Brattleboro Senior Meals July 14 thru July 18
July 14 BBQ Meatballs
Roasted Poatoes
Mixed Veggies
Fruit Parfait
What Would Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch & Becca Balint Do If A Vermont Farm Worker Was Sent To Alligator Alcatraz?
In this new YouTube video today, July 12, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFfACyu4BWY
Florida Congress Members visited Alligator Alcatraz and were allowed only partial access, (but denied full entry and full examination of the facility), but did see that 32 men are put in each cage with barely walking space between bunk beds, there are 3 toilets per cage and drinking water comes from the top of the toilet, so that if 3 men are sitting on the toilets then no one else can get a drink of water, 2 out of 3 toilets at any time can be overflowing with feces on the floor, and the temperatures inside are 83 degrees F and higher, and the meals don’t meet nutritional requirements of human beings, etc. One Florida Congressperson said that there was someone screaming that they were a U.S. Citizen.
WSESD Board Meeting Minutes – July 8, 2025
Summary
– The Board welcomed two new student representatives for the 25-26 school year.
– Universal Pre K contracts were approved for the upcoming school year.
– A summary will be requested from Legal Counsel of work and cases litigated, settled or considered for litigation or currently awaiting resolution involving WSESD/SU in the past three years.
– In light of the approval of bill H.454 by the Senate and House of Representatives on June 16, 2025, the WSESD board voted to remain within a Supervisory Union within a larger governance region to the extent practical to the new redistricting task force.
Kikitta Ahki (250 Birge St.) to Temporarily Close on July 14
Brookside Timber Harvesting will be treating Kikitta Ahki, the park located at 250 Birge Street in Brattleboro, for invasive plants on Monday, July 14, 2025. The park will be closed for 24 hours to allow the spray to dry. The rain date for this work is Tuesday, July 15.
Brattleboro VTrans Paving Project Construction Update 7/11/2025
Nighttime single-lane closures will be in place Monday, July 14th through Friday morning from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Work will begin on Vermont Route 142 (Vernon Street) and continue on U.S. Route 5 (Canal Street) toward the Exit 1 Interstate 91 interchange. Flaggers will be present to direct one-way alternating traffic through the work zone. Motorcycles should watch for grooved and uneven surfaces.
PARKING IMPACTS:
Street side parking will be unavailable on Canal Street from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Monday night through Friday morning. Please see the infographic below for locations on parking restrictions and alternative lots available. For more information regarding rates and hours visit https://brattleboro.gov/parking.
Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas
The Human Services Committee will meet on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at 7:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room and over Zoom.
The Charter Revision Commission will meet on Thursday, July 17, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom.
Church Street Closure
The Utilities Division will be continuing work replacing a sewer line on Church Street on Monday, July 14 and Tuesday, July 15. Church Street will be closed from 6:00am to 5:00pm for this replacement. There will be no parking on Church Street during this time and motorists should plan alternative routes .
Justin Taylor on “Here We Are”
“Life is always simpler with a torch in your hand” says JUSTIN TAYLOR, master craftsman, welder, designer, Airstream customizer and snow board champ. Now co-owner of Iron and Oak on Arch St. with his wife Kaila Cumings, they create beautiful magic with metal, wood and fire.
Brattleboro Press Release – Overgrown Vegetation
Please be advised. Property owners are responsible for trimming and maintaining vegetation on their property if it may interfere with the public right of way. Overgrown vegetation creates an unsafe situation for pedestrians who may have to walk in the roadway to get by. It also impacts the sight distance for vehicular traffic. Please inspect and trim your vegetation accordingly. The town ordinance reads as follows:
Selectboard Meeting Notes – Bridge Over Troubled Island, Charter Changes
The Brattleboro Selectboard learned what the Brattleboro Charter Commission has been working on regarding the form of town governance and other possible changes to the Charter. The Commission has put over two years of work into this and the Chair seemed quite interested in being able to edit whatever they present, such as the form of town government, when it comes before the board again in September.
