Governor Shumlin’s State of the State Address – Full Text

by cgrotke | State News

Vermont has gotten a fair amount of attention for the Governor’s speech. Here’s the full text of Governor Shumlin’s State of the State address, which is primarily a discussion of heroin and opiate addiction. 

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GOV. SHUMLIN’S 2014 STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Mr. Chief Justice, members of the General Assembly, members of our National Guard, and fellow Vermonters:

Thank you for the privilege of serving as your governor. We are lucky to live in the best state in the Union, where people work hard, trust and take care of each other, and strive to keep Vermont a place where our children and grandchildren will grow up and thrive. The state of our state is strong and growing stronger. Vermonters are working. Companies are expanding. Home values are rising. Opportunities for good jobs are growing. We enjoy the fifth lowest unemployment rate in America. We’ve added over 11,000 jobs since I first spoke to you three years ago. As I crisscross Vermont, most people I meet are hopeful and optimistic about the direction our economy is headed.

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update – Week of January 12th, 2014

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

I-91

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 in the Fall of 2015.

Weather permitting, night work will recommence on Sunday night, January 12th and continue through Friday, January 17th.

Route 30

The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Fall of 2015.

Project-related truck activity on Route 30 will continue. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently, with flaggers regulating traffic within the work zone.

BCTV Channel 8 & 10 Schedules for the Week of 1/13/14

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV Ch.8 Schedule for the week of 1-13-14

                    Monday January 13               

12:00 am      Cuban Bridge Ep.14 – A Truck Full of Pianists

1:45 am       TED Talks: Ramesh Raskar: A camera that takes one trillion frames per second

2:00 am       FSTV Overnight

4:00 am       Salaam/Shalom – Two Historians on Palestine

5:00 am       Tom Ashbrook – A Life in the News

First School Board Public Forum

by Lise | Education

The Brattleboro Town School Board, which governs the town’s three elementary schools, has announced the agenda for their first outreach session with the public on the topic of education.  This meeting, which is scheduled for January 22, 2014 from 6:00 to 7:30 PM at the Academy School, will focus on what people like about Brattleboro’s public schools.  Details from the flyer are below.

Topic:  Learning In the 21st Century – the first in a series of community conversations with the Brattleboro Town School Board

January 22, 2014
6:00 – 7:30 pm
Academy School

Found Cat – Dummerston

by alasky | Pets

This very friendly and talkative kitty announced herself to me this morning from inside my chimney. I opened the flu and she fell into my living room, where she seemed quite at home.

I put her back outside, and she found her way back to the roof, looking like she was trying to find her way down the chimney again.

Vermont Jazz Center Presents Freddie Bryant Kaleidoscope Quartet on Saturday, January 18th at 8 pm

by Not Signed In | Music

Guitarist Freddie Bryant’s Kaleidoscope Quartet to feature the sounds of jazz from around the world at the VJC in a tribute to VJC founder, Attila Zoller

The Vermont Jazz Center kicks off 2014 with a concert featuring guitarist Freddie Bryant’s Kaleidoscope Quartet a band that features disparate grooves from around the world unified by Bryant’s simple truth that he is indeed an authentic global citizen. This show will be a tribute to VJC founder, the great guitarist, Attila Zoller.

Which is More Corrupt – The Garden State or the Green Mountain State

by Not Signed In | Op/Ed

New Jersey has been known for its culture of mobsters, hooligans, and political dirty tricks for many decades. When I was a kid, anytime the topic of New Jersey was discussed, my Dad would smile and say – “Yep, that’s where all the crooks are”. He always had a twinkle in his eye when he said that. Naturally, it made me want to move to New Jersey as soon as I was old enough. New Jersey sounded really cool, like a land of fun and excitement…especially, while growing up in the coal mine region of Pennsylvania.

5:45 Live: 1/10/14

by BrattleboroTV | Media

Get the latest on this week’s tragic fire in Dummerston, new economic development dollars from the VY VT deal, a hold up at the I-91 bridge construction site, the coming town meeting election season, and much more.

Garden Inspirations Workshop to Benefit the Latchis Theater

by travelingnearandfar | Home & Garden

Escape to Vermont for a green day in January!
Join garden enthusiasts from around the region at
the historic Latchis Theater in Brattleboro for a “Garden Inspirations
Workshop” on January 25, 2014. Julie Moir Messervy, Helen O’Donnell, Gordon Hayward and Dan Snow will offer lively presentations with images on the big screen. For more information, please go the the Latchis website.

