New Year’s Resolution: Volunteer with Youth Services’ Court Diversion

by Nanci Leitch | Activism

Youth Services is seeking volunteers to serve on its Court Diversion panels in the New Year.  Court Diversion is a voluntary, confidential alternative to court proceedings for certain juveniles and adult cases referred to Court Diversion on an individual basis by the State’s Attorney’s Office.

According to Sally Struble, Youth Services’ Director of Restorative Justice Programs, its underlying intent is to repair harm that is caused by the crime and to address underlying conditions that led to the offense. Youth Services relies on community volunteers to represent community values to hold the person who offended accountable for his or her conduct.

Brattleboro Town Holiday Closures

by Not Signed In | Town News

In observance of the Christmas holiday: 

Brattleboro Town offices will close at 12:00pm on Thursday, December 24, and will be closed on Friday, December 25, 2020, with the exception of emergency services. 

Brooks Memorial Library is closed to the public at this time. The curbside service will end at 12:00pm on Thursday, December 24, and will not be available on Friday, December 25. Curbside service will resume at 10:00am on Saturday, December 26, 2020. 

12 Local Organizations Collaborate on Wellness Care Packages for the Community

by HBLozito | Health

Brattleboro, VT — United Way of Windham County has released funds in the amount of $90,322, via a Vermont Department of Health Grant, to 11 area organizations in support of the Collaborative Care Package Project. The participating organizations are: The AIDS Project of Southern Vermont, The Brattleboro Community Justice Center, Brooks Memorial Library, Community Asylum Seekers Project, Deerfield Valley Community Partnership, Elnu Abenaki, Greater Falls Connections, Out in the Open, The Root Social Justice Center, The Susu Healing Collective, United Way of Windham County, and West River Valley Thrives.

HB Lozito, Executive Director of Out in the Open says of the project: “we want to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, both those that are direct and indirect, on our most impacted community members—those who are rural, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQ+ by offering care packages that are supportive of people’s whole selves and families. Our goal is to source as many of these items from locally-owned, BIPOC-owned, LGBTQ+-owned businesses as possible. We are happy to live in an area so abundant with local producers!”

BCTV Schedules – Week of December 21, 2020

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV Channel 8 / 1075 schedule for the week of 12/21/20

Monday, December 21, 2020

5:00 am Brattleboro Democracy Forum – It’s All About Democracy 11/5/2020
6:30 am Brattleboro Music Center presents – The EOS Project Concert 11/8/2020
7:45 am Stuck in Vermont – World Travelers Bring Their Magic Home to Vermont
7:50 am Stuck in Vermont – Bindhiya Khadka Shares Her Nepali Culture Through Dance
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda – December 22, 2020

by cgrotke | Town News

Shall the voters of Brattleboro be allowed to vote to opt-in to retail sales of cannabis? The Brattleboro Selectboard will decide it the question will be asked on March 2 ballots at their next special meeting.

They’ll also accept a planning grant and continue with their review of the FY22 budget, which is a great time for Representative Town Meeting Reps to pay attention and report back to all of us about what the budget will contain.

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Monday, December 21, 2020 at 4:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19).  The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.” 

The Brattleboro Community Safety Review Committee will meet on Monday, December 21, 2020 at 6:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19).  The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.” 

Downtown Brattleboro Snow Removal

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Town of Brattleboro would like to remind everyone that the snow emergency ban is in effect.   

Snow and ice will be removed from the streets in the downtown area this evening.   

Parked vehicles in the downtown district must be removed by 11:00pm or they will be towed at the owner’s expense.

The Much-Needed Snow

by cgrotke | Nature
snow person head

I think we all needed this snowfall. There’s something calming about a big blanket of snow that keeps people inside, vehicles off the road, and so on.  

It purifies. Think how happy Dorothy and friends were to have Glinda cover them in snowy flakes. It took away the witch’s spell.

Winter Farmers’ Market – Updates to Curbside Service

by Sherry | Food

As you may know, the Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market is currently 100% online pre-orders for Curbside Pick up. To effectively manage the volume of orders and items that our market producers need to make, bake, pick, pack and label for your Saturday Pick up, and so our Curbside Team can better serve you at pick up time, we are making a few changes:

1. Market orders will close at 9 AM on Thursday starting this week.  This will be especially helpful as we have two Friday holidays in a row coming up! So shop early!

BCTV Schedules – Week of December 14, 2020

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV Channel 8 / 1075 schedule for the week of 12/14/20

Monday, December 14, 2020

5:00 am The World Fusion Show – EP 89 – Evan Ziporyn
5:30 am The World Fusion Show – EP 88 – Christopher Adler
6:00 am Brattleboro Literary Festival – Where We Are (and how we got here) with Steve Almond
6:50 am Stuck in Vermont – Musical Theater During COVID
7:00 am Brattleboro Literary Festival – A Wild Winter Swan – Retelling Fairy Tales with Maria Tatar and Gregory Maguire

COVID Forever?

by RDavis | Health

Some people are delusional enough to think that humans will eradicate the COVID 19 virus. That is not likely. Consider the fact that the only infectious disease affecting humans ever to be eradicated was smallpox. That disease was declared eliminated on December 9, 1979.

Since then we have been exposed to a number of new and old diseases such as HIV, Ebola as well as the seasonal flu that we have learned how to control but not eliminate. It is estimated that about 35,000 Americans died from the flu during the 2018-19 flu season. That is an average number of deaths according to statistics from the past ten years.

VFW $7 Lunch Specials To-Go’s only Dec. 14 – Dec. 18th & Pot Roast Meal Dec. 19th Open to the Public

by LisaL | Food

Effective immediately, we are open for take-out only Mon to Fri from 11:30 am -1:30 pm, and the occasional Saturday. Please call 802-257-0438 for your to-go meals. Follow our VFW Post 1034 Facebook page for more information.

No Wednesday breakfast until further notice.

$7 Lunch Specials Dec. 14th – Dec. 18th
Mon – salisbury steak, mashed potato, gravy & veg
Tues – stuffed pork chops w/ sweet potato casserole and veg
Wed – beef stew w/ homemade bread
Thur – chicken cordon bleu w/ baked potato & veg
Fri – fried haddock w/ french fries

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Community Safety Review Committee will meet on Monday, December 14, 2020 at 6:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19).  The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.” 

The Brattleboro Traffic Safety Review Committee will meet on Thursday, December, 17, 2020 at 8:00am using GoToMeeting (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19).  The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely.

Community Center in Guilford Announces Matching Challenge

by Broad Brook Community Center | Guilford

Broad Brook Community Center (BBCC) in Guilford has announced a winter fund drive to support the major phase of renovations this spring. Thanks to a matching gift challenge, all donations received by January 31, 2021, will be doubled.

The BBCC purchased the 1896 building from Broad Brook Grange three years ago, began raising funds for a complete renovation, and completed the first phase of work in 2018. The improvements particularly addressed accessibility and safety, and included a new entry ramp, ADA-compliant restrooms, and a fire escape.