Brattleboro Winter Parking Ban Lifted

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Town of Brattleboro’s winter parking ban has been lifted. Overnight parking is allowed on all streets EXCEPT in the downtown area.
The streets listed below are not permitted for overnight parking:

Main Street
High Street

Selectboard Special Meeting Notes – Board Reacts To Revised FY26 Budget Up By $420,000

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard solid waste april 24 2025

The Brattleboro Selectboard held another in their month of many meetings to focus on decisions around solid waste and to hear the results of their budget decisions thus far.  Those results were not good. They also warned a special Representative Town meeting to vote on the revised FY26 budget, which will face further revision.

As with last week, I’m watching this second meeting of the week but not typing up every word. I’ll summarize again. 

“Bills Lumber” Documentary Screens at Next Stage Arts in Putney

by hahrenholz | Entertainment

Next Stage Arts invites the public to a special screening of Bills Lumber, a deeply moving 45-minute documentary that captures the final chapter of an iconic Vermont family business. The screening takes place at 4:00 PM on Saturday, May 17, 2025.

Bills Lumber tells the story of the Bills family’s 86-year-old sawmill in Wardsboro, Vermont, through the eyes of octogenarian brothers Alan and Everett Bills and their niece, Debbie Bills Bauer. Following the sale of the mill and its 433 acres of forest, the documentary chronicles the dismantling of the mill their father, Melbourne Bills, founded in 1936.

Selectboard Meeting Review – Five Hours of Avoiding the Topic

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

Over five hours and the agenda topic – possible reductions in public safety services – was barely discussed by the board. There were over 70 items on the list to be discussed that didn’t get much of a mention.

Tuesday’s meeting seemed designed to prevent the board from having an on-topic discussion. It was stuffed with information previously presented and comments already taken. The people we most wanted to hear from – new board members – didn’t get to have a robust discussion, and their limited discussion didn’t begin until well after 10 pm. 

At tomorrow’s meeting, the new members will be told that they are out of time and have to go with the budget as presented.  They will be told it is their budget. Buck will be passed back to them now for RTM.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Fire Department Suggests Hiring More Staff To Lower Costs; No Major Changes To Safety Budgets

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard breakdown april 22 2025

The Brattleboro Selectboard continued their month of many meetings with a discussion of potential service reductions in public safety.

It was a long meeting, mostly because the police and fire departments were given hours to speak of the value they provide to the town. After that, the public spoke about how much they valued the police and fire departments.   In the end, no changes will happen and the town may end up hiring more fire department staff. To save money.  

Thanks to everyone who has sent a donation to support coverage!

Millennial News: Cheeky Cocktails

by hwachtel | Business

South Newfane Vermonter turned entrepreneur, April Wachtel, was featured on NPR’s April 10th, 2025 episode of How I Built This: Advice Line with Guy Raz and Peter Rahal (founder of RXBAR and David). Her interview begins at 27:17. April grew up listening to NPR. A 2004 graduate of Boston University, she spent her college and post graduate years in Boston in hospitality and the spirits industry – bartending, learning and teaching others how to make craft cocktails.  She previously appeared on the Grey Goose Entertainment- Sundance Channel on November 1, 2010: “Beyond the Bar – April Wachtel”, a You-Tube commercial for Grey Goose Vodka.

April is the founder and CEO of Cheeky, a manufacturer of craft cocktail/mock-tail mixers in Brooklyn, New York.

My Response to United States Senator Bernie Sanders “Fighting Oligarchy” Tour with AOC

by Cris Ericson | Op/Ed

“By Christina Bellantoni Posted April 22, 2025 on ROLL CALL.com “LOS ANGELES — Sen. Bernie Sanders came and went, with two California visits inspiring “Bernie-chella” headlines. He, his populist heiress — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — and organizers of their “Fighting Oligarchy” event in downtown Los Angeles boasted that at 36,000, it was the largest rally he’d ever held.””

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda – April 24, 2025

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom. Information on how to log onto the Zoom meeting can be found in the agenda. ASL interpreters will be in the meeting for the deaf and hard of hearing. The materials for this meeting will be available on the town website later this week.

