Brattleboro Area Hospice (BAH) has openings for its 30-hour training for new Bereavement Program volunteers.
The training is set to begin on Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will continue on Tuesdays, 5 to 8 p.m., April 9 through May 28. The training will take place in person at the BAH office, 191 Canal St.
Bereavement volunteers provide emotional support and companionship to individuals grieving the loss of a loved one.
Applications for the training are being accepted until March 20. An online fillable application is available at brattleborohospice.org/how-you-can-help/volunteering or you can contact the office to receive one by email or through the U.S. Mail.
Where meals are served and groceries available for Brattleboro's food insecure: • Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday: St. Brigid's Kitchen, 38 Walnut St. Bagged lunches and pantry items are available from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Call 802-254-6800 for more information. • Tuesday and Friday: Loaves & Fishes, 193 Main...
The 102nd Harris Hill Ski Jumping competition came to a close on Feb. 18 with the Fred Harris Memorial Tournament. The jumper who wins the Fred Harris Memorial Tournament three times retires the famed Winged Trophy, unique to Harris Hill Ski Jumping. The winner in the Men's Open class...
A tradition carries on this week with the start of the Brattleboro Winter Carnival's 68th year. Since 1993, Carol Lolatte has brought her organizational talents to the committee organizing the celebration, and Lolatte, who by day works as recreation and parks director for the town, has served as president for the last three years. "I have the hat that I wear for the [Recreation and Parks] Department and the hat I wear for the senior citizens in town. Helping run...
Jessica M. Dolan earned her Ph.D. in anthropology at McGill University, with a specialization in environment and Indigenous studies. She has worked for Indigenous communities on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border for the last 16 years, researching Indigenous environmental philosophy, history, and governance - first as an academic and then as an employee of Indigenous governments, non-government organizations, and universities. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Guelph. Rich Holschuh, the chair of the Vermont Commission...
It's tough to be a nordic skier during a winter with very little snow. As a result, the Brattleboro Bears nordic ski team hasn't had many opportunities to train on their home course at the Brattleboro Outing Club's trails at the Brattleboro Country Club. "It's hard to keep a ski team going when there's no natural snow," said Bears head coach Amanda Dixon. Warm weather and rain forced cancellation of Brattleboro's lone home meet on Jan. 26. Fortunately, when it...
Talk about laboring in obscurity! Last week, I found myself discussing a $3.4 million gift that Brattleboro had received. When should we spend it? What should we spend it on? And who should decide? That's when we got hung up for a good 20 minutes on the finer points of jurisdiction within the town government. Also, the finer points of pickleball. Nope, it doesn't get wonkier or weirder than the meetings of the Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee. I often...
Town Meeting voters in Newfane will be debating a resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and calls on the Vermont Congressional delegation to support Sen. Bernie Sanders' Resolution 504, currently tabled in the U.S. Senate. Resolution 504 calls on the State Department to certify that U.S. weapons are not being used to commit war crimes. If the State Department cannot certify that within 30 days, then the arms shipments must be stopped. U.S. weapons and ammunition are...
Mark Borax, an international best-selling writer and astrologer, is a Putney resident. Over recent months, local press has stirred the kind of controversy that sells newspapers regarding the so-called "affordable housing project" in downtown Putney. But let's be clear: Regarding the need to house our indigent, at-risk, homeless, and poverty-stricken members of the community, there is little conflict here. Most agree that these vulnerable members of society are desperately in need of safe, dependable homes that they can afford. Unlike...
Chip Carter will have my vote in the Selectboard race in Guilford. When he and Laurie moved to Green River village, he immediately and enthusiastically took up work in the community. He has put in lots of time raking and hauling away brush, but he has also gathered information and lore about the place he has chosen as home. When Addie Minott died last spring, we lost not only our longest living resident but the humble de facto mayor for...
I am pleased to be supporting Chip Carter for the three-year opening on the Guilford Selectboard. I take it as a good sign when people arrive in town and plunge right into work for a community organization, as Chip has done with the Green River Village Preservation Trust. Being on a town Selectboard has become a demanding and complex job, and it is important, if we want to preserve this form of small-town government, that we continue to find talented...
I write to share one person's opinion regarding the upcoming Brattleboard Selectboard March 5 election. My opinion is as an "interested neutral." While we still maintain our town home, we now live in the Pioneer Valley. We love Brattleboro and Windham County. At this precarious time, it really needs intelligent, compassionate stewardship from its leaders. Fortunately, in looking around Brattleboro's areas of leadership, I've observed that the very best station of leadership where the integrity is both wide and deep...
I have served on the Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee with Oscar Heller for three years, during one of which he served as chair, and I can enthusiastically recommend his candidacy for a three-year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard. Oscar is a flatlander who came to Vermont as a camper and then counselor at Camp W in West Brattleboro. Those summer experiences made him commit to Brattleboro as a place where he wanted to make his life and his work...
