DIANA WHITNEY’s powerful poems tell the truth of her experiences – they are dynamic, subversive, brave. The beauty of her words connect us in their authenticity. Diana is also an advocate for “Out in the Open”, our local LGBTQ+ community, and her new book “Girl Trouble” had just been published.
On April 14, 2026, at 1436 hours, the Brattleboro Fire Department was dispatched to the area of the Connecticut River Access Point on Old Ferry Road for a reported brush fire.
Responding crews upgraded the alarm assignment to a “second alarm,” bringing in additional mutual aid fire department companies.
The Town of Brattleboro is looking for citizens to serve on the following committees and boards:
ADA Committee
Conservation Commission
Design Review Board (Alternate)
Development Review Board (Alternate)
Energy Committee – 1 year term
The Town of Brattleboro is pleased to announce the appointment of Brooks Memorial Library’s next Director, Julie Perrin. Perrin, who has spent the past nine years leading the Jaffrey Public Library in Jaffrey, NH, brings extensive experience in library program development, grant writing, and operations management. She will begin on May 11, 2026.
“We’re excited to have someone with Julie’s clear passion and original thought to pick up the thread and help write the next chapter at Brooks Memorial Library,” said Brattleboro Town Manager John Potter. “She’s an experienced leader with a proven track record that includes efficient management, capital fundraising, and facility project management, which is especially important as Brooks undergoes renovations over the next year.”
Brattleboro, VT – The Department of Public Works will be conducting road repairs from a previous culvert installation on Guilford Street Extension on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
As a result, Guilford Street Extension will be fully closed to all traffic between house numbers #773 and #821 from 8:30 a.m. until no later than 1 p.m. The road may reopen earlier if work is completed ahead of schedule.
Utilities Division crews will start Spring Flushing of the Town water mains on Friday, April 17 and continue through Friday, May 1. Occasional daytime flushing will continue through May 8.
Customers are asked to check the flushing schedule closely as flushing may cause water discoloration, low water pressure and in some areas, and intervals of no water. Users who experience a short period of discolored water or air in the water lines after flushing is complete should run the cold water for a few minutes to clear the lines.
Got a message from a reader that the law enforcement activity on South Main today is NOT immigration-related, despite some people seeing some masked officers. Typically the police issue a press release after things are over, but people are understandably nervous. If we get the press release, we’ll put it up.
The Town of Brattleboro Water Department’s annual Consumer Confidence Report / Water Quality Report for 2025 is now available. This report can be viewed online at https://brattleboro.gov/water-supply. Printed copies are available at the Department of Public Works, Tri-Park CO-OP Office, Town Clerk’s Office and at the I-91 Welcome Center in Guilford.
Next Stage Arts invites the community to a powerful evening of music, history, and film with a special screening of Sing Sing Thanksgiving on Saturday, May 9 at 7:00 PM. This event is the second in a three-film series presented by acclaimed regional filmmaker Alan Dater.
Produced in 1973, Sing Sing Thanksgiving documents a remarkable live performance at New York’s Sing Sing Prison featuring legendary artists B.B. King, Joan Baez, and others. Filmed at a time when few such events were captured on camera, the concert stands as a moving testament to the power of music to transcend walls and connect people across divides. King himself later described the performance as one of the greatest of his career, while the New York Daily News called it one of the most extraordinary moments in live entertainment.
Hello Food Lovers,
Here are some highlights of this week’s menu. Order by Tuesday, pick up Thursday (or Friday/Saturday by special arrangement). Go to ledaskitchen.com for the full menu and pricing.
Chicken Korma: One of the more well-known Indian dishes, free-range chicken in a rich and creamy cashew yogurt sauce anointed with ghee and a host of savory spices.
Brattleboro survived Open Town Meeting.
It looked a lot like a Representative Town meeting, but there were small differences. Attendees were called “Voters” rather than “Representatives.” There was no separate seating for the un-elected. People who just moved to town could participate.
The similarities were numerous. A bit of confusion about Roberts Rules? Check. Exciting explorations down rabbit holes of amendments to amendments. Check. Lasting nearly 10 hours? Check.
April 13 Beef Lasagna
Roasted Zucchini
Garlic Bread
Cantaloupe
The Brattleboro Traffic Safety Committee will meet on Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 8:00am in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom.
There should be no doubt in most people’s minds that the President of the United States is severely mentally ill. Other world leaders have described him as unhinged, or worse, based on his erratic behavior and lack of any sense of ethics or morality.
Some politicians are talking about using section 4 of the 25th amendment to remove Trump from office. It is a flawed amendment because it requires politicians close to the president to determine that he is unfit for office. It says, “Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.”
TRAFFIC IMPACTS:
Brattleboro-Putney STP PS 25(11)
Single-lane closures will be in place on U.S. Route 5 from the Brattleboro-Dummerston town line north to Putney. Flaggers will assist with alternating traffic patterns through multiple work zones as needed from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
PUTNEY, VT — Next Stage Arts presents an evening of literary conversation with acclaimed author Victoria Redel, joined by award-winning writer Robin MacArthur, on Friday, May 8 at 7:30 PM at Next Stage Arts in Putney.
The event will center on Redel’s highly anticipated new novel, I Am You, a sweeping and intimate story set in 1600s Amsterdam. Drawing on historical inspiration, the novel follows the intertwined lives of Gerta Pieters, a young girl raised as a boy in service to a Dutch household, and Maria van Oosterwijck, a painter forging her path in the Dutch Golden Age. Through their stories, Redel explores questions of love, identity, gender, and the constraints placed on women throughout history.
There was a misprint in the Annual Town Meeting banner over Main Street. Annual Town Meeting will take place on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at 8:30am. It will not begin on Sunday.
Due to current weather conditions and an elevated risk of wildfires, a burn ban is now in effect for the Town of Brattleboro until further notice.
Relative humidity is expected to remain low, with no measurable precipitation in the forecast for the coming days. These conditions create a high wildfire risk, where even a small spark could ignite a fast-moving, dangerous fire.
Dependent Care reimbursement forms for the Brattleboro Town Meeting will be available at the meeting on April 11 at Brattleboro Union High School gymnasium, near the Clerk’s table. Funds are limited and not guaranteed for everyone who makes a request. This is managed in partnership with United Way.
April is Poetry Month ! Check out store windows in Brattleboro for “Poems Around Town” which is just one of ARLENE DISTLER’s many projects. She also co-founded “The Women’s Film Festival,” the Town Tree Board, and “Write Action”, among lots of other great assets to our town. A poet, journalist and artist, Arlene’s creativity and hard work are an inspiration for us all and have helped this community thrive.
