150 Years Ago (1864 8/8)

by BusyMom | History

At the same old place,

Aug. 8th, 1864.

Dear Wife,

It is now 6 o’clock P.M. and will try and write you a few lines. Spent yesterday in visiting. Is it not often that so many Vermont regiments are brought so near to one another. The 3d division is a little from us on the right of our Division. Went to see Zopher. Found him well. He now looks well, much better that when I first saw him at Reams Station. Told him that the 8th was on our left. He went with me. Saw Henry Holt, Asa Moran and Charley Barrett. Found them all in first rate health, then came back and Zopher went to see Orrin Bartlett in the 11th. He had supposed that Orrin had gone with the other boys until I told him. It is too bad that the other Morgan boys are not here, but it is all for the best. The hard marching might have killed them.

Twilight on the Tavern Lawn Presents The Stockwell Brothers Sunday, August 10

by Not Signed In | Music

Twilight Music continues its 12th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, rock, jazz, zydeco, Celtic, swing, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, August 10 with newgrass and contemporary folk trio The Stockwell Brothers. The seven concert series continues every other Sunday through August 24. All concerts begin at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain. The series is sponsored by the Town of Putney, Soundview Paper Company, Next Stage Arts Project, The Stockwell Brothers and many other Putney businesses and organizations. The concerts are free to the public (donations are accepted) and food will be available.

Exploring the Future of Local Journalism: A River Garden Brown Bag Lunch Session

by MartinLangeveld | Media

Four local media professionals will present a panel discussion on the future of local journalism at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden at noon on Thursday, August 14.

The session, which is part of the Brown Bag Lunch series presented by Strolling of the Heifers, includes Ed Woods, publisher of the Brattleboro Reformer and its regional sister publications, Jeff Potter, interim editorial and operations director of The Commons, Tom D’Errico, editor of the Reformer, and Martin Langeveld, a media observer and former newspaper executive.

Brattleboro Women’s Chorus Adds New Morning Rehearsal Time

by bwchorus | Music

After eighteen years of rehearsals only on Wednesday nights at 7:00, the Brattleboro Women’s Chorus is adding a second time on Thursday mornings from 10:00-12:00 at the Centre Congregational Church on Main St. in Brattleboro. The nineteenth fall session begins on September 3rd and 4th. If you have never sung with the Chorus, join them for the first rehearsal to see what you think. All women and girls over 10 are welcome, and there are no auditions. Songs are learned mostly by rote and by ear, and music is an eclectic mix that is spirited and spiritual. As founder/director Becky Graber says, they are “good songs to live with” over the course of the session and beyond. 

Green River Covered Bridge Closed

by Lise | Guilford

The Green River Covered Bridge, Guilford, Vermont, will remain closed to ALL traffic through October 22, 2014 for construction. For more information and updates, please refer to the Town of Guilford’s website:
www.guilfordvt.net

Any questions or comments should be directed to Guilford Town Administrator Katie Buckley guilfordta@yahoo.com.

The Vermont Primary Election Is Coming Up On August 26th – Vote Dean Corren for Lt. Governor

by RobertOeser | Op/Ed

During four terms in the Legislature in the 1990’s Dean co-authored the single payer healthcare bill, and introduced the first bills for marriage equality and death with dignity. All of these are now law and highlight Vermont’s national leadership.

After the Legislature, he was the Outreach Director for Bernie Sanders and since then has worked in renewable energy developing systems that generate power from tides and river currents based on a technology he patented. 

Water-Cooler Diplomacy

by Vidda | Op/Ed

I liked the forced integration in the 50’s and 60’s because it had a jarring affect on American consciousness. Segregation was outlawed, and integration became the rule of the land. And, that watershed moment is a mighty and essential part of what changed our country for the better. Integration-by-law had and has a widespread effect on changing attitudes to this day.

No matter what blacks and whites thought of each other, the lawmaker’s gave them a way to violate their own bias behavior. Many American’s immediately became aware of how their thinking was changing.

What the Lincolnesque 1964 Civil Rights Act elementally did was take starkly dissimilar peoples and said, “Yes, you must be allowed to drink from the same fountain!”

