No Pain, No Gain

by RDavis | Health

Weight loss is one of the more difficult issues that people have to deal with. You would be hard pressed not to find a few people who have struggled with their weight many times during their life. Until now there has been no simple solution to weight loss and, in my opinion, that is a good thing.

I was considered a “fat” child growing up and I took a lot of bullying and name calling during my public school years. My teachers even called me by a derogatory nickname from junior high and all through high school and I had to live with it until I went to college and heard people address me by my real name.

One of the reasons I was not accepted for the military during the height of the Viet Nam War was because I was overweight. I lost 50 pounds when I was 20 and travelling, but I have always struggled to keep my weight below what I consider an acceptable level.

Hanneke Cassel Band featuring Keith Murphy and Jenna Moynihan, plus Yann Falquet to Perform at Next Stage in May

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present Hanneke Cassel Band featuring Keith Murphy and Jenna Moynihan, plus Yann Falquet, at Next Stage on Thursday, May 16 at 7:00 pm.

Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel’s fiddle music fuses influences from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton with Americana grooves and musical innovations. She has performed and traveled across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Hanneke’s music is a blend of the contemporary and traditional, described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.”

The Hanneke Cassel Band features Jenna Moynihan on 5-string fiddle/vocals and Keith Murphy on guitar/vocals. Jenna Moynihan is regarded as one of the best in the new generation of fiddle players. Versatile and inventive, her fiddling style draws strongly from the Scottish tradition, but is in no way bound by it. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Jenna performs as part of a duo with cutting edge harpist Mairi Chaimbeul and is the regular fiddler for the Seamus Egan Project. Newfoundland-born guitarist Keith Murphy began absorbing his native musical languages – folk songs, ballads and dance music – from an early age. A proficient multi-instrumentalist, he has long applied considerable energy to the rhythmic side of music, becoming a valued band member and highly sought-after sideman on guitar, mandolin and foot percussion.

U.S.A. UK EU Journalists Accessories to Gaza Genocide Prolong It Deceivingly As ‘Defensive War’

by jay janson | Op/Ed

Journalists of wars prolonging U.S. and NATO nations media are providing cover for a monstrous genocidal crime against humanity by portraying the Israeli U.S. provisioned devastating bombing and air strikes on Israel’s military occupied Gaza Strip as ‘defensive war.’

“Israel can’t claim a right to defend itself from the people it oppresses and whose land it colonises,” UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese, April 8, 2023.[1]

Closure Reminder: Brattleboro-Hinsdale Bridge Project

by Not Signed In | Hinsdale

A short duration closure (approximately 15 minutes) of VT/NH 119 can be expected today April 10th, tomorrow April 11th, Monday April 15th, and Wednesday April 17th at 11:00 a.m. for structural steel deliveries.

The delivery route of the structural steel to the Barrows and Fisher yard where the Pier 1 site is located will be along New Hampshire and Vermont Route 119 to Depot Street. This impact will include a short duration closure (approximately 15 minutes) of the twin bridges beginning at the intersection of Bridge Street to Canal Street, Main Street, and Vermont Route 142. Uniformed Traffic Officers will be located at the intersection’s entrance to Bridge Street during the closure period.

April 17, 2024 Brattleboro Development Review Board Agenda

by bbannon@brattleboro.org | Town Plan

AGENDA

Call to Order
Review and Approve Minutes of previous meeting.
Review of Cases/Public Hearings to be reviewed under the Brattleboro Land Use Regulations.
2023-146              MWF Industries; Rural Residential District; Site Plan Approval for the construction of 4 dwellings and a 3,600 sq. ft. garage/storage/office building with site  improvements, at 680 West River Road; Tax Map Parcel #70317.000

Singer/Songwriter Carsie Blanton Returns to Next Stage Arts in May

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present singer/songwriter Carsie Blanton, at Next Stage on Thursday, May 9 at 7:00 pm.

Carsie Blanton is a songwriter with hooks, chutzpah, and revolutionary optimism. Inspired by artist-activists including Nina Simone and Woody Guthrie, her catalog careens through American popular song from folk and swing to pop-punk protest anthems.

