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Brattleboro and VT COVID-19 Regional Dashboard Summary – February 2025

by cgrotke | Health

Welcome to the February 2025 dashboard summary. We continue semi-regular COVID-19 dashboard numbers from the Vermont Department of Health, and MA and NH counties that surround Brattleboro, as long as they continue providing them. Numbers are low, but not zero. Scroll down the new comments for the latest.

VT, NH and MA do weekly updates, near the end of the week, so we update on Fridays usually. Variant updates are every two weeks.

Selectboard Candidate Interview – Jill Stahl Tyler

by cgrotke | Politics
jill stahl tyler

Jill Stahl Tyler is running for a three year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard.

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Tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you and why are you running for a three-year seat?

Hi, my name is Jill Stahl Tyler.  I decided to run for Selectboard because this is my home.  

When we built our house thirty years ago, we planted trees.  From sapling to towering shade cover, we wanted to see them grow.  Over the same decades, we’ve watched things change in downtown Brattleboro. As the crime situation has worsened, I wondered if we had to leave, and if someone else would enjoy the crisp yellows of the forsythia, the majestic first blooms on the magnolia, and the striking flowering crab apple that now spreads widely near the front patio.

Representative Town Meeting Candidates – Introduce Yourself!

by cgrotke | Politics

Hey, candidates for the 2025 Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting. There are a lot of you this year. It is exciting. People want to know who you are and what distinguishes you from the others running. We’ve gotten emails asking for information about you.

You are, as always, invited to use this site to announce your candidacy and to introduce yourselves. It could be close, and every vote is important.

Selectboard Candidate Interview: Richard Davis

by cgrotke | Politics
Richard Davis

Richard Davis is an incumbent running for a one-year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard.

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Tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you and why are you running for a one year seat?

I am Richard Davis, a semi-retired nurse, writer and political activist running for a second one year seat on the Brattleboro selectboard.  A Boston area native, I have lived in Windham County for the past 46 years, 41 of those years in Guilford and for the past 3 ½ years in Brattleboro with my wife Roberta Levy. 

On my first year on the board I was voted clerk by my fellow board members. During this past year the people of Brattleboro have been actively engaged in a variety of issues that include public safety, taxes, and a new trash system.

I am proud to be a member of a community that is so committed to improving the quality of life for everyone. This past summer attendance at board meetings was the highest in recent memory and people were able to express their opinions freely.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Quarterly Reports Highlight Successes and Vulnerabilities

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard feb 4 2025

The first regular meeting of February for the Brattleboro Selectboard was mostly a series of quarterly reports, punctuated by questions about EMS billing and budgets. The board learned that the bad-sounding audit will not really be as bad-sounding as it sounds. Just wait. You’ll see.

Notable – parking revenues are down,  the downtown safety plan is beginning to take shape, Golden Cross is having problems collecting revenue for us, and a few candidates came to use public participation to show that they are involved.

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes – February 4, 2025

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will begin the process of changing utility rates by having consultants come to explain the Utility Rate Study they are about to undertake.

The board will also hear quarterly updates from the police department, fire department, and finance office.  You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.

Selectboard Special Meeting Notes – Human Services Advisory Poll On Ballot

by cgrotke | Town News
brattleboro selectboard title card

Chair Daniel Quipp was under the weather, so the remaining four members of the Brattleboro Selectboard boldy went forth approving the warnings for the Annual Town Meeting and the Representative Town Meeting.

The biggest news is that there will be an advisory poll on the ballot when voters go to elect representatives and weigh in on articles, asking what percentage of future town budgets should be spent on human services. There will be five options, ranging from zero to over 2%.

iBrattleboro Interview: Joey Douglas

by cgrotke | Business
joey and cindy at high priestess

I recently had a chance to spend some time with Joey Douglas, co-owner of Brattleboro’s High Priestess, to find out how the legal craft cannabis industry in Vermont was going so far.

