SeVWA’s Second 2014 River Monitoring Day – E. coli Results Charts

by sevwa.wqmp | Nature

On July 2nd SeVWA (Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance) successfully collected water samples from all 26 sites along the West, Williams, and Saxton rivers as well as the Whetstone brook. The E. coli results from our second sampling day of the summer can be found in the attached charts.

When reviewing the results please keep in mind that the samples were collected prior to the rain we just experienced and E. coli levels have a tendency to spike after it rains. This is due to run-off washing into the rivers and carrying animal, pet or human waste. The general rule is to wait 24-48 hours after a rain event before swimming in the rivers to minimize risk of waterborne illnesses.

Globalization

by ChrisPratt | Media

For the brave few who listen to me I have been ensconced behind my computer developing a new website based on the principles of Free Speech. In doing so I came across the best video I have ever seen that describes Predatory Capitalism and does so in just over 2 minutes!

Don’t get me wrong I am not opposed to capitalism; I founded and ran my own software company for years. I am huge believer in SMALL business. What I am opposed to are the MEGA CORPORATIONS – you know the ones that pay Congress to write laws that Media never questions – the laws that makes them richer and the poor, poorer – those corporate giants that cashed in their morality for profits a long time ago.

The Beatles: Band of the Sixties

by Not Signed In | Entertainment

The Friends of the Library will present a free lecture, The Beatles: Band of the Sixties by scholar, Aaron Krerowicz on Friday, July 18 at 7PM in the Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro. This 60-minute presentation includes a film and audio clips plus excerpts of interviews with the band members.

The lecture starts with the band’s seminal visits to Hamburg from 1960-62; continuing through Beatlemania in 1963-65. Krerowicz will also review the Beatles psychedelic experimentation, their trip to India to study Transcendental Meditation and the subsequent White Album in 1968. He will conclude his presentation with Let It Be and Abbey Road in 1969.

Tanabata+Obon, Japan’s Double Summer Festivals, in Pliny Park

by ACCVT | Arts

Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents Brattleboro’s Tanabata-Obon Festival, 2012, downtown, in Pliny Park Park, corner of Main and High Streets.

This festival celebrates a Japanese tradition: the double festivals of summer in a single evening observance, downtown, during the July Gallery Walk.

Obon is a celebration of ancestors and remembrance of loved ones and the departed. Tanabata is a star festival for communities to make wishes for the future (happening each year when the paths of two of the brightest stars, Vega and Altair, meet in the sky).

150 years Ago (1864 7/2-4)

by BusyMom | History

Down in the Woods near the Railroad,

July 2, 1864.

Dearest wife, 

Here I am on Picket again, near a good spring. Some of the boys have shot a fat heifer and are engaged in
frying, drying and boiling the meat, but I draw more than I can eat, though my appetite is pretty good, I assure you.

July West Brattleboro Association meeting

by WBA | Town News

Hi, all those interested in West Brattleboro – Next Thursday, July 10 is the West Brattleboro Association’s monthly meeting, at the New England House at 6pm.  We are having this meeting partly to make some decisions, including on the location of Welcome signs.  An agenda is below the dotted line.  We will not have any guest speaker, so there will be quality time for internal discussion.

Plans are proceeding for a Chamber/WBA mixer on Thursday, July 31 at the New England House.

Hazel

by MartinLangeveld | Business

A new eatery is open downtown: Hazel, 75 Elliott Street. Soft opening.

Pizza, BBQ, sandwiches, salads. Some interesting sides: poutine, collards. And some interesting pizza ingredients: Grafton cheddar, pulled pork, crushed peanuts. No anchovies. Kids menu. All sandwiches and pizzas available gluten-free, or gluten-full. 

This message presented in the spare style of Hazel’s storefront and interior.

Independence Day in Brattleboro, 1858

by cgrotke | History

A report on plans for Independence Day celebration in Brattleboro of July 3, 1858, written in The Phoenix. (It was celebrated on the 3rd of July back then…)

…

“INDEPENDENCE – The celebration on the 3rd by the fire department of Brattleboro and the several companies from abroad will be one of more than ordinary magnificence. The number of firemen who will be present, the reputation of the companies into which they are organized, and the arrangements for the occasion all give evidence of an unusual and unprecedented display. Information has been received by the committee of arrangements of the attendance on Saturday of Companies from Claremont, Keene, and Hinsdale in New Hampshire, from Greenfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, Springfield, South Royalston and Baldwinville, in Massachusetts. These with our own excellent companies will make a special pageant.

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Scheduled – DID and Personnel

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Thursday, July 3, 2014 at 4:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 4:10pm to discuss the appointment or employment or evaluation of a public officer or employee.

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

Laugh Out Loud! Screwball Comedy Film Series at the Brooks Library

by Brooks Memorial Library | Entertainment

Beginning Wednesday, July 9th and continuing through November 12th, the Brattleboro Film Festival and Brooks Memorial Library will present free afternoon screenings of nine Hollywood classic screwball comedies from Tinseltown’s Golden Era.

A film by renowned Director Preston Sturges whose comedies mix the sensibilities of “a lowbrow aristocrat” with a that of a “melancholy wiseguy” will kick-off the five month-long series on July 9th at 2 p.m. in the library’s Meeting Room on the 2nd Floor. Eight other comedies will screen on select Wednesdays through mid-November. 

Spark a Reaction! 2014 Teen Summer Reading Program at Brooks Memorial Library

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Want to read this summer? Want to win a prize? Start reading now until August 9, and track your reading online. Share what you are reading with your fellow teens at .

Check out books, magazine, or audiobooks from the Brooks Memorial Library’s Teen Collection on the Main Floor. We also have a display of graphic novels and audiobooks. Those count too!

Selectboard Meeting Notes: Skatepark Location Remains TBD

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard officially heard the official recommendations of the official Skatepark Site Selection Committee at their Tuesday meeting, but questions from the board and the public remain, and second-guessing of the results began almost immediately. An official Selectboard decision should come by the end of August.

The Selectboard also set the FY15 tax rate, agreed to go forward with improvements at Union Hill and Western Ave, discussed upcoming funding options using money form VY, learned about the potential threat to our ash trees, bought fuel, and more in a long meeting for returning board member David Gartenstein.

Ramshackle Glory Play Brattleboro

by Lise | Music

I remember a friend telling me, a long time ago, that I should go hear this band called Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains who were playing in a parking lot on Elliot Street that afternoon. I had doubts about the venue and didn’t go. My loss. Last night, Johnny Hobo was back, or at least, his inventor, Pat “the Bunny” Schneeweis, with a new band, Ramshackle Glory. As it turned out, their homecoming show at the Church Saturday night turned out to be the highlight of my weekend if not the whole month of June.

Senator Sanders Statement on Court Ruling on Workers

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., June 30 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after the Supreme Court ruled that some home health care workers cannot be required to pay fees to cover the costs of collective bargaining:

“Today’s Supreme Court decision by Justice Alito and four other extreme right-wing Republicans is another attack on the rights of workers to collectively bargain for higher wages and decent benefits. Make no mistake: this decision will lead to an increase in income inequality, a further decline in the wages of middle-class workers and an increase in poverty.

Brattleboro Independence Day Schedule

by Not Signed In | Town News

In observance of the July 4th holiday, all Town offices will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2014, with the exception of emergency services.

Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Friday, July 4. All other violations, including extended parking will be enforced.

Brooks Memorial Library will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2014. It will be open for normal business hours on Thursday, July 3, and Saturday, July 5, 2014.

Trash, recycling and composting schedules will not be affected by the holiday. All curbside pick ups will be on the regular schedule.