Memorial for Kat (Coates) Bark

Andrew Bark wishes to invite everyone who loved his late wife Katharine M. Bark to a celebration of her life.

Kat’s memorial will be a pot luck to be held at the Townshend Town Hall from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, February 7th. 

For more information, please call Andrew at: (802) 451-6188,


Selectboard Meeting Notes: Nothing Ado About Much

The Brattleboro Selectboard had a non-controversial, almost-dull meeting Tuesday night. If you are looking for fireworks, there are none to report.

Interesting things were accomplished, however. Things you need to know about. Things that will change the way of life as we know it in this town. A major sidewalk renovation will be underway later this year, there are new zoning regulations being developed, and Representative Town Meeting informational meetings for Town Representatives are being planned.

There was no decision regarding opposing the Charter change questions, other than to prepare informational materials, in case the board decides to send a statement.


First Wednesday: Plato’s Republic: Re-thinking His Utopian Ideal

Philosophy scholar Susanne Claxton explores the key elements of the utopian republic envisioned by Plato and considers their adequacy.

Underwriter: Union Institute & University. Wednesday 4 February at 7 – 9 pm. Location Library Main Room.

For more information contact Brooks Library by phone at 802-254-5290 ext 0, by email at info@brookslibraryvt.org, or on the web at brookslibraryvt.org. Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301. The event is free and open to the public. 


Inserting Horizontal Lines In Word Documents Quickly?

There must be someone in Brattleboro who knows enough about Microsoft WORD to answer my question.

Normally, when you want to quickly insert a horizontal line into a Word document there is a keyboard shortcut to save you time.

Example: To put a simple divider line between two paragraphs in a document, just type 3 dashes — and hit
‘Enter’ immediately.


Free Computers for Tax Filing at Brooks Library

The Brooks Memorial Library at 224 Main Street in Brattleboro offers free sessions on its public access computers for filing taxes online.

Because the IRS and Vermont Department of Taxes have severely limited their distribution of paper tax forms through libraries, many citizens are turning to online filing, which has many benefits—including, in many cases, a quicker refund.

The library cooperates with the Windham County United Way and its partner agencies to provide access to www.myfreetaxes.com, where citizens with household incomes at or below $60,000 can file their taxes for free.


BUHS Public Information Meeting Postponed To February 5

BRATTLEBORO UNION HIGH SCHOOL BOARD
53 Green Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
www.wssu.k12.vt.us

NOTICE OF MEETING

The BUHS #6 Board of Directors will hold a Public Information Meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 5, 2015 in the WRCC Cusick Conference Room. The regular board meeting will immediately follow. (rescheduled from 2/2)


What To Do With All That Snow?

In memory of Larkin Mead, the University of Brattleboro Faculty got together on Sunday and created a giant Snow Monster at the NEYT parking lot.

As many may remember from their citizenship test when they moved to Brattleboro, Larkin Mead helped make Brattleboro and himself famous, by carving a life sized snow angel and setting it out for passersby. Larkin was later taken into sculptures studios where he learned much more about this art, and went on to become a famous artist. 

Our goal was to create nothing as artistic as Larkin’s snow angel,but instaed something much goofier.


Selectboard Over-Reach

In his campaign against the Pro-Democracy Amendments Mr. Gartenstein said he wants to provide guidance for the town.  Town charter gives the selectboard a list of duties “not committed by law to the care of any particular officer . . .”.  “Guidance” and “ideas” are not on their list.  The charter assigns guidance of the office of town rep: the rep town meeting is “. . . a guiding body for the town and a source of ideas . . . “.  

Mr. Gartenstein may want to provide public education, but that is not their job either.   That is assigned to another office, the school directors.  These are just excuses to interfere with the democratic process described under the charter “Powers of the People”


The Real Snowstorm of 2015, and Hot Chocolate

The snow continues to fall here at the iBrattleboro world headquarters. The temperatures are low, as they have been for quite a few weeks, but this time around we have been given some snow. Quite a bit. There seem to be about 8 to 12 inches out there so far, and no signs of it stopping anytime soon.

I like the way everything is quiet when the snow is like this. No one is out driving around. Everyone is waiting for it to pass.


Brattleboro Energy Committee Meeting Postponed

The Brattleboro Energy Committee meeting previously scheduled for today has been rescheduled due to the weather. The meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at 5:00pm in the Planning Services Department at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100


Express Fluency Opens Classroom in Downtown Brattleboro

Express Fluency- a language school offering innovative courses in VT, MA, ME, and NY, has opened a new classroom at 73 Main Street in Brattleboro.

