U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders New Bill S.4406 “End Polluter Welfare Act of 2024” Concerns All Of Us!

by CrisEricson2016 | Op/Ed

Well, I think U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders went too far with this bill, S. 4406 “End Polluter Welfare Act of 2024” because it appears that it will raise home heating fuel prices and car gas prices sky high for those of us who rely on such products.

Page 12, Section 115 explains that any amounts made available to the Department of Transportation, including the Federal Railroad Administration, MAY NOT BE USED to provide financial assistance to any project that transports fossil fuels.This apparently means that Railroads will be cut off from this type of funding, and that would raise our fuel and gas prices because most fossil fuel products are moved to Vermont by train.

Citizens Police Communications Committee ( CPCC ) Meeting Agenda Sept 25

by Not Signed In | Police & Fire

Agenda

1. Call to Order and Review Minutes from June 26th 2024 and approve and go over Roberts Rules briefly. https://www.brattleborotv.org/brattleboro-rtm-steering-committee/roberts-rules-training-31422/

2. Discuss Complaints and Compliments from June 26th 2024 meeting any additional questions from last months review of Complaints and Compliments to determine final or continued decisions.

3. Go over any New Complaints and Compliments from BPD.

November 5, 2024, General Election for Brattleboro Voters

by Not Signed In | Politics

Dear Brattleboro Voter,

You will be receiving an absentee ballot in the mail for the November 5, 2024, General Election. The State of Vermont will be mailing ballots during the week of September 23. The local Justice of the Peace ballot will be on the reverse side. 

If you have not received your ballot by October 7, please contact our office at 802-251-8157 or townclerk@brattleboro.gov. Otherwise, please wait for your ballot to arrive.

Fauxliage Tours

by AnneODyne | Travel

A few years ago I took a workshop on Mt. Desert Island, and my classmates decided to take a trip up Cadillac Mountain. We asked our teacher if he’d like to join. He took out his phone, showed us a pic of the view, asking, “Does it look like this?” When the consensus reply was yes, but…and we pressed the invitation, his response was, “No thanks, I’m good.”

The incident stuck with me. On the surface it seemed sad, and limiting. But with more reflection, the thought of queuing behind RVs and SUVs and motoring up the snaking road to take a timed and allotted slot at the top just to pop out and gaze at the splendor for a fleeting moment, well maybe that isn’t so enticing after all. He may have had some insightful awareness.

Seth Glier and Rosier at Next Stage

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary and indie folk music from the US and Canada by Massachusetts-based singer/songwriter Seth Glier and Montreal-based quintet Rosier on Friday, October 11 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.

Five-time Independent Music Award winner and Grammy-nominated contemporary folk singer/songwriter Seth Glier’s gifts are an innate curiosity and a fierce desire to connect with other people. His musical acumen provides him with a vehicle for both. He has worked as a cultural diplomat for the US State Department and collaborated with musicians in Ukraine, Mongolia, China, and Mexico. Seth has shared the bill with a diverse list of artists ranging from the likes of Ronnie Spector, James Taylor, Ani DiFranco, and Glen Campbell. As a producer, music director, or studio musician, he has collaborated with Sophie B. Hawkins, Tom Rush, Antje Duvekot, Richard Shindell, Doctora Qingona, Dar Williams, Nick Carter, and Cyndi Lauper. With a commitment to using songwriting as a tool for positive change, he has written with the students in Parkland, FL for the “Parkland Project,” co-written with soldiers at Walter Reed, and is an advocate for autism awareness citing his autistic brother Jamie as his greatest non-musical-musical influence.

Bilingual, female-fronted Rosier balances folk-trad sounds (traditional melodies and lyrics) and instrumentation firmly rooted in indie-pop. By blending the pop textures of synthesizers, and the rock tones of electric guitars with more traditional instruments (acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle), with lyrics rich in Franco-Canadian living heritage, Rosier creates a bridge between the stories of yesterday and today. Béatrix Méthé (vocals, fiddle and synthesizers), Sarah Marchand (vocals, piano and keyboards), Marie Savoie-Levac (bass), Éléonore Pitre (acoustic and electric guitar, backing vocals), Colin Savoie-Levac (Marie’s brother, on guitar, banjo, lap steel, feet and backing vocals), with guest drummers, have been sharing this Quebecois heritage around the world for over a decade.

Acclaimed Global Music Exchange OneBeat on the Bandwagon Summer Stage

by hahrenholz | Music

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents acclaimed global music exchange OneBeat, on Thursday, October 10 at 6:00 pm, at West River Park, 333 West River Road, in Brattleboro.

Created by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and designed and produced by the NYC-based arts organization Found Sound Nation, OneBeat brings musicians (ages 19-35) from around the world to a region of the U.S. for one month each year to collaboratively write, produce, and perform original music, and develop strategies for arts-based social engagement. OneBeat begins with an opening residency, when Fellows collaborate to create original material, record new musical ideas, and incubate their projects. OneBeat Fellows then go on tour across a region of the U.S., performing for a wide array of American audiences, collaborating with local musicians, and leading workshops with youth and community organizations. During the month, each OneBeat musician also sets out their plans for the future, further developing projects in their home countries that embody the OneBeat mission of collaboration and engagement.

