Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Informational Session and Caucuses

by Not Signed In | Politics

Brattleboro Town Selectboard will hold a pre-town meeting information forum on Wednesday, March 2 at AcademySchool beginning at 7:00 PM to discuss the upcoming special representative town meeting scheduled for March 12 regarding the question of relocating the police department headquarters.

Prior to the 7pm forum, each district will caucus beginning at 6:30 PM to allow town meeting members of each district to be available to meet with constituents. Also, at that time, districts will be accepting nominations to fill town meeting member vacancies.

The Face Book

by cgrotke | History

Oh, sure, it’s the name of a corporation, but do you know the origins of the name?

A face book is/was a booklet given out to freshmen at colleges at the beginning of the school year. It was an alphabetical listing of all fellow freshpeople and their pictures. The stated reason for producing it was so that new students could get to know one another more quickly if they could look one another up in a guide.

It was a mini-yearbook, to give social interaction on campus a boost.

Caravan of Thieves w/ Brian Dunne at Next Stage on Saturday, February 27

by Not Signed In | Music

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present acoustic swing and alt gypsy jazz quartet Caravan of Thieves, plus folk rock singer/songwriter Brian Dunne, at Next Stage on Saturday, February 27 at 7:30 pm.

For the past eight years, Caravan of Thieves has roamed the North American continent recruiting a family of avid thrill seekers at their high energy shows. Driving gypsy jazz rhythms, acoustic guitars, upright bass and violin lay the foundation for mesmerizing vocal harmonies and fantastic stories. It’s theatrical and humorous. It’s musical and intense. It entertains, dazzles and defies classification while welcoming the spectator to join the band throughout the performance in momentary fits of claps, snaps and sing-alongs.

Vermont Senate Update- Marijauna Vote Today

by Not Signed In | State News

Dear Friends,

I have been working on reforming our cannabis laws for over a decade, including leading the efforts to allow its use for medical purposes. Today S.241, “An act relating to personal possession and cultivation of cannabis and the regulation of commercial cannabis establishments,” heads to the Senate floor for debate and a vote.

This bill has passed through many senate committees and been amended many times. While it may not completely represent our goals for cannabis reform it represents a huge shift from no regulation to a regulated and managed product.

Several amendments will be offered today as the bill is debated on the Senate floor. I will be offering one, co-sponsored by Senator Rogers, which would allow for individuals to cultivate for personal use.

Brattleboro Town Clerk’s Office Closed March 1

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Town Clerk’s office will be closed Tuesday, March 1 for elections. Elections will be held in the Selectboard Meeting Room of the Municipal Center. Polling hours are 7 am – 7 pm.

Annette L. Cappy
Brattleboro Town Clerk
230 Main Street, Suite 108
Brattleboro. VT 05301

acappy@brattleboro.org
ph 802-251-8129
fax 802-257-2312

Avery Schwenk – A Young Man Ready To Serve

by Vidda | Politics

In my lifetime of participating in and out of the political process, one of the demographics painfully missing in the process has been and still largely is young people. The notion that young people have no or little experience in office should not be an impediment to young people’s candidacies nor a reason why not to vote for them. [(R-L) Christophe Gagne and Avery Schwenk]

For too long all levels of politics are denied probably the most important voices needed to understand the present and prepare for the future. As Spoon Agave wrote in the February 22nd edition of the Reformer, “The world is never going to be like most old-timers thought it would be and are still trying, laboriously, fruitlessly and wastefully, to make it become.”

Stroll, Technology Group Plan “Tech Salad” Meetup To Explore Business Opportunities

by MartinLangeveld | Sci-Tech

What new business ideas might emerge if a group of local farm and food entrepreneurs explored ideas with a group of local technology experts?

That’s what Strolling of the Heifers and the Brattleboro Area Tech group intend to find out at “Tech Salad,” a farm-food-tech business workshop on March 3 at 5:30 p.m. at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden. The goal is of the workshop is to explore opportunities for ways in which these sectors can collaborate and solve problems, including new methods, new markets, new products, and potentially whole new businesses.

Tech Salad is the first of several such workshops planned by Strolling of the Heifers to connect farm and food entrepreneurs with members of various other sectors, as the first phase of Windham Grows, a new Stroll program designed to help launch and grow businesses in the Windham County farm and food sector.

Compelling Speech From Apple

by cgrotke | Sci-Tech

The FBI wants to get inside an iPhone. The owner of the phone was killed in a hail of bullets. Having killed the person with the passcode to the phone, they then instructed the dead person’s employer to try to change the passcode. In doing so, the employer made it more difficult for the FBI to accomplish its goal.

The FBI gets a friendly judge to write an order to the Apple corporation, telling them they must write code to help the FBI break into iPhones. To do so, Apple would need to compromise its security for all customers using the product for legitimate, useful purposes, such as secure banking and communications.

There is certainly a discussion to be had about privacy and security underway, but we might also do well to consider the First Amendment.

Upper Dummerston Road Closings

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

The project team is planning to close Upper Dummerston Road tomorrow morning, February 22 at 8:00 am. Due to the weather that may be coming tomorrow night and lasting through Thursday, we MAY open the Upper Dummerston Road tomorrow night and then close it again for a day or two when we can resume erection later this week or early next week. We will keep you posted as plans develop.

