Don’t miss the annual All Souls Tag Sale on Saturday August 23, from 9 am to 1 pm. You’ll find a huge array of clothing, household items, small furniture, toys, books, puzzles, and more, with free face painting for kids. Everything is by donation! Free face painting for kids while you shop!All Souls Church UU, West Village Meeting House, 29 South St, West Bratt (up the driveway from the West B Fire Station).
III. Evaluate
– Prioritize mandated policies as per recent legislation
– VSBA Policy Update Review List
– Gender Freedom in Schools – Proposed new policy
F34 Transgender and Gender Creative Students Policy
– F5 Searches, Seizures, and Interrogation of Students by Law Enforcement Personnel or Other Non-School Personnel
– G4 Selection of Library Materials – Compare with Required Policy to be adopted as of 7/1/25
This photo was taken during the rain storm a couple of days ago in Brattleboro.
(below the fold)
Showings at the Latchis Theater. August 23 and August 24 at 4pm.
Reich teaches his final “Wealth and Poverty” class to 1,000 students at UC Berkeley, ending a 40-year career that reached 40,000 students.
The Brattleboro Charter Revision Commission will meet on Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room (230 Main Street, Room 212) and over Zoom.
Retirement is a strange concept. For some people it is not something that is in their vocabulary and, for others, it is something that makes them count the days until the new phase of their life begins. If your life’s work and your passion for what you do blend perfectly then it seems likely that you don’t want the kind of life you lead to end. Working under other people’s rules tends to make many people long for a new kind of freedom.
It has been ten years since I mostly walked away from a 45 year nursing career. I enjoyed the ride and it turned out that the last job I had was the most satisfying in many ways. But working within the American health care system, no matter where, can wear you down and make you feel like you are not doing the best you can for your patients.
August 18 Teriyaki Beef Tips
Roasted Potatoes
Peas & Carrots
Blueberry Crisp
This week at Leda’s Kitchen: order by 8/19, pick up 8/21
I’ll be going to India for the month of September, so this is the last week to order until October.
KALA MASALA CHICKEN CURRY (GF/DF)
Dosa Kitchen’s signature chicken curry that has fed countless customers over the last ten years. Free-range chicken in a base of tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, and a spice mix (kala masala) created for us in India.
$26 for 24oz container (2-3 servings)
In the first part of this examination of RTM and democracy it was demonstrated that RTM is in fact more representative now than it has ever been. In this part we compare direct democracy to representative democracy in the context of RTM. Open town meeting versus representative town meeting.
Virtually the entire body of literature on the subject of political democracy agrees on one thing. Direct democracy is ideal but it only works in a small body (say 10 to 15). This is because everyone can participate directly. Everyone can speak. Every view can be heard. But in larger bodies, all agree, democracy is better achieved through representation because, given the fact that only a limited number of people can participate systems and standards can be set up to enrich the quality of participation. Serious representatives working in a sound and democratic meeting structure will produce decisions close if not the same as those in a direct democracy. Even in a group of ten decisions will likely not represent the views of every member. A perfect decision, 100% agreement, is rarely achieved. Democracy simply tries to get as close as possible.
Summary
● The Board voted to approve the submission of the Non-Federal Waiver request for Head Start and the Supplemental Funds for Nutrition and Healthy Eating for Head Start Children and Families.
● The Board voted on the language added to the statement to the Redistricting Task Force.
● The Board discussed and determined to hold the first Summit meetings with the three Boards.
● Committee membership was reviewed for the upcoming school year. Commitment to Leadership Councils (LCs) will be discussed at the next meeting.
● Board goal setting and the development of a district calendar are two topics that are actively being addressed.
● Discussion of the Board’s oversight related to harassment, bullying and hazing was held.
● Members of the Board will craft language for a statement for future Board consideration to provide information to the public regarding Act 73 and ways to learn more.
