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Weekend Concert Series – Girl Talk

by cgrotke | Music

is the stage name of Gregg Gillis. He’s not quite a DJ, but he throws a mean party with the help of his laptop.

Gillis is an expert assembler, taking tiny samples of familiar songs and mashing them together into something unique and danceable. He likes to loop familiar snippets of songs from multiple genres and eras.  It’s a music lovers’ trivia game to identify all the samples. Was that Heart? Tone Loc? Led Zeppelin? The Jacksons? All of them. How about Nirvana mixed with Kansas over a dance beat?

It’s not for everyone, but I love this stuff. And as I have been requested to fill in for your February host this week, I offer up a Girl Talk show.

Pierre Bensusan at Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery on Thursday, February 28

by Not Signed In | Music

Twilight Music presents French-Algerian acoustic guitarist, singer and composer Pierre Bensusan at Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery on Thursday, February 28 at 7:30 pm. If World Music is music that pays tribute to the spirit of a collection of human beings through distinct rhythms, traditional instruments and harmonic colors, Pierre Bensusan can be recognized as one of the most eloquent and diverse world musicians of our time.

Spoon Agave for Selectboard

by spoon | Politics

I’m running for the three year seat because it takes that long to learn how to do the job with at least moderate effectiveness.  I’ve lived long enough to know the value of experience, practice and training.  If I do a good job and the voters want me back I will remain on the board for additional terms.  My experience is especially valuable at this point because with three new people coming on there is a possibility that among the five member Selectboard we could have an aggregate experience of only 4 years, or less than one year per person.

Survival of the Fattest

by spinoza | Op/Ed

Next year’s Town School budget does not include a position for someone to help elementary teachers, students, and staff with the various tasks and challenges involved with technology. 

Things like learning and running programs, exploring the web, taking and editing pictures, making slide shows, playlists, videos, virtual spaces, interactive stories, comic books, digital posters, blogs, navigating the cloud, connecting devices, and platforms etc..etc. These essentials of a well-rounded education are vanishing.

Village Tower Near Newfane?

by Nan Stefanik | West River Valley

Did you see the article in the Reformer that VTEL has identified an alternative site for a tower near the Village of Newfane?  What do you think is going to happen next?  NIMBY action or is this going to happen?

Brattleboro Committee Meetings Scheduled

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 4:30pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.

The Brattleboro Energy Committee will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 7:00pm at Marlboro College Graduate Center in Room 2NE. The Town Meeting Members and public are invited to attend and discuss PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy).

Informational Meeting:
The Town invites downtown business/property owners, residents and the public to attend a public discussion on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center to discuss the upgrade of sidewalks on the east side of Main Street.

West Brattleboro Association Seeks Donations for New Signs

by WBA | Town News

The West Brattleboro Association (WBA) is a group of business owners and residents interested in promoting commerce in the village and assuring that it is a safe, healthy, attractive and prosperous place – both for the community and visitors. And they have decided one way to get traffic to take a look at West Brattleboro is to place attractive signage welcoming people to it.

With the help of Keene Signworx the WBA has developed a design for the new, free-standing signs. 

Brattleboro Voter Registration and Special Town Clerk Hours

by Not Signed In | Politics

Wednesday, February 27, at 5:00 PM is the deadline to register to vote in the Town and Town School election. If you are registered to vote in the town you reside in, you do not need to register again.

If you are unsure if your name is listed as a registered voter in your town or for more information about voter registration and early voting, contact your town clerk. In Brattleboro, call 251-8157.

Office hours for the Brattleboro Town Clerk’s office are 8:30AM – 5:00PM, Monday through Friday. In addition to regular hours, the office will open Saturday, March 2, from 9AM to noon for early voting and will be closed Tuesday, March 5, election day.

Voting on March 5, will be held on at the B.U.H.S. gym on Fairground Road. Polling hours are 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

“Bulgaria: An Intimate Look, at Putney Library, March 6

by Not Signed In | Culture

On Wednesday, March 6th, Carol and Arthur Westing will give a slide-talk titled “Bulgaria: an Intimate Look.”

