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Spectacular Niagara

by Lise | Travel

Americans love a realistic spectacle, the more realistic the better.  So says Umberto Eco in Travels in Hyper Reality, a survey of American theme parks and attractions that argues the premise that for Americans, the real is not real enough, and that enhanced reality (or even enhanced unreality) are sometimes better than the thing itself.  One could certainly make that case with the theme park called Niagara Falls, which I was fortunate enough to visit recently at night, when Niagara transitions from mere natural wonder into a 20th century spectacular worthy of Las Vegas.

5K for Food to Benefit Our Place Food Shelf

by NewsWriter | Recreation & Sports

Our Place Drop-In Center in Bellows Falls is hosting a 5K race and walk to benefit its food programs Saturday, Aug. 15 at Vermont Academy in Saxtons River.

The 5K for Food will get under way at 9 a.m. over the trails at VA and will include a cool route through the woods, perfect for an August day. Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the Chivers Center on Shepare Lane.

The registration fee is $15, with a maximum of $30 per family.

The event will raise money to help stock the shelves at Our Place, which serves approximately 175 local families a month. Donations of non-perishable food will be accepted at the 5K.

Superhero Crime Solvers

by Brooks Memorial Library | Family

The superheroes need your help.

A medallion was stolen by some villains from the libary and they need the help of the superhero crime sovlers to find out who stole it.

Come to the library on Tuesday, July 28th for either a morning session from 10:30-11:30 or an afternoon session from 2:00-3:00.

Please call (802)-254-5290 x110 or email cr@brookslibraryvt.org to pre-register for either sessions in this event.

Meet Your Local Hero Event

by Brooks Memorial Library | Family

Come to the municipal lot, behind the library, on Saturday, July 25th from 10:00-12:00 to meet some local heroes and check out their vehicles.

Look at a firetruck or an ambulance. Check-out a police car or a dump truck from public works. See how high a utility truck from Green Mountain Power can go.

Stop by on Saturday to look at all these great vehicles and thank the people who operate them. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield Requesting 8.4% Rate Increases

by ESchwartz | Activism

The Affordable Care Act, in spite of its name, is not making health care affordable for many Vermont residents. One in five people in Vermont are struggling with medical bills. Meanwhile, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, as a “non-profit” company, will receive a tax break of over $15 million this year, while ten of its executives are paid up to half a million dollars each.

BCBS has asked the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) to approve a premium increase averaging at 8.4%, with increases of up to 14.3% on some plans. This is considerably more than most people’s wages rise in a year, so this increase, if granted, will be a huge setback for many people who purchase health insurance through Vermont Health Connect. This big win for the insurance company will do nothing to increase in access to care, especially for people on basic plans with high deductibles and co-pays. If anything points to the need to get the insurance industry out of health care, it is the effrontery of BCBS’s request for premium increases that will make health care less, not more affordable.

Mushroom Foraging Workshops Through the Brattleboro Food Co-op

by Not Signed In | Home & Garden

The Brattleboro Food Co-op (BFC) is sponsoring a series of four wild mushroom foraging workshops this summer and fall. Led by Justin Garner, a clinical herbalist and founder of Sweet Flag Medicinals, each workshop will focus on whatever edible fungus is popping up in that particular month. Precautions will be taught for harvesting wild mushrooms, as well as cooking instructions and some on the ecology, natural history, flavor and medicinal value of the different species.

State Rep. Valerie Stewart Serving Lunches at Living Memorial Park to Area Youth

by Not Signed In | Food

July 23rd and 30th, Vermont State Representative Valerie Stewart will be at Living Memorial Park serving lunches to area youth as part of the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union’s Summer Food Service Program. The WSESU runs the Summer Food Program to ensure that children and teens have access to healthy food when school is not is session. Any child, 18 or younger, can find a free breakfast, lunch or dinner at various sites around Brattleboro or Guilford. Anyone can text ‘FOOD’ to 877-877 to find the site closest to them.

BMH Introduces New Endoscopy System for Earlier Digestive Disease Detection and Treatment

by BMH | Health

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is among the first hospitals in Vermont to acquire the Olympus EVIS EXERA III video endoscopy system. This system uses a video processor, light source, endoscope, and monitor to enable physicians to look inside the gastrointestinal (GI) system to diagnose, detect, and treat GI diseases such as colorectal cancer. The advanced imaging in the EVIS EXERA III system will help BMH physicians to detect GI disease at an earlier stage when treatments are most successful.

“By acquiring this new system we are able to further our commitment to providing exceptional care to our patients. With this advanced technology we increase our capacity to provide more accurate diagnoses, shorter procedure times, and an overall improved procedural experience,” said Steven R. Gordon, President and CEO of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital.