Before the late Fred Harris unveiled his namesake ski jump in this town a century ago, the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame inductee shared a test run with his less publicized but more prized adviser. His sister, Evelyn. Ever since the latter Harris tried out what's now Vermont's sole Olympic-size hill in 1922, women have flown off the 90-meter slope - the only one of its height in New England and just one of six of its stature in the...
Senior lunch served in Dummerston DUMMERSTON - Evening Star Grange and Senior Solutions will present their next Dummerston Senior Lunch on Wednesday, Feb. 21, with take-out available from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. and an in-house meal served at noon. The menu for this luncheon will be meatloaf and a vegetarian, plant-based meatloaf option, mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn casserole, and mixed fruit cobbler for dessert. Reservations are strongly suggested and can be made by calling the Grange at...
Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) is offering free tax assistance via the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA). In-person services will be provided at eight locations in Windham and Windsor counties. New and revived VITA locations include sites at the Old Firehouse in Wilmington, the Winston Prouty campus in Brattleboro, the Springfield Town Library, the Ludlow Community Center, Townshend Town Hall, and St Paul's Episcopal Church in White River Junction. Appointments and drop-off services can also be found at SEVCA's...
Annual dog and wolf-hybrid licenses are available for the 2024 licensing period. Vermont dog and wolf-hybrids 6 months of age and older must be licensed annually on or before April 1, and a current, unexpired rabies vaccination is required, according to Vermont State Statute Title 20. All current dog owners have been mailed a renewal notice in early February. To renew an existing dog license, owners must return the renewal notice, updated rabies vaccine information, and payment. Owners should check...
Four Vermont contemporary art organizations are teaming up for the third year in a row to award The Vermont Prize. Launched in 2022, The Prize is a collaborative initiative of the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC), Burlington City Arts (BCA), the Hall Art Foundation, and The Current, intended to celebrate and support outstanding visual art being made in Vermont today. "There is an astonishing variety of exceptional visual art being created in Vermont today," BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld said...
College news • The following local students at the Community College of Vermont were honored for academic achievement in the fall 2023 semester. Named to the President's List, which recognizes full-time students with a 4.0 GPA (grade point average) were Chiasa Brooke of Brattleboro, Emma Paris of Putney, Julie Cermola and Austin Mallan of Saxtons River, Garrette Shanks of Vernon, and Jessica Waldman of West Dover. Named to the Dean's List, WHICH recognizes full-time students with a GPA between 3.5...
The public is invited to attend a forum featuring the candidates running to serve on the Brattleboro Selectboard. The event will take place on Thursday, Feb. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center, 230 Main St. The forum will be broadcast live on Comcast Channel 1079 (BCTV's Government/Education channel), streamed live on BCTV's Facebook Page and YouTube Channel, and available on brattleborotv.org. Limited seating will be available in the Selectboard Meeting Room.
The Brattleboro Women's Chorus extends an invitation to new singers to join their upcoming spring session, dedicated to showcasing the music of Black composers. This inclusive ensemble, open to individuals at least 10 years of age who identify as female or nonbinary and possess a vocal range that comfortably includes the A in the middle of the treble staff, invites voices of all backgrounds to join in this celebration of music from the African diaspora. "From stirring spirituals to contemporary...
The town of Rockingham has been awarded a $360,000 Save America's Treasures (SAT) grant from the National Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Together with a matching sum from the town, the grant will partly fund Phase I of the Rockingham Meeting House Preservation Project. According to a news release, the purpose of the project is "to make sure the meeting house stands proudly for future generations. Built in 1787 and declared a...
The Brattleboro Music Center's EOS (Educate, Open, Strengthen) Project presents "Untethered, Music for Violin and Cello," on Sunday, Feb. 25, at the BMC. The 4 p.m. concert will feature music for unaccompanied violin and cello, exploring themes of connectedness. Audience members are invited to bring a sketch pad to draw or color during the performance. Performing will be Heather Sommerlad on violin and Julie Carew on cello. Works will include "Three Question Marks" by Eric Lacy, "Shades for Cello" by...
The spring 2024 Landmark College Academic Speakers Series hosts artist Young Min Moon for a presentation entitled "The Aftereffects of War on Contemporary Korean Art" Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 5 p.m. in the Brooks M. O'Brien Auditorium/Lewis Academic Building. "South Korean popular culture has taken the world by storm," say organizers, "from glamorous K-Pop bands to award-winning filmmakers as household names." However, many people are not aware of the influence of the Cold War on Korean culture and art. With...
After 23 years, Brattleboro Chapter 843 of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is disbanding. Its final meeting is set for March 14. Leonard Derby of Brattleboro, who has been the chapter's president for the past 22 years, said he recently decided to step down, and "no one was willing to take over the chapter. Our membership is aging and several members are [disabled]. That makes it tough to carry out our mission." Derby said VVA Chapter 843, which also has...
To save the democratic process, people need to become involved - and the earlier the better. Brattleboro has become the first municipality in the state - and one of only a handful of cities and towns in the country - to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to participate in local elections and, if elected, to serve on the Selectboard. But as the high school students who filled an auditorium at Brattleboro Union High School heard on Feb. 12, the importance of...
