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Voices of Fukushima 2014

by Safe and Green Campaign | Education

On Tuesday, March 11 the Safe and Green Campaign invites you to join us to commemorate the beginning of a man-made permanent crisis for the entire planet: the meltdown of multiple nuclear reactors in Japan. From 6:30 – 8:30PM in the Brattleboro Food Coop Community Room, we will host “Voices of Fukushima 2014,” an evening of short documentaries on Fukushima followed by a discussion with Chiho Kaneko about her recent visit to the Fukushima region.

Last year the Safe and Green Campaign organized the first “Voices of Fukushima.” People in seven towns
around Vermont Yankee “adopted” their counterpart towns in Japan. In Brattleboro, we studied what life is like for the 21,000 residents evacuated from the town of Namie, five miles from the nuclear reactors.

Public Invited To ‘Trail Talk’ To Be Held For I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Project

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

The PCL+FIGG Team will conduct the next on-site “trail talk” for the Public on Saturday, March 8, 2014.

These trail talks will discuss the status of the I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Project and allow the public to ask questions. The talks will originate at the West River Trail near the marina. The trail talk will be led by Caleb Linn, Project Manager for PCL (lead contractor), and Garrett Hoffman, Design Manager for FIGG (bridge designer).

Interested participants should meet the PCL+FIGG Team at the West River Trail trailhead on Saturday, March 8, 2014, at 8 a.m. and the talk will begin at 8:15 a.m. Participants will walk the trail to the I-91 bridge site, so please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

Winter Sunshine Series at Sandglass Theater Presents the Tanglewood Marionettes

by SandglassTheater | Entertainment

The 2014 Winter Sunshine Series of Family Performances at Sandglass Theater in Putney continues on March 8th with the award-winning piece, An Arabian Adventure,  by the Tanglewood Marionettes of Massachusetts.

Told with beautifully crafted marionettes in a storybook setting, An Arabian Adventure is a swashbuckling tale set in exotic lands. A Persian prince is thrown into a dungeon because of his love for a beautiful princess. Facing danger at every turn, the courageous prince uses his wits to escape his prison, defeat the diabolical vizier and save the princess from a tragic fate. Tanglewood Marionettes received an  for this piece (one of puppetry’s highest honors!)

Kurn Hattin Celebrates 120 Years, Looks Forward to a Sustainable Future

by KurnHattin | Education

This year marks the 120th anniversary of the founding of Kurn Hattin Homes for Children. The non-profit is located in Westminster, Vermont and serves as a charitable year-round home and school for boys and girls ages 5-15, who are in need or at risk. It is the oldest childcare organization in the northeast to be continuously supported solely by philanthropic donations.

While working with homeless youth in Boston during the late 1800s, Kurn Hattin founder and Westminster native Charles Albert Dickinson developed his vision to create a place where children in need could experience the kind of childhood he himself had enjoyed in Vermont, believing that rural New England life instilled the values, skills, and character necessary to lead a successful, productive life.

Selectboard Meeting Notes: Preliminary Police Fire Plans Approved

by cgrotke | Town News

Despite having major objections to aspects of the plans, the Brattleboro Selectboard unanimously approved designs for the Police and Fire facilities at their Tuesday meeting on Election Day.

The long meeting began with a string of liquor license approvals. Utility rate increases had a first reading, Brattleboro is applying for funds to install two electric vehicle charging stations at the Transportation Center, and the search for a new Town Manager begins again. Read on for all the details, and then some.

Brattleboro Town Election Results – Everybody Wins – 1% Sales Tax Squeaks By

by Lise | Town News

According to unofficial results from the Town Clerk’s office, 881 people voted in Town Elections today affirming the candidacies of everyone on the ballot. Since no one was running unopposed, no official candidates lost and everybody won. Rare when that happens. (The sole exception being Kathryn Turnas II, who was a write-in candidate for Selectboard.} The environmental question passed. The 1% Local Option Sales Tax squeaked by in a very close vote of 438 in favor and 402 against. The vote is only advisory and the number of voters low, but if the result tells us anything, it’s that there seems to be no clear concensus on this issue.

