Post-COVID Lives

by RDavis | Health

Life with COVID has been difficult, but humans are a flexible species and we have adapted fairly well to the new normal. There will always be those who do not possess a shred of common sense or decency and thankfully the leader of that group has lost most of his power. The yahoos will persist and the rest of us have to keep as much distance as possible from them.

Thankfully, they are the minority and preventing disease transmission has become part of the daily routine for the majority. That is why we will eventually see a day when other things take priority. The big question is, “When will that day come, if ever?”.

I am trying to imagine what the world will be like a year from now. It is an activity that is all guesswork but it is something that helps to provide some hope for a more active and open society. I think it will take close to a year before there are any significant changes in life as we now know it.

Brattleboro Fire Chief Mike Bucossi Announces Retirement

by cgrotke | Police & Fire

Brattleboro Fire Chief Mike Bucossi announced his retirement via twitter this afternoon:

“After 43 years the end has arrived. I have retired from the Brattleboro Fire Department, effective April 1. It has been a fabulous career and a great honor to work with such a talented, dedicated group. I look forward to quality time with my beautiful wife!”

Make A Snow Head Out of A Pile Of Snow, Win $100

by Rolf | Creative

See all those piles of snow all over Brattleboro? Those are really the heads of giant happy monsters, waiting for you to carve out.

This year, thanks to a grant from the Town Arts Fund, there are three $100 prizes available for the top three Snow Heads, Judged for 1) Goofiness, 2) Artistry, or 3) The level of delight that it causes. 

Brattleboro VFW To-Go Turkey Dinner $12 Open to the Public

by LisaL | Food

It’s back! $12 Brattleboro VFW turkey to-go meal on Saturday March 13th. Turkey, gravy, mashed potato, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce and your choice of blueberry pie or chocolate cake with homemade peanut butter frosting. You will have to call in your meal orders by Friday March 12th and let us know time for pick up, number of meals needed, number to call back, and choice of dessert.

iBrattleboro Turns 18

by cgrotke | iBrattleboro

It’s 02-20-2021 and iBrattleboro is 18 today.  Watch out now, we’re all grown up and can vote! Still a few more years until we can rent a car, but hey…

More seriously, the site stated 18 years ago as a place for people in the Brattleboro area to share news, events, information and opinions. iBrattleboro can be whatever you, the community contributor, wants it to be.  If it is exciting and useful, you made it so.

March 17, 2021 Brattleboro Development Review Board Agenda

by bbannon@brattleboro.org | Town Plan

AGENDA

Call to Order
Review and Approve Minutes of previous meeting.
On the record review of Cases/Public Hearings to be reviewed under the Brattleboro Land Use Regulations. Pursuant to 24 VSA §§ 4464(a)(1)(C) and 4471(a), participation in this local proceeding is a prerequisite to the right to take any subsequent appeal.

Americans Murdering People & Dear Children In the Middle East and Africa Hasn’t Mattered – Not Yet!

by jay janson | Op/Ed

The issue of deadly racism in the USA has been brought to the attention of all Americans by the persistent efforts of impassioned activists, especially by carrying placards with photographs of African-American victims of deadly police actions. Article suggests how the greater toll of darker skinned people murdered by Americans overseas could become a burning issue of concern for American activists fighting racism at home.

Windham Southeast School District School Budget Vote And Info Session

by Not Signed In | Education

Due to COVID safety there will be no in person Windham Southeast School District Annual Meeting this year. You can vote on the school budget and for school board members by requesting a school ballot from your Town Clerk and voting absentee or by voting in person at each of the polling locations in Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, and Putney on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021. Due to COVID-19 and social distancing, voters are strongly encouraged to vote through absentee ballot.

A Virtual Public Information Meeting on the proposed FY ’22 School District Budget is scheduled for Tuesday, February 23 via Zoom at 6pm. The link to the Information Meeting agenda and how to call in, as well as budget documents can be found on the school district’s website listed below: https://www.wsesu.org/wsesd-budget-vote.html

Brattleboro Purple Garbage Bags – Clearing Up Confusion

by Not Signed In | Town News

 The manufacturer of the Town’s Pay-As-You-Throw garbage bags recently sent purple bags intended for Portland, Maine, to Brattleboro retailers. That has caused some understandable confusion for customers and for Triple-T, the Town’s solid waste hauler. Compounding this confusion is the fact that the Portland bags (30.6 gallons) are slightly smaller than the Brattleboro bags (33.5 gallons). Customers who have ended up with Portland bags instead of Brattleboro bags have two options: 

Selectboard Meeting Notes – 100% Renewable? Maybe Later…Soon. Really.

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard feb 2021

An extended discussion about Brattleboro becoming the largest purchaser of Cow Power ended with explanations of feelings and confusions, but no purchase agreement. The Brattleboro Selectboard was saved from making a decision by Town Manager Elwell’s suggestion to gather more data.

