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.

Brattleboro Union High School Board Meeting Agenda

by Not Signed In | Education

BRATTLEBORO UNION HIGH SCHOOL BOARD
53 Green Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
www.wssu.k12.vt.us

NOTICE OF BOARD MEETING

The BUHS #6 Board of Directors will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, February 1 in the WRCC Cusick Conference Room.

AGENDA

I. CALL TO ORDER – 6:30 p.m. – Robert Woodworth, Board Chair

II. PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING – FY ’17 PROPOSED BUDGET

Redress – Not Amnesty for Wrongful Nonviolent Marijuana Incarcerations

by Vidda | Op/Ed

Considering that consenting adult marijuana consumption is one of the definitive victimless crimes, where there is no apparent victim and no apparent serious pain or injury, it means it should never have been a crime to begin with.If anything, the history of marijuana laws and their application are arbitrary, irrational and draconian by any reasonable standards. Therefore, marijuana consumers are victims of the law, not offenders of the law.

Evidently, now that marijuana consumption is moving into the mainstream of legalization, it makes me wonder what the hell were we thinking of all those years of criminalization? Clearly, there was and is no good conscience behind criminalizing marijuana. Historically, the escalation of marijuana laws turned tens of millions of Americans into criminals who were not criminals before.

The Winston Prouty Center for Child Development Purchases Former Austine School for the Deaf Campus in Brattleboro

by Floyd | Town News

 (Jan. 25, 2016) — The US Bankruptcy Court accepted the bid by Winston Prouty Center for Child Development to purchase The Austine School for the Deaf campus in Brattleboro.

The Austine School, which was part of the Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VCDHH), closed at the end of the 2014 school year. VCDHH, which included a number of support and educational programs, closed in September and the organization declared bankruptcy.

Rather than pursue a long-planned $2.4 million expansion of its facility, including an early education center and community-based services, which is located across from Living Memorial Park, Winston Prouty decided to use its financial resources to purchase the Austine campus. “It would be great to have space where we could not only meet our needs but also collaborate with other nonprofits that might need space,” Chloe Learey, Winston Prouty executive director, said, “This will create an exciting opportunity to work together in new ways.” Winston Prouty’s winning bid was $2.75M. It is anticipating a loan of about $500K, depending on the sale of the current building and capital campaign.

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Week of January 31

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

I-91

To reduce congestion on I-91, both Exit 3 on ramps will be closed on Sunday, January 31, from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. I-91 will remain open.

Weekend closures of the Exit 3 on ramps will continue each weekend through the end of February. The closures will be on Sunday afternoons; except that on three-day weekends, closures will be on Mondays.

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. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.

Myra Goodwin

by BusyMom | History

According to Wikipedia:  “Myra Goodwin played the leading lady in Sis, an 1885 production of the 14th Street (Manhattan) Theatre.” 

Qigong for Healing and Living Fully – Focus

by Not Signed In | Health

You are your best healer! Come learn how each and everyone of us is born with the innate gift to heal ourselves. In this half-day intensive, you will experience simple and profound ways to awaken your body’s innate healing ability while deepening your capacity to relax and enjoy your life more completely.

Qigong is an ancient form of meditative movement that is over 5,000 years old. In China, qigong is one of the secrets to living a long and healthy life. The simple movements and breathing practices help relax the physical body, calm the mind and raise the spirit. It is an excellent form of preventative healthcare, and also used in treating major illnesses and minor ailments.

From Paris to Vermont: Building a Movement for a Just Transition

by ESchwartz | Activism

On Jan. 28 at 7 p.m., Shela Linton, who traveled to the UN COP21 climate talks, will report on her experience in Paris with climate activists from around the world, followed by discussion about the road ahead. This event will take place at the Root Social Justice Center, 28 Williams St., Brattleboro, and is sponsored by the Vermont Workers’ Center. 

Details: In December, Vermont Workers’ Center reps Shela Linton and Senowa Mize-Fox traveled to the United Nations’ COP21 climate talks, joining a delegation of over 100 grassroots leaders from the US and Canada.