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda and Notes – April 22, 2025

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom. Instructions on how to access the meeting remotely can be found in the agenda. ASL interpreters will be in the meeting for deaf and hard of hearing members of the public. The materials for this meeting will be posted on the town’s website by the end of the day.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – FY26 Revenues and Reductions

by cgrotke | Town News

I won’t be doing the usual transcription-style tonight. It’s too many meetings to type that much. But I will watch and give you highlights. And I’ll make a rare pitch – if you’d like to make a donation to help underwrite all of this, it does help. On to the show.

….

First off, they instituted a new sign up per topic list for those in the room, adding another level of confusion/intimidation for members of the public who must now anticipate what will be said and if they might like to respond.

Pamyua to Perform at Next Stage Arts in Putney on May 3, 2025

by hahrenholz | Music

On Saturday, May 3, 2025, acclaimed Inuit music and dance group Pamyua will take the stage at Next Stage Arts for a special performance at 7:30pm. The quartet, known for blending traditional Inuit melodies with contemporary R&B vocals, promises an unforgettable evening of cultural celebration and music that transcends boundaries.

Founded in 1995 by brothers Phillip and Stephen Blanchett, Pamyua has grown into a world-renowned ensemble that seamlessly blends the soulful rhythms of Inuit drum and dance with modern vocal arrangements. Over the years, the group has traveled the world, sharing their unique sound and Indigenous knowledge through music, song, and dance. With a commitment to cultural preservation and celebration, Pamyua’s performances honor their Alaskan roots while embracing modern influences.

The Games of Boris Spassky – Part VI – Fischer-Spassky 1992 Game 5

by IM Holland Mills | Recreation & Sports

The 1992 Fischer-Spassky match was a race to ten wins; if tied at 9, the match would be abandoned as “undecided”.  After four games both players had one win; Fischer opted for “Spanish Torture”, improving on move 18 in a position where he strayed badly in game 3.  Spassky defended an inferior position well, and a series of slips by Fischer allowed 25… f5!! which turned the tide towards Black.

The ensuing fireworks produced an extra rook for Spassky, giving him a 2-1 lead in the match; in the postgame press conference he said “I may be an old lion, but don’t put your head in my mouth, or I’ll bite it off.”

The Next Step

by RDavis | Activism

Outrage and anger. Many Americans are feeling things that make them feel powerless to change. The talking heads are telling us what we already know. The Trump administration is ignoring the legal system and defying any constitutional restraints that a moral and ethical administration would respect. The dictator is firmly in place and no one is willing to make him accountable.

Can the people of this country figure out a way to stop the madness, to force a madman who has become completely intoxicated with power to follow the rule of law? Every day we wake up to a new assault on our freedom. The rest of the world looks at the U.S. and realizes that we are in turmoil and that we have become vulnerable to economic assault. The measures that Trump is putting in place are hurting Americans the most.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Long Term Planning To Return, EMS Numbers Reported

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard april 15 2025

The Brattleboro Selectboard, meeting for some regular business and a discussion of the evolving FY26 budget, were able to agree on a few structural budget issues – to have a long term financial plan once again and to have a capital equipment and a capital infrastructure plans as well. 

The new fire chief praised his amazing staff, and all town departments. He also gave the first accounting of what EMS services were costing the taxpayers. Solid waste and mural discussions were postponed. And the 12% tax increase was really just 6% if you average it with some other numbers.

WSESD Joins Rural School Community Alliance

by Not Signed In | Education

As state legislators and Governor Phil Scott draft and release plans for drastic education reform, the Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Board voted unanimously to join the Rural School Community Alliance (RSCA) on February 11, 2025. RSCA is a coalition of Vermonters that advocates for the importance of rural community public schools and for a democratic voice in decision-making about their future. The RSCA’s goal is to encourage legislators to pursue meaningful property tax reform that strengthens Vermont’s future while maintaining support for high-quality, equitable, cost-effective rural schools.