl for Kids' Sake fundraising activity, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vermont has launched a new virtual campaign: The BIG Night In. “This is a critical time to ensure that mentors (“Bigs”) can continue to support kids (“Littles”) through this time of physical distancing. Social connections keep kids motivated, engaged and healthy and need to be nurtured now more than ever, ” Kimberley Diemond, the nonprofit's director, said in a news release. Anyone may...
Musical acts from across the state are banding together to create an album, Music to Feed the Soul, to benefit the Vermont Foodbank. The album is available for digital download via Bandcamp at musictofeedthesoul.bandcamp.com. Proceeds from the $12 album will go to the nonprofit, which is experiencing an unprecedented increase in demand for services due to the impacts of COVID-19. In March, the Foodbank distributed an extra 370,000 pounds of food to meet the increased need caused by this pandemic...
I sat at my desk at work, taking in the breaking news of the Coronavirus and coming to the conclusion that I would need to meet with my supervisor to discuss my taking some time off as I am of the age to be considered at risk of serious complications or even death should I contract it. I was already one of the only people wearing a mask on the unit at the psychiatric hospital where I work. Because I...
What will it be like, I wonder, when this terrible pandemic ends? Sure, we will never take toilet paper, pasta, or flour for granted again. We may feel less guilty about binge watching TV. Maybe we'll even say “I love you” more often. But how will we be changed personally, professionally, culturally? What lifestyle changes will we choose to make? What will “community” look like? Where will we work, and how will we play? No one knows for sure how...
At his May 1 press conference, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announced additional loosening of the COVID-19 stay-home orders. But even if businesses are allowed to reopen, will people feel safe enough (or have enough money) to patronize them? Michael Pieciak, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation (DFR), said the trick will be providing businesses enough support so they can hang on until the economy fully reopens. Pieciak, a former Brattleboro resident who has headed the agency since 2016, spoke...
The 10th annual Slow Living Summit has been reimagined as a virtual conference. Presented by Strolling of the Heifers and Windham Grows, the Summit's theme is “Take a Bite Out of Climate Change” with live keynote presentations by Bill McKibben, Frances Moore Lappé, Tom Newmark, and Sandra Steingraber. “These past few months dealing with a global health crisis has shone a light on how incredibly urgent climate change issues are,” said Summit organizer Jennifer Brandt in a news release. “We...
The Brattleboro Area Farmers' Market will open for the season on May 9 as a preorder, prepaid, no-contact pickup market in the Guilford Street parking area from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. • Customers should contact vendors directly to make and pay for purchases. Visit brattleborofarmersmarket.com for vendor contact information. • When customers pull into the Guilford Street lot and reach the distribution area, they should hold up a piece of paper with their last name. • Orders will...
As we begin to emerge from the worst period of the COVID-19 pandemic, its equally frightening companion - the economy - starts to take center stage. After thousands of workers have filed unemployment claims and businesses have applied for emergency loans and relief from the Small Business Administration and the Paycheck Protection Program, many of us are now looking at the next wave of concerns. How many jobs will never come back? How many businesses will permanently close their doors?
As of noon on Monday, Assistant Town Manager Patrick Moreland had seen approximately six people enter the Municipal Center. Moreland was staffing the Town Manager's office in the Municipal Center on Monday, the day the town began to slowly reopen town departments to the public after more than a month of most town employees working remotely. Resuming daily onsite staffing is in line with Gov. Phil Scott's lifting areas of the state's “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order. Or, as Scott...
It's no surprise to Vermonters that our agricultural economy has been in free fall for more than 30 years. There've been some times during that fall that our rate of speed has been reduced due to assistance by the market or state and federal government. But there's no denying that the data collected and the barns we see in disrepair as we drive our muddy roads show us that whatever government has been doing in agriculture ain't working. At the...
April showers have brought May flowers - and new guidance from the state - to farmers' markets. In early April, people questioned whether the state would allow farmers' markets to open during a state response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The response from the administration of Gov. Phil Scott came down as a yes-and-no kind of answer. Yes, markets could open starting May 1, providing they follow a series of protocols designed to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. According to...