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October 2025 Precipitation Report

by local | Nature

I believe in this part of Vermont the drought is winding down. Over the past 2 months my numbers are within 0.44″ of the averages.  For October my total is 5.10 inches of rain compared to the NOAA average of 4.77″.  Across Windham County the monthly totals range from a low of 4.09″ to 6.73″ from the 13 CoCoRaHS observers with full data. October is the wettest month of the year followed by June from the averages.

For the year to date with 2 months to go the total is 41.06″ compared to the norm of 39.71″.  More than an inch above on a dry year.  I think if you go back in time 40 years or so the yearly normal was only about 40″.  Every 10 years the NOAA normals or 30 year averages move up by 10 years and have been increasing.

Filling the SNAP Gap

by Sherry | Food

The Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market has an update for all of our SNAP customers at the market. While VT is providing funds for VT SNAP beneficiaries, those funds will NOT be available until later next week.

HOWEVER, NOFA-VT has informed us that we can still distribute $20 in Crop Cash PLUS coupons for market shopping this week, Saturday, Nov. 1st to SNAP shoppers with no remaining balance on their account.

In addition, through Post Oil Solutions, we are launching a local charitable fundraising effort to “Fill the SNAP Gap.” Stay tuned for details and please do share the fundraising link when it goes live.

Leda’s Kitchen Menu for 10/30: Mulligatawny Soup + More

by LedaS | Food

It’s fall, which means it’s Mulligatawny Soup season! This dish is among my most requested. Additionally, I’m excited to feature two Ethiopian meals on the menu—dishes I haven’t prepared in quite some time—along with carne adovada to make tacos with to complete this diverse selection. Orders due Tuesday, October 28 at 7PM for pickup Thursday, October 30. Questions? Message me at ledaskitchen@gmail.com or 802-246-7592.

DORO WAT (An Ethiopian-style Chicken Stew) (GF, DF by request—contains ghee)
Free-range chicken simmered in a rich onion gravy, infused with a fragrant, deep red Ethiopian berbere spice blend.
$26 for 24oz container (2-3 servings)

No Curbside Leaf Pickup in Brattleboro this Fall, Explore Eco-Friendly Alternatives

by Not Signed In | Home & Garden

The Town of Brattleboro will not be offering curbside leaf collection during the fall 2025 season. The program was discontinued during the fiscal year 2026 budget development process. While curbside collection will no longer be available, the Town encourages the community to explore alternative, environmentally friendly methods for managing their fall leaves.

The information below draws on guidance from the University of Vermont (UVM) Extension Community Horticulture programs, the Windham Solid Waste Management District, and Brattleboro’s Sustainability Coordinator.

Less of a Medicare Advantage

by RDavis | Health

Medicare Advantage (MA) was created in 1997 to move the Medicare program further into the private insurance marketplace. It was a Republican led effort to privatize Medicare by offering people cheaper premiums and enticing them with things like gym memberships and cheaper drugs.

Over the years the plan has been so successful that more than 50% of Medicare beneficiaries have moved to the plans. The federal government was paying private insurers handsomely to offer the plans and they were rolling in a new source of income. But things are changing and some insurance companies are dropping the plans because they are not continuing to make the level of profit they have become accustomed to.

Health insurance is not about health because it treats individuals as if they were profit centers. Insurers count on people not using their product too much. But when a company insures seniors they will eventually end up having too many sick people use their insurance and that is not a good thing for them.

Brattleboro No Kings 2.0

by cgrotke | Activism
all roads

A few more photos (below) from the No Kings protest march in Brattleboro on Saturday October 18, 2025. I didn’t do any official counting but it appeared to be bigger than any other protest in Brattleboro in the last 20+ years.

