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COVID Forever?

by RDavis | Health

Some people are delusional enough to think that humans will eradicate the COVID 19 virus. That is not likely. Consider the fact that the only infectious disease affecting humans ever to be eradicated was smallpox. That disease was declared eliminated on December 9, 1979.

Since then we have been exposed to a number of new and old diseases such as HIV, Ebola as well as the seasonal flu that we have learned how to control but not eliminate. It is estimated that about 35,000 Americans died from the flu during the 2018-19 flu season. That is an average number of deaths according to statistics from the past ten years.

VFW $7 Lunch Specials To-Go’s only Dec. 14 – Dec. 18th & Pot Roast Meal Dec. 19th Open to the Public

by LisaL | Food

Effective immediately, we are open for take-out only Mon to Fri from 11:30 am -1:30 pm, and the occasional Saturday. Please call 802-257-0438 for your to-go meals. Follow our VFW Post 1034 Facebook page for more information.

No Wednesday breakfast until further notice.

$7 Lunch Specials Dec. 14th – Dec. 18th
Mon – salisbury steak, mashed potato, gravy & veg
Tues – stuffed pork chops w/ sweet potato casserole and veg
Wed – beef stew w/ homemade bread
Thur – chicken cordon bleu w/ baked potato & veg
Fri – fried haddock w/ french fries

VFW $7 Lunch Specials/Pot Roast meal – To Go’s only – Public Welcome to Order 802-257-0438

by LisaL | Food

Effective immediately, we are open for take-out only Mon to Fri from 11:30 am -1:30 pm, and the occasional Saturday. Please call 802-257-0438 for your to-go meals. Follow our VFW Post 1034 Facebook page for more information.

No Wednesday breakfast until further notice.

Pot roast to go meal is still on for Dec. 19th. Call in for reservations by Friday Dec. 18th. There are limited free meals available for the pot roast dinner, so when you call in, please leave a message asking for the free meals, and you will receive a call back.

Brattleboro and Vermont COVID-19 Dashboard Summary – December 2020

by cgrotke | Health

T’is the month of December. Here is the continuation of daily COVID-19 dashboard numbers from the Vermont Department of Health, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, and MA and NH counties that surround Brattleboro. Scroll down the new comments for the latest.

You can find the November numbers here,  October stats here,  September numbers here, August numbers here,  July numbers here, the June numbers here, the May dashboard reporting here, and the April numbers here.

Will a COVID Vaccine Be Safe and Effective?

by RDavis | Health

It is difficult for the average person to understand what they need to know about a COVID vaccine before they decide to be inoculated. The vaccine will be available within weeks or months and public health officials are urging people to get vaccinated.

Government health officials are saying that the vaccines developed have proven to be safe and effective and that the best chance we all have for moving on and living in a world not controlled by the behavior of a virus is to continue to use masks, social distance and to take the vaccine when it becomes available.

According to Francis Collins MD, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it will take 80% coverage (vaccine administration) to get to herd immunity, and that is not likely to happen until the summer of 2021if all goes well.

VFW $7 Lunch Specials Nov 30-Dec. 4th and New Post Rules, Hours-To-Go’s Welcome

by LisaL | Food

VFW $7 Lunch Specials Nov. 30th – Dec. 4th
Mon – goulash w/ a salad
Tues – soup and sandwich of choice
Wed – breakfast 6am-9am
Wed – chicken salad BLT w/ garlic fries
Thur – asparagus stuffed bacon wrapped pork w/ roasted potatoes
Fri – beer battered cod & shrimp w/ fries

Opening update: Beginning Monday Nov. 30th, the VFW will be re-opening with many new restrictions in place. We will be open to all VFW Post #1034 members and #1034 Auxiliary members who are current with their dues. We will also allow VT residents inside, but you must have a VT ID. (Please consider to-go’s to support the VFW if you do not feel comfortable coming inside, and call in early)

VFW $12 Pot Roast Meal Curbside Pick up Saturday Dec. 19th 4pm-7pm

by LisaL | Food

Saturday Dec. 19th pot roast meal at the Brattleboro VFW located at 40 Black Mountain Road. To-go curbside pick up from 4pm-7pm. Stay in your car, pay in your car, receive your meal/meals, enjoy!

Pot roast, mashed potatoes, brown sugar carrots, gravy, roll, coleslaw and apple turnover with maple icing for $12. Please call in to reserve your meal….might be too early for people to call in actually remember that the DID call in. 802-257-0438

Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market Pivots to Curbside Service Only

by Sherry | Food

As of Saturday, November 28, the Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market is pivoting to CURBSIDE PICK UP SERVICE ONLY. There will not be an in-person walk up and shop market at least through the holidays. With COVID19 cases rising rapidly in Vermont and all around us, the market Steering Committee has decided that continued in-person indoor operations, while significantly modified for safety, poses too great a risk to the safety of all in our market community – our customers, market vendors, staff and volunteers. We chose not to wait until we were forced to react to the report of a positive COVID case within the market community.

