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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.
HALIFAX-A public hearing on these updates and revisions to the Halifax Town Plan will be held Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m.
Under Vermont Law, a town plan can be updated and amended at any time, but must be readopted every eight years. Halifax voters adopted the current Town Plan on March 5, 2019.
Since early 2026, the Planning Commission held 11 sessions, all posted and open to the public, to update and revise the document.
Throughout the year, many parties, including representatives from the Windham Regional Commission, the Halifax Highway Department, Fire Department, School Board, Historical Society, Cemetery Commission, Selectboard, and Conservation Commission, have provided gather information needed to update the plan.
Grafton firefighters host 45th annual tag sale GRAFTON — The Grafton Fire Department’s annual tag sale will take place Saturday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., under the tents near the firehouse at 711 Route 121, just...
Fall leaf collection dates set for Brattleboro BRATTLEBORO — The town has announced a new system for curbside pickup of leaves and yard waste, which will be collected on Fridays in October and November. Residents’ normal trash, compost, and recycling pickup day will determine which week their fall yard...
PUTNEY-Two area zydeco bands will perform at the annual Vermont Zydeco Party at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, Saturday, Oct. 10, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. The event will kick off with a dance lesson for beginners and will include a more advanced lesson later in the day. ZydeGroove will take the stage first, bringing a "country zydeco sound," organizers said in a news release. In addition to the core zydeco instruments - accordion and rubboard - the six-piece...
The writer has represented the Windham-4 district (Putney and Dummerston) in the Vermont House of Representatives since 2007. PUTNEY-Vermont Democrats have put together a team of candidates at the state and local levels who have the energy, experience, drive, and determination to move Vermont forward and out of the stagnant morass Republican leadership has left us stuck in. Republican policies from the federal level are hurting Vermont. Big time. The lack of Republican initiatives at the state level leave us...
DUMMERSTON-Baking nearly 1,000 apple pies in around 70 hours spread out over 10 days is a big job for the volunteers who report to the basement kitchen of Dummerston Congregational Church during the two week run-up to its annual Apple Pie Festival. That job got a bit an easier this year when the church replaced the three aging gas-fired pizza ovens in its basement kitchen with a pair of new electric-powered convection ovens. It took about an hour to bake...
-It doesn’t always show in the win column, but the Brattleboro field hockey team can make life difficult for the opposition. A good example of this came on Sept. 29 at Sawyer Field as the Bears held the Bellows Falls Terriers scoreless in the first half and were tied 1-1 heading into the final 15 minutes before BF got a pair of goals for a 3-1 victory. “We keep getting better and better,” said Bears head coach Erin Cooke. BF...
WEST BRATTLEBORO-As the Brattleboro Charter Revision Committee presents its proposed charter to the Selectboard, one principle should be non-negotiable: Every registered voter deserves an equal voice in decisions that affect the entire town. I am a serious senior with some limiting medical issues. I have been actively involved with town issues for several years, including serving as a Representative Town Meeting member. The possibility of me attending a day-long format of open Town Meeting (OTM) is slim. There is also...
ATHENS-I commend our resident conspiracy theorist, Dan DeWalt, for perfectly timing his Israel bashing rant to coincide with antisemitic graffiti at a local Jewish cemetery and the attempted hijacking of an Israel bound plane with 172 passengers on board. Considering the frequency of Dan's hysterical letters and antisemitic incidents in our local papers, Vermont and the world, no one should be surprised. In the very same issue Dan stepped up to his worn-out soapbox to promote trope after trope, Brattleboro...
MARSTONS MILLS, MASS.-I am writing in support of Chris Lundberg who is a candidate for the Vermont House of Representatives for the Windham-3 district. I met Chris over 40 years ago the first time I ran for the position of Windham County state's attorney. Over the years, Chris and I would frequently see each other at the gym in Bellows Falls. During these encounters we would often engage in discussions regarding the community and political issues. I observed Chris to...
PUTNEY-The Grammar School will host its annual Medieval Faire Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on its campus, 159 Grammar School Lane. New attractions this year will include rides in a horse-drawn wagon and three different quests that participants can complete to receive a prize from the fair’s king and queen. Returning features include crafts and rides for kids of all ages, an apple slingshot and a candy catapult, pillow jousting, foam-arrow archery, and life-sized chess. Members...
WEST BRATTLEBORO-Forest of Mystery will return to Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center (BEEC), 1221 Bonnyvale Road, Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 22 through Oct. 24. Showtimes are every 15 minutes and begin at 6:15 each night. This year’s theme, “Journey to the Netherworld,” draws on myths from ancient Egypt and will feature a quest to save nature. “Travelers will wind their way through the shadowy forest, encountering mummies, Egyptian gods, and other supernatural entities as they make their way to the summit...
