Citizen Media in the Ukraine

by cgrotke | iBrattleboro

iBrattleboro.com remains one of the longest-running citizen-powered news and information sites out there, and we continue to be contacted from people around the country and around the world who are interested in doing similar projects where they live. As I noted a week or so ago, we’ve recently answered questions for someone in a small town in Queensland, Australia, and have been interviewed by hyperlocal activists in the Ukraine.

You might be interested in the Ukrainian project. Yurii Antoshchuk, head of a community media foundation there, got in touch to ask us some questions for publication in Russian and English. We answered their questions, but also asked them about what they were doing there.

Our Senator Went To Iowa and We Got A Tie

by cgrotke | Politics

So, Iowa speaks. Clinton by a hair, and Trump loses to Cruz with Rubio nipping at his heels.

Vermont’s own Bernie Sanders had a good night, coming within less than half a percentage point with Clinton. Basically, a tie. As one commenter somewhere on the Internet pointed out – Sanders was foiled again by the 1%.

Huckabee, O’Malley, and probably a few others soon, will be bowing out of consideration.

On to our neighbors in New Hampshire.

Stroll Presents “Love Local” at the River Garden, Friday Night during Gallery Walk

by MartinLangeveld | Entertainment

Please join us at the River Garden during Gallery Walk on Friday, Feb. 5 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. for “Love Local” — an evening of music, art, and celebration of all things local.

Representatives of a variety of area non-profits will be exhibiting — discover what the organizations do, how to obtain services from them, how to participate in their programs, and how to volunteer.

Local singer-songwriter-pianist Hannah Hoffman will be entertaining with her unique vocal style, “an edgy soulfulness reminiscent of Janis Joplin meets songbird.”

Brattleboro Selectboard 2015 Town Report

by Not Signed In | Town News

Brattleboro’s Selectboard continued its busy schedule in 2015, convening 39 meetings and focusing on a wide range of projects. Following 1½ years with an interim Town Manager at the helm, 2015 marked the beginning of the tenure of Town Manager Peter Elwell, who transitioned effectively into the Town Manager’s role in January 2015 and has been dedicating himself tirelessly to ensure that the work needed to provide services in Brattleboro is being handled in a professional and efficient manner.

Adoption of new land use regulations is a significant landmark in the life of a town, and Selectboard participated in and developed a comprehensive, inclusive, and transparent process that led to adoption of Brattleboro’s new Zoning and Subdivision regulations in November 2015. This project spanned multiple years and relied on countless hours spent by members of the Planning Department and Planning Commission. It was supported by grant and taxpayer funding, drew on significant work with an outside consultant, and was strengthened by broad input from diverse members of the community. Multiple public meetings and hearings provided extensive information to the public about the new Ordinance. Our new Land Use Regulations should provide the foundation for continued and orderly land use and development that serves the public interest and the public good in Brattleboro during the next generation.

A Weird Winter

by cgrotke | Nature

This has been a weird winter. We saw a few snow flakes in October, a bit of snow around the end of December and early January, then almost nothing. Relatives down south are still digging out, though, from their big snow storm.

The temperatures have been relatively mild. As I type it is about 40 degrees out. What little snow was there is turning to water and evaporating.

BCTV Schedules For The Week Of 2/1/2016

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV channel 8 schedule for the week of 2/1/16

Monday, February 1, 2016

12:00 am Expanding Educational Opportunities During Tough Economic Times

1:30 am Bennington Marijuana Forum: A Public Discussion on the Topic of Marijuana 1/18/16

3:00 am Racial Profiling – A Community Response

5:00 am The Root: Mass Incarceration and Vermont: 1/17/15 Forum

6:14 am SAFSTOR: 1/26/16 – Joe Lynch

5:45 Live: 1/29/16

by BrattleboroTV | Media

Get footage from the Townshend Gazebo crash, the latest figures on the VT Yankee Decommissioning Trust Fund, a fraud case spanning from Utah to Brattleboro, and much much more.