The presentation will take place 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at Putney Public Library. This illustrated presentation offers a glimpse at the land and people of Bulgaria, a fascinating, but little known country of southeastern Europe — a country about five times the size of Vermont, although with about ten times its population. It is based largely on two weeks of hiking and sightseeing during July 2008 in three rural areas of western Bulgaria, but augmented by insights from three previous one-week professional visits (in 1984, 1986, and 1988) while Bulgaria was still ruled by a Communist government.

Award Winning Children’s Author Presents Her New Book, In Disguise!, March 7

by Not Signed In | Putney

Author Elizabeth G. Macalaster will be presenting her new release In Disguise! at the Putney Public Library Thursday, March 7, 2013, 7-8:30 pm.

Spanning more than 300 years and 10 countries, In Disguise! tells the stories of history’s most daring women, from Harriet Tubman, who freed hundreds of slaves during the Civil War, to dancer Eva Wu, who hid secret messages in her hair to aid the Chinese Revolution. Its gripping true stories, secret-agent tips, and spy trivia feed a growing appetite for intrigue and adventure in young readers.

Grace Cottage Hospital To Lay-Off 10% Of Staff

by mr.mike | Business

Just heard this story on the radio. Many Hospitals are “running in the red” due to Medicare reimbursements. I’m concerned about the future of healthcare once Obamacare really kicks in. Could this be another example of unintended consequences?

Dogs In Hot Cars Campaign

by Zippy | Pets

RedRover, the Sacramento, CA based animal welfare and rights advocacy organization with an international scope, is ramping up their My Dog is Cool Campaign before the summer months arrive and dog safety in cars becomes more urgent. As part of their information resources development, they have compiled a media reports data base, as actual incidents of dogs suffering, dying or requiring euthanasia after being left in hot cars are believed to go often unreported, making accurate data collection problematic.

Here is the link to their new media reports data base:

http://redrover.org/mydogiscool/reports

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 is presenting 17 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.

“We’re extremely excited about two new technical training opportunities, Certified Fiber Optic Technician training and Intermittent Electrical & Drivability Diagnostic Strategies training.”

Author David Blistein Book Launch Event

by Not Signed In | Books

Putney, VT – Next Stage Arts Project is pleased to present Author David Blistein, Friday, March 22, 2013, at 7:30pm at Next Stage in Putney. The author will read from and discuss his book, David’s Inferno (published by Hatherleigh Press, distributed by Random House), followed by refreshments and a book signing. Part of Next Stage’s Community Artists Performance Series, there is a suggested donation of $10, with proceeds to benefit Next Stage.

The BUHS Annual Meeting DID Happen!

by DonInGuilford | Education

Did anyone notice, or, rather not notice, the local media coverage of the Feb. 12 BUHS District #6 Annual Meeting?  By the way this is a meeting of all the voters in the 5 towns making up the district, something like 16,000 voters or so, typically attended by 1% of them or fewer.

WTSA mentioned it next day, but they have an inside track: The Moderator of the meeting is Tim Johnson of WTSA, using the personna of his real name as a Vernon resident.  I don’t know if The Commons covered it?  Their deadline wouldn’t have worked for the issue that came out on Weds. 13th, & I haven’t yet seen this week’s issue.  Even iBrattleboro missed it.

In Brattleboro, Welch To Announce Legislation to Protect Employee Privacy on Social Media Sites

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt. (Feb. 20, 2013) – In Brattleboro tomorrow, Rep. Peter Welch will announce legislation to curb the practice of employers requiring prospective or current employees, as a condition of employment, to provide access to password-protected social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter. 

Welch will make the announcement at the Vermont Department of Labor Brattleboro Resource Center at 10 a.m. The Resource Center provides job seekers with access to personal computers, the Internet, educational resources, and information on employers.

Welch’s full public schedule for Thursday is copied below.

Thursday, February 21st: