Spreading Covid-19?
Does anyone know if research has been done to find out if Covit-19 can be spread by opening an email from an infected person or by talking with them on the phone?
Mask Sewing Project Seeks Volunteers – New Information
Want to join a group of local folks who are sewing masks for local hospitals and facilities? We are coordinating which facilities are requesting masks, which patterns they are requesting, dropoff instructions, who has extra elastic, and more.
WSESU Board Announces Appointment of New Superintendent – Andrew Skarzynski
The Windham Southeast Supervisory Union School Board is thrilled to announce that Andrew Skarzynski has been offered the position as our new Superintendent of Schools. After an extensive four-month search process, the Board chose Skarzynski in part for his strong management skills, his experience with diverse student populations and his commitment to student centered learning. His start date is July 1, 2020.
“The Board looks forward to welcoming Andrew to our organization and to the families that we serve,” said WSESU Board Chair Kerry Amidon. “Andrew stood out among a highly qualified field of candidates for his passion and proven track record in making student-focused decisions. His strength as a communicator and a collaborative leader focused on building positive relationships will benefit our school community. We want to thank our entire community who played an active role during this very public process.”
Town of Brattleboro COVID-19 Response Status – March 30, 2020, 2:55pm
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• We continue to make adjustments in Town operations as we come to clearer understandings of what is possible during these unprecedented circumstances. As we make these adjustments, our goal is to remain as productive as possible in service to the community while fully complying with the Governor’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order. The current status of particular Town services is set forth each day in the function-by-function summary below.
• Annual Spring Leaf Pickup service will be provided by Triple-T on Friday, April 17, and on Friday, May 1. The Town decided to proceed with this service in the usual manner because curbside solid waste collection is continuing under the “essential services” provisions of the Governor’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order and because the fresh air and exercise involved in doing yard work is a safe and healthy way for people to take a break from staying indoors during the COVID-19 emergency.
• There may be a special Selectboard meeting this coming Thursday, April 2, at 6:15pm on GoToMeeting. If the plans come together for this meeting, it will be warned tomorrow (March 31) and will also be announced in tomorrow’s COVID-19 Daily Update.
WSESD Virtual Board Meeting Scheduled
The Windham Southeast School District Board will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at the Dummerston School. Please note that this meeting will take place remotely via GoToMeeting. It can accept up to 150 people, online or on the phone. The instructions to access remotely are listed below:
Brattleboro’s Curbside Spring Leaf Collection Schedule
The following dates have been scheduled for Brattleboro’s curbside Spring Leaf Collection. All locations will be picked up each Friday:
Leaf Pick Up Date
ALL RESIDENTS: Friday, April 17, 2020
ALL RESIDENTS: Friday, May 1, 2020
Governor Scott Orders Restrictions On Travel and Lodging
Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today ordered additional restrictions on travelers arriving in Vermont and announced additional guidance for the lodging industry to enhance compliance with his Stay Home, Stay Safe order.
The measures under the Stay Home, Stay Safe order, effective March 25, were implemented in consultation with the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health to minimize all unnecessary activities outside the home to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus and protect the public.
Governor Scott is taking additional action to encourage compliance with newly released CDC guidance around interstate travel from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which advised residents of those states to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days.
BCTV Schedules – Week of 3/30/20
BCTV Channel 8 / 1075 schedule for the week of 3/30/20
Monday, March 30, 2020
4:00 am All Things LGBTQ – Interview with Fantasy Author Kathrin Hutson
5:00 am Windham World Affairs Council – Can Democracy Be Saved? (and Why Bother?) 2/21/20
6:30 am Montpelier Happy Hour – COVID-19 and the Cracks in the System
7:30 am Yestermorrow – Tiny House VT 2019 – Alexandre Landry and Jeremy Aranoff
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast
Brattleboro Senior Meals
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MENU
Mar. 30 Beef Stew w/Veggies
Spinach
Biscuit
Pears
WGDR Interview: VT AFL-CIO President Van Deusen on the CoronaCrisis & Rebuilding Through A Green New Deal
The Coronavirus public health crisis is rapidly becoming an economic crisis for the working class. In this interview (WGDR 91.1 FM) Vermont AFL-CIO President David Van Deusen discusses the steps already taken to address the needs of working people, what still has to be done in the here and now, and the need for a Green New Deal to rebuild society after the immediate danger passes.
Click on the below video link to listen to the full interview:
The 2020 Census Windham County UPDATE
Greetings iBrattleboro people,
My name is David Longsmith with the 2020 Census here in Windham County. I’m now a Census Response Representative and my job is to assist members of our communities with responding to the census questionnaire.
Essential Information: Brattleboro Food Co-op and Covid-19
The Brattleboro Food Co-op is well considered an essential local business and is open for business with limited hours and curbside pickup for groceries, sundries, fresh and frozen foods, wellness supplies, and more during this Covid-19 epidemic.
