An Update from the Brattleboro Food Co-op

by BratFoodCoop | Food

Greetings from the re-invented Brattleboro Food Co-op! We have now more or less stabilized into our new schedule for curbside orders paired with open store hours. Just to remind you, we take orders at 802-246-2800 from 8:00 a.m. to noon for same-day pickup, and noon to 2 for next day pickup. We also are open for those not isolating from 2 pm to 7 pm, except for Sunday April 12, when we are closed for Easter.

A few explanations about how we are doing what we are doing, and what you can expect from us.

Brattleboro Winter Parking Ban Lifted

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Parking Department would like to announce the lifting of the winter parking ban.  Starting tonight, 04/08/20, at midnight, overnight parking will be allowed on all streets EXCEPT in the downtown area.  The following streets are never available for overnight parking:

Main Street

High Street

Elliot Street (from School St to Main St)

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Representative Town Meeting On Hold, Staff Furloughs

by cgrotke | Town News
Brattleboro Selectboard april 7

The Brattleboro Selectboard met virtually to discuss updates regarding COVID-19, staff furloughs, putting Representative Town Meeting on further hold, and other matters. Board members urged landlords to pause rents and banks to pause mortgage payments. And licensed electricians may be required for most rental properties repairs.

It wasn’t the smoothest technological feat, and it took a while to get things working semi-smoothly, but it sufficed.

Town of Brattleboro COVID-19 Response Status – April 7, 2020, 12:45pm 

by Not Signed In | Town News

• The Selectboard meets tonight at 6:15 pm on GoToMeeting…
• We have been advised that United States Census responses from Windham County are coming in more slowly than from some other areas of Vermont and other states. A complete count of everyone in Brattleboro and Windham County is important because, among other things, comparative populations are used to determine how much State and Federal funding assistance a community receives for a variety of programs and services. Please complete your 2020 Census form online or mail it in. If you are unsure how to do that, at least be responsive when a Census worker contacts you to ask for the information for your household. Thank you! 

• The Recreation Department is offering “virtual gymnastics” on Wednesdays and Fridays, as follows: 

Brattleboro Senior Meals

by KathrynT | Food

Brattleboro Senior Meals Menu April 6 to April 10
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MENU

Apr. 6 Beef Stroganoff over Noodles
Brussel Sprouts
Glazed Carrots
Clementines

Pandemic Diet – Eating Beans and Rice

by Lise | Food

It’s important to keep up morale during the emergency.  One way to do that is food.  But what to do when you hit those days when your delivery order isn’t ready yet, your curbside pickup order isn’t till tomorrow, or you just don’t feel like going to the grocery store yourself?  This kind of circumstance can lead to a lot of bean and rice dinners, and who’s to say that’s a bad thing?  It brings us back to basics, enduring a little hardship in what is, after all, a life and death situation.  On the other hand, simple, noble cooking can be seriously boring if you really like food.  

I think the key for me is to have on hand a few basic meals that we actually like to eat.  That way, we can always make something reasonably appetizing.  It’s important to keep meals appetizing because boredom and depression can diminish appetite and you want to keep eating, within reasonable bounds.  Food makes us feel good, and it’s good to feel good, especially during an epidemic, because feeling good boosts our immunity.

Town of Brattleboro COVID-19 Response Status – April 6, 2020, 1:20pm 

by Not Signed In | Town News

WHAT IS NEW TODAY 

There is no change in the deployment of Town resources today. However, we have 3 announcements today in the interests of public health and rumor control: 

➢ This evening (beginning at approximately 6pm at the Brattleboro Police Station on Black Mountain Road) there will be a procession of state and local law enforcement vehicles driving through town to salute the heroic work of healthcare workers. They will make stops (but will not leave their vehicles) at health care facilities along the route. The vehicles in the procession will be using their emergency lights. BPD is issuing a news release to alert the public so that people will not mistakenly believe there is a large-scale law enforcement emergency in Brattleboro. 

➢ The State of Vermont vehicles parked near the Connecticut River bridges and all other roadway points of entry into Vermont are noting the state of registration of vehicles entering and leaving Vermont. They are not collecting individual license plate data and are not restricting entry. 

➢ Some gatherings of people are still being noticed around town. Everyone is reminded that our collective health and well being depends upon people adhering to the social distancing advice of public health professionals in compliance with Governor Scott’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” orders. People are encouraged to get outside for fresh air and exercise, including at Town parks, but no one should be within 6 feet of any other person, handling anything being handled by any other person, or touching any furniture or equipment at the Town’s parks or anywhere else outside of each person’s own home. 

