Brattleboro Committee Meetings Scheduled

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 4:30pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.

The Brattleboro Energy Committee will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 7:00pm at Marlboro College Graduate Center in Room 2NE. The Town Meeting Members and public are invited to attend and discuss PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy).

Informational Meeting:
The Town invites downtown business/property owners, residents and the public to attend a public discussion on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center to discuss the upgrade of sidewalks on the east side of Main Street.

Brattleboro Voter Registration and Special Town Clerk Hours

by Not Signed In | Politics

Wednesday, February 27, at 5:00 PM is the deadline to register to vote in the Town and Town School election. If you are registered to vote in the town you reside in, you do not need to register again.

If you are unsure if your name is listed as a registered voter in your town or for more information about voter registration and early voting, contact your town clerk. In Brattleboro, call 251-8157.

Office hours for the Brattleboro Town Clerk’s office are 8:30AM – 5:00PM, Monday through Friday. In addition to regular hours, the office will open Saturday, March 2, from 9AM to noon for early voting and will be closed Tuesday, March 5, election day.

Voting on March 5, will be held on at the B.U.H.S. gym on Fairground Road. Polling hours are 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

“Bulgaria: An Intimate Look, at Putney Library, March 6

by Not Signed In | Culture

On Wednesday, March 6th, Carol and Arthur Westing will give a slide-talk titled “Bulgaria: an Intimate Look.”

The presentation will take place 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at Putney Public Library. This illustrated presentation offers a glimpse at the land and people of Bulgaria, a fascinating, but little known country of southeastern Europe — a country about five times the size of Vermont, although with about ten times its population. It is based largely on two weeks of hiking and sightseeing during July 2008 in three rural areas of western Bulgaria, but augmented by insights from three previous one-week professional visits (in 1984, 1986, and 1988) while Bulgaria was still ruled by a Communist government.

Award Winning Children’s Author Presents Her New Book, In Disguise!, March 7

by Not Signed In | Putney

Author Elizabeth G. Macalaster will be presenting her new release In Disguise! at the Putney Public Library Thursday, March 7, 2013, 7-8:30 pm.

Spanning more than 300 years and 10 countries, In Disguise! tells the stories of history’s most daring women, from Harriet Tubman, who freed hundreds of slaves during the Civil War, to dancer Eva Wu, who hid secret messages in her hair to aid the Chinese Revolution. Its gripping true stories, secret-agent tips, and spy trivia feed a growing appetite for intrigue and adventure in young readers.

Author David Blistein Book Launch Event

by Not Signed In | Books

Putney, VT – Next Stage Arts Project is pleased to present Author David Blistein, Friday, March 22, 2013, at 7:30pm at Next Stage in Putney. The author will read from and discuss his book, David’s Inferno (published by Hatherleigh Press, distributed by Random House), followed by refreshments and a book signing. Part of Next Stage’s Community Artists Performance Series, there is a suggested donation of $10, with proceeds to benefit Next Stage.

In Brattleboro, Welch To Announce Legislation to Protect Employee Privacy on Social Media Sites

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt. (Feb. 20, 2013) – In Brattleboro tomorrow, Rep. Peter Welch will announce legislation to curb the practice of employers requiring prospective or current employees, as a condition of employment, to provide access to password-protected social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter. 

Welch will make the announcement at the Vermont Department of Labor Brattleboro Resource Center at 10 a.m. The Resource Center provides job seekers with access to personal computers, the Internet, educational resources, and information on employers.

Welch’s full public schedule for Thursday is copied below.

Thursday, February 21st:

5:45 Live: 2/19/13

by Not Signed In | Media

5:45 Live recaps the Harris Hill and Bratt Figure Skating Club Ice Show highlights, on an edition that includes all the latest Selectboard drama, the Northern Roots performance at McNeill’s, and a webcast interview with Rep. Dick Marek about the House’s new drug laws.