Express Fluency offers a new approach to learning a language which has helped thousands of people, including those who were previously unsuccessful language students, gain fluency in Spanish quickly and easily. French and Mandarin classes will be added in 2015.


BCTV Channel 8 & 10 Schedules for the Week of 2/2/15

BCTV Ch 8 schedule for the week of 2/2/15

Monday, February 2, 2015

12:00 am Nontombi Naomi Tutu: Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebrations 1/18/15

1:30 am UVM Comm Med School: Keep Life Sweet

3:00 am Common Good VT_ Using Census Data to Tell Your Story

4:55 am Focus – Ep.1: Free Speech and Charlie Hebdo

5:30 am True North Reports: Prospects for Advancing the Cause of Liberty


Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – February 3, 2015

The Brattleboro Selectboard will begin working to identify and promote an explanation for their public position against proposed Charter changing amendments at their next regular Tuesday meeting at the Muncipal Center.

The board will also approve grants and funds for a radio repeater, sidewalk repair, and “highway safety equipment,” learn more about VT Alert from the Fire Department, consider giving out three more licenses for liquor samples for a tasting and sampling event at the River Garden, and more.

Watch it all on BCTV, or better yet, attend in person and participate. You can read all about it here the next day.


Town of Brattleboro Notice of Availability of Auditors’ Reports

NOTICE is hereby given that the Brattleboro Town and Town School District Auditors’ Reports for fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, are available upon request and may be picked up at the Brattleboro Town Clerk’s office, 230 Main Street, Brattleboro, Vermont.

The Auditors’ Reports will also be available as part of the Town and School District Annual Report which will be available at the Town Clerk’s office no later than February 20, 2015.

Based on vote at Representative Town Meeting, March 20, 2010, the Town will no longer mail the Auditors’ Reports to all voters of the Town.


World Music Concert on Feb. 6 to Benefit Guilford School Music Program

Friends of Music at Guilford, now in its 49th concert season, has been presenting a 3-day Music Enrichment residency for the Guilford Central School (GCS) for seven seasons. Master teacher Todd Roach, a drummer-percussionist based in Brattleboro, and a number of his performing colleagues have been working with the upper grades at GCS in rhythm, voice, and instrumental workshops. Participants demonstrate what they have been learning at an assembly performance for the whole school on the final day.


Brooks Memorial Library Receives Bequest

The estate of Brattleboro resident Ronald James Read, who passed away in June 2014, has notified the Brooks Memorial Library of a bequest. The unrestricted gift will increase the library’s current endowment fund by over $1.2M.

“The staff, Friends of the Library, volunteers and board are delighted at this great news,” noted Jerry Goldberg, President of the Board of Trustees. “Mr. Read’s bequest, by far the largest since that made by George J. Brooks in 1886, is a legacy that is far reaching. It will help to guarantee the future viability and sustainability of Brattleboro’s public library, an institution much respected by Mr. Read. It is, indeed, his gift to the entire Greater Brattleboro community.”


Weekend Comedy Series: Jeff Foxworthy

I had a different show picked out, but in the last day or so it was removed from YouTube, so instead of Check Your Neck, we’ll visit Jeff Foxworthy in the early 1990’s via his “You Might Be A Redneck” special.

Foxworthy is famous for his “you might be a redneck if…” jokes and TV shows, but how many knew that he did a five year gig maintaining IBM mainframes?


Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting – A Short Summary of 3.5 Hours of Agenda Setting

It was a special meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard, so we’ll have a special form of coverage – a quick version:

– No one appears to be running against incumbent Selectboard members, as was also the case last year.

– $7,000 of BMAC repair and maintenance costs were added back in to the budget for FY16.

– The FY16 general municipal budget was approved for presentation to Representative Town Meeting. It comes to a request for $15,721,494, or a 2% increase in property tax.


Accident on Putney Road

I was the victim of that accident. I payed attention to my surroundings on both sides, and was in a crosswalk. I was fully sober, as I am now. I have been in recovery and AA for over a month now. I was struck by the car on the outside of my left leg, so I had definitely already gotten through the close lane (with a car, its headlights on, waiting) or else I was hit by a car crossing lanes.

I imagine the police must have identified the driver by now, as there was busy traffic leading down to the triangle and an officer was on site rapidly. My mom and uncle were speaking to an officer not far away when the accident occurred, and he naturally rushed to the scene. I was told by an officer at the hospital that the driver had been a man in his 80s who had simply not seen me.