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Election Season 2020

by RDavis | Activism

No handshaking and very few face-to-face encounters. Those are some of the major changes to political campaigning during a pandemic. The use of social media will be valuable as we head toward the first Tuesday in November.

Money will still rule because advertising on all levels gets a candidate’s name out there and television, print and other media ads do work. But there is also a potential for lower voter turnout because people may not be bombarded with the usual campaign activity of former years.

My hope is that, on the national level at least, voter turnout will be high because a majority of sensible Americans want to end the great American nightmare and make America sane again.

VFW $7 Lunch Specials Open to the Public 8-10 to 8-14

by LisaL | Food

Our hours are Mon-Fri from 11am-7pm. Sat & Sun from 1pm-7pm. We will be serving lunches Mon-Fri from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, with doors opening at 11 am. Lunches will be served on our hall side due to social distancing restrictions. Entrance will be through the glass doors, and the public is welcome. Per town ordinance, masks must be worn while walking around the hall, but not while seated at your table. Everyone must sign in at the bar with the bartender.

Hand made burgers, fries, chicken wings, chicken fingers, sandwiches, etc. are still available. Take outs also available by calling 257-0438.

Isaias Heading Toward Vermont

by cgrotke | Nature

Tropical Storm Isaias is pounding the Mid-Atlantic as I type this, and is heading our way. And although it is centered over Maryland right now, we’re getting hit with the outer bands of rain already. This storm stretches from Virginia to Canada at the moment.

Originally it was tracking to the east of us, then directly over us. Unfortunately for this area, the storm track has shifted west and the center is aiming at Albany. That puts us in the “worst” quadrant of the storm – the 12-3 o’clock positions. The heaviest rain and winds are usually in this section of a storm like this.

Brattleboro and Vermont COVID-19 Dashboard Numbers – August 2020

by cgrotke | Health

It’s now August. Here is the continuation of daily COVID-19 dashboard numbers from the Vermont Department of Health, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, and MA and NH counties that surround Brattleboro.

You can find the July numbers here, the June numbers here, the May dashboard reporting here, and the April numbers here.

VFW $7 Lunch Specials Open to the Public 8-3 to 8-7

by LisaL | Food

Specials listed below are only $7 a plate.

Our hours are Mon-Fri from 11am-7pm. Sat & Sun from 1pm-7pm. We will be serving lunches Mon-Fri from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, with doors opening at 11 am. Lunches will be served on our hall side due to social distancing restrictions. Entrance will be through the glass doors, and the public is welcome. Per town ordinance, masks must be worn while walking around the hall, but not while seated at your table. Everyone must sign in at the bar with the bartender.

The Great Vaccine Hype

by RDavis | Health

Listening to news reports one might think that the only way that we can move from pandemic mode to some degree of post-pandemic normalcy is to have a vaccine to rid us of COVID 19. Any vaccine that is developed will not magically make COVID 19 go away. It might help a little, but a magic bullet cure is unlikely.

The sound bite, short-attention span world is not suited to explaining complex issues such as how vaccines are developed and how they work. Instead, the world sees hope when a lab developing a vaccine sends out premature press releases of success so their stock value can increase.

There are well established scientific protocols in place for vaccine development and they all require years of trials and research. Sometimes vaccine development efforts are successful and sometimes they are not. When a vaccine is developed and made available to the public it takes years for us to see the big picture of how the vaccine works.

Tech Dinosaurs, VHS Tapes, and Groundworks Collaborative

by spot | Activism

I have a collection of VHS tapes (movies). They’re virtually all in good shape. I had hoped to donate them somewhere, but most places no longer accept them. I just can’t consign them to trash.

Proposal: I want to get rid of all of them in one “package.” You must take them ALL. What you do with them afterward is up to you (yard sale, whatever). After we agree on an amount, you’d make out a check to Groundworks Collaborative and give it to me. I’ll see that they get it. I am in no way associated with Groundworks; just want them to benefit by this donation.

VFW $7 Lunch Specials Open to the Public 7-27 to 7-31 & Fish Fry Aug. 1st!

by LisaL | Food

Specials listed below are for 7-27 to 7-31
Our hours are Mon-Fri from 11am-7pm. Sat & Sun from 1pm-7pm. We will be serving lunches Mon-Fri from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, with doors opening at 11 am. Our lunch specials are now $7. Lunches will be served on our hall side due to social distancing restrictions. Entrance will be through the glass doors, and the public is welcome. Per town ordinance, masks must be worn while walking around the hall, but not while seated at your table. Everyone must sign in at the bar with the bartender.

COVID 19 Update

by RDavis | Health

It is clear that the United States is doing a deadly poor job of controlling the pandemic. There are too many people who think that having a beer and mingling in crowds is more important than saving lives. And there are too many people in power who have turned the pandemic into a political battle.

As of July 20, 3,834,208 Americans have been infected with COVID 19 and 142,601 have died. The U.S. has had 24% of the 606,173 deaths worldwide.

Most other countries have slowed disease spread because they have had organized government efforts to provide citizens with the tools to stay safe. There is no national effort in this country and that means the numbers will continue to rise and more people will die, despite the best efforts of individual states.

VFW $7 Lunch Specials Open to the Public 7-20 to 7-24

by LisaL | Food

VFW $7 Lunch Specials July 20th – July 24th

Mon – Salisbury steak, mashed potato, veg, gravy & roll
Tues – spaghetti in meat sauce w/ salad & garlic bread
Wed – chicken bacon ranch salad
Thur – TURKEY DINNER (call in to go’s ASAP)
Fri – pork bites in gravy over noodles w/ veg & biscuit

Now! Back To The Land!

by melevav | Home & Garden

In that all things, even the virus, work together for the good we increased in our farming efforts during our time of “Shelter in Place”. Love gave us the faith to plant three gardens here in Oak Hill! We discovered seed that had been left behind by others and did germination tests. Some of these seeds were 12 years old but they were viable and sprouted. Quickly this Spring we had an improvised little greenhouse! Our children love small beginnings that is if we do. Faith and enthusiasm is always contagious just like good leaven!

Curbside Lunch Pickup at the Brattleboro VFW Starting July 13th

by LisaL | Food

Until further notice, beginning July 13th, the VFW will be offering curbside pick up from 11:30 – 1:30 Monday – Friday. Please make sure you tell us this will be a curbside pickup order when calling. 257-0438. Cash only for curbside. We are still serving lunch inside the hall Mon – Fri from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm and take outs are also available. Masks required while inside.

Independence Day Funeral

by RDavis | Activism

Instead of fireworks, barbeques and parties on the Fourth of July, Americans should be walking silently in funeral processions. The great American experiment in Democracy has fallen far too short in its vision for a better life that was described in the Declaration of Independence. The current Black Lives Matter protestors are making that clear and their marches are some of the best efforts we have to move us closer to the ideals that the founding fathers imagined.

We need to be reminded of some of the principles this country was founded upon, even as we recognize that those who wrote the words of the Declaration of Independence were slave owners and white men of privilege.