WSESU Board Meeting Minutes May 14, 2025

by Not Signed In | Education

Administrative Report – Mark spoke of the ongoing development of the district’s pre-K program.

The Oak Grove pre-K will move to the Canal Street facility giving more opportunities for collaboration and teamwork as well as a specialized program for intensive behavior which may reduce out of district placements. We are in the beginning phase of this new project with an expected start date of the fall. Open house tomorrow night 4-6 pm. Mark gave thanks to Mary Kaufmann for her work on both the intensive services program and the Pre-K.

Twilight On The Tavern Lawn Presents The Emily Margaret Band

by hahrenholz | Music

PUTNEY – Twilight Music and Next Stage Arts continue the 22nd Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of bluegrass, Americana, world, swing, and pop music summer concerts on Sunday, June 15 with The Emily Margaret Band. The seven concert series continues every other Sunday through August 24. All concerts begin at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain. The series is sponsored by Next Stage, the Town of Putney, and many Putney area businesses and organizations. The concerts are free to the public (donations are accepted) and food will be available. For more information, call 802-387-5772 or visit nextstagearts.org.

WSESD Board Meeting Agenda – May 27, 2025

by Not Signed In | Education

A. Leadership Council Updates
B. Board Sub-Committees and SU Updates
C. Update on legislative issues related education (Tim & Jocelyn)
D. Update regarding Board Goals (Kim, Tim, Jessica, Ruby)
E. Consider annual review as per WSESD Ongoing Social Justice and Anti-Racist Commitment (Matt, Jocelyn, Mikaela)

Brattleboro Memorial Day Closings

by Not Signed In | Town News

In observance of Memorial Day, all Brattleboro Town offices will be closed on Monday, May 26, 2025, with the exception of emergency services.

Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Monday, May 26, 2025. All other violations will be enforced.

My Conscience is a Thought Crime

by CCM Holland Mills | Op/Ed

This is a reply to The Shalom Alliance’s piece printed two weeks ago in The Commons (https://www.commonsnews.org/issue/814/814000_shalom-alliance) and last week in The Reformer:

The imps infesting the Ministry of Truth giggled with glee as they read The Shalom Alliance’s clarion call for censorship during the barbaric starvation of Arab babies nine months old barely weighing two pounds more.  The laughably obnoxious notion of the ADL as arbiter of speech is despicably anti-American, akin to last week’s House panel on campus antisemitism, McCarthy’s HUAC reincarnate demanding young souls decrying genocide be vilified as the new commies deserving the harshest of penalties personal and professional.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Board Hears Updates & Reports

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard may 20 2025

The Brattleboro Selectboard heard a number of updates and reports at their second regular meeting of May. They learned how a grant was used to help with housing, how a group would like to expand passenger rail service in the region, how Green Mountain Power is burying some of the most problematic electrical circuits, and more.

More, of course, included hearing that utility rates would be increasing.

Revised May 21 Brattleboro Development Review Board Agenda

by bbannon@brattleboro.org | Town Plan

Review of Cases/Public Hearings to be reviewed under the Brattleboro Land Use Regulations as warned on October 12, 2015.
2025-32                Tarmy Properties, LLC; Service Center District; request for Site Plan Approval to construct a 120’ x 150’ dry storage warehouse by 983 Putney Road; Tax Map Parcel #70724.120

Sketch Plan Review.
2025-33                Brattleboro School District; Residential Neighborhood 3600 District; Sketch Plan Review to construct an eleven bay parking lot at 112 Canal Street; Tax Map Parcel #325158.000

Lissa Weinmann on “Here We Are”

by Wendy O'Connell | Arts

LISSA WEINMANN is a powerful force in our community who has helped bring our history, people and stories together through the creation of The Brattleboro Words Project and 118 Elliot arts center. Tune in for some great stories of her other lives as a foreign agent and in international and local affairs.

