World Book Night Deadline To Apply To Be A Giver Is January 5, 2014

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

The Friends of Brooks Memorial Library are once again participating in World Book Night – an international event that gives volunteers thousands of free books to distribute in their communities. 

This year’s book titles are diverse and wonderful; authors like Agatha Christie; Joseph Heller and Maria Semple ; books ranging widely from the incredibly popular “The Dog Stars” to “The Tipping Point” to the beautifully written “Bridge to Terabithia”. It’s easy to get involved. Simply go to worldbooknightus.org and look over the book titles; choose the 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice of books that you would like to give away. Read the guidelines and apply to be a giver and submit. It’s that easy!

Weekend Concert Series: Janelle Monae

by cgrotke | Entertainment

I know very little about Janelle Monae other than every time I’ve seen her perform, it has been energetic and exciting. She reminds me a bit of James Brown, Prince, and Michael Jackson, but has her own style. It’s rap, R&B, island, soul, and pop all rolled into one. Spastic is another word some might use.

This show is from the Made in America Festival 2012, kicks off with a bit of a latin groove and moves through dancey hits and cover songs, and everyone seems to be having fun.

Is the NSA Spying on Congress?

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., Jan. 3 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today asked the National Security Agency director whether the agency has monitored the phone calls, emails and Internet traffic of members of Congress and other elected officials.

“Has the NSA spied, or is the NSA currently spying, on members of Congress or other American elected officials?” Sanders asked in a letter to Gen. Keith Alexander, the NSA director. “ ‘Spying’ would include gathering metadata on calls made from official or personal phones, content from websites visited or emails sent, or collecting any other data from a third party not made available to the general public in the regular course of business?”

150 Years Ago (1863 12/28)

by BusyMom | History

Dec. 28th.  I shall commence where I have left off, though before this you have probably seen Zopher.  he will tell you all about me and our company.  Amory Parker has been down here and left this morning.  I should have sent a pair of pants and blouse by Zopher, but they were not to be found when he was here.  I have just been to the barracks and hunted them up.  I am there but little by daylight and things get changed round there some.  The Pants have been worn since I took them off but they are mine for I found some nails and strings in the pockets, of course they were mine.

Remember The Critters

by Zippy | Pets

Please remeber to look out for your, and your neighbors, animals in the coming storm.   No animal should be teathered outside this time of year.  Remember, drinking water for barn animals can freeze.

Keep your eyes open for the critters.

Thanks.

The Acceptance

by cgrotke | Creative

Here’s a project just completed in time for the new year. It’s an abstract, torn-paper animation done to accompany a song, The Acceptance, by composer and musician Denis Malloy.

It’s a short journey from dark to light, mixing torn edges and clean cut lines.

Happy New Year !

by KAlden | Living

Hoping everyone has a new year filled with peace of mind, contentment, good health and many quiet joys.

Let’s all treat our fellow human beings with kindness, compassion and respect.

Happy 2014!!

Sanders Calls for Minimum Wage Increase

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 31 – With minimum wages set to go up on New Year’s Day in Vermont and 12 other states, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today renewed his call for an increase in the federal minimum wage.

“States and communities are not waiting for Congress to raise the minimum wage. They are doing the right thing because the simple truth is that working people cannot survive on the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, or $8 an hour or $9 an hour. If people work 40 hours a week, they deserve not to live in dire poverty,” Sanders said.

Biologic Wellness Center Open for January Gallery Walk

by Not Signed In | Health

Biologic Wellness Center will be hosting a photography exhibit and open house, during Gallery Walk, on Friday, January 3rd. Stop by our space on the ground floor of the Merchant’s Bank Building. Meet the featured exhibitor, Brattleboro resident, Dave Eagle, and enjoy his creative, edgy photographs. He describes himself as “a father, writer, photographer, irritable tech guy, forklift operator, ironist, socialist gubernatorial candidate, and a proponent of the Oxford comma.” Dave’s images, occurring at the “intersection of growth and decay,” remind the viewer that technological advance is fleeting and human triumph only temporary. This stunning, thought-provoking exhibit is on display throughout January.

Ask-a-Cop: Cellular Phone Tower Dumps

by BrattPoliceDept | Police & Fire

“Has the department ever requested or used tower dumps (requesting all data from a cell tower)? If so, did it require a warrant or court order?” 

The Brattleboro Police Department regularly obtains information from cellular phone companies.  This information is obtained through the use of court ordered search warrants or subpoenas, depending on the information sought.  These orders relate to specific suspects or specific phone numbers. 

If the officer has applied for it specifically, and the judge approved it, the information will include what cell towers were used by the person/number and when.  However, BPD has never requested a cell tower dump.

GMP Surcharge.

by tomaidh | Sci-Tech

I know that climate change is a myth, but somebody better tell Green Mountain Power. They have just announced that customers will be assessed a 1 ½% surcharge due to increased frequency of major storms.

Brattleboro 2014 Elections and the Annual Representative Town Meeting Information

by Not Signed In | Town News

Petitions for Brattleboro Town and Town School District Officers and Town Meeting Members are now available at the Town Clerk’s office. Town elections will be Tuesday, March 4, and the Annual Representative Town Meeting, Saturday, March 22.

Petitions for Town Officers must contain at least 30 valid signatures of registered Brattleboro voters and be filed in the clerk’s office no later that 5:00 P.M. on Monday, January 27 in order to have their name placed on the ballot.

Circumnavigating Brattleboro

by tomaidh | The Region

There’s a great driving loop that circles Brattleboro and takes you through some “Real Vermont” country.

Here’s a map.

1. Start at Main & Canal, by the Food Co-op. Go through Malfunction Jct. and head south down 142 , along the river towards Vernon.

2. After about a mile +/- go right on Broad Brook Rd (Twisty road) to Rt. 5 in Algiers (Guilford).

Back To School: Questions on Public Education In Brattleboro

by Lise | Education

When I said last year that I was going to try to figure out what was going on in public education, I had no idea what a gigantic project that would turn out to be. Not only is it complex, it’s also political, making it that much harder to unravel the claims of groups both for and against. In short, despite hours of research, I still have questions. But our own Brattleboro Town School Board says it wants to do outreach on education, and I think we should take the opportunity to reach out to them so we’ll get our questions answered and our concerns allayed (or not). To get the ball rolling, I have a list of questions I’d like to see addressed by local education officials. Even if no public discussion ensues, at least we’ll know what’s going on.