A Little iBrattleboro Update – Facts, Figures and a Renewed Invitation To Participate

by cgrotke | iBrattleboro

People we talk with are sometimes unaware of the numbers behind this site. In honor of our , let me share some recent statistics.  As you know, we’re extremely local, and focus on Brattleboro and surrounding areas in southern Vermont. Our audience drifts into NH and Massachusetts as well. We also have people reading and writing who are interested in Brattleboro but live elsewhere. A few of these folks are reporters looking for stories and people to interview.

Let’s look at some numbers.

Brattleboro Time Trade Listings – week of January 24

by Brattleboro Time Trade | Other

Brattleboro Time Trade:   Exchanging services, creating connections, strengthening communities, one hour at a time.  See below for more exciting Upcoming Events and learn what Time Trade can do for you!

How Time Trade Works: You do something for someone and earn time credits for your “bank,” which you can then put towards someone
else doing something for you! It’s that simple – and amazing!

This week’s fabulous listings, brought to you from under the fleece blankie:

OFFERS (i.e. things people could do for you):

Housekeeping
Editing – Academic
Sewing By Machine or by Hand
Travel Planning to Senegal/West Africa
Snow Shoveling? I Love It!

Brattleboro’s March 2016 Candidates

by cgrotke | Politics

Here’s the complete list of people registered with the Town Clerk in Brattleboro that will be on the ballot this March.

Dick DeGray, Avery Schwenk and David Gartenstein each hope to be elected to the two available one-year seats for Selectboard, indicating that we have an actual competitive race this year.

Kate O’Connor will run unopposed for a 3 year seat.

Tim (Johnson) Arsenault Running for Vernon Town Clerk

by Not Signed In | Vernon

Vernon native and Hall of Fame broadcaster Tim ( Johnson ) Arsenault, will seek the office of Vernon Town Clerk in the March first town wide election. The 59 year old Arsenault has served as the Town Moderator for the past 17 years, Brattleboro Union High School district Moderator for the past 16 years, Justice of the peace for 13 years, and Board of Civil Authority Chair for the past 7. He was named to the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2014, and was the 2014 Brattleboro area Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year. Tim is a 1968 graduate of Vernon Elementary School, and a 1974 Brattleboro Union High school graduate.

Act 46 Study Committee Agenda and Minutes

by Not Signed In | Education

ACT 46 STUDY COMMITTEE

Representing the Brattleboro Town School District, Dummerston Town School District, Guilford Town School District, Putney Town School District, and the Vernon Town School District
http://www.wssu.k12.vt.us

NOTICE OF MEETING

The Act 46 Study Committee will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at the Vernon Elementary School, Vernon.

AGENDA

I. CALL TO ORDER – 6:00 p.m. – Alice Laughlin, Committee Chair

II. REVIEW, PRIORITIZE AND ESTABLISH DESIRED OUTCOMES FOR MEETING BY CHAIRPERSON.

BCTV Schedules For The Week Of 1/25/2016

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV channel 8 schedule for the week of 1/25/16

Monday, January 25, 2016

12:00 am Grafton Woodlands – A Discussion of Vermont’s Current and Future Energy Plan

2:10 am TED Talks: Shai Agassi’s Bold Plan for Electric Cars

2:30 am Donald Trump’s Presidential Rally in Burlington 1/7/16

3:45 am Rally for Love and Unity – Burlington, VT 1/7/16

4:00 am Historically Speaking – Jud Hartmann Gallery

Crafting for the Homeless – Help Make a Difference!

by BAJC Shir HeHarim | Activism

Crafting for the Homeless is in its second year of meeting on the first Sunday of the month from 1-3:00 pm at Brattleboro Area Jewish Community, Congregation Shir Heharim. 

 Some people come to learn to knit or crochet, others arrive with projects already underway.  Some are members of BAJC; some are not.  All are welcome! So far, we have donated 14 scarves, 20 hats, mittens, and 16 fleece blankets to Groundworks Collaborative, and we also are making knitted or crocheted squares to be stitched into afghans that we will sell to generate funds to purchase supplies. We also have completed one rug to sell.