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NECCA Student in Ringling Bros. Fall

by cgrotke | Other

Former New England Center for Circus Arts student Samantha Pitard was one of the eight circus acrobats that fell at a Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey circus show in Providence.

She’s the only performer released from the hospital so far.

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Elsie Smith, NECCA co-founder and Artistic Director, said doing aerial arts is like driving a car.  ”You learn slowly, and know that there is danger in what you are doing.  There are bumps and bruises and fender benders along the way, and every once in a while there is an accident like a pile up on the interstate that gets a lot of attention.”

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Upper Dummerston Work

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

UPPER DUMMERSTON CLOSURE UPDATE: Demolition work on the I-91 Bridge over Upper Dummerston Road will be halted later today, May 7. Upper Dummerston will remain open from later today through to the morning of Monday, May 12.

Our work and the Upper Dummerston Road closure will resume at 7:00 AM Monday, May 12th and will be completed Wednesday, May 14th. Upper Dummerston road will only be closed during the day from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM and will be reopened at night. We do not anticipate any night work for the closure.

Putney and Newport Winners in Latest CRVBL Action

by CRVBL | Recreation & Sports

The Putney Fossils moved to the top of the Connecticut River Valley Baseball League standings with its second victory, while the Newport Polar Bears picked up their first win of the year in the most recent CRVBL games.

Putney relied on strong pitching by Danny Lichtenfeld and Richard Bissell, to beat the Claremont Cardinals 6 to 4. Offensive contributions were team-wide for the Fossils with Chris Jensen collecting two RBIs and Steve Kapral, Steve Stanley, and newcomer Chris Larro each collecting a hit and two stolen bases respectively. For Claremont, Jon Nicholas banged out three hits and scored a pair of runs, while John Grainger collected two hits and drove in two runs.

Selectboard Meeting Notes: Budget Plan Remains Undecided, Zoning, and The Return of PAYT

by cgrotke | Town News

The FY15 budget was again the focus of discussion for the Brattleboro Selectboard. At their regular Tuesday meeting they refined their positions on what cuts to aim for, and instructed the Interim Town Manager to prepare and bring options to their next special meeting to discuss and decide on the budget. This, despite significant disagreement amongst board members over which way to proceed.

In other news, work will begin on a plan to implement some sort of Pay As You Throw system to comply with state law. The board decided to hire a consultant, quite likely Moss Kahler, to assist.

There was also ample discussion of heifers, bridges, the parking budget and more.

Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast Invitation

by RobertOeser | Town News

 Strolling of the Heifers … Slow Living Summit . . . . and the River Garden!  

The “Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast” will take place on Friday, May 16,  2014 at the Gibson Aiken Center, downstairs, hosted by Senior Meals. Doors open at 7:30am.

We plan to hear from Orly Munzing , Strolling of the Heifers Founder and Executive Director who will talk about the Strolling, the Slow Living Summit  and the River Garden and invite questions and suggestions.

Transparency & the Judiciary

by Nan Stefanik | Opinion

Since his office didn’t post Senator Leahy’s “comment…on the nomination of David Barron to serve on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals,” I’ll do the honors:

Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Nomination of David Barron to Serve on the First Circuit Court of Appeals

May 6, 2014

“I applaud the administration for making available to all Senators the Justice Department memo regarding Anwar Al Awlaki.  All members of the Judiciary Committee were previously able to review this memo, and I am glad all Senators will have the opportunity to do so now.

Governor Shumlin Proclaims May 10 as ‘Winston Prouty Center for Child Development Day in Vermont’

by cohnpr | State News

Governor Peter Shumlin has issued a proclamation declaring May 10, 2014 as “Winston Prouty Center for Child Development Day in Vermont.”

The proclamation coincides with the The Prouty Center’s 25th Taste of the Town fundraiser, which will take place May 10th, from 6:30-10:30pm at the International Center on the campus of SIT Graduate Institute.

The proclamation reads:

Congress Must Confront Global Warming Crisis Says Sanders

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, May 6 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called for Congress to act on proposals to curb greenhouse gas emissions after a major new report today warned that global warming could exceed 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the United States by the end of this century.

“This important report is another loud and clear warning that greenhouse gases are rising faster than ever and our refusal to recognize and deal with the crisis could have catastrophic consequences,” said Sanders, a member of the Senate energy and environment committees.

“It is no longer acceptable for a majority in Congress to ignore the overwhelming scientific evidence. It is no longer acceptable that coal and oil companies spend millions of dollars to defeat efforts to protect the planet,” Sanders added.