Author Betsy Woodman Discusses Her Novels About India

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Betsy Woodman draws upon her vivid memories of growing up in India—playing hide–and-seek in the Mughal tomb behind her house in New Delhi, studying the dance styles of Bharat Natyam, and attending boarding school at the foot of the Himalayas—to write her gleefully charming Jana Bibi Adventure series. Love Potion Number 10 (Henry Holt; on sale August 13, 2013) is the second installment of this series, and Woodman’s hardcover debut, following the success of the beloved Jana Bibi’s Excellent Fortunes.

In her recent book, Jana, her loyal parrot, and the gang at the Jolly Grant House are back as their small town in India is rocked by an espionage scandal and a homemade remedy that has love on everyone’s mind. Jana’s fortune-telling has brought a lot of attention to the small town of Hamara Nagar, and now that the dust has settled and the town is safe from the threat of being flooded by a government dam, all eyes are on the Scottish-born card-reader Jana and her feisty, loose-beaked parrot, Mr. Ganguly. Some people, though, are not to be trusted, and Mr. Ganguly finds himself the target of a potential kidnapping that puts Jana and her household on edge.

Weekend Concert Series: John Philip Sousa (from OU)

by cgrotke | Entertainment

Oklahoma University hosted a tribute to John Philip Sousa in 1987 and recorded it for posterity. What makes this show interesting is that the symphonic band didn’t just play his marches, they attemtped to recreate a perfomance by having authentic costumes and a conductor to impersonate Mr. Sousa.

John Philip Sousa III acted as host for the evening and provided a living link to the composer.

Brattleboro Dog and Wolf-Hybrid Licenses Are Available

by Not Signed In | Pets

Brattleboro dog and wolf-hybrid licenses are available for the 2014 licensing period. Vermont dogs and wolf-hybrids 6 months of age and older must be licensed on or before April 1.

Renewal licenses may be obtained in person at the Town Clerk’s office, through the mail or online at www.brattleboro.org. Dogs being licensed in Brattleboro for the first time may be licensed in person or through the mail by printing the license form from the website listed above.

Vaccination against rabies is required by Vermont Statutes before licensing. A current vaccination means:

150 Years Ago (1864 1/7-1/10)

by BusyMom | History

U.S. Barracks, Brattleboro, Jan. 7th, 1864

Dearest wife,

I will attempt to write you a few lines. I saw Zopher.

Jan. 10th.
You see just how far I got with this. I have seen Zopher twice after I commenced this. I went to the barracks that Zopher was in, and he had left the day before for Washington as guard. He will be back this week. The recruits come in slowly. I do not have so much to do. I tried for some time to get a chance to go to Hinsdale. Went over Friday night and stayed all night and today got off. There is no doubt but that Zopher will get a furlough before he goes back to his Regiment. Well, I think that I shall come up with him if I can get a furlough.

Going 90 On Green Street

by cgrotke | Other

A couple of times in the last month or so, I’ve been clocked going 90 near Crowell Park heading toward Green Street. Impressive for an old Honda starting at zero mph at the Cedar Street turn, eh?

As I say, I was clocked going that speed. I wasn’t going that fast, of course.

Twice now I’ve seen the speed detector do an odd thing. As you approach at a normal speed, the reading suddenly and rapidly rises: “Your speed is 40, 50, 70, 90… Slow Down!” Then it resets itself.

Brattleboro Cardiology Awarded Funding for Participation in Pilot Program

by BMH | Health

The Center for Cardiovascular Health at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) was awarded funding of $5,000 from (VITL) for its participation in a pilot program. The pilot provided the Center early access to VITLAccess, which is designed to share patient health information through the Vermont Health Information Exchange (HIE), which is managed by VITL.

VITLAccess is a new, secure web based provider portal that allows healthcare providers to search and view information about their patients who may have received care from healthcare organizations across the state and in the surrounding area. This information includes radiology and lab reports, hospital admission, discharge and transfer summaries, medication history, and other health information. VITLAccess will be offered to all providers across the state beginning in the spring of 2014.