BRATTLEBORO

Weather

View 7-day forecast

Your support powers every story we tell. Please help us reach our year-end goal.

Donate Now

Your support powers every story we tell. We're committed to producing high-quality, fact-based news and information that gives you the facts in this community we call home. If our work has helped you stay informed, take action, or feel more connected to Windham County – please give now to help us reach our goal of raising $150,000 by December 31st.

BRATTLEBORO

Weather

View 7-day forecast

Your support powers every story we tell. Please help us reach our year-end goal.

Donate Now

Your support powers every story we tell. We're committed to producing high-quality, fact-based news and information that gives you the facts in this community we call home. If our work has helped you stay informed, take action, or feel more connected to Windham County – please give now to help us reach our goal of raising $150,000 by December 31st.

Issue #846

Synthfests at Stage 33 Live

BELLOWS FALLS-Two electronic music performances will celebrate synthesizers, circuit-bending, and sound manipulation: Saturday, Jan. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 7, at Stage 33 Live, 33 Bridge St.

Audience members are invited to take a close look at gear, talk with the performers, and settle into the space during a meet-and-greet at 6 p.m. Five 20-minute performances will follow, starting at 7 p.m.

Players will be in the center of the room, with the audience in the round. Patrons are encouraged to roam throughout the show. “The performances will range from cinematic and lush to computeresque and urgent to tuneful and poppy. It will get loud,” wrote organizers in a news release.

This year’s Synthfest was curated by Trevor Robinson, and features performers who have never played the room before.

Read More

Sheriff's Office honors its personnel

BRATTLEBORO-The Windham County Sheriff's Office announces the following recipients honored on Dec. 13 as Sheriff Mark R. Anderson presented awards at the 10th annual Awards Ceremony to recognize the department's personnel: • The Sheriff's Merit Award was presented to Deputy David Eldridge for his exceptional dedication to serving civil...

Read More

Milestones

Obituaries • James Harold Anderson II, 91, died Dec. 8, 2025. James was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, the son of James Harold Anderson and Kathleen (Dunn) Anderson. He attended Bryant College and was in the Army National Guard. Jim spent most of his career in law enforcement and was...

Read More

More

Brattleboro to close out 2025 with Last Night

BRATTLEBORO-Brattleboro’s Last Night Committee presents a fun-filled and substance-free day of celebration for all ages on New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, Dec. 31. • The day will kick off with snowshoeing and cross-country skiing at the Brattleboro Outing Club (BOC) trails from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Trail access will be free, and equipment rentals will be available at the Hut between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. This event is weather dependent and will be canceled if there is little or no...

Read More

Rotary presentation looks at anxiety, depression

WILMINGTON-The Rotary Club of Deerfield Valley presents "An Overview of Anxiety and Depression," by Sarah Bush, LICSW, and Shannon McAvoy, captain of epic wellness at Mount Snow, Monday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. at St. Mary's in the Mountains, 13 East Main St.; the snow date is Jan. 13. The public is invited and refreshments will be served. Bush and McAvoy will address topics such as: the definition of anxiety and depression, signs and symptoms of both, coping strategies and...

Read More

Brattleboro Savings & Loan welcomes new president

BRATTLEBORO-"It's so good to be back in Vermont," said Robert Sims, the new president and CEO of Brattleboro Savings & Loan (BS&L). The bank's board officially hired Sims recently after an extensive search. Sims has been working in local banks for over 30 years. His experience has included various elements of banking, including operations, retail, marketing, and many leadership positions, according to a news release submitted by the bank's personnel. "To run a bank means to connect with the people-customers...

Read More

Criminal record clearing clinic set for Jan. 15 in Brattleboro

BRATTLEBORO-Attorney General Charity Clark will host a free criminal record clearing clinic on Thursday, Jan. 15, with appointments available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Attorneys from the Attorney General’s Office will offer free assistance with petitions for Vermont-specific “qualifying” criminal convictions and dismissed charges. Vermonters must schedule appointments in advance by calling the Attorney General’s Office at 802-828-3171 or emailing AGO.Info@vermont.gov by Tuesday, Jan. 6. Eligible participants will be given an in-person appointment at the Brooks Memorial Library in...

Read More

Next Stage welcomes tap ensemble Subject:Matter for community jam, residency performance

PUTNEY-On Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m., Boston-based tap dance ensemble Subject:Matter will host a Community Tap Jam at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill. This free, open-level event invites dancers and musicians of all backgrounds to engage with the company’s creative process through participation and performance. Participants can step into the rhythm and explore tap dance in a relaxed, class-style jam with live music. Those new to tap and those looking to sharpen their skills can learn, play, and...

Read More

Vermont Dept. of Health says give 'Dry January' a try

MONTPELIER-For many people, the holidays are a great time to connect with loved ones, but stress can be an unwelcome guest. It might be tempting to use alcohol for short-term relief, says the Vermont Department of Health, but drinking takes its toll in many ways. That's why they suggest taking a month-long break from alcohol. They offer several positive outcomes can result from avoiding alcohol for a month: • Your body gets a rest. Alcohol disrupts rapid eye movement (REM)

Read More

Sarasa Ensemble explores impact of a royal patron Jan. 9 at BMC

BRATTLEBORO-Sarasa Ensemble returns to the Brattleboro Music Center Friday, January 9, with "Patron Lobkowitz," a concert featuring the music of Beethoven, Haydn, and Förster. The 7 p.m. program spotlights Joseph Franz Maximilian, Seventh Prince of Lobkowitz - a Bohemian aristocrat known for his interest in music and as a patron of Ludwig van Beethoven and other noted masters. Lobkowitz's sister-in-law said of him: "This Prince was as kindhearted as a child and the most foolish music enthusiast. He played music...

