At Sierra Club Vermont's 2023 Winter Gathering in Brattleboro on Dec. 16, the club honored state Rep. Mollie Burke, D-Brattleboro, and Brattleboro community leader Nancy Braus for "working within their communities to build a movement necessary to tackle the most difficult issues."
More than 45 people participated in the event.
Isaac Evans-Frantz, Windham County resident and Vermont Sierra Club Executive Committee member, said that the honors for Burke and Braus came at "an important moment in history when the countries of the world reached a consensus at the United Nations' COP28 to move away from fossil fuels. "Are we willing to act on this consensus before it's too late? We need legislators and everyday people to speak up. That is how we will turn this ship around - by all of us finding our voices and using them to change policy."
Burke has been a pioneering advocate of measures to address climate change during her tenure on the House Transportation Committee.
Brooks Library seeks trusteeBRATTLEBORO - The Board of Library Trustees of Brooks Memorial Library seeks an enthusiastic and dedicated library user to fill an unexpired two-year position on the board. Candidates should have an interest in maintaining a strong and visionary library in town. Trustees must be residents of...
College news • Alexander Hrabchak of Putney and Hunter Smith of Westminster were both named to the Honors List for the fall 2023 semester at Husson University in Bangor, Maine. • Ella Bursky of Westminster was named to the Dean's List for the fall 2023 semester at Belmont University...
Tenor saxophonist and vocalist Camille Thurman, who has been called a "rising star" by DownBeat magazine and a "first class saxophonist that blows the proverbial roof off the place" by All About Jazz, will appear at the Vermont Jazz Center (VJC) on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. She will be accompanied by her touring ensemble, the Darrell Green Quartet, which includes Wallace Roney Jr., trumpet; Jordan Williams, piano; Paul Beaudry, bass; Darrell Green, drums. According to VJC Director Eugene...
Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present fiddler, singer, and songwriter Maura Shawn Scanlin and her band at Next Stage, 15 Kimball Hill, on Sunday, January 14, at 7:00 pm. Scanlin plays Celtic and acoustic music across the country. Her playing, hailed for its inventiveness, fluidity, and tone, brings together influences from Ireland, Scotland, and the American South, where she grew up. Touring actively with her duo Rakish and the Rasa String Quartet, Scanlin has also shared the stage with...
The open enrollment period for Vermont's health insurance marketplace, known as Vermont Health Connect, is ending soon, but there is still time for eligible Vermonters to enroll or make changes to their plan. Monday, Jan. 15 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), is the last day to enroll for qualified health plan coverage in 2024. Any eligible Vermonter can enroll for coverage starting Feb. 1. This year, the Department of Vermont Health Access says that its online self-service is available through...
On Saturday, Jan. 13, from 3 to 6 p.m., the Harmony Collective Artist Gallery hosts an opening for its first-ever group show, themed "Black & White," to signal the beginning of winter. "Black and white art often symbolizes the interplay of light and dark that is so present this time of year," a gallery representative said in a news release. "A monochrome palette brings a different dimension to art - focusing on texture, contrast, and composition. The high contrast is...
The Brattleboro Women's Chorus is seeking new singers to join us for an exciting spring session, honoring and featuring songs created by African Americans. On Mother's Day - Sunday, May 12 - at the Latchis Theatre, they will offer a concert of thanks and appreciation for all the richness given by the composers, named and unnamed, with African roots. Their music this spring includes songs by Ysaye Barnwell, Bobby McFerrin, Melanie Demore, Rollo Dilworth, and Stevie Wonder. Local artist Samirah...
Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) will provide free tax preparation for lower income taxpayers for the 2024 tax filing season through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. SEVCA is now recruiting volunteers to help as many families as possible claim the tax credits and refunds available to them. They are looking for individuals who are willing and able to commit to at least three hours per week, or at least 30 hours total from the last week in January...
Young people, ages 13–18 are invited to attend the first meeting in 2024 of the Brattleboro Area Interfaith Youth Group. The gathering will take place on Sunday, Jan. 14, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., at the First Congregational Church of West Brattleboro, supported by various local faith communities. Attendees will get to know each other through participating in icebreakers, sharing a spaghetti meal, performing a community service project, and setting group and individual goals for the new year. There will...
Windham World Affairs Council (WWAC) recently received a three-year Vermont Humanities partnership grant to work with Brooks Memorial Library and Meg Mott, Ph.D, to help convene a townwide initiative for public dialogue leading up to the statewide and national "America 250" semiquincentennial anniversary of the founding of the United States in 2026. The grant of $7,500 annually over three years will help support ''Examining America's Identity and Leadership in a Changing World," a series of lectures and town hall gatherings...
Canal Street Art Gallery (CSAG) presents the Community Art Studio Program, providing a free-to-use space within the gallery, including artist-grade supplies, for the public to make art while overlooking the Bellows Falls Canal. The Community Art Studio Program is open through Saturday, Feb. 24. During the gallery's regular hours, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., artists of all ages are welcome to walk in and create. Artwork made may be donated and hung on the walls of...