The Vermont Jazz Center Presents: Snarky Puppy

by Not Signed In | Music

Grammy Award-winning Jazz and Funk Powerhouse, SNARKY PUPPY Comes to Brattleboro, Vermont

The Vermont Jazz Center will present the Grammy Award winning band, Snarky Puppy at the Latchis Theater on March 15th at 8:00 PM. Snarky Puppy is a collective of about 30 interchangeable musicians supplementing a core group under the direction of electric bassist, Michael League. Nine of the members will be performing at the Latchis. They represent a new wave of young, smart musicians who have successfully united the trifurcated worlds of jazz, R & B and funk.

42 U.S.C. Section 1396p(b)(B) Questions for Low Income VT Home Owners Dreaming of Florida

by CrisEricson2016 | Health

42 U.S.C. Section 1396p(b)(B)

Are you age 55 or older, and a single home owner who receives Medicaid,
or suddenly got signed up for Medicaid when you explored the Obamacare
 government Affordable Care Act website because you fit the new higher  income guidelines for  Medicaid under  Obamacare?

If you are getting arthritic from living in a cold wet climate, you might be thinking of moving south to a warmer and drier climate; but now you have to figure out if Medicaid / Obamacare has put a lien on your home before you sell it, because they aren’t adequately  warning or informing anyone!

Happy Birthday Vermont

by tomaidh | History

It was on this day in 1791 that Vermont became the 14th state to join the Union — the first aside from the original 13 colonies.

It has an eccentric political history. It was an independent nation, the Vermont Republic, for 14 years (1777-1791). It had its own money, sovereign government, and a constitution that explicitly forbade slavery — almost a century before the United States did. It also required government taxes to support public schools.

Strolling of the Heifers Gallery at the Garden Presents “16 by 16 by 27”

by MartinLangeveld | Arts

16” x 16” paintings by 27 area artists

Strolling of the Heifers celebrates the opening of its new art gallery at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden Friday evening, March 7 with a reception to introduce the inaugural exhibit, “16 by 16 by 27”.

Curated by artist Caryn King, the show presents the work of 27 artists, each of whom produced a 16-inch by 16-inch square painting on canvas. The paintings reflect a variety of subjects including still life, figurative, landscape, animals, and abstract. 

CircusYoga Workshop Comes To Putney

by MFTP | Health

Circus Yoga Workshop comes to Putney!

Circus Yoga combines the best of circus games and partnered yoga. Join Circus Yoga founder, Erin Maile O’Keefe, for a Sunday afternoon of pure fun.

Bring your friends and family over the age of 7.

Gendercide – The Social Pathology of Kneeling to the Man-God Mythos

by Vidda | Op/Ed

Vermont is once again ranked as the least religious state in the country. Over half the people in our state are less likely to believe in God than the rest of the country. However, being the least religious state doesn’t stop the sectarian denominations from their power struggles for domain over man, land and beast. The upshot is that our state is a target for overt religious proselytizing.

The Sweetback Sisters and Elixir at Next Stage on Friday, March 7

by Not Signed In | Music

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of swing, honky-tonk and fiddle music by The Sweetback Sisters and Elixir at Next Stage on Friday, March 7 at 7:30 pm.

The Sweetback Sisters forge their own sound by delivering arrangements that combine the soul of classic ‘40s and ‘50s-era country music with an undeniably contemporary edge. The rollicking country, swing, honky-tonk and old-time music of Emily Miller (vocals, fiddle, guitar), Zara Bode (vocals, guitar), Stefan Amidon (drums, vocals), Jesse Milnes (fiddle, guitar, vocals), Ryan Hommel (electric guitar) and Peter Bitenc (acoustic bass) is as infectious as it is heartbreaking.  Their charismatic charm harkens back to the golden era of both the silver screen cowgirl and the ersatz cowboy stars of local UHF TV kiddie shows.  That whimsical exterior is wrapped around a core of deeply felt love for traditional country music styles and a palpable joy in playing and singing together.