Weekend Creativity Series – Star Wars Special Effects

by cgrotke | Creative

This week we take a look at special effects for motion pictures, using the recent Star Wars release as our example.

One of the big lessons of media literacy is that things are not always what they appear. That is, anything can be convincingly faked, and what you think you are looking at may not exist. National Geographic famously moved pyramids to new locations to make a better cover photo, and some news outlets have erased people from images or coverage of events.

So, it is important to know that we are being fooled, and fooled often. Knowing this doesn’t take the fun away when the tricks are used to entertain, but it should help sharpen critical viewing skills.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda & Notes – February 2, 2016

by cgrotke | Town News

Police and Fire facilities debt, scheduling of special meetings and informational sessions, an ordinance change for animals and fowl, and committee adjustments will be before the Brattleboro Selectboard at their next regular Tuesday meeting. You can attend in person and participate!

Watch on BCTV and discuss it here after it’s over.

Japanese or Asian Language Groups Around Brattleboro?

by BusyMom | Questions & Answers

Are there any groups in this area who get together to talk in Japanese?  I know there’s a Spanish group, so it occurred to me there might be an Asian group of some sort.  On behalf of a college-age relative who is extremely into Japanese (incuding anime, manga, foods), so I’m looking for possible social outlets.

Youth Services RAMP Program Seeks High School Participants for Career Mentoring

by Not Signed In | Education

As students get into high gear during their second semester, Youth Services Workforce Development staff are busy seeking referrals of youth, ages 13-17, in need of extra support and career mentoring at Brattleboro Union High School and Bellows Falls Union High.

Now in its fifth year, Youth Services’ Ready-to-Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP) meets once a week after school to connect students with professionals for career-focused mentoring and to encourage them to remain in school. Adult mentors join students on site tours to businesses and colleges, serve on occasion as guest speakers, and help participants work on their personal career plans, according to Susan Lawson-Kelleher, the organization’s Workforce Development Coordinator.

Town of Brattleboro – Notice of Availability of Auditors’ Reports

by Not Signed In | Town News

NOTICE is hereby given that the Brattleboro Town and Town School District Auditors’ Reports for fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, are available upon request and may be picked up at the Brattleboro Town Clerk’s office, 230 Main Street, Brattleboro, Vermont.

The Auditors’ Reports will also be available as part of the Town and School District Annual Report which will be available at the Town Clerk’s office no later than February 19, 2016.

Based on vote at Representative Town Meeting, March 20, 2010, the Town will no longer mail the Auditors’ Reports to all voters of the Town.

Space Shuttle Memories

by cgrotke | Sci-Tech

The Challenger disaster. What memories.

I have a long and odd relationship with the Space Shuttle. Living in Florida in the late 70’s and early 80’s, we were often able to see the shuttle go up even though it was hundreds of miles away on the opposite coast. You could see a trail of smoke trailing a tiny sliver of shininess, and watch the plume arc as the shuttle took off over the Atlantic Ocean.

This was pretty neat for me, having been a space-age kid raised on moon launches and Tang.

Inequality Survey and Free Coffee

by ESchwartz | Other

On Saturday, Jan. 30 members of the Vermont Workers’ Center will be at The Restless Rooster, 134 Elliot St., surveying members of our community about how issues of inequality are affecting our lives– in healthcare, access to work, discrimination and other issues facing you and your family. Please join us to participate in the survey and enjoy some free coffee! If you’d like to schedule a specific time for the survey, please e-mail . Or simply show up!

Dear BFC

by Will Stomp | Food

My Dear Bratt Foo Coo,

Thank you, ever so much, for the fresh, local, organic tortillas.  I walked into the store this evening and was truly delighted.  Dinner transported me back to a tortilla shop in a little village in Central México, an elderly woman in the background making them by hand.  A good tortilla has a taste like a drink of fresh water from a gurgling spring. 

And thank you, by the way, also goes out to the Supreme Court of México for continuing to ban genetically engineered corn from being grown in their country.  Not that this has anything to do with my dinner, just giving credit where credit is due here.