A Ka-Razy RTM

by Kurt Daims | Op/Ed

It was a ka-RAZY meeting. The 2021 RTM ran into overtime and continued Sunday (3/21), and since the members only had the remaining agenda to handle, they were alert and curious at the end. Many members and the moderator made efforts to preserve even more time for the proposals of the RTM members.

BCS advanced an uncontroversial educational pamphlet for the members that passed overwhelmingly. Toward the end there were a glitch and a flurry of objections as the establishment didn’t have a quorum (enough participants) for a big money maneuver. The panic was hilarious, as the moderator counted the members three times and Tim Wessel apparently arranged for people to return from dinner to vote to “adjourn the meeting to a later date so we could convene only to officially end the meeting”.

BCTV Schedules – Week of March 22, 2021

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV Channel 1075 schedule for the week of 3/22/21

Monday, March 22, 2021

4:30 am The Future of Vermont 2021 – with Paul Costello 3/5/2021
5:00 am BUHS Varsity Hockey – Girls vs. Harwood/Northfield 3/6/21
6:55 am Vermont Institute of Civic and International Involvement – The Consequences of Trying a Past President 2/3/21
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast
9:00 am Hooker Dunham Presents – SOLOs Episode 6

Plant Trees with 350Vermont this Spring!

by LBritt | Nature

Rewild Brattleboro
Planting trees, sowing justice, growing community

350VT’s statewide Rewild Vermont project builds on synergies between food justice, climate action, and ecological restoration, and we’re excited to dig in locally! Fill out this google form to reserve trees to be planted this spring, either as an individual or as an organization.

Britain Threatens Humanity with Nuclear Winter Extinction Without Explaining Why It Foresees War by jay janson

by jay janson | Op/Ed

DESCRIPTION:

Why do the rest of us allow the British (the former genocidal colonial power) to get away with claiming the right to destroy the world if Britain comes under some sort of less than clearly defined non-nuclear attack? Is there no legal authority to sanction the UK and its officials involved in threatening Humanity – the UN Monitoring Verification and Inspection Commission, the IAEA, the WHO, the international Criminal Court?

Reform RTM? Maybe, But Let’s Understand It First

by Timmy | Politics

The dramatic front page Reformer article of March 17th, “Representative Town Meeting reform pitched” left me wondering if Kurt Daims and his “common sense” gang had really done their homework around Brattleboro’s current governmental structure.

Mr. Daims seems to have some confusion as to the roles of both Representative Town Meeting and of the Selectboard. Lately he has been fond of quoting our Town Charter (reviewed and revised as recently as 2013-2016) which states that RTM is “a guiding body for the town and a source of ideas, proposals and comments…” without allowing that full paragraph’s quote to continue with “It exercises exclusively all powers vested in the voters of the Town.” The mention of the powers of voters is the important phrase there.

Nursing Home Selectivity

by RDavis | Health

Nursing homes are the kind of places that care for the sickest and most vulnerable among us. That is certainly true and, for the most part, these facilities do an excellent job of caring, comforting and maximizing the potential of their residents.

But there is one area of nursing home policy that has always bothered me and when I talk to people about it they are surprised unless they have had experience with the rules around admission and discharge.

Nursing homes interview patients before admission to make sure they can provide the proper care for a potential resident. That is a standard process and it protects both the patient and the facility. There are times when admission is not appropriate and when that happens families end up in a state of chaos.

Route 9 (Exit 2 – Main Street) Bicycle Lane Scoping Study: Alternatives Meeting, Monday, March 29 at 6:00 p.m.

by planning | Town Plan

Please join us for the second public meeting for the Route 9 Bicycle Scoping Study. This presentation and discussion will be focused around the alternatives along the corridor which have been developed and analyzed based on the feedback collected during the first public meeting. Share your ideas and thoughts on the future of mobility, safety, and accommodations for all modes of travel along this corridor.

Date: March 29, 2021

Time: 6:00 pm

BCS Brooks Compromise On Police In Schools

by Kurt Daims | Town News

Many people want police officers (SRO) removed from schools across Vermont, and there is state legislation pending about it. At last night’s (Tuesday March 16) meeting WSESU school directors heard public comments about the officer in the high school located in Brattleboro.

School administrations and other advocates cling to the SRO’s as high-power hall monitors and deterrents to school shooters and terrorists, while opponents like BCS and most notably Youth for Change, want students to feel safe and not intimidated at school. BCS is proposing a compromise: following the BCS S.A.F.E. policing disarmament plan the police could continue their SRO function without their pistols (or other non-lethal weapons).

Pot Roast Meal To Go at the Brattleboro VFW April 17th! Public Welcome

by LisaL | Food

Thank you to everyone that came out and supported the VFW for our turkey to go meal that we had March 13th. It was a great success, and we appreciate all the people that ordered from us!

It’s a bit early, but mark your calendar for our next meal and let us do the cooking for you. Saturday April 17th we are offering a pot roast to go meal with pick up times from 4pm – 6:30pm.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Whetstone Woes, WRC Wows, and Playgrounds

by cgrotke | Town News
Brattleboro Selectboard march 16 2021

Water leaks and collapsing walls were part of  the first post-Daylight Savings Time regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard.  The Department of Public Works reported on a couple of recent and ongoing emergency repairs downtown involving water.

The board heard an update on the work of the Windham Regional Commission, found out more about how poorly parking revenues are going this year, hired a company to do cemetery maintenance, and purchased some new playground equipment. And board members said goodbye to Brandie Starr and Jan Anderson, thanking them for their service.

Big Sticks

by tomaidh | Other

Einstein theorized that Matter and Energy were just two forms of the same thing. However, the numerical value of energy was the equivalent of the numerical value of matter, multiplied by an enormous number (186,000 x 186,000 or nearly 35 Billion times). That’s a lot of energy!

Achieving this quantity of energy in a bomb motivated scientists in the early years of WWII to figure out how to do it. In July of 1945, they achieved this goal.

Preston Lot Closed Wednesday 6 am – 3 pm

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

On Wednesday, March 17 the Preston Lot will be closed beginning at 6:00 am and will remain closed until approximately 3:00 pm.  Crews will be working to remove the Whetstone Pathway Bridge in preparation for repairing the failing retaining wall along the Whetstone Brook.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Department of Public Works at 254-4255