Sanders Details Sweeping Veterans Legislation

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., Jan. 22 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, told reporters today that the Senate is expected to soon take up legislation to restore pensions for military retirees as part of the most comprehensive veterans’ legislation to come before the Senate in decades.

The measure that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has called a top priority for the Senate also would address a host of other programs for veterans, including expanded health care and dental care and improved education benefits.

Sanders (I-Vt.) told a news conference that the measure would rescind a 1 percentage point cut in the annual adjustment for benefits for military retirees under age 62.  There has been a groundswell in Congress to undo that provision in the bipartisan budget deal that Congress approved late last year. 

Lunar New Year

by ACCVT | Culture

Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents the 11th annual Brattleboro Area Lunar New Year Festival of China, Vietnam, and Korea on Sunday, February 9, 1 – 3:00 pm, in downtown Brattleboro at the River Garden. Ushering in the Year of the Horse, this annual celebration begins with eating together: It’s a potluck; bring a dish or some refreshments to share. There will be a craft and coloring table for younger children, t’ai chi demonstrations, a group calligraphy mural, Chinese exercises, Lunar New Year songs, a Korean tug of war, and more. To culminate our celebration the giant Vietnamese Dragon leads us in a community parade along Main Street (participants should dress warmly for the weather).

Ben Carr Music Project at Whetstone Station

by Not Signed In | Music

The Ben Carr Music Project performs original ‘ukulele inspired rock, reggae, funk and jazz at the Whetstone on Thursday, Jan. 23. The show begins at 8 pm and is free.

Visit the Whetstone at 36 Bridge St, Brattleboro, .

The band features Ben Carr on vocals and ‘ukulele, Jason Koerber on flute and saxophone, Josh Maiocco on guitar, Joel Eisenkramer on guitar, Pat Steven on bass, and Pete Biolsi on drums.

New Music Classes & Semester Starting at the BMC!

by Pam Lierle | Music

It may be freezing outside, but inside the Brattleboro Music Center’s spring semester starts next week. Get involved and let the music warm you! 

Consider starting that instrument you have always wanted to play! We offer lessons in 16 instruments & voice to all ages and levels. 

We also have classes for kids, teens & adults – including our new adult daytime programs, take a look:

Selectboard Meeting Notes: Tax Relief and Town Meeting Season (For Everyone Over 18)

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard spent most of the regular Tuesday meeting adding things to the agenda for Representative Town Meeting in March. They also gave over $30,000 to a regional effort to develop the economy, and firmly set forth their final budget for FY15.

A number of the articles put on the warning were aimed at reducing property taxes. One thing that won’t be on the Town Meeting agenda, at least not this year, is lowering the voting age to sixteen.

In food news, the former Bickfords will become Brattleboro’s latest pizza place, a regional chain called Ramuntos Brick Oven Pizza. Read on for all the details.

Safety Tip of the Week – Driving

by acharkes | Other

Driving – It’s a right, not a privilege.

Avoid distractions. Reaching for cell phones and other gadgets causes accidents. If you must make or receive a call, pull over or use a hands-free device. Texting while driving is illegal in Vermont. 

Interesting Article About C&S

by tomaidh | Business

“The modern supermarket, with its promise of a limitless variety of food and household goods available for low prices, is the crown jewel of consumer capitalism.

The cornerstone of all retail, the supermarket holds a seemingly permanent place in the canon of American life, yet barely appears in the broader discourse, even in discussions about our food habits.

It’s not unusual to debate the ethics involved with farming and food production, or to ponder the pros and cons of nonlocal food distribution, but the fact that the products will be on the shelves tomorrow and the next day is taken for granted.

Maybe The Weather Ebbs and Flows Like It Has For Hundreds of Years….

by scrispe | Op/Ed

If there’s one single thing we as humans absolutely know about the weather, it is that we don’t know the weather. I keep hearing this trendy-phrase: “the new normal,” which I find both annoying and silly because can anyone actually say what normal is on a grand scale regarding the weather? The word normal is so ambiguous as to render it meaningless in this context.

It is with a sense of gladness that more people are increasingly not buying into the theory of global warming and Climate Change. I have always been someone to question things – to question what I am told. It is encouraging that more people are questioning and doubting the notion of Climate Change/global warming for the dubious and flawed theory that it is.

On War-Promoting Media’s Snow Job and King’s Condemning US Wars for Predatory Investments

by jay janson | Op/Ed

On War-Promoting Media’s Snow Job and King’s Condemning US Wars for Predatory Investments

DESCRIPTION:

Mainstream media vilification of King as a traitor followed his world shaking sermon “Beyond Vietnam – a Time to Break Silence.” Media calumny only halted with the assassination that would protect a safe return on trillions of dollars invested in wars from a charismatic leader determined to stop these massive crimes against humanity for overseas as he had led the halting of horrific unprosecutable racist crimes at home.

