News and information sections, from near to far
Driving – It’s a right, not a privilege.
Avoid distractions. Reaching for cell phones and other gadgets causes accidents. If you must make or receive a call, pull over or use a hands-free device. Texting while driving is illegal in Vermont.
“The modern supermarket, with its promise of a limitless variety of food and household goods available for low prices, is the crown jewel of consumer capitalism.
The cornerstone of all retail, the supermarket holds a seemingly permanent place in the canon of American life, yet barely appears in the broader discourse, even in discussions about our food habits.
It’s not unusual to debate the ethics involved with farming and food production, or to ponder the pros and cons of nonlocal food distribution, but the fact that the products will be on the shelves tomorrow and the next day is taken for granted.
(originally posted to Vermont Watch, )
Received the following information from a legislative council staff member this morning in response to an inquiry of mine from earlier this month that included questions concerning legislative pay and the like for members of the :
in case you missed it (icymi), the video of the event held in late October at the Brattleboro Retreat concerning homelessness and related matters is worth viewing, fyi:
Dreams of a Home – A Community Dialogue on Homelessness
(via YouTube; posted by Brattleboro Retreat):
It is agenda setting time for the Brattleboro Selectboard, and Tuesday’s regular meeting will result in a slate of issues for Town Meeting and Representative Town Meeting to consider, including a 1% local option tax, transfer of skating rink funds not used, taking money from the Unassigned Fund Balance to apply toward tax relief for 2015, and repurposing of agricultural land protection funds to apply toward tax relief in 2015.
The board will get a request from SeVEDS for about $36,000. They will also approve a liquor license for Brattleboro’s newest pizza restaurant and sign off on an FY15 General Fund budget of $16,284,625 and a Capital plan budget of $1,380,475.
The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Friday, January 24, 2014 at 4:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
I-91
Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge in the Fall of 2015.
Weather permitting, night work will recommence on Sunday night, January 19th and continue through Friday, January 24th.
Budget Address
Governor Peter Shumlin
January 15, 2014
Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, members of the General Assembly, distinguished guests, and fellow Vermonters:
Good things are happening all across our great state. Vermont’s unemployment rate is the fifth lowest in America, and the lowest this side of the Mississippi. Jobs have rebounded from the depths of the recession, with over 11,000 new jobs created since I first spoke to you three years ago. In the last year alone, we have seen 2,000 jobs created in our manufacturing and professional services sectors, with our wages rising faster than inflation.
Cell phone, fiber optic, and broadband infrastructure projects are vital to businesses, families and educational sites in the Windham Region. The Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA) will hold a public forum at the Newbrook Fire Department (698 Route 30) on Wednesday, January 22nd from 10 a.m. until noon. The Windham Regional Commission invited the VTA to explain numerous telecommunications infrastructure improvement projects already underway in the region and those planned for the future. The Vermont Council on Rural Development is also active in the Windham Region. The director of its Digital Economy Project will also be at the forum to talk about what they’re working on in the region and to answer questions.
This could be citizens’ final opportunity to speak to the Public Service Board about Vermont Yankee relicensing. On the table is whether or not a Certificate of Public Good (CPG) should be granted to Entergy Vermont Yankee through December 31, 2014 and touches on issues of spent fuel management and site restoration. The hearings will be held statewide via interactive TV at 7:00pm including in Room 125, Brattleboro Union High School, Fairgrounds Road.
More information can be and on ibrattleboro’s event calendar for today.
Bicycling – Same roads, same rules.
Ride with traffic. Riding against traffic is a major cause of bike-car crashes. Ride right and follow the law.
Vermont has gotten a fair amount of attention for the Governor’s speech. Here’s the full text of Governor Shumlin’s State of the State address, which is primarily a discussion of heroin and opiate addiction.
…..
Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Mr. Chief Justice, members of the General Assembly, members of our National Guard, and fellow Vermonters:
Thank you for the privilege of serving as your governor. We are lucky to live in the best state in the Union, where people work hard, trust and take care of each other, and strive to keep Vermont a place where our children and grandchildren will grow up and thrive. The state of our state is strong and growing stronger. Vermonters are working. Companies are expanding. Home values are rising. Opportunities for good jobs are growing. We enjoy the fifth lowest unemployment rate in America. We’ve added over 11,000 jobs since I first spoke to you three years ago. As I crisscross Vermont, most people I meet are hopeful and optimistic about the direction our economy is headed.
I-91
Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge in the Fall of 2015.
Weather permitting, night work will recommence on Sunday night, January 12th and continue through Friday, January 17th.
Route 30
The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Fall of 2015.
Project-related truck activity on Route 30 will continue. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently, with flaggers regulating traffic within the work zone.
The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at 4:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at 7:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
The Brattleboro Police-Fire Facility Building Committee will meet on Thursday, January 16, 2014 at 4:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Friday, January 17, 2014 at 4:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
A couple of times in the last month or so, I’ve been clocked going 90 near Crowell Park heading toward Green Street. Impressive for an old Honda starting at zero mph at the Cedar Street turn, eh?
As I say, I was clocked going that speed. I wasn’t going that fast, of course.
Twice now I’ve seen the speed detector do an odd thing. As you approach at a normal speed, the reading suddenly and rapidly rises: “Your speed is 40, 50, 70, 90… Slow Down!” Then it resets itself.
For Immediate Release– In the ongoing celebration of the newly renovated Latchis Theatre, the Latchis is very pleased to highlight accessibility improvements made to serve people with disabilities. “The Latchis and Latchis Arts are committed to doing the best we can with our historic structure” says Managing Director Gail Nunziata. “The recent campaign gave us the opportunity to make advances.”
Specific wheelchair accessible seating locations with companion seats are now available in clearly marked locations around the hall. One location is permanent, and seven offer flexible wheelchair accessible seating, all with companion seats. While “flexible” means that either theatre seats or wheelchairs may inhabit a space, in most cases the everyday set-up will accommodate wheelchairs.
The Brattleboro Selectboard announced their nearly-final budget numbers for FY15. It will cost $16,306,285 to run the town, an increase of about 8.7 cents for taxpayers. Everything was trimmed, but nothing substantial was cut or reduced. As one member said, the can was kicked down the road.
In the good news category, a unique public-private partnership has been formed to save the town large sums of money. Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, SIT, and Harris Hill have offered to help the town relocate communications towers off of Wantastiquet by providing towering locations in town.
The topic of energy audits returned, a plan for a $50,000 energy audit fund was proposed, and a 16 year old asked the board for the right to vote. All this and more below.