Cindy Cook
Principal, Adamant Accord, Inc.
Past Vice President, Association for Conflict Resolution

Please Vote David Gartenstein for Brattleboro Selectboard

by Not Signed In | Politics

Serving on Brattleboro’s Selectboard has been one of the greatest honors and privileges of my life. Government is a fundamental public trust, and I am humbled to have been elected to represent and work for Brattleboro’s citizens in providing oversight and direction for our Town.

I am running again for Selectboard because I want to continue the important work we are doing. As a member and chair of the Board, I have many priorities. Our government should be responsive, open, and transparent. Everyone should be able to have a voice in the process, and we should listen to and hear competing views thoughtfully and respectfully. Municipal services need to be provided in a safe and effective manner that meets the needs of our community and our ability to pay. Decisions should be made after careful consideration of all available information, with sufficient time for reflection, based on what best serves the public good.

BCTV Schedules For The Week Of 2/22/2016

by cgrotke | Media

BCTV channel 8 schedule for the week of 2/22/16 

Monday, February 22, 2016

12:00 am Kicked Out: Forum on Unfair & Unequal Discipline in VT Public Schools

1:30 am WWAC: Thomas White – Encountering Auschwitz 1/22/16

3:30 am WSESU Leaders: Aug 2015, Pt 2

5:30 am SCORE Roundtable: I need Money for My Business

6:45 am 2016 Lunar New Year in Brattleboro

2016 Elections: Reality Check-in

by Lise | Politics

As we watch the primaries unfold (a process that continues until early June, if you can believe it), I thought I would finally take a few minutes to figure out how the primaries actually work these days, and where the candidates stand.  Here’s what I discovered.

Harris Hill Ski Jump – Sunday Results

by Not Signed In | Recreation & Sports

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — A 24-year-old Slovenian bested two dozen of the world’s best up-and-coming ski jumpers Sunday to win the Harris Hill Ski Jump’s annual namesake Fred Harris Memorial Tournament.

Gasper Bartol won the event in front of a crowd of several thousand spectators, with fellow Slovenians David Krapez, 22, second and Zak Silih, 20, third.

“This is the first win in this season for me,” said Bartol, who was competing in America for the first time and finds English as challenging as the weekend’s snow-melting temperatures. “The hill was a little bumpy and slow, but it’s OK. The feelings are really good — I’m happy.”

The nearly century-old event featured athletes from the United States, Austria and Slovenia shooting off New England’s only Olympic-size venue at speeds of 60 mph before soaring more than 300 feet in the air.

BCTV “Quiet Rebel – The Lynn Martin Story” Showtimes

by Vidda | Media

Long time Brattleboro resident, Lynn Martin is an activist, poet and painter, and a retired HIV Prevention Specialist of the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont and Brattleboro, where she worked as a volunteer for 18 years. Martin has published three books of poetry (and several mystery stories) and often participates in open poetry readings as a member of Write Action.

In September 2005, Lynn was honored as that year’s outstanding older worker from Vermont as part of the Experience Works Prime Time Awards Program. Senator Patrick Leahy presented the award to Lynn in Washington, D.C.Lynn Martin’s story is told in “Quiet Rebel” through interviews with her and with family and friends. The 80 minute film is produced by Paul Bennett and Vidda Crochetta, and is being presented with the help and support of BCTV and Write Action.

Harris Hill Ski Jump – Saturday Results

by Not Signed In | Recreation & Sports

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — A 24-year-old Slovenian bested two dozen of the world’s best up-and-coming ski jumpers Saturday on the first day of this weekend’s Harris Hill Ski Jump.

Gasper Bartol won the Pepsi Challenge in front of a crowd of several thousand spectators, with Florian Gugg, 21, of Austria second and David Krapez, 22, of Slovenia third.

The nearly century-old event is featuring athletes from the United States, Austria and Slovenia shooting off New England’s only Olympic-size venue at speeds of 60 mph before soaring more than 300 feet in the air.

One hometown jumper, Brattleboro’s Spencer Knickerbocker, not only is competing but also is helping the snowmaking crew maintain the hill in temperatures as high as 55 degrees.

Police/Fire Project

by spoon | Police & Fire

Town Meeting Members will be asked to vote on a question that asks if they are willing to spend $4,500,000 on the relocation of the police station to Black Mountain Road.  The vote will in fact authorize the spending of about $13,000,000 above the five million dollar loan already taken out.  

The actual loan, which will include work on the West B. fire station, is in fact anticipated to be $7,760,000.  Interest on the loan, for a twenty year option, is an additional $2,740,000.  What is not calculated into the final figure is the cost of having the station on the far north end of town.  Nearly all the police business and activity occurs in the central, south and west end of town.  Not surprising.  There is almost no residential population at all in the north end.  

Consequent to that location it is therefore necessary for every town vehicle that either originates from or is destined to the police station (every cop on duty, every administrator going to a meeting from or to there, every DPW trip etc etc) is traveling four extra miles and ten minutes every roundtrip.  Take out a pencil and paper.