Read More

Around the Towns

Brattleboro Senior Meals needs drivers BRATTLEBORO — Brattleboro Senior Meals is in urgent need of drivers for its Meals on Wheels program, which delivers about 1,000 meals a month on 12 routes in Brattleboro, Guilford, Marlboro, and Dummerston. Meal drivers are needed on all days of the week. All deliveries are completed between 10:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. For more information, contact Executive Director Cynthia Fisher at 802-257-1236 or director@brattleboroseniormeals.org. BF dinner benefits Jamaica relief efforts BELLOWS FALLS — The...

Read More

Pianist Bill McKim headlines Holiday Benefit Concert in Guilford

GUILFORD-Concert pianist Bill McKim is headlining a Holiday Benefit Concert Saturday, Jan. 3, at 2 p.m. at Guilford Community Church, 38 Church Drive. McKim is an alumnus of the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he performed for many years on radio, television, and in concert halls such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where he played nearly 20 performances. McKim will play a selection of holiday-themed pieces, all composed by Charles Lindberg, who transformed simple carols into pieces characterized...

Read More

Schneckenburger joins Siegel and Magee in concert at Marigold

BRATTLEBORO-Peter Siegel, founding member of The Gaslight Tinkers, and Shawn Magee host local seasoned/touring songwriter acts on the first Sunday of every month at Marigold at 157 Main St. On Jan. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m., they will be joined by singer-songwriter and fiddler Lissa Schneckenburger for an informal round-robin with collaborations, original stories, and melodies. Schneckenburger (lissafiddle.com) has made music showcasing everything from traditional dance tunes to original songs. Over the years, this former Mainer and present Brattleborian...

Read More

Putney library hosts 'Chronicles in Wood,' by Abigail Littlefield

PUTNEY-“Chronicles in Wood,” an exhibition of prints of tree ring cross-sections by Abigail Littlefield, is now on view at the Putney Public Library, 55 Main St., through Feb 28. An artist reception is planned for Thursday, Jan. 22, at 6:30 p.m. Littlefield is an artist and longtime science educator whose work bridges botanical study and environmental observation. For more than 30 years, she says, she was a science professor, cultivating a personal fascination with the structures and life histories of...

Read More

How should Vermonters respond to unlawful orders?

Tatiana Schreiber worked as a journalist in public radio and other outlets for many years, and as an itinerant academic teaching writing and environmental studies at area colleges.  WESTMINSTER WEST-Amid the debate concerning whether our Town Meetings ought to consider resolutions on national or international issues, one topic ought to galvanize our attention. The Vermont Air National Guard has been commandeered to serve in the Caribbean, as part of the Trump administration’s massive military buildup in the region. Most of the...

Read More

Defense helps BF girls in win over Mill River

-The winter high school sports season has barely started, but some local teams are finding out that injuries and illness are tougher foes than the teams they have to face. Take the Bellows Falls girls’ basketball team. Head coach James Pecsok says the flu bug swept through his team just before the holiday break, and left them shorthanded. When the Terriers hosted Thetford on Dec. 19, they were without two members of their starting lineup — junior point guard Abby...

Read More

Brattleboro library director will retire after a decade of change

BRATTLEBORO-For a decade, Brooks Memorial Library has been the front door of Brattleboro. Now the woman who flung open that door is leaving. Starr LaTronica, 71, resigned as head librarian just before the new year. She will stay in her position until April, giving the town time to find her replacement. LaTronica began as head librarian in Brattleboro in 2016, after a long and successful career as a librarian in Binghamton, New York, where as the head librarian she managed...

Read More

Lawmakers anticipate a complex, contentious session

BRATTLEBORO-The second half of the Vermont Legislature’s 2025–26 biennium begins on Jan. 6, and it could be a hard-knocks session. Many key issues — education funding, housing, health care, affordability, transportation, prisons — have not been fully dealt with. Some, like the homelessness bill, were vetoed by Gov. Phil Scott in the last session. The continued uncertainty coming from the federal government will put a lot of pressure on the state budget. Add to that an upcoming election, and this...

Read More

Of mice and inhumanity

Jimmy Karlan  is professor emeritus at Antioch University in Keene, New Hampshire.  GUILFORD-This morning, in my rural Vermont home, I found myself facing an unexpected moral dilemma. A couple of weeks ago, after setting traps, I had killed 17 mice. Today, I discovered one more dead mouse on my basement workbench and another, very much alive, dangling from a trap on the floor after a 3-foot fall onto the concrete. Now what? I asked myself. Should I finish off this...

Read More

VTel donates to local food pantries

SPRINGFIELD-A telecom company based in Springfield has donated $5,000 among 10 rural food pantries in Vermont this month, including three that serve Windham County residents. “Supporting local food pantries has long been important to us,” said Andrea Spaans, marketing manager and wireless supervisor at the Vermont Telephone Company and VTel Wireless, via email. “This December, we wanted to do more and make sure our support reached as many local pantries as possible.” The small, family-owned company operating since 1890, provides...

Read More

It’s unfair to put the blame for racism on Leland & Gray

Jorda Daigneault is a longtime nurse practitioner in the area and has worked as the school nurse at Leland & Gray for the past 5½ years. She submits this piece in her personal capacity, not representing her employer. “I am writing this viewpoint as a mom who watched my children navigate the complexities of racism and discrimination throughout their lives, and the racism and discrimination continues to this day,” she says. BROOKLINE-I am in a fighting mood. The recent articles...

Read More