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Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir Return to Windham County

by hahrenholz | Music

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir, with their distinctive brand of “dirty gospel,” on Saturday, September 7 at 5:00 pm.

After coming to New York in the 90’s to enter the seminary, studying to be a Methodist minister, Reverend Vince Anderson dropped out to follow his second calling – music. His band, The Love Choir, defines its style as “dirty gospel,” busting out trumpets, guitars and a keyboard. Together, they have played a now-legendary weekly show in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for over twenty years. Reconnecting with his faith and using his intense soulful music, he began to preach a type of spirituality that meets people where they are, is open to all, and moves everyone that sees him play. Reverend Vince is also deeply involved in social activism, working with other progressive faith leaders at home and around the country to build inclusive communities.

Death by 1000 Clicks

by AnneODyne | Op/Ed

Or; the click that broke the camel’s back.

Our omnipresent Streaming Wars are both annoying and dangerous. Less a matter of mortal combat, more a scramble for mental turf. And every foray costs. Usually along the lines of $8.99 month after a free trial.  By then it’s too late, autopay has you in its maw, and along with every other paywall vaulted, no hassle return purchased, and pre-boarding upgrade taken, the phalanx of charges pile up as the total picture of expenses for these titillations and fleeting glimpses recede from view.

It was the Paris Olympics that drove a last nail in my tolerance. Lifelong habit as much as anything had me want to take the bait, create my complex Peacock password, and opt in. Vini, Vidi, Vici, but soon as the torch of the games was snuffed I started the process of unsubscribing, which led to an audit of all the terms of service and premium platforms I’d been blithely agreeing to over time. After calculating the data plans, film, music, news, blogs, apps, weather, sport, science, and satellite venues frequented, the list was substantial. Saying nothing of interest on payments. (And I am mighty relieved to not have to add a gambling or gaming costs to the mix.)

Brattleboro Unofficial Primary Results

by Not Signed In | Politics

Please see attached for the “unofficial results” for Brattleboro’s State Primary election. These are the results from the ballot tallies, not including write-in votes, and not including other towns’ results for the Primary races.

Thanks to the amazing poll workers and the American Legion who made today possible! The day was smooth and safe!

Kalos and Hannah O’Brien & Grant Flick at Next Stage

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of traditional and contemporary Celtic and fiddle music by Kalos (Eric McDonald, Ryan McKasson, Jeremiah McLane) and Hannah O’Brien & Grant Flick on Friday, September 6 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage. 

Three innovative interpreters and composers of Celtic roots music – McDonald (guitar,mandolin, vocals), McKasson, (fiddle, viola, vocals), and McLane (accordion, piano, vocals) – draw on years of experience performing with the likes of Cantrip, Nightingale, The Clayfoot Strutters, and Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas to forge a new musical path as Kalos. They are masters of tradition who purposefully explore the dark corners floating on its edges, delivering an alluring musical complexity full of spontaneity and joyful exuberance. Their individual artistry springs from strong traditional roots, and as a trio they move beyond this foundation. Kalos’ underlying drive and pulse, rhythmic electricity and swirling intensity transform traditional repertoire into a vital, elemental, genre-transcending sound appealing to music lovers of all stripes. Their music asks to be shared live, and performance is the band’s heart and forte.

Brattleboro Offices Closed for Employee Picnic

by Not Signed In | Town News

Most Brattleboro Town Offices will be closed on Friday, August 16, 2024 from 11:30am to 2:00pm for the annual employees’ picnic. The Brooks Memorial Library will open at 2:00pm on Friday, August 16, 2024. All emergency services will remain in full operation.

Will U.S.A. Continue To Help Israel Kill Palestinians and Steal Their Land Right Up to November?

by jay janson | Op/Ed

With coverage of the Paris Olympics and the novelty of a black/Indian woman presidential candidate, and her ever provocative rival former President Trump vying for public attention, it will be some time before much CIA-overseen main stream media attention, if any, will revert to modest coverage of the colossal loss of Palestinian life in Gaza and the West Bank. 

Will Any Powerful Global South Media Source Arise in the Meantime to bring public attention… 

– to the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians with U.S. weapons and ammo? – to the Israeli seizure of Palestinian land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem? – to the generations long  illegal Israeli military occupation of Palestine? – to Israeli ‘right’ to imprison all of Gaza’s population? – to Israeli denial of Palestinian freedom as a nation. 

