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Vermont Community Radio Funded By State Legislature

by cgrotke | State News

Here’s the announcement from the Vermont Association of Broadcasters of new state funds for community radio. This means that Brattleboro’s WVEW will be able to apply for these new funds eventually.

….

“VT Community Radio Network,

I have news that is too good to wait until our monthly ZOOM meeting May 15th. Without further ado…

the state legislature committed $150,000 to the Vermont Community Radio grant program!!!

I cannot express enough just how significant and incredible this is for so many reasons:

Keane Southard on “Here We Are”

by Wendy O'Connell | Arts

Composer KEANE SOUTHARD creates unique musical experiences in a wide range of styles and topical issues. His most recent composition “Requiem for Animals” pays homage to the animal beings of the earth and premieres May 17 & 18 at Persons Auditorium at Potash Hill, performed by the Brattleboro Concert Choir. Tune in to hear Keane’s unique perspectives on music’s power to evoke positive change.

Heat Fund Update

by RDavis | Activism

The 20th year of the Windham County Heat Fund has made it clear that we need to maintain our efforts. The need is growing. When Daryl Pillsbury and I started the fund we thought it would only need to continue for a few years because the cost of home heating fuel was so high. We quickly learned that the cost of fuel was not the most important factor in the equation.

As the United States economy has widened the gap between the have’s and have not’s average Americans struggle to pay their bills. Paying for fuel to heat their homes often takes a back seat to paying the rent, buying food and medicine and paying for other basic necessities.

Our goal has always been to raise $50,000 a year and we exceeded that this year. Over the past 20 years we have raised over one million dollars and provided help in about 2000 cases, whether individuals or families.

Please Feed the Bees Instead of Mowing Your Lawn! Happy Bee-Mommy Day!

by CrisEricson2016 | Home & Garden

Daisy and I are not mowing our lawn as long as there are dandelions, wild strawberries and other wild ground cover the BEES need for food! I never had children and like many women I was bruised by Vice President J.D. Vance’s remark, before he was elected V.P., calling women with no kids “childless cat ladies” or something like that, so, after sending flowers on social media to women family and friends who did have children, then, I declared today “Happy Bee-Mommy Day” for all the childless cat ladies like me, even though Daisy is a dog!

A Moment for John Carnahan

by cgrotke | Obituaries
John Carnahan at EOM

John Carnahan was one of the first true Brattleboro folks I got to know. He and I worked together with many others to bring the Estey Organ Museum to life.

John had great knowledge of Brattleboro and Vermont history, and seemed to know just about everyone.

He politely corrected me when, early on, I would mention the city of Brattleboro. “”Brattleboro is a town.”

District 8 Meeting – A Community Conversation and Preparation”Informal Meeting” for Special Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting!

by GS | Town News

All are welcome to join District 8 Chair Gary Stroud for an important community discussion about the Town Budget and how it will impact Property Taxes and Town Resources.

This meeting is a chance for Brattleboro residents—especially those in District 8, represented by Rep. Mollie Burke—to learn about and share their views on the newly revised Town Budget coming before the Representative Town Meeting at the end of Tuesday May 27th 2025.

The Problem With Real ID With An Affidavit of Fact

by PeytonE | Activism

The Real Id was created on the basis of the recommendations of the 9/11 commission, or so DHS tells us, and TSA as well. But did the 9/11 commission actually recommend search of all Americans, and a national ID  with unilateral biometric surveillance and control in mind?

Here is an Affidavit of fact style statement of ONE of the issues with Read ID, more to follow soon.

Wikipedia Editors Not Honest

by CrisEricson2016 | Op/Ed

With Pakistan and India both having nuclear weapons, we need to know the truth about nuclear capable F-35 strike fighter jets.

Bernie Sanders did not tell the truth about the F-35 strike fighter jets capability in a televised political candidate years ago. Cris Ericson was running against him and was in the televised debate. Bernie Sanders said that the F-35 strike fighter jets have no nuclear components. Cris Ericson said that he was committing fraud to get votes because the F-35 strike fighter jets are dual capable to carry nuclear bombs.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – More Parking System Changes; Old Hinsdale Bridges Uncertain Future

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard May 6 2025

The Brattleboro Selectboard had a regular meeting and approved of more changes to the recently-changed parking system. Zones will get new names, there will be new signs and stickers, rates and times will change, and more. This will make it easier for everyone, the Town assures us.