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Tell us about High Priestess… How did you decide to become a grower, and what was it like getting an official state license to go into business?

I originally started growing around 2001 and was instantly hooked on the entire process. The results of my first harvest were overwhelmingly great despite my inexperience.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – People Are Mad At Us For A Lot Of Different Reasons

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard jan 21 2025

The Brattleboro Selectboard decided that a 12.1% increase is the best that they can do, ignoring  members of the public and the Finance Committee who said it wasn’t enough but agreeing with the Town Manager who said the increase was necessary to avoid chaos.

One theme throughout the evening was that of continual eroding trust in the selectboard and their decision-making. “People are mad at us for a lot of different reasons,” noticed Chair Daniel Quipp. “We should think about it.  Do we always have to make them a little more mad?”

A sub-theme was extreme agitation about representation at all levels of town government.

Weird meeting. If I were a Magic 8 ball I’d suggest “outlook not good.”

Over at Bluesky

by cgrotke | iBrattleboro

This site moved away from using Twitter a while ago and we have been promoting iBrattleboro-related items now over at Bluesky for months. You will see we have now officially removed the twitter icon from the footer of this site and replaced it with the butterfly icon and a link to our page:

American Prospect Discloses Members of DNC

by cgrotke | Politics

Interesting story at The American Prospect – they are disclosing all of the names of the members of the Democratic National Committee:

Opening the DNC’s Black Box
Why we’re publishing a previously undisclosed list of all 448 members of the Democratic National Committee

The story says that members of the DNC generally don’t have contact information for other members, intentionally, so that they can’t organize:

Governor Scott’s 2025 Inaugural Address to Vermont

by cgrotke | State News

“There’s no doubt many communities, businesses, and families are struggling. But it’s not hard to see that Northwest Vermont is doing BETTER than all the others. It’s not to say this region doesn’t have challenges, but, for the most part, it’s where you see a lower percentage of kids in poverty, lower energy costs, higher median incomes, higher home values, and more new housing being built. And while we’re desperate for workers across the state, the size of the workforce in Chittenden and Franklin counties is the highest it’s been in recent history.”

Selectboard Meeting Notes Redux- Board Approves 12% Property Tax Increase; Won’t Tax Cats

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard approved their revised FY26 budget with a 12% property tax increase without further changes, ignoring a great deal of feedback from the Finance Committee and members of the public that there were other items to consider and concerns that root problems were being put off for future years.

The board agreed that no cuts to staff will be considered. Staff positions in Brattleboro are seemingly guaranteed forever.

The board also asked that the community be more respectful when taking about municipal affairs, and laughed at Liz’s serious suggestion to tax cats.

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting – Agenda and Notes January 7, 2025

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will be taking another look at the FY26 budget at the first regular meeting of 2025. They made some cuts to services at their last meeting and will review the impact of their decisions thus far. Will they do more?

The board will hold a second reading of changes to the ordinance governing the Downtown Improvement District. If everyone likes it, it will be approved as well.  You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.

New Music for the New Year – OH NO

by cgrotke | Music
OH NO cover

Greetings! I thought I’d share a new local musical project with you – my new solo EP called “OH NO” is now available.

It’s not for all ears, of course, but if you like quirky, funky, dance-y music, protest funk, and satirical commentary on the present times this just might be what you are looking for to lift your day.  Or 18 minutes of it, at least. 

Noticed Around Brattleboro – Winter 2024-25

by cgrotke | Town News

Here’s your seasonal spot to write up little things that might be worth a sentence.  What have you noticed recently in the Brattleboro area?

Winter has kicked off with most of the late autumn snow and ice melting away. It is Dec 30 and near 50 degrees.

Some Local Holiday Video Favorites

by cgrotke | Creative

Need something to lighten your day? Here are some of our holiday specials created over the years. Apologies for the corporations slapping occasional ads on there now (wasn’t us…). It’s all run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.