Construction Update Brattleboro-Hinsdale Bridge – August 9, 2024

by Not Signed In | Hinsdale

Concrete for the last two bridge deck sections and the Vermont approach slab has been placed. Work on removing the last treatment tank from the Pier 1 site should be completed this week. The new traffic pattern is in place on the new alignment on NH 119 as of this week as well.

For the next couple of weeks, placement of concrete for the sidewalks and curbs will continue to advance from east to west. Work on the approach to the bridge from VT 142 will ramp up – including placing the moment slabs/sidewalk, installing the expansion joint at that end of the bridge, raising the approach to grade, installing the traffic signals, and final paving.

Safety Is Elusive

by RDavis | Op/Ed

When I came to this area 45 years ago Brattleboro felt like a quiet but vibrant and peaceful town where all kinds of odd personalities were on display. Local people seemed to be very tolerant and we all took pride in our little corner of the world.

No town is free of crime or people displaying bad behavior. Human nature can be ugly at times and we hope that ugliness is minimal and that is does not have a big impact on other people. But the world has changed a lot since those more peaceful days of the 1970’s and 80’s.

I can mark a big change in Brattleboro around 1995 when I was serving on the Morningside Shelter board. We started to see syringes behind the shelter on a daily basis and although the shelter was supposed to be substance free we only had the ability to test for alcohol use. We knew heroin had come to our community and we knew the world was changing.

Cris Ericson is Approved as a Virtual Correspondent for the DNC

by CrisEricson2016 | Politics

I am very excited that I have been approved as a Virtual Correspondent for the DNC. I need to get hold of CCTV.org in Burlington, Vermont and BCTV https://www.brattleborotv.org/ and see what assistance I can possibly get from them
as well as someone to work alongside me, since it may be a lot of hours for 4 days.

Another person who likes to interview people would be a huge help, to sit side by side in my kitchen and do this, and it would be a huge help to have a technical expert to volunteer to help out.

In Need of Volunteer Host Families for High School Exchange Students

by Keckhardt | Education

We are looking for folks to step up to volunteer for international exchange students for the high school for the upcoming school year.  Students hope to arrive later this month, so they need someone to volunteer for them today,

What does hosting entail?  Students need a bed (they can share a room), a place to study and access to three meals a day.   Program support includes full health insurance, spending money, access to quarterly group trips, school support, and ongoing support of both the student and host family, too.

Ice Cream with Democratic Candidate Amanda Ellis-Thurber On Sunday, August 11

by JillStahlTyler | Politics

Windham District 7 Democratic candidate Amanda Ellis-Thurber will host an old fashioned ice cream social on Sunday, August 11th between 5 and 7 PM at Lilac Ridge Farm, 264 Ames Hill Road.

On the menu are organic maple creemees, a special ice cream toppings bar—and answers to any of your remaining questions about Ellis-Thurber’s positions.

“I’ve so enjoyed all the conversations I’ve had with my neighbors in District 7 during this campaign for the state house. My aim is to listen to all the residents of our large and rural slice of Brattleboro, so that I can represent this neighborhood well in Montpelier,” Ellis-Thurber said.

WSESD Board Meeting Agenda – Aug 13, 2024

by Not Signed In | Education

-If appropriate, agenda items are subject to Potential Action.
-If any Board Member feels that an item on the Consent Agenda warrants discussion, that item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and will be set aside for discussion. In this way, the Consent Agenda will be approved in one motion. That request should be made now – or before the vote on the Consent Agenda.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Public Says Downtown Brattleboro Has Never Been This Bad

by cgrotke | Town News
youth council map of brattleboro hot spots

The Brattleboro Selectboard got an earful from people in town that definitely do not feel safe downtown. Things have reached new levels of awfulness for people of all ages. The board is considering making downtown a “safety zone” to take care of this problem once and for all. What that means exactly remains to be determined. But progress is being made! And the Youth Council created a cool map.

The board also learned that come September, people in the hotel and motel program will begin to be kicked out of their lodgings and will require sheltering of some sort.

Brattleboro Property Taxes and Utility Bills Due Aug. 15

by Not Signed In | Town News

The first installment of the 2024 Brattleboro Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes will be due by 5 p.m. on August 15, 2024. Payments made after August 15, 2024 will have an additional 1% interest added to the unpaid balance.

The Town of Brattleboro utility bills are also due by 5 p.m. on August 15, 2024. Payments made after August 15, 2024 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance.

Payments can be mailed to the Town of Brattleboro, 230 Main Street, Suite 111, Brattleboro, VT 05301. An official postmark of August 15, 2024 will be considered as an on-time payment.