Video Links:

Brattleboro Area Farmers’ Market Seeks New Members

by Not Signed In | Business

The Brattleboro Area Farmers’ Market is now accepting applications for new members to vend their products at the Saturday and/or Wednesday Markets. The Farmers’ Market is the region’s largest and oldest open-air Market and supports local agriculture, prepared foods and crafts. The Market features over 50 diverse vendors from the local area and attracts thousands of visitors annually.

The Brattleboro Area Farmers’ Market is a not-for-profit, membership organization and welcomes applications from those who grow and/or create their own high-quality products, especially those working with local ingredients/materials to bring variety to the Market’s offerings.

Transition Putney: Pruning Workshop at Hollyhock Farm, Feb. 24

by Not Signed In | Home & Garden

Dan and Gay Foster of Hollyhock Farm in Putney will offer a workshop, “Reclaiming Your Overgrown Orchard: Pruning Long-Neglected Apple Trees” on Sunday, February 24th (postponed from February 17th), 1:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Dan and Gay will hold the workshop at their farm at 10 Old Stage Road in Putney. The workshop is part of the Transition Putney reskilling series. Participants can be as involved as they want to be in the actual labor (very involved to not involved at all). The workshop fee is $25 with no one turned away for inability to pay, and barters are also possible.

Special Screening of “The Last Waltz” – Thursday Night @ Next Stage!!

by Not Signed In | Entertainment

On Thursday night at 7PM, Next Stage Arts presents the third film in its “Reeling in American Music” series with a special screening of Martin Scorsese’s seminal concert film “The Last Waltz” featuring The Band in their final performance on Thanksgiving night, 1976. Filmed at San Francisco’s Winterland Theater, the movie captures the sound and spirit that propelled this group of musicians in their 16 years on the road, most notably as Bob Dylan’s backup band.

“The Last Waltz” was filmed by director Martin Scorsese in 35MM format, and is considered by many to be the definitive rock performance film due to the richness of the cinematography, the quality of the sound, and the nature of the performances captured in the film.

President’s Day Lecture with David Sanger

by Not Signed In | Politics

David Sanger, New York Times chief Washington correspondent, offers a look inside the Obama Administration’s use of innovative weapons and new tools of American power to manage rapidly shifting global threats and challenges.

Sanger has been part of journalistic teams that has won the Pulitzer Prize twice. In 2011, his team was a finalist for the Pulitzer for International Reporting for coverage of Japanese nuclear disaster.

His background also includes reporting on economic and foreign policy and how these issues effect U.S. competitiveness and relationships with America’s major allies. Sanger has also bee bureau chief in Tokyo for six years. His most recent book is Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power, Crown, 2012.

Senators Challenge Postal Plan to End Saturday Delivery

by Not Signed In | Politics

Unauthorized proposal would hurt rural communities, cost jobs

WASHINGTON – Twenty-four senators, led by Tom Udall of New Mexico, are challenging the postmaster general’s authority to discontinue Saturday mail delivery later this year without congressional approval.

In a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, the senators acknowledge the financial challenges the Postal Service is facing and urge him to work with Congress to address these problems through bipartisan reform, such as the Senate legislation passed last year.

They also point out that a shift to five-day service could lead to further declines in mail volume and revenues, worsening the U.S. Postal Service’s overall condition.

Sanders, Boxer Propose Climate Change Bills

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 – Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) today introduced comprehensive legislation on climate change.

Boxer is chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Sanders sits on the environment committee and also is a member of the Senate energy committee.

Under the legislation, a fee on carbon pollution emissions would fund historic investments in energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass. The proposal also would provide rebates to consumers to offset any efforts by oil, coal or gas companies to raise prices.

Downtown Brattleboro Sidewalk Project Meeting

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

Residents and Business Owners:

The Town is planning to install new sidewalks on the east side of Main Street, starting at the Gilbert Memorial Bridge and continuing north to Walnut Street. Some sections of this sidewalk were recently replaced as part of a VTrans project. The Downtown Sidewalk Project will replace the sections that have not yet been upgraded. The project is intended to improve safety for pedestrians and create a more attractive Main Street. Two FHWA Enhancement grants and a local match in the form of a bond fund this project.