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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.
BELLOWS FALLS-The second annual Bellows Falls Book Crawl is slated for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26 and 27, throughout downtown.
The weekend of “book-themed experiences” celebrates “books, creativity, and downtown Bellows Falls,” organizers said in a news release. Highlights will include live music at the Flat Iron Cooperative coffeehouse; an astrology library at Holistic Gateway; and book-themed drinks, like a shimmering purple cocktail dubbed The Shining at Italian restaurant Ciao Popolo.
“Each participating business adds its own creative touch, so every stop offers something a little different,” said Casey Griffin, executive director of the Bellows Falls Downtown Development Alliance, in the news release.
Visit bellowsfallsvt.org/book-crawl-2026 for a complete list of events and participating businesses.
PUTNEY-The town of Putney, with the Putney Historical Society, recently announced a comprehensive restoration of windows in historic Putney Town Hall. The project is the first step in a planned comprehensive renovation of Town Hall, built in 1871, with preservation of key historic features and a project goal of...
Senior Meal in Halifax Friday HALIFAX — The monthly Senior Meal will be Friday, Sept. 18, at the Halifax Community Hall, 20 Brook Rd. The lunch opens at 11:30 a.m. with socializing and an appetizer, and the main meal will be served at noon. Vegetable soup, shepherd’s pie, green...
WESTMINSTER-Daily, one reads and/or sees unbelievable stories about how this country mistreats immigrants, legal or otherwise. I want to tell a little story that helped me form a clearer mental picture of what we are giving up with the current insane rejection of immigrants. Last month I needed an operation. It was a major operation that took over seven hours. It may very well save my life. Of course, one does not simply pop up off the operating table and...
-For the second straight week, the Brattleboro Bears football team was shut out as the St. Johnsbury Hilltoppers rolled to a 47-0 win in the Bears’ home opener Sept. 11 at Natowich Field. The Bears struggled mightily to move the ball. They had only two first downs in the game — on receptions by Kymarion Hall at the end of the second quarter and Hunter Roth late in the fourth quarter. The only time the Bears advanced the ball past...
DOVER-With the election season coming down to the home stretch, Vermonters are seeing an big increase in political advertising — not all of it from the candidates, and not all of it true. National organizations and big money have returned to Vermont politics, and one legislator is mounting a challenge. On Sept. 10, Rep. Laura Sibilia (I-Windham-Bennington) sent a letter to Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark asking for her office’s review, under Vermont’s campaign-finance and lobbying laws, of campaign communications...
BRATTLEBORO-Sparks did not fly when the sitting lieutenant governor and a former lieutenant governor came to Brattleboro on Sept. 10 to debate each other for a job they both want: lieutenant governor. Current Lt. Gov. John Rodgers, 61, a Republican, and former Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, 42, a Democrat, met at American Legion Post 5 for a luncheon hosted by the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) and the Brattleboro Regional Chamber of Commerce (BRCC) as part of the Windham Leadership...
BELLOWS FALLS-Facing financial and staffing issues, the Great Falls Regional Chamber of Commerce (GFRCC) is considering an offer to merge with the Brattleboro Regional Chamber of Commerce (BRCC). If the merger takes place, both chambers will keep their respective names, at least for the time being, said Gary Fox, one of a new slate of GFRCC board members named in March. This proposal will be the topic of a joint GFRCC and BRCC membership breakfast forum and discussion on Friday,
The writer is a Republican nominee for a state representative seat in the two-member Windham-4 district. BELLOWS FALLS-I'm not telling anyone how to vote. I just think voters should know about sharply different policies today. Always best to look into them and make up your own mind before you vote. Taxes and firearms: There was a 2025 bill with an 11% excise tax on firearms and ammunition. -Democrats: Some Democratic lawmakers supported the proposal. -Republicans: Generally favor lower taxes and...
BRATTLEBORO-State regulators will delay a decision on a proposed budget for the financially ailing Brattleboro Memorial Hospital after the southeastern Vermont healthcare hub filed its plan late and with last-minute changes — including a surprise reprieve for its set-to-close birthing center. At a Sept. 14 online hearing, Vermont’s Green Mountain Care Board adopted fiscal year 2027 budgets for other general acute-care hospitals in the state. But members level-funded Brattleboro until they could meet again later this fall. “What we’re asking...
BRATTLEBORO-If federal immigration agents ever try to stage an operation from the Brattleboro Police Department’s parking lot, they’ll be asked to leave, Police Chief Jeremy Evans told a crowded public forum Monday night. “If they showed up at our facility, we would go out and find out who was there,” Evans said. “We’d say, ‘What are you doing?’ And they would say who they were, and we would ask them to leave. “Because we would; we’re not going to be...
BRATTLEBORO-Now comes word that the former owner of 69A has been arrested for allegedly selling drugs to the very people she claimed to be helping. For the neighbors, this was not a shock. It was a confirmation. This development came as no surprise to those of us who live near the old and new sites of this unapproved, unplanned homeless arts space. While elected officials chose to believe its founder over the neighbors who raised alarms, we were witnessing the...
