Fairpoint’s high-speed interent service seems to be offline for Vermont and New Hampshiire.
As we rely on it (I’m away from the world HQ at the moment), updates to the site and answers to emails will be minmal, if at all, until they sort things out.
I wonder where Fairpoint could find a bunch of talented, knowledgeable technicians to help them bring this back online more quickly? Hmmm…
Digging through the old newspapers today, I found an interesting story describing the holiday items for sale at some of the stores downtown in 1875 during a period of economic hard times for many people.
The article provides quite a few extended details about the stores and items for sale, so I thought I’d share it. Set your iBrattleboro time machine for early December, 1875, and let’s go shopping in downtown Brattleboro.
It’s time to put air in my tires. Since it is impractical to try them all, I thought I’d ask you for your opinions on local area air pumps.
Has any service station out there installed any new, innovative air pump machines? Have there been any technologiocal advancements in recent years? Where is the best place to fill tires? Any good deals?
Up until now I often stop in at one of the stations near Exit 3, but I don’t have to go there if there is a better option.
A new king of pop? New hardest workin’ man in show business? Bruno Mars might be that person.
Mr. Mars hails from Hawaii and in his earlier years spent some time doing Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Little Richard impersonations. You’ll see it in the way he moves today.
In today’s paper, a Phoenix from 1858, a notice appeared requesting everyone to attend the village meeting next week in order to vote on incorporation of the village of Brattleboro.
Along side the notice was the full text of the state act authorizing incorporation. It describes the boundaries of the town, then outlines how the town is to be organized. I found it interesting to look back at our origins, so to speak, to see what we felt was the bare minimum required to operate Brattleboro on day one of incorporation.
Rules of Thumb are those little unofficial, unscientific statements we hold to be somewhat true in a given circumstance. I use them often. A few small examples of things I’ve heard that sort of hold up:
– stay 4 seconds behind the car in front of you (or 1 car length for very 10 mph)
– an ounce of liquid is about what you pour in a count of one
– to figure out how long you’ll wait in a bank teller line, multiply the number of people ahead of you by 5 minutes, then divide by the number of open windows.
I have one of my own invention: The Tabloid Rule of Truth
The Tabloid Rule of Truth is that if a celebrity is on the cover of a tabloid for some reason, the truth of the story can be determined by how many tabloids have the same story on the cover.
In one of their longer meetings to date this year, the Brattleboro Selectboard worked their way through a great deal of municipal information Tuesday evening.
They heard a full and detailed report on the usefulness of the West Brattleboro Fire Station, No. 2, learned about work being done by the Brattleboro Energy Committee, outlined preliminary and potentially positive plans for the FY16 budget, appreciated the work of the Downtown Alliance, discussed the value of putting vague items on the agenda, and more. There were also suggestions of abandoning the Municipal Center, and getting rid of the pool, from former Chair Dick Degray.
The usefulness and need of the West Brattleboro Fire Station will be discussed at the next regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard.
The organization formerly known as Building a Better Brattleboro will present their annual request for funds from the Downtown Improvement District, the board will talk about the budget being created, the Energy Committee will give an annual report and ask for their annual funding to be considered by Town Meeting Representatives, and there will be a discussion about whether Chris Chapman should be given time on a future agenda, once again, to present his thoughts on Town Fundraising to the board.
You can watch it all on BCTV, or attend in person and participate. You can even bring up other items that aren’t on the agenda during Public Participation. We’ll write it all up and you can read all the details here after the meeting.
So, I’m in Boston and my friends want to go to a Holiday Inn to listen to a DJ. I’m not looking forward to it, but we get there and the music was really good. At one point, a song comes on that sounds like an old funk number… maybe something by a James Brown spin-off? Some female soul singer? I had to find out who it was.
It was Jamiroquai, said the DJ. I asked if it was from the 70’s or 80’s. He said it was current, in the late 90’s and the female singing wasn’t female. I was musically disoriented, and went to the record store to get the CD at my next opportunity.
For the moment, the snow falling outside looks quite wonderful. It’s somewhat heavy looking, falling fast and straight with occasional gusts to blow it around.
I have yet to think too much about shovelling it, and can just appreciate this first covering over of autmn remnants.
Check the for the latest in forecasts, don’t drive unless you absolutely have to, and have a safe and warm Thanksgiving.