As a central local business focused on food and health, the Co-op feels it is important everyone in the Bratt community knows the Co-op is making every effort to keep its staff and customers safe and comfortable during this crisis. The store hours have changed temporarily to 2pm-7pm daily so customers can come into the Co-op to do their own shopping. The Co-op has also created a Curbside Pickup service for those who are compromised and don’t want to go into the store. Customers can call the Curbside Hotline at 802-246-2800 to place an order for pick up curbside either that same day or the next day.
Town of Brattleboro COVID-19 Response Status – March 27, 2020, 2:00pm
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
The Brattleboro Police Department (BPD) has transitioned to Level III of its Emergency Response Plan for COVID-19, as follows:
• BPD is still patrolling the roadways, walking downtown, and visiting merchants that are open, adhering to social distancing best practices when encountering people face-to-face.
• BPD is answering life safety calls involving physical harm or the threat of harm to individuals. Non life safety calls for service are being handled via appropriate technology (i.e. phone, email, etc.) Patrol Commanders are determining whether or not a physical response is warranted.
• Dispatch is fully staffed 24/7 and is screening for COVID-19 on all calls.
• BPD Clerks are working from home. Public Records requests are being accepted by email, but the majority will not be able to be processed until the “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order is lifted.
Anti-Labor Turncoat, Cynthia Browning, Removed From VT House Committee Assignment – Brattleboro’s Emilie Kornheiser Becomes Progressive Alternative
I would challenge anyone to find a single instance were VT Representative Cynthia Browning voted in favor of any piece of major legislation that benefited Vermont workers or was supported by Organized Labor. And this week she challenged the quorum of the House thereby compelling 100 lawmakers to converge on the Statehouse, despite the rapid spreading virus, in order to enact emergency voting procedures desired on a tri-partisan bases during the crisis. The Vermont AFL-CIO celebrates Browning’s removal from the powerful Ways And Means Committee and encourages Speaker Mitzi Johnson to not appoint her to any committee. We further call on the Vermont Democratic Party to continuously reject Browning as a recognized member of their Party and thereby refuse access to their Party lists, endorsements, and assistance during the November General Election. And frankly, the Vermont AFL-CIO asserts that such actions should have been taken years ago.
Amtrak Vermonter Shut Down North of New Haven
According to Amtrak, no Vermont service on the Vermonter, or Ethan Allen Express, until further notice:
“Vermonter (Washington – St. Albans): No service north of New Haven (Monday-Saturday) and no service on Sundays.
Ethan Allen Express (New York – Rutland, VT): No service north of Albany”
Vermont Schools Dismissed For 2019-2020 School Year
Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today directed schools to remain dismissed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Districts will close schools for in-person instruction and be required to implement continuity of learning plans for remote learning. This extends the Governor’s previous directive dismissing PreK-12 schools from March 18 to April 6.
This decision was made in consultation with the Vermont Department of Health and the Agency of Education in the continued effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. To minimize disruption to students’ learning, the Governor’s order directs school districts to come up with plans for distance learning by April 13.
Town of Brattleboro COVID-19 Response Status – March 26, 2020, 3:00pm
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
There are no new “bullets” of information today, but I do want to share this with the community:
In keeping with the Governor’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order, this is the first full day of Town operations with most employees working from home. While we are not in our usual places interacting with the public in the usual manner, we are here for you during these extraordinary times. We have made arrangements for many administrative employees to conduct most or all of their usual activities from their homes. Some will continue to come to the office occasionally to complete tasks that can only be completed there. Importantly, all email communications and most telephone communications are functioning exactly as they do during normal office operations. Field crews will be performing limited ongoing field work to ensure that health and safety concerns are promptly addressed, and all field employees will be on call every day for addressing urgent maintenance issues (like a water main break, a snowstorm, etc.).
Signal Boosting for Vermont Legal Aid
Vermont Legal Aid Service Update:
Following the Governor’s State of Emergency declaration on March 14, 2020, Vermont Legal Aid will continue to serve its clients via telephonic and electronic means. While we have discontinued in-person access to our offices, clients may still contact our intake helpline at 1-800-889-2047 to receive assistance. Clients with a legal or benefits problem related to the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak also may receive assistance by going to https://vtlawhelp.org/ .
Town of Brattleboro COVID-19 Response Status, March 25, 2020, 1:30pm
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
In compliance with the “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order issued by Governor Scott yesterday, most of Town government’s non-emergency services and administrative support functions have been suspended. Here are the details:
• Emergency services are still being provided by the Police and Fire Departments, but both departments have instituted policies that adjust their normal procedures to reflect COVID-19 best practices advice from public health experts.
Reflections In The Time of Pandemic
We are focusing our efforts on self-preservation and prevention during this time of pandemic. But we will all have more time on our hands for reflection and I urge people to stand back a little and try to take the bigger view whenever possible. It will help with the state of your mental health and it may provide some comfort, even if fleeting.
Most of us have had little experience with the process of death and dying and that inexperience tends to create fear. In past generations death was a part of life that everyone watched play out in their family. They had a chance to understand what lay ahead and they learned acceptance of that inevitability.