Lots of water and sewer improvements and activity, a thank you from Boys & Girls, and a new name for a short street rounded things out.

A Statement from the Brattleboro Planning Commission Regarding Retail Cannabis and Zoning

by planning | Town Plan

In October 2020, S.54, Act 164 became law. This legislation outlines how Vermont will establish retail cannabis sales. The implementation of the legislation is still very much a work in progress. The Act empowers communities to create a local cannabis control commission and for such commission to condition issuance of a local license on any zoning bylaw adopted pursuant to 24 V.S.A §4414.

The purpose of this memo is to provide information on what zoning controls are authorized under the legislation. Many details have been left to be decided on by the State Cannabis Control Board which will be formed in 2021. As currently written, the law allows the following types of zoning regulations:

BCTV Schedules – Week of February 15, 2021

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV Channel 8 / 1075 schedule for the week of 2/15/21

Monday, February 15, 2021

5:30 am The News Project – Press Pass – 1/25/21 – Greg Sukiennik
6:00 am The News Project – In Studio – Pandemic Lessons Learned Part 4
6:30 am Groundworks Collaborative – Brattleboro Area Homelessness Awareness Day Vigil 2021
7:52 am Stuck in Vermont – Building Beds for Kids
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast
9:00 am Brattleboro Rotary Club Speaker Series – Ep 26 – Archer Mayor

Vermont Jazz Center Live Streams: Jonathan Barber and Vision Ahead

by vtjazz | Music

Jonathan Barber’s star has been on the rise since his auspicious 2018 debut, Vision Ahead, and a 2019 tour in Pat Metheny’s trio… an abundance of heightened energy and new ideas executed with pristine precision by the bandleader and his future-facing ensemble.

Bill Milkowski, Downbeat Magazine

Vermont Jazz Center Presents Drummer Jonathan Barber and Vision Ahead in a Live Stream Performance on Saturday, February 20th at 8:00 PM

On February 20th at 8:00 PM, drummer Jonathan Barber’s Vision Ahead will perform a livestream concert at the Vermont Jazz Center which will be viewable on line at www.vtjazz.org

Town Arts Fund Grantees Announced

by cgrotke | Arts

The Arts Council of Windham County announced some recent grantees and the projects that are being funded:

“The 2021 TAF Grantees include:

Puppet Companions (Shoshana Bass, Sandglass Theater) Sandglass Theater and Garden Path Elder Living team up to combat loneliness, promote creativity, and inspire story telling in residential care facilities through the magic of puppetry. Sandglass will create a collection of inviting puppets and accessories, along with a series of guided play suggestions for residents at Holton Home and Bradley House. Puppet makers will also bring Sandglass puppeteers and puppets for window visits with residents.

Reverse Rummage Sale To Benefit Asylum Seekers

by NewsWriter | Activism

The Windham County Democratic Committee is looking for donations to its Reverse Rummage Sale to support families in the Community Asylum Seekers Project who are living in the area while they await asylum hearings.

The WCDC has set up a website with sign-up opportunities, including for two pickup trucks to gather and deliver the donated items the weekend of February 20-21 as well as a Spanish interpreter.

Other items on the list include kitchen bowls, small televisions, a bedroom dresser, twin bed frame, electric iron, blender for fruit juice, microwave oven, men’s winter gloves in size large, bed linens and mattress pad and four curtain panels in 63-inch length.

Brattleboro Selectboard Candidate Interview – Daniel Quipp

by cgrotke | Politics
daniel quipp

Daniel Quipp is an incumbent and running for a one year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard.

Tell us about yourself….

I’m a 42 year old person with a funny accent who has lived in Brattleboro since 2015. My wife is from Newfane and I’ve been coming here since 2004. I work at SEVCA where I run our community solar program, help people get connected to resources, do work with our data and reporting system and assist people in getting health insurance (p.s. If you don’t currently have insurance email me at dquipp@sevca.org or call 802 254 2795). I’ve been on the Selectboard for the last two years and am hopeful you’ll allow me to serve the town for another year.

The Death of Democracy

by RDavis | Politics

As the second Trump impeachment trial comes to an end it is clear that the Republican party has put the final nail in the coffin of democracy. The Democrats share a lot of the blame, but it is the Republicans who have made it clear that the pursuit of truth is no longer a guiding principle of the American form of government and that justice is an ideal that is not attainable.

Politics has always been a dirty business and most people have been willing to accept a high level of bullshit, lying and corruption over the decades and centuries. But we are now at a point where it has become clear that this country has not dealt with what is wrong with the way government works for far too long. The political process is beyond repair.

When a president is allowed to break the law at will and openly trash the constitution then it is impossible for our form of government to have any credibility in the eyes of fair-minded people in this country and around the world.