DUMMERSTON-Scott Farm will host Heirloom Apple Day Sunday, Oct. 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 707 Kipling Road. The annual event celebrates “apples of all shapes, colors, and tastes” along with their histories, according to a news release. In addition to all-day tastings, the event will include live music, food trucks, face painting, pumpkin painting, and yard games. Two experts on American heirloom apples will speak about their work at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Self-described “apple explorer”
Obituaries • Orion Metcalf Barber II, 90, of West Brattleboro. Died Sept. 22, 2026, following a long struggle with dementia. A full obituary will be published in a future edition of The Commons. Arrangements are under the direction of Atamaniuk Funeral Home of Brattleboro. To share a memory or offer condolences, visit atamaniuk.com. • David Matthew “Dave” Hellus Sr., 62, of Dummerston. Died peacefully Sept. 28, 2026, in the comfort of his home, following an extended period of declining health.
BELLOWS FALLS-Folk singer-songwriter Rupert Wates will perform Sunday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. at the Stage 33 Live listening room, 33 Bridge Street. The Early Risers folk duo will open for Wates. The singer "has a great fondness for intimate listening rooms, where the focus is on connection and storytelling," organizers said in a news release, citing Wates's "haunting, eclectic blend of acoustic, melodic art/folk infused with elements of jazz and cabaret." Wates, who is British by birth, has released...
BRATTLEBORO-The African Rhythms Sextet and renowned jazz drummer Billy Hart will perform together Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m. at Vermont Jazz Center, 72 Cotton Mill Hill, Room 222. The sextet has reunited this year to celebrate what would have been the hundredth birthday of late pianist and composer Randy Weston. The lineup will include T.K. Blue on saxophone, Frank Lacy on trombone, Sharp Radway on piano, Alex Blake on acoustic bass, and Baba Neil Clark on African percussion. Hart...
The Women's Freedom Center (womensfreedomcenter.net) works in Windham and southern Windsor counties to end domestic and sexual violence. You can reach an advocate on their 24-hour crisis line at 802-254-6954. Because of the sensitive and often dangerous nature of their work, we offer the Freedom Center contributors rare anonymity in these pages. BRATTLEBORO-Is a sexual assault worth our outrage only when it's this extreme? According to a civil lawsuit filed against Cornell University, a young woman identified as Jane Doe...
NEWFANE-The Newfane Heritage Festival returns to venues around the village’s historic district Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 10 and 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 65 juried artists and craftspeople will display and sell their work in the tents set up on the town common, and both breakfast and lunch will be served under a big tent in front of Newfane Church, 11 Church St. Newfane Heritage Festival memorabilia and cookbooks will be for sale, and approximately 175...
Tim Maciel is a retired educator and college administrator with advanced degrees in administration, planning, and social policy. He is a former school board director with the Windham Southeast School District. BRATTLEBORO-By now, most Vermonters who have been following the governor's race probably have a pretty good idea where Gov. Phil Scott and Amanda Janoo stand on issues ranging from healthcare and education to housing and data centers. But as we enter the final weeks of the campaign, I think...
PUTNEY-Stormy Gammon didn’t prepare a speech. She told the crowd so before she began. “I’m not that type of girl,” said Gammon, one of the first residents of Alice Holway Drive, a 25-unit, permanently affordable housing complex. Then she described a life-changing phone call. “We got the phone call that we were able to move in, that we were no longer homeless, and our combined nervous systems just relaxed,” she said. “It was the most amazing feeling." Gammon’s story drew...
Chloe Learey is executive director of the Winston Prouty Center for Child and Family Development. BRATTLEBORO-Brattleboro needs more housing - and it needs more kinds of housing. Employers are struggling to recruit workers. Young people want to remain in the community where they grew up. Families are looking for homes they can afford, and older residents want options that allow them to remain close to their friends, family, and community. The Village at Winston Prouty is a ready-to-build opportunity to...
BRATTLEBORO-When Peter Schumann’s family fled Nazi Germany, he was allowed to choose one bag of personal belongings. He took with him a bag of puppets. The puppets were Christmas presents from German puppeteers who were friends of his parents. He and his four siblings put on puppet shows by hanging a blanket between two chairs, he told filmmaker Robbie Leppzer. For the camera, Schumann used his fingers and onomatopoeia to imitate a brief confrontation between puppets. “Like that,” he said...
BRATTLEBORO-The Vermont Supreme Court on Oct. 2 upheld the 2022 firing of former Brattleboro Union High School (BUHS) Principal Steve Perrin. The court rejected his arguments that the Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) board denied him due process, was biased against him, and lacked the evidence to dismiss him. The unanimous decision, written by Associate Justice Christina E. Nolan, affirms a November 2025 ruling by Judge David A. Barra in the Bennington civil division. That ruling granted summary judgment to...
