Most people have probably heard of the Loch Ness Monster, the giant reptilian creature that supposedly haunts the famous Scottish lake. In recent years, poor old Nessie’s reputation has taken somewhat of a battering, especially with the discovery of the original toy model used in the well-known 1934 photo that launched the latter-day Nessie craze. However, cryptozoologists and other fans of legendary creatures can take heart in the fact that several lakes in America may be playing hosts to similar monsters. And perhaps the most famous resides right here in Vermont. It goes by the name Champ, and many believe it lurks beneath the cool, silvery waters of our own Lake Champlain.

Kudos to Terry Martin for using iBrattleboro to gather information for his work on the subcommittee for the Vermont Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Right! I hope that those who can support his work on the issue of Religious Discrimination will contact him.

I also was appointed to this committee this last spring. I hope that I will do service to the issues faced in this state and will now follow Terry’s lead in using this medium to solicit some information.

Anyone know who won the Subaru Forester that Brattleboro Rescue and Stacey Subaru raffled off yesterday???

Will Brattleboro be having its annual sidewalk sales day or days this year? If so, when?

While Bush was getting heckled during a 4th of July speech at Monticello:

"US President George W. Bush has been heckled by a number of audience members while making an address on Independence Day.
The July 4th celebrations are usually a jovial time, however some audience members at the home of Thomas Jefferson began to heckle Mr Bush.
Although the President did not respond, the protesters were quickly moved away by Mr Bush's secret service.
One protester yelled "War Criminal" repeatedly during the protest, while another said that Mr Bush "has brought fascism to this shore."

I'm thinking of taking the kids to the penny carnival, but not sure what to expect. Do things really cost a penny? If so, should we bring a lot of them? What activities are available? Is there food for sale? Thanks in advance!

Greetings to ALL,

As many of you know, I was appointed to the Vermont Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights. At our last meeting we formed six subcommittees to look at the various needs in Civil Rights, Religious Discrimination being one of them. I am on this subcommittee along with three others.

BRATTSTOCK, a free outdoor concert featuring some of the best of Brattleboro area musicians, happens this Saturday, July 5, from 1-5 pm. The concert takes place on the campus of the New England Youth Theater, 100 Flat St., downtown Brattleboro.

Summer has officially started! As regular readers of the Teen Brooks blog know, the 2008 Teen Summer Reading Program has also begun. Participants are being asked to read 2+ hours a week during the summer months.

From a CNN news story on Patient Empowerment:

Weil advises: "Do not be passive. Remember: It is the 'difficult' patients who often have the best outcomes."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/07/03/ep.patient.heroes/index.html

The Parade is tomorrow. Please come and join WVEW - Brattleboro Community Radio, march in the parade. We'll be meeting in the BUHS Parking Lot (Fairgrounds Rd) at 9:30am.

Of course, the "CORE UNIT" of our marching band canceled at the last minute, but the reality is we're going to have plenty of people marching, some with rattles, kazoos, horns, noisemakers & a snare drum (any and all instruments & marchers welcome).

If you have been concerned, disgusted, or sickened by the racist behavior at BUHS recently, and you have spoken about your feelings regarding this situation, consider joining the "human float" tomorrow in the parade. This demonstration will be a visual reminder that racism is still very much with us in our wonderful tolerant progessive town. Gather at the high school at 9 a.m., and wear your walking shoes.
Be there or be square......

"All Brattleboro Town offices with the exception of emergency services will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2008 for Independence Day.

Brooks Memorial Library will be closed on Friday the 4th and Saturday July 5th.

On Saturday, July 12, local funk/rock band SugarHouse will take to the stage at The Weathervane , raising their voices in the hope of helping to raise funds for their friend Iris Polley.

Nearly one year ago Iris was in a near fatal car accident. Since then, friends and co-workers have rallied together, organizing raffles and tag sales to raise funds to help offset Iris' medical expenses. The event at the Weathervane is the brain child of Loretta Pallazzo, owner of Boomerang.