There are big beautiful plans by locals in Brattleboro for the old Hinsdale bridges, but they are owned primarily by New Hampshire and that side of the river isn’t too keen on maintaining them in the long term. It will take might private efforts to make something happen at this juncture, but a “balanced” letter will be sent to the NH DOT, with or without support from Hinsdale.

And Kate O’Connor is again director of the Chamber of Commerce.

Brattleboro District 9 Forum

by fidel | Politics

District 9 residents in Brattleboro are cordially invited to attend a forum to express their opinions about the revised budget prepared for a special Representative Town Meeting (RTM); the new budget is intended to replace an earlier version that was voted down by RTM and will, if approved, guide spending in the next fiscal year which begins 1 July.

The forum will be held in the Community Room (third floor) of the Brooks Memorial Library at 7 pm on Wednesday 14 May. RTM members from District 9 are encouraged to attend to hear their constituents’ opinions.

WSESU Sends Letter Supporting Inclusive Representation on HHB Prevention Advisory Council

by Not Signed In | Education

The Board of Directors of the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union sent the attached letter dated April 22, 2025 to Vermont Secretary of Education Zoie Saunders, CMP Assistant Director Tracy Watterson and Rebecca McBroom, Chair of the Harassment, Hazing and Bullying Prevention Advisory Council Vermont-NEA as an urgent call for inclusive representation on the HHB Prevention Advisory Council.

Rain On His Parade

by RDavis | Activism

The time has come for the protesters of the current administration to take it to the next level. There have been marches on Washington over the years and they have had some degree of effect, while sending messages that need to be heard from loud voices.

The difference in 2025 is that there is more at stake than ever before. Trump is quickly transforming our democracy into an oligarchy that will eventually become a dictatorship if there is no massive pushback. It is worth repeating that not enough legislators in congress are willing to fight against the new king. If they don’t kiss his ring they are subject to vindictive retribution.

Reflections on the “White Christian Nationalism” Event at Putney Meeting House

by PeytonE | Op/Ed

*A Letter from the Heart to Mike Mrowicki, Rev. Sparrow, and the Interfaith Community*

An interfaith initiative titled “White Christian Nationalism” recently circulated in Vermont, culminating in a gathering at the Putney Meeting House, led by Representative Mike Mrowicki and Reverend Sparrow. Everyone was friendly, and I believe well-intentioned. But the initiative, sadly, fell into the same trap we’ve seen repeated again and again: othering. Not just in whispers, but woven into the framing itself — casting Christian conservatives as the threat, and “tolerant liberals” as the solution.

Québécois Powerhouse Genticorum Brings High-Energy Folk to Putney’s Next Stage Arts – June 6

by hahrenholz | Music

PUTNEY — One of Canada’s most celebrated folk trios, Genticorum, is set to bring their internationally renowned blend of traditional Québécois music to Next Stage Arts in Putney on Friday, June 6 at 7:30 pm.

With a sound that’s both deeply rooted and refreshingly contemporary, Genticorum has been captivating audiences for over 20 years. Known for their infectious energy, intricate arrangements, and joyful performances, the trio has graced stages from Scotland’s Celtic Connections to Australia’s National Folk Festival, and even the Rainforest World Music Festival in Malaysia. Now, they’ll share their music with southern Vermont audiences in the intimate setting of Next Stage.

Book Launch & Reading in Putney: Tim Weed’s The Afterlife Project

by hahrenholz | Books

Join acclaimed local author Tim Weed for the launch of his highly anticipated novel, The Afterlife Project, with a reading and celebration on Tuesday, June 3 at 6:00 pm at Next Stage Arts in Putney.

A finalist for the 2023 Prism Prize for Climate Literature, The Afterlife Project is a gripping and poetic work of literary speculative fiction. The story follows microbiologist Nicholas Hindman, who is launched 10,000 years into Earth’s future using experimental time-travel technology originally designed for deep-space exploration. In a haunting, uninhabited wilderness, Hindman searches desperately for evidence of the human race. Meanwhile, in the year 2068, the scientists who sent him on this mission are on a perilous journey of their own—a voyage by sailboat to a volcanic island off Sicily in search of another test subject, and perhaps, a future for humanity.