To compliment the show with Prince last week, let’s take a look at one of my favorite Prince side projects, The Time. We’ll begin with the 30 minute “opening band” performance they did just prior to Prince’s show last week.
Yes, this is video from the same night, at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ, in January of 1982.
Brattleboro Police and BS&L report a robbery at the bank this afternoon.
Brattleboro Police Captain Mark Carignan tweeted “Robbery at downtown Brattleboro bank. One suspect in custody. No other suspects at this time. No injuries reported. Press rlse later today.”
Enginer Gary King is retiring from the Department of Public Works after 30 years of service.
The West Brattleboro Scoping Study was accepted and endorsed, with five varying options described, ranging from nothing to new bike and people paths through the backyards of West Brattleboro properties. Likely, a more simple approach of bike lanes and sidewalks will be attempted.
Brattleboro signed on to help the Windham and Windsor Housing Trust apply for a grant to do energy improvements at five local properties that they own, Brattleboro will apply for brownfield site planning funds, and a sustainable energy program feasibility study vanished from the agenda without explanation, but with discussion.
Prince has been in the music news lately, having released two rather good albums simultaneously, rejoined Warner Bros., got control of his back catalog, and appeared on SNL.
He’s notoriously hard to find on the internet, but somehow we are (for the moment, at least) able to peer back to 1982, just as he was ascending. Note that this linked file may vanish.
This is from the Controversy tour, just before 1999 and Purple Rain, when many were still just finding out about him and trying to figure out what exactly they had found. Punk? Funk? New Wave? What was this? A controversy.
Numerous opportunities for public comment exist at the next regular Brattleboro Selectboard meeting. Attend in person at the Municipal Center on Main Street to offer comment on plans to improve Western Avenue for bike riders and pedestrians in West Brattleboro, or to weigh in on the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust plans to rehab local buildings.
You can join the discussion of a large scale district heating plan, plans to get a grant to do brownfield studies in town, applications for special event permits, town finances, staffing levels, or anything else not on the agenda during Public Participation.
Watch it all on BCTV as it happens, then read about and discuss the meeting here after.
Hi, Hullabalooers. Someone did a great job assembling home movie footage from numerous sources to recreate the Beatles performance at the Hollywood Bowl in 1964. What we end up with is a rather full look at the show
I’ve heard the album of this performance, but had never heard the complete introduction, in which we learn that Bob “Newlywed Game” Eubanks was one of the people who helped pay to bring the Beatles to the bowl.
The Election Day edition of the Selectboard meeting was held in the studios of BCTV, one floor up from the polling stations that had taken over their regular meeting space. The board pressed on in their atypical surroundings, covering budgets, staffing, and development.
The budget discussion began with an optimistic sounding 1 cent increase, but then covered future FY16 financial issues, such as the cost shifting of garbage pickup. the need for new police and fire vehicles in addition to new facilities, and the possibility of cutting back on library or recreational services. By the end, budget reality had set in, and the selectboard was again looking to citizens for advice on hard decisions.
Five buildings in town may get an overhaul, you can have beer or wine with your pizza, and whispers of outsourcing aspects of the DPW rounded out the evening.
Below you’ll find the complete preliminary vote totals for Brattleboro. Click on the attachment to open a PDF showing the complete numbers.
Official results will be confirmed in the near future.
Tuesday night is election night, but the Brattleboro Selectboard will be devoting their evening energy to their regular Tuesday meeting. The meeting will be held in the BCTV studios on the third floor of the Municipal Center (elevator available).
Rather routine business on the agenda, including staffing level reviews of the Police and Public Works departments, some discussion of the FY16 budget, a liquor license for House of Pizza on Canal Street, and a hearing about plans to do some major building rehabilitation at five of the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust properties in town.
You can bring up other items not on the agenda during Public Participation, and add your wisdom to the conversation in general. Watch on BCTV, and read the details here the next day.
Close to 200 trick-or-treaters combed the Forest Square section of Brattleboro on Halloween. As is tradition, here’s your official 2014 list of costumes. Apologies to those we missed or got wrong, and thanks to all for all the original and entertaining ideas that kids had this year.
One notable trend: Star Wars is back. Other trends include parents getting more involved, nerds, and Robin Hoods.
Frozen princess Elsa
Ghoul
A red skin suit
Tiny Batman (Returns, one year later)
