Selectboard Meeting Notes: Retaining Green Street

How best to repair the Green Street retaining wall was a big topic for the Brattleboro Selectboard at their regular Tuesday meeting. Some intriguing options led to strong opinions before consensus was reached.

The board also did some planning to learn about planning, resulting in scheduling a series of meetings to highlight the changes coming to Brattleboro’s land use regulations. Some new energy efficiency efforts are now underway, departmental staffing level reviews have been replaced by a comprehensive staffing review, appointees were appointed, and more.


WVEW’s Over The Air Broadcast Down Tonight (March 17th)

Hello.

Since early this aftternoon, WVEW-lp’s over the air broadcast has been experiencing a problem at our transmitter and antenna site. We hope to have it resolved sometime tomorrow morning (Weds. March 18th).

In the meantime, the webstream of our broadcasts has not bee affected. It may be accessed at our website, wvew.org, or by clicking on the following link: 

Thank You.


Bereavement Support Group for Adults

A new Six-Week Bereavement Support Group for adults begins on Thursday April 9th and will meet each Thursday from 4:30-6:00 pm, ending May 14th.

The group is free of charge and open to anyone in the community grieving the death loss of a loved one, no matter when or where the loss occurred. Bereavement Support Groups offer a safe, mutually supportive environment for sharing experiences through discussion, readings, simple activities, and suggestions for moving through grief.

This group is sponsored by Brattleboro Area Hospice and will meet at the hospice office at 191 Canal St. in Brattleboro. No prior connection with hospice is required in order to participate. Connie Baxter, Bereavement Care Coordinator will be the facilitator. The group size is limited to 8 people.


Nowrooz Festival of Poetry and Persian Music at Mahalo Art Center, Sat. 3/21 4:30pm

Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents Nowrooz, A Persian New Year Celebration, Saturday, March 21 at 4:30 PM featuring traditional classical Persian music as well as original compositions presented by Eshagh Shaoul, violin with Jon Liechty on piano and Jack Shaoul on drum. The celebration is also a sharing of Persian, Bahá’í, and Sufi poetry. Following the music and poetry there will be a potluck (bring a dish to share). There will also be a hands-on henna decoration activity. The music and poetry will begin promptly at 4:30pm. Plan to arrive 10 to 20 minutes in advance to find parking along Western Avenue and walk up the driveway (about 100 yards) to Mahalo Art Center.


8th Annual CSA Fair 3/28 at Final Winter Farmers’ Market of the Season

Saturday, March 28, 2015, marks the final week for the 9th season of the Winter Farmers’ Market.

It is also the 8th Annual CSA Fair hosted at Post Oil Solutions’ Winter Farmers’ Market.  We expect to have close to a dozen CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) represented along with our regular market vendor line-up, and a special guest from New Leaf CSA!

Take this opportunity to do your CSA research and pick your farmer for 2015! You will find farms with weekly CSA shares for vegetables, fruit, flowers and more.  Some offer deliveries to central pick-up locations while many invite you to visit their farms each week and get to know their operation.  Some farms even invite you into their fields to lend a hand in picking the weeks harvest.  So join a CSA.  It’s a great way to support local agriculture and the local economy!


BCTV Channel 8 & 10 Schedules for the Week of 3/16/15

BCTV Ch.8 schedule for the week of 3/16/15

Monday, March 16, 2015

12:00 am TAP: Putting on Our Finery 11/14/14

1:10 am TED Talks: Ilona Szabó de Carvalho: Taking a Stand Against Drugs and Gun Violence

1:30 am Vermont Music Showcase: Full Program 3/2/2015

3:00 am Heartbeat: Israeli-Palestinian Youth Musicians Concert at Goddard College

5:00 am Green Mountain Vets for Peace: Police Militarization Pt 2


Notes from the Senate – Firearms

This week the Judiciary Committee on which I serve passed out a couple bills but one was major, had a lot of emotion and controversy and misinformation, took a lot of time and in the end I believe we had a good bill. At the beginning of the session, S.31 was introduced. Rather than amend and pass it, the decision of Chair Sears was to create a committee bill that contained essential parts of the bill. There are three main components.


The Great Blizzard of 1888

On March 16, 1888, The Phoenix ran the following report on the Great Blizzard of 1888, which had happened just a few days earlier.

…..

“Snowed Under.

Brattleboro’s Experience with a Dakota Blizzard.

40 in. of Snow in a 90-mile Gale.

Sights, Scenes and Incidents in Brattleboro on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.


Brattleboro Time Trade Listings – Week of March 15

Brattleboro Time Trade:

Exchanging services, creating connections, strengthening communities, one hour at a time.

See below for more exciting Upcoming Events and learn what Time Trade is all about!

