I-91 Project Update: Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project: Week of April 6, Including RT 30 Closure Info

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

I-91

Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge in the Fall of 2015.

Weather permitting, night work will be conducted Sunday night, April 6th through Saturday night, April 12th.

Route 30

The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Spring of 2016.

Project-related truck activity on Route 30 will continue. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently both day and night, with flaggers regulating traffic within the work zone.

Guilford “Spring Fling”

by Not Signed In | Guilford

For winter-weary folks, a special event for Guilford residents of all ages will be held Saturday evening, April 5, at the historic Broad Brook Grange Hall at 3940 Guilford Center Road. The event is a Spring Fling, offering dancing to the music of a local band, open mic time, games of all sorts, refreshments and connecting with neighbors and friends for fun and entertainment. The event is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., with live music until at least 8 p.m., followed by an open jam and open mic. Admission will be by donations, with the aim of covering the cost of the band, heating the Grange Hall for the evening, and other associated expenses.

Supreme Court Voids Campaign Spending Limits

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, April 2 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today blasted a Supreme Court ruling that voided legal limits on contributions by individual donors to political campaigns.

“Freedom of speech, in my view, does not mean the freedom to buy the United States government,” Sanders said.

The ruling gives wealthy donors like the billionaires Charles and David Koch more power to influence elections. An earlier ruling in Citizens United vs. FEC resulted in a record $7 billion being spent in the 2012 election cycle, including at least $400 million by the Koch brothers alone.

The Lonely Heartstring Band and The Stockwell Brothers at Next Stage on Sunday, April 6

by Not Signed In | Music

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening bluegrass and newgrass by The Lonely Heartstring Band and The Stockwell Brothers at Next Stage on Sunday, April 6 at 7:30 pm.

The Lonely Heartstring Band is Berklee College of Music students George Clements, Patrick M’Gonigle, Matt Witler, Gabe Hirshfeld and Charles Clements. Their music is a combination of old and new styles, melding the sounds of traditional bluegrass with modern songwriting and arranging. The band began with a common love for the music of The Beatles, bringing some of their favorite songs to life while attempting to remain true to the original arrangements.

The Risk of Returning – Book Reading

by Not Signed In | Books

April Gallery Walk Book Reading, 7:15 pm on April 4th at Everyone’s Books – discussion and refreshments.

A reading and discussion with the authors of The Risk Of Returning.

An excellent new novel set in Guatemala, a society beset by the legacy of a century of American interventionist policies. Authors Rudy and Shirley Nelson of Amherst MA. will reflect on their time in Guatemala,as well as the art and labor of novel writing.

Sanders Welcomes Progress on VA Backlog

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, April 1– Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today welcomed significant progress by the Department of Veterans Affairs in reducing a disability claims backlog.

The VA announced today that its current backlog of claims pending more than 125 days is at its lowest point in three years. The backlog was reduced from 611,000 one year ago to 344,000 claims pending today, a 44 percent reduction. The VA also said the accuracy of the decisions on disability claims has improved.

U.N. Issues Climate Change Warning

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, March 31 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today that the latest report from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is another jolting wake-up call for nations around the world.

The report by the U.N. panel said the effects of global warming already are occurring on every continent and across the world’s oceans. The scientists warned that the problem was likely to grow much worse unless greenhouse gas emissions are brought under control.

Heavy Rains Delay Closing Rt. 30 for Bridge Repair Work

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

Good Morning:

The heavy rains we’re getting have resulted in a slow down on the project. We now anticipate that we won’t be ready to do the work that necessitates the closing of VT RT 30 until April 9 or later. I will let everyone know as soon as we’ve set the new dates.

When it rains, it pours,

Brattleboro Union High School Board Meeting Agenda

by Not Signed In | Education

BRATTLEBORO UNION HIGH SCHOOL BOARD
53 Green Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
www.wssu.k12.vt.us

NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING

The BUHS Teacher Curriculum Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 7 in the Cusick Conference Room.

The BUHS District #6 Finance Committee will meet at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 9 in the WSESU Central Office Conference Room, 53 Green Street.

Bowl for Kids’ Sake Seeks Teams

by Not Signed In | Recreation & Sports

Brattleboro, VT–Families, friends and teams from work are invited to celebrate the 33rd Annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake to benefit Youth Services’ Big Brothers Big Sisters program on Saturday, April 5. The fundraising event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with teams signing up for a one-hour time slot at Brattleboro Bowl on Putney Road.