Church Street Closure

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Utilities Division will be repairing a sewer line on Church Street on Wednesday, May 21.  Church Street will be closed from 8:30am to 2:00pm for this repair.  There will be no parking on Church Street during this time and motorists should plan alternative routes.  

A Mesmerizing Evening of Global Rhythms: Aura Shards and Compass Trio to Perform at Next Stage Arts

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts is thrilled to present an unforgettable double bill of transcendent world music featuring Aura Shards and the Compass Trio on Friday, June 13 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, Putney.

Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and $10 for livestream access, available now at nextstagearts.org.

Hailing from Brattleboro, Vermont, Aura Shards is a world fusion duo known for their immersive soundscapes centered on the Hand Pan—a mesmerizing, melodic percussion instrument. Fusing contemporary instrumentation with ancient rhythms, Anders Burrows (Hand Pan, Didgeridoo, Djembe) and Jed Blume (Hand Pan, Tabla, Djembe) deliver original compositions that are both rhythmically dynamic and harmonically serene. Their music invites both introspection and movement, offering listeners a rich, meditative journey through sound.

The Promises and Perils Of Gene Editing

by RDavis | Sci-Tech

It would have seemed impossible only a few years ago, but medical researchers have been able to edit a baby’s genes so that he does not suffer from a rare genetic disease. A press release from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia explains, “In a historic medical breakthrough, a child diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder has been successfully treated with a customized CRISPR gene editing therapy by a team at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Penn Medicine. The infant, KJ, was born with a rare metabolic disease known as severe carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1) deficiency. After spending the first several months of his life in the hospital, on a very restrictive diet, KJ received the first dose of his bespoke therapy in February 2025 between six and seven months of age. The treatment was administered safely, and he is now growing well and thriving.”

There have also been cases of gene editing for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. But in KJ’s case this is the first time gene editing was done for one individual which means the editing only applies to his case. For those other diseases, anyone who has them can use the same editing process.

Report of the Brattleboro Finance Committee for Special Representative Town Meeting

by fidel | Town News

The report of the RTM Finance Committee for the May 27 Special Representative Town Meeting is posted on the Town’s website.

Go to: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rO3ELZP6e8HewXSf4CmYVbYtCaximdvL/view

The Finance Committee met weekly while the Selectboard was working on the revised budget and then held four meetings in May to prepare the report.

Twilight On The Tavern Lawn Presents Acoustic Nomads

by hahrenholz | Music

Twilight Music and Next Stage Arts Project launch the 22nd Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of bluegrass, Americana, world, swing, and pop music summer concerts on Sunday, June 1 with progressive world music quartet Acoustic Nomads.  The seven concert series continues every other Sunday through August 24.  All concerts begin at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain.  The series is sponsored by Next Stage, the Town of Putney, and many Putney area businesses and organizations.  The concerts are free to the public (donations are accepted) and food will be available.  For more information, call 802-387-5772 or visit nextstagearts.org.

At the crossroads of South American Folklore and Northern Americana,  Acoustic Nomads blends music from two continents to create soaring original melodies, playful improvisations, and driving grooves, sweeping listeners away on a journey from the Appalachians to the Andes.  Since forming at Berklee College of Music in 2019, Acoustic Nomads has been pushing the envelope of progressive acoustic music – drawing inspiration from the likes of Turtle Island String Quartet, David Grisman, Hamilton de Holanda, and many of Bela Fleck’s acoustic projects, all united in that they use acoustic instruments and are universally beyond category.  Acoustic Nomads forges a sound interweaving North and South American musical threads as varied as the continents themselves.  

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes – May 20, 2025

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will have a regular meeting on Tuesday and will hear lots of updates and reports – on expanding rail service to Connecticut, electric company projects, state legislation, FY25 budget numbers, and the results of a Utility Rate Study to see if Brattleboro customers are paying the right amount.

You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation if the Chair anticipates what you are about to say is germane.