The next big discussion was about the old Hinsdale bridges. Hinsdale sent some semi-unanticipated reps to read Brattleboro the riot act. They seemed to take special glee in pointing out just how terrible Brattleboro’s problems are, and wanted to know if the town would agree that the bridges should be destroyed or sold. A split vote at the end of the discussion means Brattleboro does not surrender in the battle
Intent to Start New Minor Political Party in Vermont Now, for the 2026 Election Season
You may have come across in the news various stories about how Elon Musk is going to start a new political party in the United States of America!
We must counter this immediately as best we can here in Vermont!
For every vote his newly proposed party takes, we must have equal and opposite votes to dilute his!
Update on the “Free Mahmoud Khalil” Story, Vermonters Protested His Arrest in March 2025
There were a number of stories in Vermont about Vermonters rallying and/or protesting the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil for being a Pro-Palestinian Activist.
Here is an update on the whole entire huge, enormous situation, which has grown and expanded exponentially because President Trump’s Administration will tolerate foreign students only if they keep their mouths shut.
Brattleboro Senior Meals July 7 thru July 11
July 7 BBQ Chicken
Apple Cole Slaw
Black Beans & Corn
Peaches
Oligarchy Trumps Independence
The passage of the 2025 budget marks the transition from democracy to oligarchy. Once the drastic economic and social changes are in place it will be extremely difficult to make meaningful change. In order to restore democracy, if such a move will even be possible, it may require the American people to overtake the current government by force.
Complacency is no longer an option. You may fall into one of three categories. You may be a MAGA maniac and are happy with the turn of events. You may have you head under a rock and have been able to ignore all of the current news or you are in a constant state of anxiety over the direction that American government is taking.
Here’s the definition of oligarchy according to the Merriam Webster dictionary.
WSESD Board Meeting Agenda July 8, 2025
Motion that the legal counsel prepare in writing a summary of all cases involving the WSESD/SU within the past 3 years. The summary should include all cases litigated, settled, considered for litigation, or currently awaiting resolution. The summary should also include the nature of the matter and any financial or policy implications to the extent permissible by law. It is understood that this summary will be discussed only in Executive Session by the WSESD Board and not revealed to the general public.
Big Beautiful Bill Passed U.S. Congress, Sent to President Trump to Sign, Now What Can Vermont Do?
There are many news reports to read, but I want you all to start thinking about who could be President in 2028. None of the current Democrats were strong enough to lead both sides of the aisle into defeating this Big Beautiful Bill.
There is no one currently in office who qualifies, because no one currently in an elected office stepped up to the plate to lead a bipartisan group to defeat President Donald Trump’s bill.
Brattleboro and VT COVID-19 Regional Dashboard Summary – July 2025
It’s the July 2025 dashboard summary. We continue semi-regular COVID-19 dashboard numbers from the Vermont Department of Health, and MA counties that surround Brattleboro, as long as they continue providing them. New Hampshire has shut down their reporting. Numbers are low, but not zero. Scroll down the new comments for the latest.
Most Important Speech July 3, 2025 During Debate On One Big Beautiful Bill Act
This is the most important Speech today during the debate on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – July 8, 2025
The Brattleboro Selectboard starts July with a big meeting on the 8th. They’ll spend almost a half million dollars on DPW vehicles, authorize tax collectors going after local businesses, pay for a new $476k retaining wall, and that’s just in the consent agenda. (They’ll also retroactively consider a parade permit – if it fails, do the participants need to march backwards?)
Once the meeting gets going in full, the board will hear from the Charter Revision Commission, receive an update on the old Hinsdale bridges, set a property tax rate of $1.5835 per $100, hear about increases to water and sewer rates, spend over $500k on space for police and bathrooms downtown, and more.
You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
Brattleboro Tree Advisory Board Meeting Agenda July 10, 2025
The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Board will meet on Thursday, July 10, 2025 in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room in the Municipal Center (230 Main Street, Rm. 211).
Jessica Sticklor (she/her/hers)
Executive Assistant
Town of Brattleboro