The 4-5 p.m. time is reserved for teams of teens and “Bigs and Littles” and will have a special “Cosmic Bowling” atmosphere. The financial goal of the event is to raise $65,000 in pledge money and business sponsorship to help cover the cost of running the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

Benefit for Morningside Shelter: Storytellers on a Mission April 19, Hosted by Peter Sagal

by Not Signed In | Arts

Southern Vermont-based The Hatch presents its third Storytellers on a Mission event featuring nationally renowned storytellers who will tell hilarious stories to raise money for a great cause. The event’s recipient is the Morningside Shelter in Brattleboro, Vermont, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. The event will be held on Saturday, April 19 pm at 7:30 p.m. at the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro.

The evening’s storytellers will be hosted by Peter Sagal, Host of NPR’s Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me! and will feature Cindy Pierce, Elna Baker, Peter Aguero and Ian Chillag, with additional special guests. All performers have performed on critically acclaimed stages that include The Moth, National Public Radio (NPR) shows, Comedy Central programming and much more.

Vermont Official Warns U.S. Senate Panel: Don’t Let Transportation Funding Run Out

by Not Signed In | State News

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 27 – Testifying at the invitation of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Vermont Agency of Transportation Deputy Secretary Sue Minter warned a Senate panel today that a looming shortfall in federal transportation funding could put people out of work in Vermont and “tip the balance of our fragile economic recovery.”

Projects slated for this construction season could be cancelled unless Congress acts soon to shore up the federal Highway Trust Fund, which is projected to be depleted by July.

“Reducing or eliminating transportation projects translates into job losses in the construction industry,” Minter told the Senate public works committee. “In a small state like ours, this can tip the balance on our fragile economic recovery.”

The Vermont Jazz Center Presents: Emerging Artist Series – Carolina Calvache

by Not Signed In | Music

Innovative, original jazz, influenced by Colombian rhythms. Featuring saxophonist, Jaleel Shaw

The Vermont Jazz Center will present Colombian pianist, Carolina Calvache, performing as part of our Emerging Artist series. This young artist has all the qualifications that the VJC is celebrating in this series: she is launching her first CD with a major jazz label (Sunnyside), she is a creative composer, she is highly accomplished on her instrument. She is a rising star in the eyes of both critics and peers and she is traveling with her own band. Her musicians have studied and performed her complex material and are able to transcend its technical demands and add to the beauty of her vision. These musicians are Jaleel Shaw on saxophone, Yasushi Nakamura on acoustic bass and Rodrigo Recabarren on drums.

Welch Highlights Climate Change Impact on VT Maple Industry

by Not Signed In | Politics

Climate change is having a real impact on Vermont.  For example, Rep. Welch regularly hears from Vermont’s maple producers about how changes in temperature and shifting seasons are affecting their businesses.  He  last week with Dave Marvin, owner of Butternut Mountain Farm, and Tim Perkins, Director of Proctor Maple Research Institute at the University of Vermont, about the impact of climate change on Vermont’s maple industry.  Rep. Welch will be bringing the voices of Vermonters like Dave and Tim’s to Washington to demonstrate why urgent action on climate change is needed.

Sanders Statement on NSA Surveillance

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, March 25 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today on reports that President Barack Obama intends to seek another 90-day extension of the bulk collection of Americans’ phone records before asking Congress to make private phone companies store the records:

“As someone who voted against the Patriot Act and opposed its reauthorization, I have long been concerned about out-of-control intelligence agencies.

Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Note RT Closure Scheduled for April 4-11

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

I-91

Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge in the Fall of 2015.

Weather permitting, night work will be conducted Sunday night, March 30th through Saturday night, April 5th.

Route 30

The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Spring of 2016.

Brattleboro Area Community Solar

by Not Signed In | Putney

PUTNEY, V.T. – (March 25, 2014) Putney based SunFarm Community Solar in conjunction with Vermont’s largest utility, Green Mountain Power (GMP), and the nation’s leading community solar developer, Clean Energy Collective (CEC), are brining a community-owned solar array to residents in the Brattleboro area. It is the second in a progression of community solar facilities planned for Vermont, making community solar available to some 70 percent of the state’s electricity customers.