5K for Food to Benefit Our Place Food Shelf

by NewsWriter | Recreation & Sports

Our Place Drop-In Center in Bellows Falls is hosting a 5K race and walk to benefit its food programs Saturday, Aug. 15 at Vermont Academy in Saxtons River.

The 5K for Food will get under way at 9 a.m. over the trails at VA and will include a cool route through the woods, perfect for an August day. Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the Chivers Center on Shepare Lane.

The registration fee is $15, with a maximum of $30 per family.

The event will raise money to help stock the shelves at Our Place, which serves approximately 175 local families a month. Donations of non-perishable food will be accepted at the 5K.

Superhero Crime Solvers

by Brooks Memorial Library | Family

The superheroes need your help.

A medallion was stolen by some villains from the libary and they need the help of the superhero crime sovlers to find out who stole it.

Come to the library on Tuesday, July 28th for either a morning session from 10:30-11:30 or an afternoon session from 2:00-3:00.

Please call (802)-254-5290 x110 or email cr@brookslibraryvt.org to pre-register for either sessions in this event.

Meet Your Local Hero Event

by Brooks Memorial Library | Family

Come to the municipal lot, behind the library, on Saturday, July 25th from 10:00-12:00 to meet some local heroes and check out their vehicles.

Look at a firetruck or an ambulance. Check-out a police car or a dump truck from public works. See how high a utility truck from Green Mountain Power can go.

Stop by on Saturday to look at all these great vehicles and thank the people who operate them. 

Gang of Motorcycling Investors to Invade Brattleboro, Hear Business Funding Pitches

by MartinLangeveld | Business

Six Windham County startup businesses will pitch their ideas to a “gang” of motorcycling investors, entrepreneurs and advisors who are stopping in Brattleboro on Tuesday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m.

The event, which will take place at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, is part of the second annual FreshTracks Road Pitch, a four-day motorcycle tour, in which the riders make stops in eight Vermont towns to listen to entrepreneurs pitching their business concepts.

The hosts of the Brattleboro stop are Strolling of the Heifers and Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, with sponsorship support from Marlboro College Graduate School. The pitch portion of the event, from 10 a.m. until about noon, is open to the public.

Homo Sapiens for Dummies

by spinoza | Books

If you are ‘in the market’ for a primer that lays out in compelling prose the path humans have taken in our evolution, showing longstanding motives and habits, causes and effects of civilizations, and possible directions for the near and far future, I enthusiastically recommend “Sapiens”, by Yuval Noah Harari.

My post is titled facetiously, because here we have an inspiring and impressive handbook that breaks molds rather than follows formula. My title makes reference to the uncanny clarity and concision in which the author tackles immense and charged subjects.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Requesting 8.4% Rate Increases

by ESchwartz | Activism

The Affordable Care Act, in spite of its name, is not making health care affordable for many Vermont residents. One in five people in Vermont are struggling with medical bills. Meanwhile, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, as a “non-profit” company, will receive a tax break of over $15 million this year, while ten of its executives are paid up to half a million dollars each.

BCBS has asked the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) to approve a premium increase averaging at 8.4%, with increases of up to 14.3% on some plans. This is considerably more than most people’s wages rise in a year, so this increase, if granted, will be a huge setback for many people who purchase health insurance through Vermont Health Connect. This big win for the insurance company will do nothing to increase in access to care, especially for people on basic plans with high deductibles and co-pays. If anything points to the need to get the insurance industry out of health care, it is the effrontery of BCBS’s request for premium increases that will make health care less, not more affordable.

Mushroom Foraging Workshops Through the Brattleboro Food Co-op

by Not Signed In | Home & Garden

The Brattleboro Food Co-op (BFC) is sponsoring a series of four wild mushroom foraging workshops this summer and fall. Led by Justin Garner, a clinical herbalist and founder of Sweet Flag Medicinals, each workshop will focus on whatever edible fungus is popping up in that particular month. Precautions will be taught for harvesting wild mushrooms, as well as cooking instructions and some on the ecology, natural history, flavor and medicinal value of the different species.

A Presidential Candidate – Complete List July 2015

by cgrotke | Politics

How many candidates do you think have declared their intentions to run for president in 2016? Go ahead and guess.

Fifteen? Twenty? Twenty five?  Thirty?  Place your bets, now.

The answer, according the the Federal Election Commision website, is that over 500 citizens have stepped forward for your consideration.

There are some great names on this list, too. Are we ready as a nation for President Sydneys Voluptous Buttocks? Or how about President President Emperor Caesar (President is a first name as well as a title here.)

Windham County Economic Development Program Relaunch

by Not Signed In | Economics

The Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) and the Windham County Advisory Council are pleased to announce the relaunch of the . 

