The Chinese Groove

by BrattleboroLitFest | Books

Celebrate Asian American Heritage Month with us! On Friday, May 12, the Brattleboro Literary Festival’s A Literary Cocktail Hour will present award-winning author Kathryn Ma and her book The Chinese Groove. This event is online and free…you can register at https://bit.ly/LitCocktail30

One of their 12 Books to Read Right Now, the New York Times says of The Chinese Groove: “A comedic take on the trials of immigration, Ma’s latest novel follows a Chinese man who is woefully unprepared for his move to America…” Eighteen-year-old Shelley, born into a much-despised branch of the Zheng family in Yunnan Province and living in the shadow of his widowed father’s grief, dreams of bigger things. Buoyed by an exuberant heart and his cousin Deng’s tall tales about the United States, Shelley heads to San Francisco to claim his destiny, confident that any hurdles will be easily overcome by the awesome powers of the “Chinese groove,” a belief in the unspoken bonds between countrymen that transcend time and borders.

No WWII No Victory Parade in Moscow & No War in Ukraine Today If the West Had Not Rearmed Germany

by jay janson | Op/Ed

May 9th! Moscow Celebrates Victory Over Nazi Germany’s Most Massive and Genocidal Invasion in History, but with incomprehensibly little or no public condemnation of American corporations having earlier heavily rearmed Hitler’s Nazi Germany as British and French armies stood down in cooperation and in violation of the Versailles Treaty’s prohibition of German rearmament.

Brattleboro Design Review Committe Agenda 5/10 Meeting

by planning | Town Plan

1. Call to Order

2. Review and Approve Minutes of April 12, 2022

3. Administrative Matters and Old Business
A. Discussion: Planning Dept. & Planning Commission’s Bylaw Modernization Grant work to date
B. Discussion: DRC’s Priorities for Potential Future Text Changes to Brattleboro Land Use & Development Regulations §252 – Historic Resource Overlay District

Kiran Ahluwalia To Perform At The Putney Inn As Part Of The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series On June 2, 2023

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts is proud to announce that Kiran Ahluwalia will perform at The Putney Inn on June 2, 2023, as part of the Bandwagon Summer Series. The event will start at 6:00 pm, and tickets are available for $20 in advance or $25 at the gate. Children under 12 can attend for free. The show is also included in the Bandwagon Series Pass.

“Indian vocalist Kiran Ahluwalia is doing something revolutionary inside the medium of Indian music – giving it a modern take while presenting the power and vibrancy of thousands. of years of tradition, ” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “Kiran’s band is a who’s who of jazz and world music luminaries. The audience that sees this show won’t soon forget it. The virtuosity and depth of musical knowledge will be impressive.”

Gibson Road Culvert Replacement

by Not Signed In | Town News

On Tuesday, May 9, the Highway Division will be replacing a culvert on Gibson Road near the intersection with East Orchard Street.  The work is scheduled between the hours of 6:30am and 3:00pm. During the day, there will be periods of time where the road will be closed.  Motorists should seek alternate routes.

WSESD Policy and Amendment Committee Meeting Agenda

by Not Signed In | Education

II. WSESD Board Update
F35 – School Animal Policy (re-adoption 4/25/23)

III. Schedule of policies for discussion – subject to change
2:35-3:00 H7 Leadership Councils (edits and updates from community)
3:00-3:25 F42 Student Dress Code (with flexibility to accommodate student schedules)

Brattleboro-Hinsdale Bridge – Construction Update May 4, 2023

by Not Signed In | Hinsdale

Installation of panels and panel straps for the northern MSE wall will continue next week. Excavation for the gravel wetland south of the bridge abutment is ongoing along with the installation of drainage structures. The last of the cofferdam sheets that were used for the gravel wetland have been removed. Form work has begun at Abutment A (the Vermont abutment) for the backwall and will continue into next week with a concrete placement tentative for the end of the week.

Pile driving operations are complete at Pier 2 as of last week. However, additional work on the temporary trestle access over the CT River will need to be completed to facilitate construction equipment and the intermittent pounding of diesel hammers will continue as a part of this operation into next week. Pier 1 piles remain to be driven later this season.

Learning To Accommodate

by RDavis | Health

Regular physical activity has always been an important part of my life. Baseball was my go-to sport growing up and it was a rare day (weather permitting) that I was not riding my bike. If there is a day without movement I feel as though I should be guilty of some sort of crime.

As the years have passed it has become necessary to make accommodations for the constant decay of the body. But despite that decay I have always found a way to figure out how to get some sort of exercise on a regular basis.