I enthusiastically endorse Chip Carter in his bid for a three-year term on the Guilford Selectboard. Chip moved to Green River in Guilford eight years ago and was immediately introduced to our strong culture of volunteerism by Addie Minott. She recruited him to serve on the Green River Village Preservation Trust and eventually he chaired the board very ably. He also volunteers for Guilford Cares. Chip and his wife, Laurie, both grew up in New England and were excited to...
Ever since it closed on Sept. 29, 2023, due to a bankruptcy, former Greater Falls Pharmacy owners Gina and Marc Cote have stated that their goal was to reoccupy the building and reopen. "As soon as we get our building back," they told The Commons this past September, "we will get ready to reopen, with a new name, a new business model, and with serving our community with optimal pharmacy care at the heart." Those plans have started to fall...
At Loaves & Fishes, one of the region's enduring meal services for those in need, volunteer cook David Treadwell says that "the demand has doubled." The number of meals prepared and distributed every Tuesday and Friday out of the vast kitchen, prep, serving area in the basement of Centre Congregational Church (CCC) has gone from 100 per day a year ago to 250 every Tuesday and 200 on Fridays, says Loaves & Fishes facilitator and volunteer coordinator Ruth Tilghman of...
The Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) school board has approved a proposed $65,846,891 budget for fiscal year 2025. That represents a 3%, or $1,927,036, increase over this year's budget. A public informational meeting is set for Tuesday, March 12. The warrant article had to be approved by the school board at its Feb. 13 meeting in order to post the warrant in time for the March 19 annual meeting, when voters from Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, and Putney will cast their...
We are writing to urge Guilford voters to re-elect Zon Eastes for Selectboard. We are fortunate that Zon is willing to run for another term when our communities are hungry for civic energy. We need his integrity and experience in town governance, tapping into state and federal assistance, and the nitty-gritty work of town budgets. Guilford has experienced some challenges over the past few years. We have watched the hard work and dedication of the current Selectboard with Zon's leadership.
Carolyn North (carolynnorthbooks.com) is a writer of books that address "the interface between matter and spirit." Yesterday, I forgot - and not for the first time - that I had a soup boiling on the stove, and then I forgot that it was my turn to take out the trash. I also almost forgot that the Yellow Barn Music Festival, right across the road from where I live, was having a concert of chamber music that evening, showcasing advanced students...
Rhonda Wainshilbaum is an artisan and a civic volunteer, living and working in Massachusetts, just over the Vermont line. The anti-Israel letter from Jewish Voice for Peace, published in The Commons recently, contained fallacies, omissions, and inaccuracies. Accusing Israel of genocide is a provocative indictment unsupported by facts. It diminishes real acts of genocide - such as those that occurred in the Holocaust and against Armenians and in Rwanda. Since their creation in 1948, Israelis have sought to live in...
Grace Dugan is a freelance writer and career advisor who grew up in New Hampshire. She lives in the woods with her husband, cats, chickens, and a lizard. Back in 2008, when I started as a freshman in college, I was quickly introduced to the plight of the Palestinian people by members of my college's BDS (boycott, divest, and sanction) movement. At the time, it was a relatively niche progressive interest to speak up about justice for Palestinian people, but...
I encourage Brattleboro residents to vote for Oscar Heller for the contested three-year Selectboard seat. I had the pleasure of working with Oscar on the Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee, where he paid close attention to financial details and wrote clear, concise reports for our citizens. He also served on the Energy Committee and has been an elected Town Meeting representative for five years. Oscar and his local partners own two small Brattleboro businesses (web design and digital marketing). He...
To my fellow Rockingham voters: It's that time of year again. All year long we enjoy the Freedom and independence as individual citizens, but on March 4 and 5 comes the Unity part, where we must come together to debate the common good for our community. The Town Meeting warning is now available on the Town Clerk's website at rockinghamvt.org. Because of the vote at last year's meeting, we must attend in person at 7 p.m. Monday, March 4 in...
The writer is a member of the Guilford Selectboard. I am writing to endorse the re-election of Zon Eastes for Selectboard. I have had the privilege of serving alongside him for the past four years, and his dedication, leadership, and fairness have consistently impressed me. As chairman, Zon has guided the board with a steady hand, fostering collaboration and achieving positive outcomes for our community. His evenhanded approach has built trust and consensus, even during challenging situations. I personally witnessed...
I recently turned 18. Besides the thrilling new privileges of being able to rent an Airbnb, go to federal prison, get drafted, and go to federal prison for dodging the draft, I am now able to vote. When I exercise my exciting new ability this March, I am proud to announce that I will be casting my vote for Oscar Heller as he runs for a three-year term on the Selectboard. I've found that Oscar and I share a passion...
I support Zon Eastes for a two-year term on Guilford's Selectboard. Zon is passionate about public service, and in his time on the Selectboard he has gained much knowledge and experience about Vermont statutes and town governance. In addition to serving as Selectboard chair, he is also the liaison to the Planning Commission, on which I serve. He hasn't missed a single meeting and shows up in person, volunteering to set up the Zoom equipment, and he oversees the process...