Wake-up Call On Public Schools From Vermont Education Secretary

by Lise | Education

In a letter sent to the parents and “caregivers” of all Vermont schoolchildren, the state’s new Secretary of Education Rebecca Holcombe said in no uncertain terms that our public schools are not failing, despite declarations to the contrary from the federal government.  According to Holcombe, “every school whose students took the NECAP tests last year is now considered a ‘low performing’ school by the US Department of Education.”  But, she said, “The Vermont Agency of Education does not agree with this federal policy, nor do we agree that all of our schools are low performing.”

Sanders Reports President Obama Signs VA Bill

by Not Signed In | Politics

FORT BELVOIR, Va., Aug. 7 – U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after President Barack Obama signed legislation to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs:

“In a dysfunctional Congress, I’m glad we accomplished something significant for veterans. This legislation will go a long way toward ending unacceptably long waiting times for veterans to access health care and allow the VA the resources to hire the doctors, nurses and other medical staff it needs to address these problems over the long term.”

Reality-Check Chronology of US Speculative Investment Banking Instigated Genocide

by jay janson | Op/Ed

This chronology of genocide represents an updated outline of Howard Zinn’s People History of the US. and is dedicated to Nuremberg Principles law.A 4th of July resolution appropriate to one’s own personal humanity would be to escape from the farcical but deadly and insidious false propaganda and psyop of the financial-industrial-military-complex owned mainstream media that has created egoistic and deadly indifference.

A.C.O.R.N. Nature and Music Festival 2014

by BenRiseman | Music

A.C.O.R.N. NATURE AND MUSIC FESTIVAL TICKETS NOW ON SALE

Local Festival to Take Place at Guilford Fairgrounds on Sept. 27, 2014

The first ever A.C.O.R.N Nature and Music Festival (A Community of Resilient Neighbors) is now selling tickets to this exciting, family-friendly, local event taking place at the Guilford Fairgrounds on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. During the day, participate in a myriad of workshops focused on nature, wilderness skills, and resiliency. In the evening, listen and dance to amazing music.

150 Years Ago (1864 8/7)

by BusyMom | History

 Aug. 7, 1864. Here we are back in the same old place. West of Harper’s Ferry. We had our tents nicely
fixed and some had gone to sleep and all were congratulating themselves on having a good nights sleep, when we had orders to pack up and fall in and at about 11 o’clock we did fall in and marched to the Railroad near the City where from appearances we were to take the cars. The whole column laid right down in the road and slept for 4 hours, or I did for one, except twice, when a horse or mare that had got loose ran over me, but could not afford to keep awake long. At 10 o’clock we were making our coffee on the heights West of Harper’s Ferry. At about 12 noon we came here.

Selectboard Meeting Notes: MLK in Limbo, Skatepark Acrimony, and Melrose Not A Burden

by cgrotke | Town News

Brattleboro’s recognition of MLK, Jr. Day remains unresolved, with the Selectboard asking for more information to compare the options of adding and swapping holidays for employees. 

The board had a long conversation about the future of the Melrose property, and specifically whether it would or could become a burden on the town. The Brattleboro Housing Authority said they didn’t want it to be a burden, but the board wanted further clarification before approving the PUD for Red Clover Commons.

The Entergy Funds committee is looking at their options, the skatepark visits nearly led to fisticuffs, town finances are preliminarily good, and the Selectboard approved goals. All this and more below.

Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast Invitation – Please RSVP – “Health and Aging: a Federal Policy Update”

by RobertOeser | Politics

“Health and Aging: a Federal Policy Update”

The August “Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast” is planned for Friday, August 15,  2014 at the Gibson Aiken Center, downstairs, hosted by Senior Meals. Doors open at 7:30am.

This month we plan to hear from Sophie Kasimow Office. She is the HELP Committee Staff Director, that is Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which includes the Subcommittee on Primary Health & Aging. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is Chairman of this subcommittee.  

150 Years Ago (1864 8/5)

by BusyMom | History

Monocacy Mill, Aug. 5, 1864.

Dearest Abiah,

Another move, but a short one. We are now about seven miles from Frederick City, near a large grist mill. Came here the 3rd, and such a quantity of Griddle cakes and things of that kind as have been cooked since we came here! The flour and meal is not dear, meal 3 cents per lb. And a 3 quart pail full of flour a ½ of a dollar. I have a little frying pan, and it is in use most of the time, so is my pail. Hard tack is at a discount. I had some cheese yesterday. It is the first that I have had. Yesterday we expected to stop here some days and we had quite a time rejoicing. This morning at about 3 o’clock we were called up and ordered to pack up and move, at daylight. Got all ready. Daylight came, but we did not move.