Jubilee Year!

by MarkTwain© | Economics

In an April 5 comment on a recent article, under the subject line: And people still need to move…. , cgrotke wrote the following:

“It would be a shame if, at the end of this, everyone is simply in debt up to their eyeballs, and everyone needs to work off the “debt” of these strange months for the foreseeable future. That would be a very slow digging out of the economy.”

Under the category: “This is so crazy, it might just work!” please allow me to offer up a solution:

Plethoras & Myriads

by MarkTwain© | Entertainment

For the duration of the current crisis, Mark Twain© would like to ask challenging questions, requesting your answers. Here are 2 questions for today.

How are the meanings of these two words similar, how are they different?
When would you use “plethora?” when, “myriad?”

BCTV Schedules – Week of 4/6/2020

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV Channel 8 / 1075 schedule for the week of 4/6/20

Monday, April 6, 2020

5:00 am Winston Prouty presents – Family Matters Ep 26 – Community Collaborations
5:30 am Winston Prouty presents – Family Matters Ep 27 – Adverse Childhood Experiences
6:00 am Dummerston Conservation Commission – An Archaeological History of Vermont 10/23/18
7:15 am Dummerston Conservation Commission – Maps of Dummerston 11/12/19
7:55 am The Quarantine Sessions from Next Stage Arts – Online from Next Stage – The Quarantine Sessions and Cooped Up Kids

What Should I Know If I’m Buying a House During the Covid-19 Pandemic?

by SK-B | Business

Will the home inspector be given access to the house? If there is a septic system, will a septic inspector be permitted to do the inspection?

Even if inspections are permitted, you might not be permitted to be present, which means that you will not have the benefit on asking questions and actually seeing the inspector point out items, which is much more informative than simply reading a formal, written report. In such a case, find out if the inspector can take a lot of photos, or better yet, live-stream the inspection.

Brattleboro Retreat Employee Presumed Positive for Coronavirus, Says VTDigger

by Lise | Town News

An employee at the Brattleboro Retreat is “presumed positive for COVID-19,” according to a story in the VTDigger.org today. The employee is in quarantine at home at this time. However, the same is not true of other Retreat workers who may have come in contact with that employee. They’ve been instructed by the Retreat’s HR Director that they should come to work or be terminated. However, if they “become symptomatic i.e. dry cough and/or fever,” they have been told to contact the HR Director.

Groundworks Invites Supporters to Fundraise By Camping-in-Place on May 1

by Not Signed In | Activism

BRATTLEBORO—Amidst the organization’s many measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Groundworks Collaborative has pivoted to a virtual approach for their 8th annual Camp for a Common Cause fundraiser.  

The event, which normally seeks a permit to lift the Town of Brattleboro’s public camping restriction for one night each May on the Brattleboro Common, will happen virtually this year on Friday, May 1st.  Organizers are encouraging participants to camp at home—on lawns, in garages, on balconies and decks, etc.—and in so doing, raise funds that Groundworks reports it needs “now more than ever.”  

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – April 7, 2020

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at 6:15pm.  In keeping with Governor Scott’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order, this meeting will be held with no physical location using GoToMeeting.  Copies of the agenda and administrative report are attached.  Both documents contain information about how to access the meeting remotely.   ASL interpreters will be available for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members.  We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.  

Free Ads For Essential Businesses That Remain Open

by cgrotke | Business

We want to do something for the “essential” businesses remaining in operation. For any open business in the area: free advertising. 

That’s right. For the duration of the stay-at-home and essential-work orders, we’ll give any open business that wants one a free ad. We’ll even make it for you. Just let us know what you’d like to tell people, and where you’d like the ad to link. It can take people directly to any page on your site.

Coronavirus: Vermont AFL-CIO Crisis Demands & The Need To Rebuild The Economy Through A Green New Deal

by David Van Deusen | Health

Much progress has been made in the Green Mountains since the start of the Coronacrisis. And we should all recognize the rapid pace at which it was achieved. Together, as Vermonters, we have:

* Unemployment Insurance: Greatly lowered the qualifying thresholds for unemployment insurance;

* Worker Safety & Health: Seen most unionized cities and towns take meaningful steps to better protect the health and safety of workers;

* Feeding Low Income Children: Secured food for low income children;