Taking A Deep Breath

by spoon | Op/Ed

More than anything else I hope, maybe a lot of people hope, that the Selectboard can come to function as a unified body.  Not that they all need to have the same beliefs and opinions about everything.  Unified in the sense of a mutual desire to listen to and bring out the best in each other.  A body that can consider matters in such a way that, even if they don’t entirely agree with one another they know they have reached the best possible conclusion they can.

Tradition dictates against that.  The modus operandi of the Selectboard, as I have observed it for the twenty-five years I’ve been in town, is five separate people vying to prevail.  The result is that they quickly tire of their own “deliberations” long before anything is fully discussed or analyzed.  At that point, having grown impatient and irritable, one of them calls for a vote and whichever three find the same solution least disagreeable determines the final decision.

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Week of May 4

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

I-91
Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge in the Fall of 2015.

Weather permitting, night work will be conducted Sunday night, May 4th through Friday Night, May 9th.

Route 30
The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Spring of 2016.

Project-related truck activity on Route 30 will continue. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently both day and night, with flaggers regulating traffic within the work zone.

The Vermont Jazz Center Presents: Bob Stabach’s CD Release Party

by Not Signed In | Entertainment

Bob Stabach, a “local treasure,” to release his first jazz recording as a leader

On Sunday April 27, at 7:00 PM, Bob Stabach will be celebrating the release of his first jazz CD as a leader. The project, entitled “Light Forms” has been a labor of love for Stabach and his working quartet who include Stabach on saxophone, Eugene Uman on piano, George Kaye on bass and Jon Fisher on drums; the group has been playing together for about 5 years. They have been a kind of “house band” at arts presenter, Wendy Redlinger’s home where she has graciously offered the quartet and other high-level artists an opportunity to present their music in a great sounding, comfortable, welcoming space with a fine acoustic piano. For jazz musicians, Wendy’s Soirees attract a dream audience: listeners who thrive on hearing new compositions and observing the creative process in action. Bob has chosen to release his CD at Wendy’s because her home has been the workshop space where much of the music, now etched on his brand-new recording, was performed for the first time. The concert begins at 7:00; all are welcome to a 6:00 community potluck to meet and greet the artists.

Adult Beginning Violin Class: Starting Next Week!

by Pam Lierle | Music

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!  

Instrument provided!

The Adult Beginning Violin Class is a GREAT opportunity to explore learning an instrument, with no pressure or expectations. Just 5 lessons, then you decide if it is right for you.

The Adult Beginning Violin Class, is for true beginners interested in “trying out” an instrument.  The ever patient and enthusiastic Michelle Liechti will lead this adult class on Thursdays, from 9:30-11 am, starting May 1, at the BMC. Tuition for 5 sessions is $50 and loaner violins are available.  

Beyond Any Reasonable Bounds of Jurisprudence

by Vidda | Op/Ed

Since Vermont is one of the 17 states to (finally) decriminalize possession of marijuana, one could say that the Legislature and governor should be patted on the back for doing the right thing.

But wait. Not so fast.

Is decriminalizing marijuana really an admission of guilt and culpability in criminalizing people who were not criminals before?

Women in Music Gala Features Opera & Chamber Music by Elise Grant

by fomag | Music

Marlboro, Vt. — Friends of Music at Guilford presents its 5th Annual Celebration of Women in Music, the organization’s signature season fundraiser, at a private home atop Ames Hill in Marlboro on Saturday, April 26. Guests are treated to a generous buffet of hearty hors d’oeuvres and salads to enjoy on arrival, then are offered a sampling of desserts after the concert program, which begins at 7.

Sanders Congratulates Vermont Lawmakers on Food Labels Law

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., April 23 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today congratulated the Vermont Legislature for passing a bill making Vermont the first state in the nation to require labels on food containing genetically-modified ingredients.

“I am very proud our small state stood up to Monsanto and other multi-national food conglomerates and is taking the lead in a movement to allow the people of our country to know what is in the food that they eat,” Sanders said. “Working with Vermonters, I will continue my efforts in Washington to pass national legislation on this important issue.”

Brattleboro Town Budget Line-Items That May Be Cut?

by eschmitt | Op/Ed

Hey folks, this debate on the town budget and property tax rate has spurred me to register here and join the conversation, as my schedule does not permit me to attend meatspace meetings at this time.

Let me say first off that my fiance and I, as well as every friend and neighbor in town that I’ve talked to about the issue, voted and/or reads the budget rejection not as merely a repudiation of the police and fire project, but rather as an outcry against the exhorbitantly high tax rate in Brattleboro in general.   There seems to be some debate on whether the rejection of the vote was asking for a scalpel to excise the police and fire project or a wider issue.  

Life Coach Training in Brattleboro

by Not Signed In | Education

Got self?

That’s the question that lies at the heart of a new nationally certified life coach training program. “The Will to Grow: Transformational Life Coaching” will be the subject of a free informational session this Sunday, April 27th from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. in Brattleboro.