Windham Southeast School District Board Meeting Minutes March 26, 2024

by Not Signed In | Education

Summary
● Board Officers were nominated and elected.
● Voting Members of the WSESU Board were nominated and elected.
● Board Meeting days/times were determined.
● The Board will follow the “Robert’s Rules of Order” for Small Boards adding back in seconding a motion.
● Leadership Council assignments were established
● The Board voted to change the Board Meeting scheduled for April 23 rd to April 30 th to avoid meeting during Spring Break.
● Six new employees were presented and approved for the FY25 school year.
● Board approved the submission of Head Start/Early Head refunding application. Application due April 1.
● Board approved the new members of the Guilford and Academy Leadership Councils.

Brattleboro and VT COVID-19 Regional Dashboard Summary – April 2024

by cgrotke | Health

Here’s the April 2024 dashboard summary. We continue semi-regular COVID-19 dashboard numbers from the Vermont Department of Health, and MA and NH counties that surround Brattleboro, as long as they continue providing them. Scroll down the new comments for the latest.

VT, NH and MA do weekly updates, near the end of the week, so we update on Fridays usually. All three have changed their dashboards since the start, so it is now tough to easily compare how things have changed. Variant updates are every two weeks.

Canadian Polish Folk Music Ensemble Polky at Next Stage Arts

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts presents Polish folk music made in Canada with Toronto’s Polky, at Next Stage on Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 pm.

Toronto’s Polky, led by multi-talented immigrant female musicians, delights audiences with traditional vocals, unusual instruments, and energizing performances. Drawing deep inspiration from Poland’s rich cultural tapestry, they push musical boundaries by fearlessly blending Polish traditional music with sounds and rhythms from across the globe.

FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament

by CCM Holland Mills | Culture

The FIDE Candidates tournament begins today and ends on the 22nd.  The winner becomes the Challenger will face the reigning World Chess Champion, Ding Liren, most likely at the end of this year in a location yet to be determined.

The field features two Americans–Nakamura, who I’ll be rooting for, as well as Caruana–and three players from India.   Eight of the world’s top players going at each other twice results a small trove of well-played games.

Duo Andalus featuring LALA Tamar at Next Stage Arts

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts presents an intimate encounter of voice and strings, sounds and cultures, with Duo Andalus, featuring LALA Tamar, at Next Stage on Sunday, April 28 at 7:00 pm.

“Take a trip through the Mediterranean – Flamenco, Ladino, Moroccan, Jewish, Arabic – merging together with Duo Andalus. Lala Tamar’s vocal virtuosity blends with Ofer Ronen’s flamenco guitar style and oud,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “We love the journey music brings us on, and for this show, we may ask audiences to bring a passport.”

Construction Update Brattleboro-Hinsdale Bridge – April 3, 2024

by Not Signed In | Hinsdale

Delivery of steel girders to Pier 1 is scheduled for Tuesday through Thursday, April 9th, 10th, and 11th, and Monday, April 15th.

The delivery route will be along New Hampshire and Vermont Route 119 to Depot Street. This impact will include a short duration closure (approximately 15 minutes) of the twin bridges beginning at the intersection of Bridge Street to Canal Street, Main Street, and Vermont Route 142. Uniformed Traffic Officers will be located at the intersection’s entrance to Bridge Street during the closure period. All deliveries are tentatively set for 1:00 p.m. to accommodate the train schedule.

Should Safe Injection Sites Be Legalized?

by RDavis | Politics

Rhode Island and New York City allow people addicted to drugs to inject themselves at safe injection sites without fear of prosecution. The drugs these people use are illegal but they are given a pass if they go to one of these sites. Vermont is about to pass legislation that would allow cities and towns to set up these sites if the local municipal body approves it.

The bill, H. 72, has passed the Vermont House and is now in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee and is expected to be passed into law. Governor Scott has made it clear that he will veto this bill, so the big question is whether or not there will be enough votes to override his veto.

Sara Juli’s “Naughty Bits” at Next Stage Arts

by hahrenholz | Entertainment

Next Stage Arts presents Sara Juli’s Naughty Bits, a dance-play set inside Juli’s memories that examines trauma while finding levity within the tragic. Through movement, text, song, projections and humor, Naughty Bits finds the forgotten bits, funny bits (and wobbly bits) of putting one’s mind and body back together. Performances are at Next Stage on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 pm.

“What fascinates me most of all about Sara Juli’s work is that she frames these immersive, theater-inspired one woman shows as choreographed pieces. She pulls from so many various places to produce these personal narratives that seem to hit directly into the audience’s personal experiences,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “Her professional career in New York gave her the chops and vision to craft world-class theater, and now New England benefits from her relocation.This will be a presentation for community members seeking something new in their theater experiences.”