BELLOWS FALLS-In addition to popular movies and live theater, the Bellows Falls Opera House hosts some top-shelf performing artists, including Chris Smither, Jorma Kaukonen, and, soon, country-Americana singer-songwriter Suzy Bogguss. With 17 studio albums, multiple Grammy and CMA awards for solo work and collaborations, and a four-decade career, the Nashville-based musician will perform here Saturday, Sept. 19. Charlie Hunter, director of Ray’s the Roof Productions, says he’s really looking forward to Bogguss’s upcoming debut at the venue. “Suzy Bogguss has...
NEWFANE-Spanning a range of styles, media, subjects, and decades, a new exhibition covers three generations of a family of fine artists. “The Family Tree” features works in oil by Cicely Aikman (1923–2013); landscapes in oil and drawings on scratchboard by Aikman’s husband, Fred F. Scherer (1913–2013); figurative works in thread-on-fabric by Fred’s daughter and Aikman’s stepdaughter, Deidre Scherer, of Williamsville; landscapes and abstractions in oils and acrylic paint by Deidre’s daughter, Gianna Robinson, of Newfane; and oil painting in both...
GRAFTON-The Nature Museum at Grafton will host its annual Fairy House Festival Saturday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 27, at 186 Townshend Rd. At the center of the festival are miniature houses built out of bark, stone, and moss by local classrooms, families, and organizations. In addition to admiring the tiny dwellings along a woodland path, participants can make crafts, like their own fairy house or magic wand. The museum has added a new scavenger hunt this year called Nature...
Obituaries • James E.“Buzzy” Buzby III, 70, of Brattleboro. Died peacefully Aug. 26, 2026, at Pine Heights Nursing Home following a lengthy illness. He leaves behind his mother, Marlene Stoddard Cobos; two children, James E. Buzby IV and Kaity Rose Liburd; one brother, Jeff Buzby; and sisters, Julie Baldwin, Jennifer Buzby, Bridget Truelove and Corabeth Broyles. Additionally, Buzzy is survived by many grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and his many friends and brothers in Christ. He was predeceased by his father,
BRATTLEBORO-Sarasa Music will perform pieces rediscovered in an old cabinet in Germany Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. at the Brattleboro Music Center (BMC), 72 Blanche Moyse Way. The ensemble will include tenor Richard Pittsinger, whom The New York Times has praised for his “winning singing and youthful bearing.” Most of the works featured in Schrank II ~ Cabinet II — pieces by Händel, Vivaldi, Lully, Campra, Locatelli, Telemann, and Pisendel — were tucked away for a hundred years before...
BELLOWS FALLS-Alex Radus and Stuart Fuchs will perform Sunday, Sept. 27, at 3 p.m. at listening room Stage 33 Live, 33 Bridge St. Radus is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist who combines “whimsical and poignant storytelling and soulful vocals,” organizers said in a news release. He performs a mix of Americana, folk, swing, and blues, “leapfrogging genres and blurring the lines between them,” according to the release. Originally from Pennsylvania, Radus learned finger-picking at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins,
PUTNEY-The National Science Foundation recently awarded $7.9 million to establish the PFAS Environmental Research Network (PERN), a four-year initiative bringing together Vermont researchers, educators, students, and state partners to better understand and address environmental chemical contamination. Landmark College faculty Denise Burchsted and Ally Hunter will lead research involving Landmark College students, who will collect and contribute data to the collaborative network. The PERN network will include Landmark College alongside Bennington College, the lead institution on the award, as well as...
BRATTLEBORO-Painters Mary Therese Wright and Ellen Cone Maddrey will hold a reception for their exhibit “What Are Paintings For?” as well as a talk and Q&A at 118 Elliot Thursday, Sept. 17, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Like the exhibit itself, which is on display through October, the talk will invite viewers to consider the place of art in “our surface-skimming, digital lives,” organizers said in a news release. Art historian Felicity Ratté, an associate professor at Emerson College, will...
WEST DUMMERSTON-Cheryl Wilfong will read from her new book, Long Haul: A Historical Novel, Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 6 p.m. at Dummerston Community Center and Library, 150 West St. The book tells the story of Wilfong’s great-grandfather, George, a farmer in Indiana, who contracted the flu during the 1918 pandemic and died from complications two years later. “It’s Covid déjà-vu all over again,” Wilfong said in a news release. Wilfong’s great-grandfather had a “long-haul” case, and the novel explores how...
SAXTONS RIVER-Jesse’s Homegrown Music Series will present a collaborative duo performance by songwriter and guitarist Jesse Peters and multi-instrumentalist George Nostrand Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. at the 24 Main Street Community Building. The two musicians are friends and collaborators with local roots who aim to provide “a joyous evening of varied, dynamic original songs and choice covers traversing rock and folk stylings,” according to a news release. This will be the second concert of the series, which “aims...
Elayne Clift (elayne-clift.com) has written this column about women, politics, and social issues for two decades. BRATTLEBORO-Along with other shocks that are bombarding us daily while the current regime thrives on cuts, insults, inaccuracies, and political power grabs, we are faced with some cuts that we should be paying attention to and resisting. Those cuts are aimed at our culture as a national community, our legitimate history, and our beloved literature. Many of us grew up loving books like Where...