ACCD has worked closely with state and regional partners to redesign the program to ensure greater local and regional participation in the process, simplify the application process – especially for businesses – and improve communication about the program to the region.  The regional partners have formed a consisting of BDCC, WRC, SeVEDS, SBDC, ACCD, municipalities with designated downtowns – Brattleboro, Wilmington, Rockingham – plus Vernon.

State Rep. Valerie Stewart Serving Lunches at Living Memorial Park to Area Youth

by Not Signed In | Food

July 23rd and 30th, Vermont State Representative Valerie Stewart will be at Living Memorial Park serving lunches to area youth as part of the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union’s Summer Food Service Program. The WSESU runs the Summer Food Program to ensure that children and teens have access to healthy food when school is not is session. Any child, 18 or younger, can find a free breakfast, lunch or dinner at various sites around Brattleboro or Guilford. Anyone can text ‘FOOD’ to 877-877 to find the site closest to them.

Two Recent Hit & Runs in Brattleboro

by SK-B | Police & Fire

From the Police Log: 

July 20, 2015

Officer J. Hamilton

On July 17th 2015 at approximately 1300 hours Officers of the Brattleboro Police Department investigated a hit and run on a pedestrian in the area of the intersection between Elliot St., Frost St., Bridge St., Williams St. and Union St. The operator of the vehicle was described as having should-length blond hair. The vehicle was described as a green Honda Civic with a Vermont plate on the back only. Anyone with information about the suspect operator or vehicle please contact the Brattleboro Police Department at (802)257-7950.

Townshend Web Site

by rick | West River Valley

The Townshend website has been redeveloped as a private venture. Local Board minutes, information, links to meeting videos, are being posted currently for anyone who is interested. The email list has been reinstated as well for items like agendas or important, time sensitive, information. More past documents will be uploaded as time goes by but much has been posted as of this note. 

http://www.unofficialtownshendvt.net/

Sanders Introduces Bill for $15-an-Hour Minimum Wage

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, July 22 – Addressing hundreds of low-wage workers who have gone on strike for a living wage, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said legislation he introduced today would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

“It is a national disgrace that millions of full-time workers are living in poverty and millions more are forced to work two or three jobs just to pay their bills,” Sanders said at the outdoor rally near the Capitol. “In the year 2015, a job must lift workers out of poverty, not keep them in it. The current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is a starvation wage and must be raised to a living wage.”

Marlboro Summer Sale

by Not Signed In | Marlboro

The Marlboro Alliance Summer Sale takes place this weekend July 25 – 26. This is a town-wide, two-day sale. Located in Marlboro, VT town center, just off Route 9. There will be two buildings chock-full of great stuff & clothing.

The sale runs Saturday from 9-3. There you can find great bargains, bid in the silent auction, buy a new wardrobe and enjoy the bake sale cafe. On Sunday between 11-1, everything is free! There is always plenty of excellent merchandise and clothing available for free on Sunday, no one walks away empty handed.

Twilight on the Tavern Lawn Presents Cantrip on Sunday, July 26

by Not Signed In | Music

Twilight Music continues its 13th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, rock, jazz, zydeco, Celtic, swing, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, July 26 with an evening of high energy Scottish music by Cantrip. The seven concert series continues every other Sunday through August 23. All concerts begin at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at The Putney Community Center at 10 Christian Square in case of rain. The series is sponsored by the Town of Putney, Soundview Paper Company, The Putney Food Co-op, 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.

VBike Looking for Electrician/Electrical Engineering Know-How

by DaveC | Sci-Tech

Hi all,

Some of you might be aware that VBike is in the process of building up a fleet of human/electric-powered hybrid bikes and cargobikes to demonstrate the potential for these vehicles as super-efficient and enjoyable alternatives to automobiles in Vermont. A major focus of VBike is on reengaging our bodies, senses, and emotional connection to the landscape we inhabit. The bicycle is our vehicle for that.

We’re looking for local folks with some expertise in battery technology and electrical engineering to advise us and help with problem solving as we convert our vehicles to e-assist systems. If you have these skills or know of anyone that may fit this description who may be interested in this project, please email us at info@vbikesolutions.org.

BMH Introduces New Endoscopy System for Earlier Digestive Disease Detection and Treatment

by BMH | Health

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is among the first hospitals in Vermont to acquire the Olympus EVIS EXERA III video endoscopy system. This system uses a video processor, light source, endoscope, and monitor to enable physicians to look inside the gastrointestinal (GI) system to diagnose, detect, and treat GI diseases such as colorectal cancer. The advanced imaging in the EVIS EXERA III system will help BMH physicians to detect GI disease at an earlier stage when treatments are most successful.

“By acquiring this new system we are able to further our commitment to providing exceptional care to our patients. With this advanced technology we increase our capacity to provide more accurate diagnoses, shorter procedure times, and an overall improved procedural experience,” said Steven R. Gordon, President and CEO of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital.