Get in the spirit of the season with a full-to-the-brim edition of 5:45 Live stuffed with holiday cheer, along with the latest headlines and reports–like this week’s big Brattleboro Town School Board decision, DRB approval for a new marijuana dispensary in town, and much much more.
Esoteric out jazz? Strange funk from specific neighborhoods in Washington, DC? An overplayed pop star?
Not this week. This week we have Muppets.
This is a 1987 TV special called Muppet Family Christmas, featuring holiday songs, talented frogs, fashionable pigs, and bad jokes by bears. In fact, it features characters from the Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and Muppet Babies all performing together.
Of course I have been reading the latest opinion letters about Brattleboro finances and taxes. I agree there is a fair bit of sentiment being expressed about this issue, with most of it against higher property taxes.
There is, however, another side of the story. The major reason for tax increases coming over the next two years is that Representative Town Meeting approved the bonding of the Police & Fire Station improvements, which bonds may reach about $14.1 Million. The full weight of this bonding will be phased into our tax rates over two years’ time, because of the Selectboard’s decision to apply for the bonds in two stages: $5 Million initially to fund the planning phases of the project, and the rest the following year.
As Brattleboro Memorial Hospital wraps up it’s Doorway to Exceptional Care Capital Campaign for the Emergency Department we wanted to take a minute to say THANK YOU. Thank you to all who have given so generously and worked so hard to help bring about a new Emergency Department for our community.
We are also most to our $3.5 million goal. Many of you have made verbal commitments and have pledge cards sitting on your desk or table at home. Please fill them out and get them in so your support can be recognized and you can help get us over that last hurdle and to our goal.
On exhibit at Brooks Memorial Library
in the Library Main Room
David Macaulay in the Children’s Illustrators’ Book Cases 2nd Floor Hallway (Across Children’s Room)
Register Now to be a Giver at World Book Night in Brattleboro. The Friends of Brooks Memorial Library are once again participating in World Book Night – an international event that gives volunteers thousands of free books to distribute in their communities.
This year’s book titles are diverse and wonderful; authors like Agatha Christie; Joseph Heller and Maria Semple; books ranging widely from the incredibly popular “The Dog Stars” to “The Tipping Point” to the beautifully written “Bridge to Terabithia”.
It’s easy to get involved. Simply go to and look over the book titles; choose the 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice of books that you would like to give away. Read the guidelines and apply to be a giver and submit. It’s that easy!
I am watching the discussions about the budget, growing obligations, new expenses and concomitant higher taxes, with concern. The lack of public input over the continued escalation of property taxes is confounding. The fact that Brattleboro continues to pursue this path, given the current economic situation and future portended, seems like trying to deny the coming tsunami. While income sensitivity is a panacea for some, the property tax bite has moved beyond unreasonable into unsustainable. The fact is, Vermont has the third highest tax burden in the nation and Brattleboro has one of the highest tax burdens in the State.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 – The Senate set a vote for late tonight on a Department of Defense bill that would authorize $625 billion for the military. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he will vote “no” and issued the following statement:
“At a time when the United States has a $17.2 trillion national debt and when we spend almost as much on defense as the rest of the world combined, the time is long overdue for us to take a hard look at the waste, cost overruns and financial mismanagement that have plagued the huge Defense Department for years.
Get in the spirit of the season with an edition of BCTV’s Video Calendar that includes the Brattleboro School of Dance as they bring the holiday classic the Nutcracker to NEYT, KidsPlayce as they bring Santa to town, and the Brattleboro Musuem as they bring the sun back closer to the earth with their annual Solstice Celebration.
The Brattleboro Selectboard announced on December 3, 2013, that it is seeking a volunteer citizen to serve as the Town’s representative on the Connecticut River Transit (now The Current) Board of Directors. The seat is a one-year term with the term expiring on June 30 each year.
Anyone interested in being appointed to the CRT Board and becoming involved with the bus service in and around Town must submit an application to the Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office by Thursday, January 2, 2014 at 5:00pm. The Selectboard will appoint the CRT Representative at its January 7, 2014 business meeting and, if necessary, conduct interviews immediately preceding the meeting.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 – Vermont today won a $37 million federal grant for a statewide, pre-kindergarten program at public schools.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a member of the Senate education committee, worked closely with federal officials and Gov. Peter Shumlin’s administration to secure the grant for early childhood education.
Sanders said, “Psychologists tell us that, in terms of human development, the most important years are birth through four years of age. Yet, in terms of early childhood education, our nation does a very inadequate job in making quality pre-kindergarten education available to working families. This major federal grant will significantly improve early childhood education in our state and better prepare our kids for school and the challenges and opportunities of life. I am very appreciative that the Department of Education provided Vermont with this major grant.”
I have a prescription and am now trying to remember the name of this store in or near Colony Mill in Keene, NH where I once bought glasses for $50. Does anyone know if this store still exists, and if yes, its name and/or location?
Or, any other place for cheap prescription glasses.
Thanks.
Date of Incident: 12/18/2013
Location of Incident: 72 Green St
Nature of Call: Building fire
Time Reported: 2:21 am
Time Under Control: 5:35 am
Number of Alarms and Times Upgraded: 2nd alarm – 2:23 am, 3rd alarm – 2:34 am
Rutland, VT. (December 18th, 2013)- Rep. Peter Welch issued the following statement after it was reported that Rutland’s Gift of Life Marathon blood drive collected 2,337 pints of blood, beating the national record for a single community in one day.
“In the end, it wasn’t even close. Yesterday, Rutland showed Vermont and the nation that it has heart — big time heart. And it demonstrated what a community can accomplish when its residents work together on a shared goal,” said Welch.
I-91
Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge in the Fall of 2015.
There will be no night work the week of December 22nd.
Route 30
The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Fall of 2015.
There will be no truck activity or flagging on Route 30 the week of December 22nd.
Instead of launching UFOs on the solstice, this year we will be carving more giant faces in some of the snow mounds that have cropped up all over Brattleboro. We will be meeting at the Bagel Works at 10 AM this Saturday. If you are interested in carving faces with us, come on down. Bring a shovel or a trowel. We had a great time carving these last winter, and they really add some good cheer to Brattleboro during dark December days.
Here is a link to a photo we took of last years face.
Another full moon fire called in around 2:30 a.m. I’m looking at large waves of smoke rolling over the Samual Elliot Building and across town. 3alarm fire with numerous fire depts. staging on Spring St., School St. & Green St.
Braving snow, ice, treacherous roads, and cold weather in the meeting room, the Brattleboro Selectboard pressed on to carry out the business of the town. By the end of the night, almost all in attendance were wearing some form of hat, coats, sweater, scarf, or gloves. Everyone except John Allen, who sat in short sleeves all evening.
The board again warned of a rise in property taxes. They reviewed the slow pace of the PACE program progress and noted the many hurdles that still remain. The Red Clover Commons preliminary plans got a nod of approval, they learned the cost of the Elm Street bridge repairs, and approved planning grants.
And what will seem like a rare gift from the board, they voted to refund money to taxpayers fined for late Homestead Declarations last year.
The Vermont Council on Rural Development has presented its 2013 Vermont Community Leadership Award to Orly Munzing, founder and executive director of Strolling of the Heifers.
The award was announced on Tuesday, Dec. 17 during the Council’s 2013 Summit on the Future of Vermont’s Working Landscape held at Vermont Technical College in Randolph, Vt.
Presenting the award was Bob Ackland, VCRD Board Chair, together with Chuck Ross, VCRD Board member and Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, and Roger Allbee, former Secretary of Agriculture.
On Thursday evening, December 12 at The New England House, the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) announced its third annual ‘Community Leader of the Year’ at its holiday party. Ahmad and Kat Rashed were bestowed that honor by the Association president Michael Bosworth amidst a crowd of agreeing onlookers, many of whom have patronized Rashed’s Garden Center in West Brattleboro throughout the last 22 years. The Rasheds, including their sons, provide all manner of plants and shrubbery during the growing season. But their work doesn’t stop there. Every year they direct proceeds from their sales of pumpkins and Christmas trees to local non-profits. The WBA thanked them for this excellent above-and-beyond community service.