After spending a working lifetime in healthcare and reading all kinds of medical reports it is clear to me that if you want to prevent a lot of health-related problems one of the best things you can do is to exercise on a regular basis.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – The Plan for the EMS Process

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard may 2 2023

Brattleboro Selectboard endorsed a plan put forth by Town Manager John Potter that offers an aggressive summer schedule for gathering input from board members, staff, EMS providers , other towns, and the public.  It kicks off at the next board meeting and will be a regular item for the second meeting of each month until decisions have been made.

Brattleboro will celebrate Juneteenth henceforth. The Agricultural Loan Fund has been updated to serve more people and the board held a first reading to find out the details. And green burials and properly-oriented Muslim burials will soon be options at the local cemetery 

Neighborhood Schoolhouse to Open New Primary Classroom for Ages 4-6

by neighborhood231 | Education

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont (May 1, 2023)—The Neighborhood Schoolhouse is pleased to announce that it will have a Primary classroom for the 2023-2024 school year. Children aged 4 to 6 years old will be welcomed into an immersive project- and nature-based environment. Specially trained educators will nurture and respect children’s individual skills and interests, fostering a love of learning through emergent curriculum.

“We cherish our students,” says Jocelyn York, Head of School. “Quality learning occurs best when students feel emotionally safe and know that their efforts will be valued. This is what we provide at Neighborhood. This is why our school is life-changing. I’m excited to once again open our doors to elementary-aged children.”

WSESD – Personnel Committee Meeting Minutes

by Not Signed In | Education

On a motion by Kerry Amidon, the minutes of March 8, 2023 were approved.

The following 1% applications were approved on a motion by Kerry Amidon:
Putney Central School on Executive Functioning
Putney Central School – spring ephemeral unit – 4 days plus materials for a total of $1250.12

BCTV Schedule Week of May 1, 2023

by BCTVProg | Education

Monday, May 1, 2023

5:00 am Vermont State House – Minimum Salary for Teachers

7:45 am Town of Brattleboro – Brattleboro Police Assistant Chief Swearing-In Ceremony 4/6/23

8:00 am The David Pakman Show – The David Pakman Show – Weekly Broadcast

9:00 am Windham Southeast Supervisory Union – WSESU Bd Mtg 4/12/23

10:00 am Guilford Selectboard – Guilford SB Mtg 4/24/23

WSESD Policy and Amendment Committee Meeting Minutes

by Not Signed In | Education

Extensive discussion of Leadership Councils:
– Issue of ADA compliance was raised. For full Board meetings, the option of closed captioning is available.
– Issue of posting recordings of meetings discussed. Attorney Shaun Toohey advised that it is better to err on the side of caution and record and post them.

– Burden on CO to collect and post recordings raised. Also, issue of available bandwidth. Suggestion to have individual schools post recordings of LC meetings on school websites rather than WSESD webpage. If additional bandwidth is needed, it is easily purchased.

“Our Town” in Guilford Next Weekend

by DonInGuilford | Arts

Guilford Center Stage will perform Thornton Wilder’s play, Our Town, at the Broad Brook Community Center in Guilford onFriday and Saturday, May 5 & 6, at 7:30 pm and Sunday, May 7 at 2:00 pm. Ian Hefele directs a cast from the tri-state region.

A theatrical groundbreaker when it debuted in 1938, Our Town was written at the nearby MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, NH, and the town of Grover’s Corners in the play is based upon that locale.

Among the innovative features of the play is Wilder’s use of a central character, the Stage Manager, who communicates directly to the audience, and both moves the action along and interrupts it with commentary. Jennifer Gagnon plays this pivotal role.

Do the Math!

by RobertOeser | Op/Ed

I was advised the link in the other story does not open. Here is the copy I submitted to The Commons which was published 4/26/2023:

An April 7, 2023 Commentary in the Reformer, Brattleboro EMS: Fact vs fiction, asserted that “Rescue notified the town on March 25, 2022, that it would not be providing service to the town beyond the June 30, 2022,” citing Rescue Inc’s letter.

That is misleading. The full statement by Rescue from that letter reads:

“Given your stated position and unwillingness to pay for emergency medical response, Rescue Inc will not be able to continue providing that service to the Town of Brattleboro beyond the June 30, 2022 contract end date. If the town would like to come and speak with me about an agreement for service beyond June 30, 2022, please contact me no later than May 1, 2022, to schedule a meeting.”