“Here We Are” with Emily Wagner

by Wendy O'Connell | Arts

Give a kid a camera and magic can happen! EMILY WAGNER brings vibrant energy, art and photo skills to Insight Photography Project for youth – Check out this show & hear all about the 2024 Awards Ceremony at The Latchis Theater Sept. 28, 2-4pm and the exhibit at BMAC!

Selectboard Rejects Downtown Protections (re Homeless)

by Kurt Daims | Op/Ed

BCS started a low-cost semi-private community-based true emergency shelter in RVs In Brattleboro in 2022. “Community-based” is not a buzzword here. This shelter model relieves downtown of hosting many homeless and provides a healing space away from crowding and drugs and away from downtown. “True emergency” means it is a cheap — not pretty — solution for the poorest victims of the housing crisis.

We asked town officials several times to start a permitting process to fit the new kind of shelter, and after one told us to go ahead without a permit, the planning board sued to evict us for zoning (parking) violations, and the local health board (selectboard) sued to evict us for violations of rental safety codes. In April, 2023 a Superior Court Injunction said the shelter was safe and could continue under easy conditions. In almost all trials the Town has relied on rumor and technicalities and excluded much of our evidence. The Town wanted fines of $72,000, and the court decided on only $9828, but the court approved the notion that individuals can be sued for actions of corporations that they work for ! We thought we had a plea-bargain to remove the RVs and drop all the charges, but the Town is still threatening to take our home and fine us $4M.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Big Sticks and Ass Kicking Approved As Motel Program Winds Up

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard sept 17 2024

A divided Brattleboro Selectboard voted in favor of expanding an ordinance of acceptable behavior that criminalizes aspects of life for those who may be unhoused.  The decision came despite pleas to have professionals review the changes.

The board then added hundreds of thousands of dollars to this year’s budget to fund additional downtown policing. They estimate $200 a year increases for most taxpayers to cover this expense. It was cheered on by a pro-policing faction that wanted big sticks and ass kicking, and criticized by those who were watching all their work for alternative community safety options go down the drain.

Finally, the board praised Turning Point for exceptional work with addiction and recovery, on a budget less than the annual cost of the new police expansion.

The Beloved Community Youth Choir Begins on September 24

by mary@stmichaelsvermont.org | Music

BRATTLEBORO St. Michael’s Episcopal Church Rector The Rev. Mary Lindquist has announced that “the St. Michael’s Choir School, which our previous music director Susan Dedell started in 2014 and ran until the pandemic, is coming back this fall, although with a new name and new focus.

“This children’s choral program sponsored by St. Michael’s, now named Beloved Community Youth Choir, aims to develop both social and musical skills in youth by using music to instill the practices of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy of nonviolence.”

Hinesburg Road Closure

by Not Signed In | Town News

On Monday, September 23, the Highway Division will be replacing a failed culvert on Hinesburg Road. The closure will be near the intersection of Hinesburg Road and Nichols Drive.  Residents and Emergency Services will be able to access addresses up to 1250 Hinesburg Rd via Hinesburg Road.  Addresses 1279 Hinesburg Road to the Guilford Town line will need to use the marked detour, via Goodenough Road. Please plan accordingly and avoid the area if possible. 

WSESD, WSESU, VTSD 2024 Summit Meeting Minutes

by Not Signed In | Education

Summary
● Discussion related to the display of political flags at the Dummerston School was held.
● Consent agenda for WSESD was approved
● Warrants from the Vernon School were approved.
● Pre-K Providers were approved
● The CIP plan was shared to the three Boards

Revised September 18 Brattleboro DRB Agenda

by bbannon@brattleboro.org | Town Plan

2024-71                David Timmons & Robin Bitters; Residential Neighborhood 5400 District; request for Waiver of Dimensional Standards Approval to construct a 41′ x 42′ 2-story home, located in part in the front yard setback in keeping with the character of the neighborhood and in response to site conditions at 101 Chestnut Hill; Tax Map Parcel #00265205.000 Request for continuance to October 16, 2024.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – September 17, 2024

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will learn at their next meeting that their downtown safety decisions come with a substantial price tag – the starting cost is close to $800,000 per year for additional downtown policing. 

The board will get an update on programs and news from Turning Point, and would like to again spend from the Community Safety Fund – this time to help pay for an “acceptable community conduct” campaign.  You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.

Twenty Years And The Need Continues

by RDavis | Home & Garden

Twenty years ago Daryl Pillsbury and I wanted to do something to help people struggling to pay home heating bills. The price of fuel was high and we figured that, in a short time, the situation would get better and we could suspend our operations. We had no idea what we were getting into when we started the Windham County Heat Fund.

Over the years we have learned that the price of heating fuel has only a little to do with people’s ability to pay for it. There are a host of factors feeding into the situation. Global and national politics enter into the mix. The gap between the have’s and the have-not’s is wider than ever, and as long as that continues more and more people will struggle to pay for life’s necessities.
Wages have not kept up with the rate of growth of the economy and too many people who are making their best efforts to stay above water have to have two or three jobs and they still often teeter on the brink of homelessness.