Don’t Cut Services People Rely On

by Not Signed In | Op/Ed

This is the unedited version on the letter that I wrote to the Reformer. (They always seem to cut a handful of sentences.) I don’t usually get involved with politics, write letters, or post things on ibrattleboro, but this issue of cutting services that will especially hurt those with limited income or disabilities was too upsetting for me to ignore.
…

In reconfiguring the Brattleboro budget, I think that it is imperative to not cut services that will engender more hardship for middle and low income people. I am especially concerned about the funding for our library.

A Simple Plan For Solving Brattleboro’s Budget Problems

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

There is a simple way to solve all of Brattleboro’s current financial problems.

We can solve our budget problem. We can solve our problems of being a hub town providing services to surrounding towns,. We can raise our Grand List and add new jobs and businesses. We can support local farmers. We can pay for the Police and Fire facilities.

It’s not even that difficult.

Sanders Statement on VA

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, May 5 – Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after the American Legion called for the resignation of Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki:

“Serious allegations have been made regarding waiting lists at the Phoenix VA. Secretary Shinseki has done the right thing by calling for an immediate investigation of those allegations by the independent Office of Inspector General. I have promised to hold hearings on this issue as soon as we have the facts. While it might be temporarily satisfying to call for firing someone, it doesn’t get us any closer to the truth or solve problems that may exist.

150 Years Ago (1864 4/30)

by BusyMom | History

(Just a printed form)

FREE MILITARY SCHOOL

FOR Applicants for COMMAND of COLORED TROOPS,-

1210 Chestnut St.

John H. Taggart, Preceptor, (late Col. 12th P.R.V.C.)

Philadelphia, April 30, 1864.

Please Help Me Figure Out This Riddle

by Cris Ericson | Op/Ed

Please help me solve this riddle.  If the U.S. Air Force wants to base F-35 fighter jets in Burlington, Vermont because they will be close enough to New York City and Boston to protect them in the event of and attack, then HOW does bombing New York City or Boston with nuclear bombs deployed by F-35 strike fighter jets help NYC or Boston? If you bomb a terrorist in NYC or Boston with a nuclear bomb, aren’t you doing more harm than the terrorist?

Citizen Journalism Research Study Survey – Professor Asks For iBrattleboro Users Input

by cgrotke | iBrattleboro

Kirsten A. Johnson, Ph.D., an Associate Professor at the Department of Communications at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pa, has a request. She’s doing research about citizen journalism efforts around the country and would like your views as users and contributors to this site. The more responses she gets, the more accurate the results can be. We filled out our survey, and she followed up and asked us to invite you and share the link.

Westminster West Plant Sale on May 31

by Not Signed In | Home & Garden

The Westminster West School invites you to its annual (and much anticipated!) spring plant sale, on Saturday, May 31 from 9am – 1pm. Come early for the best selection, including a wide variety of annuals, perennials, and vegetable starts from some of the area’s finest gardeners and farmers.

Free Public Talk and Tour of a Straw Bale Timber Frame Home Under Construction

by CarlyC | Home & Garden

Dear Neighbors,

My partner Chad Mathrani and I would like to invite you to tour the Straw Bale Timber Frame home we are building in West Brattleboro. This will happen during the straw bale installation and plastering phases in July. Throughout the tour we will share samples of natural non-toxic material options, field questions, and discuss natural building.

Space is limited, so we ask that you reserve a spot. To do so, or to be put on a list to receive information about other talks and tours, please send an email to info@vermontnaturalhomes.com

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Alternate Route for the West River Trail

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

An alternate route for the West River Trail that provides recreational use of the trail near the construction access road has been opened at the Marina Trailhead. Signage has been installed providing clear direction to recreational users of the trail. There are intersections between construction access and the trail; users are strongly encouraged to exercise extreme caution at these intersections. As an additional safety precaution, users of the West River Trail are reminded to keep pets on a leash when using the trail in this area.

Only 15 Voters Attend First Daytime Town Meeting in Brattleboro, 1893

by cgrotke | History

We often curse low turnout at the polls. “How could it be that only 1,200 people came out to vote?” we ask, usually when the vote goes against us. Why can’t it be like the olden days, where everyone turned out to participate in civic affairs?

Here’s a story from May 5, 1893 Phoenix about the incredibly low turnout for the first town meeting to be held in the daytime. – there were more election officers in the room than citizens. Maybe our numbers aren’t so bad?