TEXT:

Brattleboro Town School Board Surveys

by cgrotke | Education

The Brattleboro Town School Board recently sent surveys to parents, staff, and students as part of their community outreach effort. Below are the questions that were asked of each group. I thought the surveys might be of interest to those who don’t have children attending any of these three schools, but are interested in education.

School Officials Respond To Questions About Brattleboro Schools, Public Education

by Lise | Education

Recently, I submitted a list of questions to the Brattleboro Town School Board with regard to standardized testing, federal education programs, teachers’ concerns,  and a range of other topics.  I received a response from Town School Board Chair Margaret Atkinson today, with answers to most of them.  

Margaret Atkinson explained that she “worked with [WSESU Superintendent of Schools] Ron Stahley and District Curriculum Coordinator Lyle Holiday” in preparing the answers.

She stressed that the answers were not intended to represent the views of the Town School Board, who, she said, have not voted on it and have no declared position on most of these issues.  

As many in town grapple with the sense of cognitive dissonance that comes from hearing multiple conflicting views about our schools, it’s helpful to have concrete statements of position to evaluate.  The questions and answers below shed light on the administration’s view of the issues, and provide important background into how our school administrators see education today.

5:45 Live: 1/17/14

by BrattleboroTV | Media

5:45 Live breaks down the Governor’s break-out State of the State, the VT ACLU presentation on drones in Bratt, the PSB’s VY v VT thoughts, Target’s massive data breach, and much more.

Northern Roots Traditional Music Festival Saturday

by Pam Lierle | Music

Southeastern Vermont’s Northern Roots Traditional Music Festival will take place on Saturday, January 25, 2014 in Brattleboro, Vermont.  Now in its 7th year, the Brattleboro Music Center’s annual festival brings together local and regional musicians representing the best of various northern musical traditions.  This year’s festival features over twenty musicians and the rich traditions of Ireland, Scotland, England, Scandinavia, New England and French Canada.

The annual Northern Roots Festival is a celebrated opportunity for Brattleboro’s vibrant community of traditional musicians to come together to share their music with each other and the community at large. The festival also draws on the richness of talent in the broader region, with players from throughout New England coming to perform, teach and participate in informal sessions.

Annual Brattleboro Film Festival Announces 2014 Festival Dates, Accomplishments and Goals for Year Ahead

by Not Signed In | Arts

Brattleboro Film Festival, Media Release
Contact: Lissa Weinmann (917) 239-8743

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont (January 20, 2014): On the heels of a very successful November 2013 event, the Brattleboro Film Festival (BFF) announced the 3rd Annual Brattleboro Film Festival will take place from Thursday October 31 to Sunday November 9, 2014 at the Latchis Theatre in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont.

BFF is a unique, all volunteer-led and -run festival. The 30 films and accompanying events of the 2013 festival were enthusiastically received by more than 2,200 festival-goers. Enough revenue was brought in by attendance to get a strong start to this year’s fundraising effort, which has already commenced.

Vermont Legislative Pay

by Norsehorse | State News

(originally posted to Vermont Watch, )

Received the following information from a legislative council staff member this morning in response to an inquiry of mine from earlier this month that included questions concerning legislative pay and the like for members of the :

Congressman Welch To Visit Brattleboro

by Not Signed In | Politics

Congressman Peter Welch,United States House of Representatives
Official Appearance Schedule, Tuesday, January 21st, 2014

10:00 a.m.
Business Visit: Sovernet
5 Rockingham Street, Bellows Falls

11:30 a.m.
Visit with Brattleboro Fire Department
103 Elliot Street, Brattleboro

Climate Woes

by tomaidh | Sci-Tech

According , the U.N. says that a lag in confronting climate woes will be costly. It suggests that nations have so dragged their feet in battling climate change that the situation has grown critical and the risk of severe economic disruption is rising.

Another 15 years of failure to limit carbon emissions could make the problem virtually impossible to solve with current technologies, the experts found.

But…there’s a solution! (Yay). The article goes on to say:

The Remorseful Demand Nuremberg Principles Trial of Americans for Genocide

by jay janson | Op/Ed

DESCRIPTION: 1/12/2014″Iraq: “Devastating” Dossier Alleging British War Crimes Lodged with the International Criminal Court.”  Americans reading this might be compelled to wonder when a headline will read: ‘Alleging US War Crimes.’ Nuremberg, Trial Chief Prosecutor Robert Jackson noted that the laws regarding genocide were not just for Germans  but for citizens of all nations. King held all Americans responsible not the gov. he dismissed 

BCTV Channel 8 & 10 Schedules for the Week of 1/20/14

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV Ch.8 Schedule for the week of 1-20-14 

                   Monday January 20             

12:00 am      NECI Pastry Demonstration with Master Chef Francois Payard 11/9/13

1:00 am       Helping Seniors Understand Reverse Mortgages

2:00 am       FSTV Overnight

4:00 am       The Artful Word – CAMP TA KUM TA Santa Run

4:15 am       VT Works for Women Presents: Young Women and the VT Economy