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Vermont Delegation Statement on Mahdawi Arrest in Colchester

by cgrotke | State News

Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch and representative Becca Balint issued a statement on the arrest of a green card holder going for a naturalization interview. Mohsen Mahdawi was in Colchester when detained by ICE agents.

“BURLINGTON, Vt., April 14 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Rep. Becca Balint (Vt.-AL) today released the following statement on the illegal detention of Mohsen Mahdawi by the Trump Administration:

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda April 17 – FY26 Budget Revenues and Reductions

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center (230 Main Street, Rm. 212) and over Zoom. The attached agenda contains information on how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”  ASL interpreters will be available for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members. The backup materials for this meeting will be available on the town Website Brattleboro.gov/Selectboard as soon as possible.

Brattleboro Press Release – Fire at 52 S. Main Street

by Not Signed In | Police & Fire

At 9:58 p.m., the Brattleboro Fire Department was dispatched to a first alarm house fire. Engine two arrived on scene at 10:02 p.m. reporting heavy fire. Captain Emery (Engine two officer) established command and upgraded to a second alarm. 

After arriving on the scene, Captain Emery and Brattleboro Police Officers confirmed the structure was unoccupied and crews stretched handlines to the front of the structure. Access to the house was delayed due to debris spread across the front entrance and yard, blocking firefighting progress. 

At 10:03 p.m., Chief Symonds assumed command. As further Brattleboro Fire Department units arrived, the crews used multiple handlines to contain the fire at 52 South Main St. Due to the structure being unstable and conditions inside of the structure, all fire suppression operations occurred from outside of the structure. 

WSESD Board Meeting Minutes – April 8, 2025

by Not Signed In | Education

Summary
● 3 Executive Sessions were held regarding student academic records and disciplinary matters, and labor relations. Board motioned to ratify the contract for certified employes as negotiated
● Significant public comment and board discussion occurred concerning Title VI and recent
federal DEI-related directives from the state; a special board meeting was scheduled for April 10 to continue the conversation.
● Board subcommittees and leadership councils shared updates, including ongoing work in social justice, goal setting, and community engagement through the Rural School Alliance.
● Personnel updates included multiple hires, two resignations, and one retirement, all accepted with appreciation.
● Board voted to ratify the contract for certified staff.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda & Notes – April 15, 2025

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard continues their month of many meetings with a regular meeting on Tuesday where they will approve of some paving grants, approve a new mural, discuss tax stabilization for a farm, and get financial and fire updates. 

The big item should be the budget discussion about solid waste options.

You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Finance Committee will meet on Monday, April 14, 2025 at 6:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room.

The Charter Revision Commission will meet Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 7:00pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom.

Riding Home: Sneak Peek Screening of a Documentary Set in Putney, VT

by hahrenholz | Entertainment

Join Next Stage Arts on Thursday, April 17th at 7:00pm for an exclusive sneak peek of Riding Home, a documentary in progress that follows longtime Putney resident Caryl Richardson as she navigates the final chapter of her life, surrounded by the horses, land and people she loves.

More than just a portrait of one woman’s journey, Riding Home seeks to crack open the conversation around death, dying, and end-of-life choices. In a culture that often avoids these discussions, this film invites us to bear witness, reflect, and engage with the complexities of mortality with honesty and grace.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Library Listening Session for FY26 Captures Community Complexity

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard held a rare listening session Tuesday evening. It was held at the Library and the topic the FY26 budget.

The board was quiet; some took notes as they heard from many community members responding to three pre-set questions which enabled a wide-ranging discussion and quite a few passionate, eloquent arguments for various desired outcomes.

Expressing My Gratitude

by Norsehorse | Health

Since having been diagnosed with, among other things, a malignant cancerous colon tumor while at CVMC for two full weeks late last year, I have been the recipient of a priceless wealth of kind and generous encouragement as well as support that has taken many forms, including deliveries of food (e.g., freshly homemade omelets and scrambled eggs as well as, recently, breakfast and a half dozen donuts from the Wayside Restaurant and so on).

This is what I term as going the gracious extra mile and beyond.
 
Everyone who has done so, has my deepest gratitude.

