15 years ago
January 2010 issue
If you think you're cold, consider the frigid conditions on a 121.9-mile walk from Brattleboro to Montpelier with daily distances between 6.2 miles and 15 miles.
From Jan. 2 to 13, participants in the "Step It Up to Shut It Down: A Winter's Walk" will do just that on a pilgrimage to persuade the state Legislature not to renew the license of the Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee plant in Vernon, set to expire in March 2012.
The walk was organized by the Safe and Green Campaign, a Brattleboro group formed two years ago by residents in the "evacuation zone" within a 20-mile radius of the plant, which includes residents of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.
Walkers will hand deliver a "Retire Vermont Yankee" statement signed by more than 1,600 residents within the zone.
"The walk was inspired by this unprecedented opportunity to influence the legislature," said Bob Bady, a West Brattleboro resident and an organizer of the walk. Legislators were already discussing the licensing issues in their committees before the legislative session began Jan. 5, he noted.
"We thought this walk would be a good dramatic action," he said. "Entergy can spend millions on public relations. We just have our feet. Most of the food and shelter has been donated by community groups and churches."
"Believe me, if I was making what the CEO of Entergy makes, this walk would cost half a million dollars," he said.
10 years ago
Jan. 14, 2015 issue
Since early last summer, students from the three Brattleboro elementary schools here have been attending New England Youth Theatre (NEYT) for a free after-school program to learn theatrical skills and rehearse a play.
Now NEYT presents the fruits of their work. Join them Jan. 23-25 for Town Schools Theatre's production of "Jack and the Devil's Three Golden Hairs."
Directed by Naomi Shafer and Jonny Flood, and starring 30 students in grades 3-6 from Academy, Green Street, and Oak Grove, "Jack and the Devil's Three Golden Hairs" is based on a tale by the Brothers Grimm, as adapted from a musical written by Stephen Stearns and Peter Amidon.
Adapting the show from a musical Stearns and Amidon wrote several years ago, but without the music, Shafer found she could tailor the work to each student's needs.
"If a student wanted a challenge to feel successful, we might add a few lines here or subtract some elsewhere where the work seemed too demanding," she says.
Schafer says 'Jack' is a true ensemble piece where the parts are well distributed among all the players. "Our young actors will tell you how many lines each role has," she says, "and quickly point out that 'Jack' definitely does not have the most."
Although Shafer is not new to directing, this is her first time overseeing so many young people at once.
"Everything is going well," she reports. "I am learning so much. I am grateful for these kids' patience and kindness. So smart and full of good ideas, they are making my job so much easier."
5 years ago
Jan. 15, 2020 issue
Human services funding - disbursements of town monies to support nonprofits that provide services for residents - is one example of a budget items that is voted on as a separate article at Brattleboro's Annual Representative Town Meeting.
According to Co-chair Ann Fielder, the Human Services Review Committee received applications from 32 agencies and granted funding to all but four. The committee received $70,000 more in funding requests over the previous year's total.
The committee, a five-member standing committee of Representative Town Meeting, has adopted a new scoring rubric to help evaluate a surge in requests for annual charitable aid from the town coffers.
"We really felt the pressure," Fielder said. The agencies that request funding all provide "fundamental and important" services to people in Brattleboro, she added.
"We kept cutting, but felt at some point where we couldn't cut any more," Fielder said.
This News item was submitted to The Commons.