Women Run Brattleboro

With Sue Fillion’s appointment to become Planning Director, I got to thinking about just how many women are in key postions of Town government. I took a look. The majority of town offices in Brattleboro now have women heading them.

Town Assessor – Jenepher Burnell
Library – Starr Latronica


Sue Fillion Promoted to Planning Director in the Town of Brattleboro

Sue Fillion will succeed Rod Francis as Planning Director for the Town of Brattleboro. The transition will take place on Friday, July 6, as Francis completes his service to the Town of Brattleboro after more than 10 years as Planning Director. Francis will hold a comparable position in the Town of Norwich, Vermont, beginning on Monday, July 9. 


Brattleboro Retreat Protest: Leaflet

Why Are We Picketing?

We are staff at the Brattleboro Retreat and we are here to let the community know what is happening. In a time of crisis the administration has consistently chosen to make life for the direct patient care staff more difficult. According to the administration there is a staffing crisis at the Retreat which has led to a financial crisis. Staff have been leaving, and hiring has been challenging. There is a shortage of nurses, mental health workers, social workers and doctors.


Noticed Around Brattleboro – Summer 2018

Time for another “Noticed Around Brattleboro,” where little things about the town are noticed and recorded for posterity. This edition starts off with some special nature-loving observations:

– Nude man walking.  On Tuesday afternoon I was on my way to the train station to pick up a visitor. Coming down Canal Street I caught sight of a naked man walking up the hill. He was probably in his late 60’s, had a beard, and was walking happily, confidently, and totally naked.


Selectboard Meeting Notes:  Brattleboro Municipal Property Tax Rate at $1.2762, Project CARE Community Cookout Announced

Taxes are going up, as they always seem to do. The Brattleboro Selectboard adopted the FY19 tax rates for property owners that were approved by Representative Town Meeting representatives earlier this year.  The $14.8 million budget includes both the essential items suggested by the Selectboard as well as some optional extras added in by the representatives.

There’s also a new community collaboration that you can be a part of. Project Care is a new effort in Brattleboro to help addicts recover and do well.

And, in case you are curious, setting the tax rate during a heat wave calls for casual attire.


Oligarchs and Entrepreneurs

Ever notice how wealthy Russians are oligarchs and tycoons, but wealthy Americans are entrepreneurs and magnates?

Oligarch comes from the Greek, meaning “rule by the few”.

A Russian oligarch is a businessperson who rapidly accumulated wealth after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.


Brattleboro-West Arts: New Passage, Brooks House Atrium Hallway Gallery Opens July 6th

BRATTLEBORO: A new exhibit in the Brooks House, 130 Main St. will open July 6, spotlighting the artwork of three Brattleboro-West Arts members.

The show, titled New Passage, will feature paintings by Kay Curtis, Julia Eva Bacon and Cai Xi in the Atrium Hallway Gallery. The new works will be on view during Brattleboro’s July 6 Gallery Walk and through the summer.


Things To Remember In Hot Weather

The Brattleboro area continues to be under a heat advisory as hot weather continues to have a grip on the region. The National Weather Service is forecasting much of the same through out the rest of the week and warn that heat and humidity will lead to dangerously high heat indices in excess of 100 degrees.


BCTV Schedules – Week of 7/2/18

BCTV Channel 8 schedule for the week of 7/2/18

Monday, July 2, 2018

12:55 am Rocket Shop LIVE at ArtsRiot – J Bengoy
1:30 am Vermont Youth Orchestra – Spring Concert – Tchaikovsky in Vermont: Celebrating Mastery
3:07 am Chester Volleyball League – Chester Volleyball League: Free Rangers v. The Setting Ducks
4:00 am Vote for Vermont – Heidi Scheuermann


It’s So Hot In Brattleboro…

…Brattleboro chickens are laying omlettes and the cows are giving powdered milk.

It’s day three of the heat wave. The forecast shows 90+ degree days all week until Friday, with heat indexes even higher. As I type this, there is a Heat Advisory, Hazardous Weather Outlook, and Air Quality Alert underway.


VFW $6 Lunch Specials Open to the Public 7-2 to 7-6

The Brattleboro VFW located at 40 Black Mountain Road is open to the public for lunch. Lunch is served Mon-Fri from 11:30 – 1:30. Specials listed below are only $6 a plate. Hand made burger, fries, sweet potato fries, wings, onion rings, soups and sandwiches are also available. Take outs available by calling 257-0438

July 2nd – July 6th

Mon – sloppy joes w/ salad


A Brattleboro History Exhibit

I thought it might be fun to tell you about a project (in-progress!) I’m working on with the Brattleboro Historical Society. It’s an exhibit all about Brattleboro that will be on display at the Vermont Historical Society in Montpelier, from August to January.

BHS hired me on to do exhibit design and project manage, two things I enjoy doing. I also love Brattleboro history.


Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda (No Notes) – July 3, 2018

The Brattleboro Selectboard will meet on Tuesday, July 3, 2018 in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center.  It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 5:30pm to discuss pending or probable civil litigation and negotiation of a real estate lease, and reconvene for the regular business meeting at 6:15pm  An ASL interpreter will be available for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members.