BELLOWS FALLS-If approved by town Selectboard and Village Trustees, the Bellows Falls Police Department could begin a 90-day trial program this month, expanding police coverage to include the entire town of Rockingham. Due to insufficient budgets and resulting understaffing, local officials found that the Vermont State Police are able to respond “only to the most serious incidents in rural Windham County,” said Rockingham Selectboard Chair Rick Cowan. “For years, rural Rockingham residents have been coming to the Selectboard seeking a...
-Upper Valley Baroque (UVB), a 6-year-old ensemble dedicated to professional performance of Baroque music on original instruments, is branching out from the Upper Valley to the Brattleboro area, where it will present three of its five 2026–2027 season concerts. Up first Friday, Oct. 16, at Persons Auditorium in Marlboro, on the Campus at Marlboro Music, is Giovanni Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. Described in a press release as “one of the most popular works of the 18th century,” the piece “offers a...
PUTNEY-The annual Empty Bowls Dinner fundraiser will be held Saturday, Oct. 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Landmark College, 19 River Road South. The dinner benefits Foodworks, which is the region’s most heavily utilized food-shelf program, organizers said in a news release. Each ticket includes a handmade bowl to keep, crafted and donated by local potters. The menu includes soups donated by more than 12 area restaurants, local bread, cheese, and an apple. People who cannot attend the dinner...
Danielle French is an entrepreneur, mom, writer, and podcaster who posts on "cooking, entertaining, decorating, entrepreneurship, mothering four adult daughters, playing pickleball, and exploring" at southpondhome.substack.com. The Festival of Miniatures will return this year on Nov. 27 and will run through Jan. 10, 2027. For more information, visit festivalofminiatures.org. PONTYPOOL, ONTARIO, CANADA-Over the holidays, my whole family visited my parents in my hometown of Brattleboro. I graduated from Brattleboro Union High School in 1978, moved to Toronto, and returned only...
BRATTLEBORO-The people who move into Hope’s House later this month won’t be told when they have to leave. Groundworks Collaborative’s new 40-bed shelter at 81 Royal Rd. sets no end date on a stay. That’s one of several ways it differs from the emergency “shelter“ that most people think of when they hear the word. Hope’s House is also substance-free. Every resident is paired with a case manager. And the building itself, the first that Groundworks has designed and built...
BELLOWS FALLS-Alternative country singer-songwriter Fred Eaglesmith will perform Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bellows Falls Opera House, 7 Village Square. Brought up on a farm in southern Ontario, Eaglesmith is well known for songs that tell stories of rural life and for his comedic storytelling during live shows. His songs have been covered by folk and country artists like Mary Gauthier, Miranda Lambert, Toby Keith, and Todd Snider. Eaglesmith first appeared in Bellows Falls in the summer...
BELLOWS FALLS-The foliage is brilliant this year! Maybe I always say that. But we’ve had no driving rains here to knock the fragile leaves off the trees, nor fierce winds. Of course it depends on where you are in New England with the higher elevations showing a lot more color as I write on this first weekend of October, and many areas were more affected by the recent nor’easter. Reds are stunning, oranges brilliant, and all the other colors are...
BRATTLEBORO-Brattleboro Memorial Hospital has promoted its financial consultant to post of interim CEO David Sanville’s appointment comes a year after a reported multimillion-dollar deficit and the subsequent departures of two top executives. On Oct. 1, BMH named the former chief financial officer of Windsor’s Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center as its new interim CEO. Sanville, who recently has helped the Brattleboro hospital deal with the deficit, stepped into his new role at the start of the 2027 fiscal year,
-This is a busy time for Kimaya Diggs, as she is only days away from launching an extensive U.S. tour in support of her third album, Green, released on Oct. 2. The western Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter will begin the tour with a hometown show in Northampton on Saturday, Oct. 10, followed by a show at Nova Arts in Keene, on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Diggs will then perform at Next Stage Arts in Putney on Friday, Oct. 30. Over the years, Diggs...
BRATTLEBORO-There is no single perfect lens through which to observe and understand the drug epidemic. Addiction looks very different depending on where you are standing. The person actively using drugs, the person who has fought their way into recovery, the parent who has lost a child, the family member whom someone's addiction has repeatedly hurt, the first responder, the social worker, and the community member watching their neighborhood struggle may all see the same crisis differently. None of those perspectives,
Linda Coulombe is a healthcare attorney and constitutional law enthusiast. ST. ALBANS-On Sept. 29, The Commons published an op-ed on the front page of the Voices section with a provocative headline, "Ever more dangerous to speak up" - a tale of diminishing civil liberties leading to imminent peril, clearly designed to strike fear in the hearts of the reader. It would be horrific if it were true - except it's not. Dan DeWalt claims that it is becoming "increasingly illegal"