150 Years Ago (1864 3/4)

by BusyMom | History

Brattleboro, Mar. 4, 1864

Dear wife,

I have let too long a time elapse without writing to you. I received a letter from Mary Ann last week. The reason that I did not write, I was expecting to go up to Burton to arrest a deserter Saturday. I was ordered to report to Captain Clark and get transportation and to take the five o’clock train and go to Burton. When I told Capt. Jenne that no train left for Burton until Monday morning there was a fix then. I was to go Monday. I told them fairly that I did not believe there was any deserter there, and finally they all came to the same conclusion, but of this you need say nothing, for he may be nabbed yet. I was to have a chance to go home if I went up. Should like to have caught the fellow, but hated to go up and come home without him. It will be no small job for one man to take him. He is a cool, desperate fellow.

West Brattleboro Association To Meet With District 1 Town Meeting Members

by WBA | Town News

The West Brattleboro Association is inviting all the District 1 Town Meeting members to meet with the West B community on Thursday, March 6 for a Q&A/discussion session.  This will be at 7 pm in the Hayes Court Community Room on Garfield Drive, just west of the Post Office and Richards Building.

The focus will be on the warrant for the upcoming Town Meeting on March 22, but the questions and conversation will go wherever the attendees take them. The actual warrant can be found on the town’s website – – by following the Election Info link.

Act 39: Know The Facts

by Not Signed In | Health

Brattleboro Area Hospice and Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Ethics Committee invite the public to a free presentation about Act 39: Patient Choice and Control at the End of Life. Vermont’s law pertaining to Patient Choice at the End of Life took effect on May 20, 2013 and legalizes physician-aid in dying for eligible adults living with a terminal illness. Featuring Cindy Bruzzese, the Executive Director of the Vermont Ethics Network, this forum is not a debate for or against Act 39; it is a public informational presentation only and allows time for questions and answers.

When: Monday, March 24, 6 pm – 8 pm
Where: Brew Barry Conference Room, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital

Skatepark Site Selection Committee – Draft Minutes Jan 20, 2014

by cgrotke | Town Plan

Skatepark Site Selection Committee Minutes Draft

Thursday February 20, 2014 Meeting called to order: at 5:16 PM by Betsy Gentile
Members present: Joe Bushey, Marty Fitzgerald, Betsy Gentile, Elizabeth McLoughlin, Jacob Roberts, Andre Watkins. Others present: Carol Lolatte, Rod Francis, Jeff Clark, Les Montgomery, Howard Weiss-­Tisman, Francine Vallario, Patty Fitzgerald.

Agenda:

1. Public Participation
None

Windham Regional Career Center Offers Spring Community Education and Training Programs

by betsg | Education

The Windham Regional Career Center at Brattleboro Union High School is pleased to announce their Community Education and Training Programs for this spring. Betsy Gentile, Workforce Development Manager and Adult Education Coordinator has developed 18 community education and training programs to meet the needs of area employers and their employees as well as providing personal and professional enrichment opportunities for all community members.

Strolling of the Heifers Spring Gardening and CSA Preview

by MartinLangeveld | Town News

Spring is just around the corner and the Strolling of the Heifers is gearing up to make more connections between farmers and the community with their first annual Spring Gardening and CSA Preview. 

CSA’s are community-supported agricultural ventures. CSA members or subscribers pay at the onset of the growing season for a share of the anticipated harvest; once harvesting begins, they receive weekly shares of vegetables, fruit, meat, cheese, eggs or other products depending on the farm.

The following CSAs are among those exhibiting at the event:

Snack Theatre Revival Features Cabin Fever, “Comedy of Menace,” in Stroll Benefit

by MartinLangeveld | Entertainment

Brattleborians of a certain age have long waited for the return of the Snack Theatre, an irreverent troupe that illuminated the aughts with a series of theatrical evenings augmented with libations and delectable sweets, before entering a period of hibernation.

The wait is over. In a production that will benefit the new home of Strolling of the Heifers, Snack veterans Beth Kiendl, William Stearns and Bill Hickok will reprise “Cabin Fever” — a “comedy of menace” penned by Joan Schenkar.

The entirety of the play takes place on a rural New England front porch, represented by a set designed by Clay Coyle, whose design credits range from off-Broadway to regional theatres in the East Coast and New England.