Nighttime single-lane closures will be in place next week on Monday night through Saturday morning from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Work will continue on Vermont Route 9 (Western Avenue and High Street), U.S. Route 5 (Canal Street and Main Street), and Vermont Route 30 (Linden Street). Flaggers will be present to direct one-way alternating traffic through multiple work zones. Motorcyclists should watch for grooved and uneven surfaces and all motorists should be aware of raised utility structures and wet paint.
Next Stage Arts’ Bandwagon Summer Series continues on Saturday, September 13 at Cooper Field, 41 Sand Hill Road, Putney, VT with a high-energy, genre-blending double bill. Music starts at 5:00 pm (gates open at 4:00 pm), with The Gaslight Tinkers bringing their infectious fusion of African, Caribbean, funk, reggae, and Latin grooves with traditional fiddle music — a joyful mash-up that’s as danceable as it is unexpected.
Since forming in 2012, The Gaslight Tinkers have electrified audiences across the U.S. and the Caribbean, headlining clubs, dances, and major festivals. The Valley Advocate calls their sound “music that consistently fizzes and pops with unexpected textures and turns.” With members Peter Siegel, Garrett Sawyer, I-Shea, Eliezer Martinez, and Clara Constance-Stickney — veterans of stages alongside Pete Seeger, the Soca Monarchs of the Caribbean, Noel Paul Stookey, and The Alchemystics — the band delivers exuberant musicianship that lifts both feet and spirits.
On a motion by Kim Price, the board voted to amend the minutes of June 11th by adding the words “regarding the ability to extend the contract for an additional year” so the section will now read in its entirety “The board reviewed the proposed new policy – Superintendent Evaluation and Contract. A discussion followed and the chair will reach out to our attorney with a clarifying question regarding the ability to extend the contract for an additional year.”
Lifelong mixed media collage artist Elizabeth Lewis is showing some “puzzling bird miniatures” at All Souls Church, UU during the month of August. Please join us for a reception on Sunday the 17th at 11:30 AM.
Elizabeth is a resident of Putney and a member of ASC. Her first show was here at the then named West Village Meetinghouse in 1981, the year she moved to Vermont from Los Angeles.
The Brattleboro Finance Committee will meet on Monday, August 18, 2025 at 6:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room.
The Traffic Safety Committee will meet on Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 8:00am in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom.
The Brattleboro Town Clerk’s office will be closed Tuesday, August 26 from 12:00-2:00 PM.
I saw something strange in the sky last night. I was out looking for Perseid meteors around 10:30 pm. It was a bit on the early side but I thought I might get lucky. And I did. After 10 minutes or so I saw some very faint little shooting stars above me. It was mostly clear, with a bit of high haze in the east.
I looked across a field to try a different direction. It was clear above me and to the west. Almost immediately I saw a big fiery, flaming meteor come whizzing down. It had a long streak and looked great. Whoo hoo! Mission accomplished – I saw a good one. Time to go in. Then I noticed what looked to be a small plane or satellite moving very slowly in the west. It wasn’t blinking like a plane, though, and it seemed to be moving too slowly to be a satellite. I kept watching.
V New Business
– Recommendation to the Redistricting Task Force
– Letter to Redistricting Task Force
Take a listen and look into Cai Xi’s life – early years in China, her painting heritage from classical to abstract, founding CX Silver Gallery, the arts of Dim Sum cooking and Tai Chi in the community…and she’s doing it all here in Brattleboro.
The Clean Energy States Alliance has a statement about the (at-least-for-now) termination of the Solar for All Program, of which Vermont was participating:
“The Environmental Protection Agency’s careless and unlawful termination of the Solar for All program destroys a critical effort to expand electricity production at a time when the country desperately needs more power.
The 60 Solar for All awardees—mostly state government agencies—have spent the past two years working creatively and diligently to design and roll out cost-effective low-income solar programs in both red and blue states. Ending this popular bipartisan program squanders both their hard work and valuable federal dollars.