The new course will be offered in two formats: a “live” training program this summer for local residents and a teleconference training starting in the fall that will enroll students across the U.S. and internationally. Students who complete either program are eligible to become a Board Certified Coach through the Center for Credentialing & Education.

Muslim Journey: Literary Reflections on Islam: The Conference of the Birds

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Muslim Journey: Literary Reflections on Islam: The Conference of the Birds by Farid al-Din Attar, translated by Dick Davis and Afkham Darbandi. Wednesday 23 April 2014, 7 – 9 pm. Please join Marlboro scholar and Professor of Religious Studies, Amer Latif, in a journey through the literature of Islam. Islam has long provided a source of inspiration through which Muslims experience, understand, and guide their everyday lives.

The readings for this theme can be seen as literary reflections on Muslim piety and communal concepts such as ethics, governance, knowledge, and identity. Each one reveals transformations in faith and identity, as Muslims living at different times and in different places have interpreted Islamic traditions to meet their distinctive cultural realities and spiritual needs.

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Budget Rejection Meeting – Deciphering The Vote, and No New Bond

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard held a meeting Tuesday evening with a single issue on the agenda – the rejection of the FY15 budget by voters at the recent special referendum. The board disagreed with one another and with those attending over the precise meaning of the vote and, therefore, what to do about it. Some heard a cry for drastic action while others heard a request to simply reign in the facility renovations.

One thing, however, seemed quite clear to everyone: there will be no new $9 million bond for the Police and Fire facility project in the fiscal 2015 budget.

Look Beyond the Library and Parks, Please

by KAlden | Op/Ed

This was posted on the Reformer Face Book page tonight.

SELECTBOARD CONSIDERING HALTING POLICE-FIRE PROJECT.
The board met for 90 minutes Tuesday to consider making cuts to the FY 2015 budget. The board is asking interim Town Manager Patrick Moreland to investigate a range of cuts, including cutting positions in the library and Parks and Recreation Department. The board is also considering halting the $14 million police-fire project. The board is going to meet on April 29 to make final decisions about the budget.

Early Childhood Education Matters

by cohnpr | Education

by Chloe Learey

Today, there is a focus at both the national and state level on how best to support early childhood education and services so that our youngest citizens have the best possible foundation to develop optimally. President Obama talked about early childhood education in his state of the union address, Governor Shumlin commissioned an Early Childhood Framework and Action Plan which was published on March 28th, and the state of Vermont is the recipient of a Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant which will bring $36.9 million dollars to the state over the next four years to bolster the infrastructure of early childhood services and education.

Women’s Cardiac Symposium at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital

by BMH | Health

at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will be hosting a on May 3, 2014. The Symposium will be held in the Brew Barry Conference area from 7:30 AM -12:30 PM.

The Symposium will host several speakers who will discuss the impact of heart disease on women. Topics will include cardiac risk factors, emergency care, STEMI protocols, cardiac rehabilitation and how Accountable Care Organizations are working to improve the continuum of care. For more information about speakers, .

“We are very excited to be able to bring so many experts together to discuss the impact of heart disease on women,” said Marcy Rushford, Director of Cardiovascular Health. “Women are often so busy taking care of others, that they neglect themselves and the warning signs for heart disease. By offering this free seminar, we are hoping to raise awareness.”

The High Street Nuisance of 1881

by cgrotke | History

Here’s an interesting story from April 22, 1881. It seems that the F.W. Childs company came through one day and put up telephone poles along High Street on behalf of the Bell Telephone Company. The “boys” doing the work did a lousy job of it, leaving a mess of unfinished (ie, natural growth, not sawed or turned) poles up the street.

This upset residents, but there was a new statute allowing for poles to be placed for private telegraph and telephone lines, and the Selectmen had given the company permission. Asked later, the Selectmen said they didn’t know what they were signing.

Prescription Drug Take Back Day – Saturday, April 26th 10am – 2pm

by BAPC | Health

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of medication disposal, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of these medications. Clean our your medicine cabinet and bring your expired and unused medications to one of the following locations.

Bellows Falls Police Dept. 170 Rockingham St., Bellows Falls

Brattleboro Police Dept. 230 Main St., Brattleboro 

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Project: Upper Dummerston Road Closure Monday

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

UPPER DUMMERSTON CLOSURE: Upper Dummerston Road will be closed starting at 7:00 AM Monday, April 28, 2014 for a period of up to five days. The closure date and start time will be confirmed to stakeholders a minimum of 72 hours in advance after the team is able to confirm forecasted weather conditions are acceptable for work to proceed. Once the closure begins, no through traffic will be permitted on Upper Dummerston Road through the I-91 right-of-way. Concrete demolition activities will occur around the clock and will produce elevated noise levels.

Sanders On Earth Day

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., April 22 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a member of the Senate environment and energy committees, said today’s observation of Earth Day is a reminder that dramatic action is needed to curb the carbon and methane emissions responsible for the planetary crisis of global warming.

Sanders cited a warning this month by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, made up of the world’s leading climate scientists, which reported that emissions of greenhouse gases have gone up nearly twice as fast so far in the 21st century as they did in the last decades of the 20th century.