Windham & Windsor Housing Trust's Bellows Falls Garage project has received a Citation Award as part of the American Institute of Architects, Vermont Chapter (AIAVT) 2023 Design Awards. The award was presented to Montpelier-based Gossens Bachman Architects (gbArchitecture), WWHT's design partner on the redevelopment project, in the category of Commercial/Institutional/Multi-Family/Mixed Use, at the AIAVT annual meeting this month. The Awards program celebrates outstanding architectural design in Vermont and around the world, and the Citation Award represents exemplary achievement in a...
Sometimes, you take a look at the records of the teams playing in the game you are going to cover and think that you are going to see a dud. I wasn't expecting much from the Jan. 5 boys' basketball game in Townshend between the 2-5 Leland & Gray Rebels and the 1-8 Poultney Blue Devils. Instead of a dud, it turned out to be an exciting game that tested the mettle of the Rebels as they lost, 67-56. The...
Nancy Braus, until recently an independent bookseller, is a longtime activist who contributes often to these pages. Kudos to Shenna Bellows! The secretary of state in Maine has done what every Republican would have done in the current situation, were the shoe on the other foot. If the Republicans had the opportunity to disqualify a candidate they consider an immediate threat to the survival of the world, there would be no restraint. When Bellows used her power to disqualify Donald...
Protesters need to think harder. When you block roads or bridges, when you prevent people from going about their business, who are you winning over to your cause? Not the worker who can't be tardy to work one more time or they'll be fired. Not the person trying to rush their ailing pet to the veterinarian. Not the parent rushing out to buy baby formula. People trying to go about their business aren't suddenly going to be won over to...
We all want the war in Gaza to stop, now. But here, where we live, it is frightening to see recent letters in local papers not just criticizing the policies of Israel and its current government, but also including phrases and arguments questioning the very existence of Israel. These feel like an attack on the history, memory, and safety of Jewish people. Within our parents' lifetimes, millions of Jews were murdered across Europe and kicked out of all Arab countries,
Health care regulators have told municipal officials here that a pending $1.37 million fire department takeover of emergency medical services may require state review and approval. The Brattleboro Selectboard voted unanimously last fall for the town to drop its nearly 60-year contract with the private nonprofit Rescue Inc. - Windham County's largest and longest-serving EMS provider - and instead buy and operate its own ambulances starting July 1. At the time, local leaders said the selectboard vote was the last...
The Deerfield Valley is well-known for craft brews, nice shops, some good eateries, and handsome architecture. It's known for access to beautiful Harriman Reservoir for water-bound recreation and, of course, Mount Snow for winter sports. Wilmington burbles with foot traffic on season but gets a little sleepy in muddy months. While Bennington and Brattleboro, which flank the town along Route 9, have robust arts scenes, though, Wilmington's is less so. With a vision to ameliorate that deficiency, Jenevieve Penk and...
Fric Spruyt is a property owner and property manager in Brattleboro and a member of the town's energy committee. Everywhere I look, I see the failure of the idea that someone else has to lose for someone else to win. And, if I look beyond the news of the day, I see examples of what happens when a win-win approach is tried. The rise to prominence of those who have insatiable appetites for power, money, and attention is driving much...
Construction work on a new train station, which will include the first elevated passenger platform in the state, is now set to start in March, says Amtrak Lead Public Relations Specialist Jen Flanagan. Enfield Enterprises, LLC has been hired to execute the work, which is expected to take 18 months to complete. The new Amtrak station plan was approved by the Development Review Board in December 2020 and administratively renewed through December 2023. The Selectboard, on behalf of the town,
On Nov. 28, Sen. Peter Welch released a statement calling for the then-temporary Israel/Hamas ceasefire to be extended. Thanks to Sen. Welch for his action. Now, logically, Welch must co-sponsor Sanders' bill, S.Res.504. It contains the legal means to inquire into the catastrophic use of U.S. bombs on Gaza. After the State Department provides information on Israel's human rights practices, each senator will declare whether they agree with U.S. weapons being used to violate internationally recognized human rights. Welch's rationale...
I'm a 32-year-old preschool teacher who moved to this town a little over a year ago from the Bay Area. Since moving here I have met many others like me who settled here because of the progressive politics that Vermont offers as well as the vibrant culture and wholesome traditions. As a radical, queer person I've only ever considered living in politically progressive places, because I need to feel confident that my community has my back and wants to be...
We are among several engaged Brattleboro citizens who are less than happy with the current composition of the Selectboard, and we are looking for additional candidates for the March election. There will be two one-year seats and one three-year seat on the ballot. Petitions for election are available at the Town Clerk's office and must be returned with valid signatures from at least 30 voters registered in Brattleboro no later than Monday, Jan. 29 by 5 p.m. We are proposing...
In their first-ever culinary competition, the five team members from the culinary arts program of the Windham Regional Career Center (WRCC) have won the Golden Ladle. "I was very impressed with all our performances," says team member Quin Forchion, 17, of Brattleboro. "I did expect us to do very well, but I didn't think we'd come out with such a dominating win. On the day, everything just clicked into place and went perfectly." "It was definitely unexpected," says Jazmin "Orion"
Southern Vermont's Elnu Abenaki tribe may be the smallest in the state, but it has seen some important changes in recent years. Within the past year or so, the tribe has purchased a new Tribal Center at 350 Putney Rd., and has received grant money to research regional Native petroglyphs, especially those in Bellows Falls. At the same time, the four Vermont Abenaki bands - collectively known as the Western Abenaki tribes - have also had to face a challenge...