Hands Off March in the Rain in Brattleboro

by local | Activism

A good size crowd (estimated at near 2000 by the Reformer) met at the Center Congregational Church on Main St.  There they listened to Rep. Becca Balint speak, then walked to the Town Common For more speeches.  It was a loud but civil crowd.  All on a rainy day.

Political Murder

by RDavis | Activism

Over six million Americans who rely on federal government fuel assistance to heat their homes or pay electric bills to fend off extreme heat may have to find another way to pay for things that keep them alive. The government office that administers the LIHEAP (Low Income Energy Assistance Program) has been gutted and all of the staff have been fired.

Theoretically, the money still exists to meet people’s needs but there will be no way to get that money to people. The bottom line is that if this program doesn’t do what it has done in past years a lot of people are going to suffer and die. This kind of action by the Trump administration is nothing short of murder.

Proposed Bill To Improve Tourism In Vermont During 2025 Summer of Stock Market Crisis

by Cris Ericson | Politics

Any citizen can draft a proposed bill in Vermont, but only members of the Vermont General Assembly (the House of Representatives and the Senate) can introduce it for consideration.

The Vermont citizen needs to pray that any member of the House or Senate will be willing to introduce the bill.

It is proving to be a concerning statistic that in cities across the United States of America where homeless unsheltered people live, in view of tourists who cringe in sympathy, that this upsets tourists so much that they are now avoiding places where homeless people are suffering in plain sight.

Palestine Film Series Concludes April 13th with ‘The Teacher’

by KCasa | Arts

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. – The second annual Palestine Film Series concludes on Sunday, April 13, with The Teacher, a plot-driven drama about a Palestinian teacher grieving the loss of his teenage son and struggling to reconcile his commitment to political resistance with his support for two students. Meanwhile, an American couple begs for the return of their son, who was kidnapped while serving in the Israeli military.

Predating the events of Oct. 7, 2023, The Teacher highlights the atrocities and inhumanities enacted upon Palestinians and shows that these horrific circumstances are not new; they have been happening for decades.

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

by cgrotke | Health

It’s the April 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. Happy anniversary, too. This ledger started in April 2020.

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agendas – April 8 and 10

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard begins the double-meeting stretch, with meetings on both Tuesdays and Thursday for most of April as they try to compress an enormous amount of work into a short time frame.  First up – a listening session on Tuesday. Go tell the board your thoughts on the budget for the coming year. They are redoing it and want to know how you would like it redone. It would be very helpful for RTM members to attend, too.

Thursday the board will review what was heard, and figure out how to turn that into a series of useful meetings that results in a budget that will pass Representative Town Meeting.

Compassionate Dining Helps Brattleboro Businesses Thrive By Increasing Plant-Based Food Options

by LBritt | Business

Brattleboro, VT – Compassionate Brattleboro is excited to announce the launch of Compassionate Dining (compassionatedining.com). This volunteer group is inspiring people to eat compassionately, sustainably, and healthfully by increasing the availability of plant-based dining options. This work helps businesses–and the community at-large–thrive by fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for locals and visitors alike. 

Business partners are being added every day and now include High Thai, India Masala House, Superfresh!, Tavernier Chocolates, and Vegan A.F. These businesses are showing off their participation by displaying the Compassionate Dining certificate and, during April, many of them will put up smiling carrot balloons to call attention to their delicious plant-based offerings.

Open Letter to Governor Scott Regarding Homelessness

by Norsehorse | Politics

Dear Governor Scott,

State of Vermont

It boggles the mind how your administration can be so deliberately indifferent and uncaring when it comes to those who are being or already have been evicted from the Vermont Hotel/Motel Program without those persons having anywhere else safe and secure to go inside, day or night.

The rationale used by your administration for not allowing everyone to stay in the program who are currently eligible as well as clearly in need and most vulnerable does not wash, nor does it pass the straight face test, either.

The fact is that it actually costs much more in terms of fiscal (read: funding), human, medical and other social related matters to do nothing for those the state could and should be assisting more humanely.

WSESD Board Meeting Agendas

by Not Signed In | Education

The Windham Southeast School District Board will meet at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday,
April 08, 2025 at the Guilford Central School and remotely via Zoom.

The Windham Southeast School District Policy and Amendment Committee Meeting will take place Wednesday, April 09, 2025 at 2:00pmin the WSESU Central Office, 53 Green Street, Brattleboro