This week’s fabulous listings, brought to you from a new week!:

OFFERS (i.e. things people could do for you):

Child Care Offer
Swahili Lessons
Photography
Organizing, Administration, Coordinating Events


Folk Singer Eli Conley to play in Brattleboro

Eli Conley and his band will appear in concert at The Root Social Justice Center at 28 Williams St., First Floor, Brattleboro, VT on Wednesday, April 22nd at 7pm. The show is all ages. There is a $5-10 suggested donation at the door.

Eli Conley has a voice that shifts deftly from country choirboy to soulful croon at the turn of a phrase. Steeped in roots music and the singer-songwriter tradition, he crafts modern day folk songs for misfits, unafraid to push the themes and instrumentation of Americana music forward.


Soon-to-be Cantor Kate Judd Offers Recital!

The Brattleboro Area Jewish Community (BAJC) is honored to present a concert featuring Spiritual Leader Kate Judd. A candidate for cantorial ordination in June, Kate is preparing her final recital for her degree and ordination.  The recital, called “For My Teachers,” will receive its first performance here in West Brattleboro, Vermont, in the main hall of All Souls Church/ West Village Meeting House at 29 South Street on March 21st at 7:30 pm.

There is no admission charge but free-will donations will be greatly appreciated and anything beyond BAJC’s
costs will be donated to the needy.  Light refreshments will be served.


Mary Wilkins’s story, “Revolt Of Mother,” on the Write Action Radio Hour this Sunday

Sunday March 15, I will be reading aloud, ” The Revolt of Mother” by Brattleboro resident, Mary Wilkins, on WVEW, as part of the Write Action Radio Hour. This is one of her most anthologized stories, and is considered a small masterpiece. It is told with compassion, anger, attention to detail, and humor.

How her life in Brattleboro helped shape her life, is touched on . In addition to “The Revolt of the Mother” we will also hear a brief newspaper account from the Vermont Phoenix, about the Hanson Tyler, the man she fell madly in love with, but whom declined her romantic overtures. He remained the love of her life, and themes of independence, as well as frustrated love, became repeated themes of her stories. The article is from the 1880’s.


5:45 Live: 3/13/15

Vernon’s big recount, burglary ring updates, and Brattleboro’s visits from Lt Gov Phil Scott and Rep Peter Welch headline this edition of BCTV’s weekly media round-up. .


Weekend Concert Series: The Pogues

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day weekend, I was thinking it might be nice to listen to some Pogues….  The Pogues, for the uninitiated, were an Irish traditional punk rock band from London, led by the inimitable Shane MacGowan and his accomplice Spider Stacy.  They’re best known for their Christmas ballad Fairy Tale of New York, featuring Kirsty MacColl, but MacGowan and the band wrote many memorable songs, dripping with authenticity and God knows what else, that make you think you’ve woken up in a rowdy Irish bar at the height of the party.  


Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – March 17, 2015

Repairs to the Green Street retaining wall and the Elliot Street bridge will be front and center at the next regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard.

The board will also take up, again, a discussion of Property Assesed Clean Energy districts, will have second reading and public hearings for two amended ordinances, make appointments, assign Representative Town Meeting duties, and more.

Meetings are in the Municipal Center on Main Street. You can attend in person, comment, and bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.


Reminders: I-91 Exit 3 On Ramps Closed Sunday Noon to 7pm and Heavy Weekend Traffic

A reminder that this Sunday from noon to 7:00 pm we will close both the northbound and southbound Exit 3 on-ramps to reduce congestion on I-91 Southbound caused by merging traffic. Please use Vt Route 5 as an alternate route.

And please expect heavy traffic and resulting delays between Exits 2 and 3 on I-91 this weekend. Traffic is likely to be heaviest northbound on Friday afternoon and evening, and southbound on Sunday afternoon and evening. Those with flexible travel plans should consider alternate travel times and/or routes. Please also consider using Vt Rt 5 as an alternate route.


Tour de Heifer Promises “Vermont’s Most Challenging Dirt Road Rides”

Registration is now open for the fifth annual Tour de Heifer, which, organizers say, includes Vermont’s most challenging dirt road cycling rides.

The Tour is organized as a fund-raiser for Strolling of the Heifers, and takes place on Sunday of Strolling of the Heifers Weekend, June 7.

The Tour’s 60-mile and 30-mile challenge routes follow dirt roads with mimimal pavement.  Both entail significant elevation change — nearly 7,000 feet for the 60-miler, and over 3,000 feet for the 30-miler.


Congressman Peter Welch To Visit Brattleboro

Congressman Peter Welch, United States House of Representatives, Official Appearance Schedule

Friday, March 13th , 2015

10:30 a.m.
Press Conference: Brattleboro
Rep. Welch will hold a press conference to highlight the importance of the Medicare Dependent Hospital and Low Volume Hospital Designations programs for rural Vermont hospitals and make an announcement regarding the status of the program.