But the good news is, that you will still be able to safely and conveniently shop from all of our regular market vendors in one place from the comfort of your home. Just as in the physical market, our new online ordering system puts all that our producers have to offer in one place for you to browse and choose.

Medicare Disadvantage

by RDavis | Health

Every year during Medicare’s open enrollment period, which is from October 15 to December 7 this year, millions of Medicare beneficiaries are bombarded by private insurance companies looking for their business. The advertising makes it sound like these benevolent companies are looking to offer you a pot of gold for free. If it sounds too good to be true then it is too good to be true.

Here’s the story. In 1997 congress authorized the creation of Medicare C which has come to be known as Medicare Advantage. It was an effort by Republicans to privatize Medicare and make it less of a government-run program. It was also a gift for the private insurance industry which continues to haul in huge profits when people switch from traditional Medicare A to Medicare C.

Brattleboro Station – New ADA-Compliant Building, Platform, and Track Changes

by Not Signed In | Travel
Brattleboro Station

Proposed facility will feature track changes and the first level boarding platform in Vermont

BRATTLEBORO, VT – Amtrak today announced it is in discussions with the Town of Brattleboro, NECR Railroad and the State of Vermont on its proposal for a new, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant Brattleboro Station, including a new station building, platform and track changes. The new station will feature the first level boarding platform in Vermont. Measuring approximately 48 inches above track, the proposed platform will allow customers to move on or off a train without having to step up or down. Additional ADA-compliant amenities include parking, ramps and steps up to the platform level, lights, signage, a new waiting room with an attached restroom and covered outdoor seating.

“Vermont’s weather presents challenges to travelers all year round. Amtrak’s investment in an ADA accessible platform and station will ensure that all rail passengers in Brattleboro will have a safe, warm, welcoming place to wait for and board the train. In our rural state, passenger rail represents a vital link for Vermonters and tourists alike. This new station in one of the gateways to Vermont will be a worthy addition to our transportation system,” said U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy.

Updated $12 Brattleboro VFW Turkey Meals Nov. 21st -Now To Go’s Only

by LisaL | Food

Due to COVID restrictions, this meal is now TO-GO’s ONLY.

Starting Monday Nov. 9th, the VFW will start taking reservations for our Saturday, November 21st $12 turkey meal. The meal will be served from 4pm-7pm, and it is TO-GO’s ONLY. For $12, you will get turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, roll, stuffing, cranberry sauce and blueberry or raspberry pie for dessert. Please call in to let us know how many meals you will require, choice of pie, and the approximate time you will be arriving for pick up. Public may order, not just members. You MUST call in your orders by Friday night Nov. 20th. 802-257-0438

Homemade Pie Sale Set for November 21 as Drive-Thru at Guilford Church

by Nanci Leitch | Food

A fall tradition, a home-made pie sale–this time with COVID-safe precautions–will be held on Saturday morning, November 21 from 9-noon in the Guilford Community Church parking lot, just in time to save some preparations before Thanksgiving.

According to organizers, church volunteers will bake apple, raspberry, pecan, pumpkin and specialty pies. Customers will remain in their car and a church volunteer, dressed in COVID-safe mask and gloves, will both come to car windows to take orders and deliver pies and collect payment of cash, check or credit card. To speed your purchase, you may reserve your pie(s) and pay ahead with a credit card by calling Patty Meyers anytime at 802-257-0994.

Next Steps for a Damaged Republic

by RDavis | Activism

It would have been comforting to have Trump out of our minds in the last few months of his reign of chaos, but egomaniacs such as he do not move on graciously. We will continue to be enveloped with the shroud of madness until January 20 and that is a disgrace for America.

It eases the pain of the last four years for many of us that Biden and Harris were elected by a five million vote margin. We can look forward to January 21, 2021 when this country will no longer be governed by tweets and when division and rancor will no longer be the tone from the White House.

But we also have to recognize the fact that over 72 million people voted for Trump. That means that this country remains deeply divided and it means that Biden will not be able to easily heal the wounds of the past four years simply by trying to be a nice guy who says he wants to be the President for all Americans.

Brattleboro VFW $12 Turkey Meal Saturday Nov. 21st – Public Welcome

by LisaL | Food

Starting Monday Nov. 9th, the Brattleboro VFW at 40 Black Mountain Road will start taking reservations for our Saturday, November 21st $12 turkey meal. The meal will be served from 4pm-7pm. For $12, you will get turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, roll, stuffing, cranberry sauce and blueberry or raspberry pie with whipped cream for dessert. There will be other menu items available that night (burgers, fries, onion rings, wings and sandwiches). Please call in to let us know how many meals you will require, names of people, (for contact tracing) and the approximate time you will be arriving for dine in or pick up. To-go’s welcome from 4pm-7pm. Public is welcome.