BAJC Announces the Ordination of Cantor Kate Judd

by BAJC Shir HeHarim | Spiritual

Brattleboro Area Jewish Community (BAJC) in West Brattleboro is proud to announce the ordination of Cantor Kate Judd. Kate was ordained through the Cantor Educator Program (CEP) at Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts. 

The program at Hebrew College draws on renowned faculty from three Hebrew College schools — the School of Jewish Music, Shoolman Graduate School of Jewish Education and Rabbinical School — as well as resources from Andover Newton Theological School and other member institutions of the Boston Theological Institute. Cantors in the CEP earn a Masters of Jewish Education degree, enabling them to serve congregations as mentors and facilitators and as spiritual leaders who can empower their congregants in study as well as in worship.

Dosa Kitchen Food Truck Has Moved to Grafton Village Cheese in Brattleboro

by Dosa Kitchen | Food

Our South Indian food truck, Dosa Kitchen, has moved to a new home:

400 Linden Street (on Route 30), in front of Grafton Village Cheese in Brattleboro. Check Facebook for our new extended hours and stay posted as we firm up our regular hours. This week we’re open Sunday and Monday, closed Tuesday and Wednesday, then open the rest of the week. We’re at 646-388-2221 if you would like to call ahead.

SeVWA’s 2015 E. coli Monitoring of Local River Sites Continued July 15th

by sevwa.wqmp | Nature

The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance (SeVWA) had its third monitoring day for the summer of 2015 on Wednesday, July 15th. The majority of our sites received significant rainfall in the day before sampling and 8 of our 27 sites tested above the recommended “suitability to swim” bacteria level set by Vermont and the EPA. It is generally recommended to wait 24-48 hours after a significant rainfall to resume swimming in lakes and streams, so keep that in mind when making weekend plans on the water.

Even though we keep saying that bacteria levels are heavily dependent on rain, river users, whether they be swimming, boating, paddling, tubing, fishing, or even just hiking by, can help improve water quality by taking care of the rivers and their shores.

Family First: Brattleboro Savings & Loan Earns Gold Status as a Breastfeeding Friendly Employer

by Not Signed In | Family

BRATTLEBORO, VT. – Brattleboro Savings & Loan recently took a step toward making the bank a bit more comfortable for new moms and dads on both sides of the teller window.

This June, the bank received ‘Gold Status’ from the Breastfeeding Friendly Employer Project, joining an elite set of businesses across the country that are taking a pledge to create safe, welcoming environments for breastfeeding mothers and their children.

One’s Lure of Choice

by spinoza | Nature

It’s peak summer, buzzing abounds. I was recently struck by the correlation between bikes and flies. This article attempts to chase that down. An exercise in vernal observation and kinetic free association, admittedly esoteric.

Sitting by the side of the road, gazing with even a slight degree of critical attention, you’ll see Harleys, BMWs, Ducatis, Triumphs, and a spate of Japanese varieties, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki.  Within each company selections are offered which do specific things optimally. The Touring Bike, the Cruiser, the Racer, the Dirt Bike. Also dotting the landscape, an array of hybrids made to straddle on and off-road use, they do various tasks reasonably well. These are the Enduros, Spyders, Dual Sports, etc. It’s a vast domain, with models for every passion and taste.

Pay As You Throw and the Rising Cost of Recycling

by Lise | Home & Garden

Pay As You Throw wasn’t so bad, now was it? All you have to do is spend a few extra hours (and/or dollars) a week on your trash and voila! It’s trash day and out to the curb it goes, in multiple assorted bins, to be sure, but at least it’s gone and that’s what matters. End of story, right?

Oh, how we wish. Unfortunately, now that we’re all composting, recycling, and reducing our landfill waste to little piles of plastic and metal oddments, we have a new problem. Curbside recycling is not profitable. It doesn’t even pay for itself. In many places, including Brattleboro, the recycling companies have to be propped up financially by the municipalities, costing taxpayers money (again).

Cat Box Liner And Litter Package Tested And Approved For Brattleboro’s Curbside Composting Program

by Litter-2-U | Pets

Liner converts into a clean, sealed disposal bag

Brattleboro, VT July 10, 2015, Litter-2-U is a product that gives cat owners a convenient way to dispose of cat litter in their curbside composting cart. This fast, easy and clean way to change cat litter compliments Brattleboro’s curbside composting program and diverts litter from costly, harmful landfills to usable compost.                

Litter-2-U (L2U) is a compostable plant-based liner pre filled with a 100% wood-pellet litter, which is highly absorbent and effective at odor control. The strong 2-ply liner has a jute drawstring that can later be cinched for disposal. With L2U, Brattleboro cat owners can avoid putting their litter in a costly non-compostable PAYT bag destined for the landfill. L2U is currently available online at and is delivered to your door.