WARDSBORO-Wardsboro community members will gather Thursday, Sept. 17, for a free community dinner and several brainstorming sessions concerning the future of the town. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. at Wardsboro Town Hall, 99 Main St., and at Wardsboro Methodist Church, 122 Main St. The Vermont Council on Rural Development, a nonpartisan nonprofit, will facilitate four separate community forums at the two locations. Childcare will be provided at the library during the forums, and dinner will be served at 6...
BRATTLEBORO-A photo exhibit called “Faces of Mexico” is on display at All Souls Church Unitarian Universalist, with a reception planned Sunday, Sept. 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the West Village Meeting House, 29 South St. The images were taken by Ann Newsmith and Norm Oakes, who are married, during their travels in Mexico over the last 20 years. They portray “street vendors, artists, musicians, and families at work and at play,” according to a news release. Newsmith...
BRATTLEBORO-The Brattleboro Senior Center will host its annual Free Flu and Covid Vaccination Clinic Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the lower level of the Gibson-Aiken Center, 207 Main St. Flu and Covid vaccines are free to all seniors who have a red, white, and blue Medicare Part B card, which they must bring with them, organizers said. People with Green Mountain Care coverage and “most other insurance plans” can also receive shots, they added, and...
BRATTLEBORO-Celebrated folk trio The Limeliters will perform Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. at the Latchis Theatre, 50 Main St. Originally formed in 1959, the group is still well known for its vocal harmonies and “screwball sense of humor,” organizers said in a news release. Although they broke up for several years and have gone through many changes in lineup, The Limeliters have recorded more than 30 albums, including Until We Can’t Sing Anymore, released in 2025. The current members...
PUTNEY-Bluegrass quintet Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road and folk singer/songwriter Diane Zeigler will perform Sunday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill Rd. South. Based in Nashville, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road “twine innovation, tradition, and excellence into a unique musical experience,” according to a news release. Lead musician Purcell, 23, grew up playing old-time and bluegrass music in North Carolina and later earned a degree in string performance at the Berklee College of...
PUTNEY-Poets Tim Mayo and Toni Ornter will read from their new publications Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 6:30 p.m. at the Putney Public Library, 55 Main St. Mayo will read from Muscle Memories of Love and Disaster, published in February by Bainbridge Island Press. The book “explores grief and the loss of loved ones,” according to a news release. Mayo was a founding committee member of the Brattleboro Literary Festival and a recipient of fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center. Ortner...
Declan Sullivan, now a sophomore at Brattleboro Union High School, is a youth leader with Building a Positive Community’s Brattleboro Area Youth Council. BRATTLEBORO-I, like other students, was confused and concerned when we heard about large changes coming for our schedule at Brattleboro Union High School. At the end of last year, we came to find out not only that our schedule for the now-current school year would change in small ways but that the entire foundation of our school’s...
HINSDALE, N.H.-Tim Maciel, a teacher, starts his piece with an interesting quote from Bernie Sanders that he says "stuck" with him: "The status quo ain't working." Indeed. Vermont's House of Representatives has been controlled since 2004 by the Democratic party and its Senate for 30 years, since Democrats took over in 1996. Millionaire Bernie Sanders, a so-called independent who votes with Democrats, has been in office since 1991. While Republican governor Phil Scott has been in office for 10 years,
BRATTLEBORO-The Vermont Jazz Center will launch its 2026–27 season with a concert Saturday, Sept. 19, featuring one of today’s most important living Cuban pianists — multi-Grammy-Award-winning Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Rubalcaba will perform at the VJC’s Cotton Mill venue at 7:30 p.m. with his Trio d’Été (Summer Trio), which includes Matt Brewer on acoustic bass and Eric Harland on drums. Rubalcaba’s impeccable piano technique, his harmonic depth, and his ability to transmit emotional content without being saccharine place him as one of...
JAMAICA-We were riding the crest of the second wave of feminism. New York legalized abortion in 1970. Roe v. Wade made that natural and essential right to freedom accessible throughout the country in 1973. A cache of civil rights, voting rights, youth rights, Native rights, and gender equality protections was passed by the 92nd Congress — including, in 1972, a bill to amend the United States Constitution: the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Under the amendment, “equality of rights under the...
Co-signing this letter are Rev. Shawn Bracebridge; Rabbi Debra Kolodny; Rev. Ralph W. Howe; Mary Lindquist, rector; Rev. Allyson D. Platt; and Rev. Telos Whitfield. All are members of the Brattleboro Area Interfaith Leadership Alliance. DUMMERSTON-The Brattleboro area is fortunate to have an immigrant community composed of individuals from many countries who contribute positively, many times doing work others do not want to do. Our personal lives have been enhanced by our connections to these neighbors. It is tragic that now...
WESTMINSTER-We are about six weeks away from the midterms. If you're frustrated with the economy, Congress, or the policies shaping our lives, then this is the time to turn that frustration into action. Several of my friends are overwhelmed, exhausted, and have been tempted to give up. I understand that feeling, but I won't stop fighting for what I believe in. It more important than ever to speak up and do something! The secret, in my opinion, and what has...