What’s Cooking at Leda’s Kitchen This Week

by LedaS | Food

Orders are due this Tuesday, October 21, by 7PM for Thursday, October 23 pickup. Questions? Message me at 802-246-7592 or ledaskitchen@gmail.com

Orders are due Tuesday by 7PM for Thursday pickup. Questions? Message me at 802-246-7592 or ledaskitchen@gmail.com

KALA MASALA CHICKEN CURRY GF, DF
The chicken curry that fed countless Dosa Kitchen customers over the last ten years. Free-range chicken in a base of tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, and a spice mix (kala masala) created for us in India.
$26 for 24oz container (2-3 servings)

Brattleboro Installs Automated Defibrillator at Living Memorial Park

by Not Signed In | Health

The Town of Brattleboro has installed its first publicly accessible, outdoor automated external defibrillator (AED) at Living Memorial Park, located outside the front entrance of the Nelson Withington Skating Facility. An AED is a portable electronic device that can analyze a person’s heart rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electric shock (called defibrillation) to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm during sudden cardiac arrest. The device was donated by Brattleboro Senior Corp.

“This project shows what Brattleboro does best — working together to make our community safer and stronger. Thanks to our partners and Town staff, we now have a lifesaving resource right where people gather every day,” said Brattleboro Town Manager John Potter.

Resist / Aggressive Next Step

by Kurt Daims | Activism

The Strongest Action against Mr. Trump began here in Brattleboro in 2008.

Now (again) it is time for ACTIVE resistance to Mr. Trump. Brattleboro Common Sense (BCS) in common cause with people protesting nationwide and around the world, proposes this action, to block unlawful military orders from him; an emergency ordinance per Brattleboro charter article IV section 6AA, as follows.

The people of Brattleboro honor the courage and the sacrifices of our troops. We remind them that they took an oath of allegiance NOT to the president, but to the Constitution of the United States — the enduring doctrines of liberty and justice of our nation. We implore their vigilance “against all enemies, foreign or domestic”, and in accordance with the Nuremberg Principles we exhort them to refuse unlawful orders and to file charges against anyone giving an order to start a war of aggression or commit any war crime.

What’s Cooking at Leda’s Kitchen This Week?

by LedaS | Food

Here’s the menu for this week–several Indian dishes plus a mild and deeply flavorful Mexican pork stew with fixings that you can make into taco night. Orders are due Tuesday by 7PM for Thursday pickup. Questions? Message me at 802-246-7592 or ledaskitchen@gmail.com

ANDHARA-STYLE CHICKEN CURRY GF, DF
This dish features free-range chicken that is marinated in lemon and chili powder, then simmered in a slightly creamy and spicy sauce made from tomatoes, cashews, coconut, and aromatic spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.
$26 for 24oz container (2-3 servings)

Lantern Making Workshop with Robin Davis

by CenterforSolace | Family

Center for Solace invites you to be part of its magical Annual Lantern Walk on November 7 — and this year, there’s a special twist! You can create your very own lantern to carry during the walk, adding a personal glow to this heartwarming community tradition.

Join artist Robin Davis for a fun, hands-on lantern-making workshop on October 15 and 22, from 4–6 PM in the downstairs room at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 16 Bradley Ave, Brattleboro. Open to all ages — kids will love it, and adults will too! Come craft, connect, and get ready to shine.

Annual Lantern Walk and Ceremony of Remembrance

by CenterforSolace | Family

Center for Solace invites you to be part of a beautiful tradition as we once again light up Main Street with our Annual Lantern Walk — a moving evening of remembrance, community, and hope.

On Friday, November 7, from 5:30–7:00 PM, we’ll gather at the Brattleboro Common on Park Place and begin with a heartfelt Ceremony of Remembrance, then walk together down Main Street, lanterns in hand, lighting the way with the love and memories we hold for those we’ve lost.

Solar for All Beneficiaries File Suit Against EPA to Restore the Program

by Not Signed In | Home & Garden

Today, October 6, 2025, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), Lawyers for Good Government, and others filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island on behalf of beneficiaries of the Solar for All program to restore the program that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sought to terminate in July.