Whetstone

Domestic violence: Messy, painful, and ugly part of society
Shelter begins an uncomfortable community dialogue about a problem that ‘happens in Windham County daily’
By Olga Peters
The Commons
BRATTLEBORO—Chances
are your friend, your sister, your
cousin, your co-worker, your
neighbor, is a victim of domestic violence.
Chances are you’ve witnessed
a conversation, a flinch, demanding phone calls, or missed
days off work that made you
uncomfortable.
Chances are you’ve wondered
what to do, say, ask — or wondered if you should do, say, or
ask anything.
Chances are that you expect the police or domestic
abuse shelters will deal with the
problem.
But, chances are, when a
woman reaches out from an
abusive situation, she will reach
out to you, her friend, her sister,
her brother, her cousin, her coworker, her neighbor.
“Domestic violence happens
in Windham County daily,”
said Donna Macomber, co-executive director of the Women’s
Freedom Center. “Our hotline is
never silent.”
She acknowledged the discomfort surrounding the conversation about domestic violence.
The topic is messy, painful, and
requires confronting an ugly side
of our society.
But, she added, being willing
to discuss the uncomfortable
in public can move society out
of old ruts and toward a better
direction.
The Federal Bureau of
Investigation estimates only 10
percent of domestic violence assaults are reported to police, according to statistics supplied by
Freedom Center advocate Shari,
who uses only her first name due
to the discreet nature of the center’s work.
In the United States, these assaults rank as the leading cause
of injury to women 15 to 44 and
the leading cause of death for
pregnant women. Shootings account for about 70 percent of
homicides linked to domestic
violence, and children die about
20 percent of the time.
A real danger
In a recent study on domesticviolence homicides in the U.S.,
said Shari, researchers found that
about half the women contacted
law enforcement, three-quarters sought medical treatment,
and less than 10 percent had
contacted a domestic violence
program within the previous 12
months.
“And while domestic violence
can happen to anyone, in any
kind of intimate relationship, it’s
important to keep in mind the
gendered nature of the problem,”
said Shari. “Ninety-five percent
of domestic violence is committed by men against their female
partners.”
■ SEE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, PAGE A7
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WINDHAM COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING, INDEPENDENT SOURCE FOR NEWS AND VIEWS
News
West Brattleboro
residents took
a tour of the
Whetstone Brook
watershed last
Thursday.
BRATTLEBORO
Steak Out
closes after
40 years
page A2
Voices
Finding
ZEN
for the
ANNIE HAWKINS
Everything’s
gone to chaos
page C1
Whetstone
VIEWPOINT
Obama’s
conversion
on marriage
equality
page C1
The Arts
A BIG BLOWOUT
Bluegrass
fest puts hot
music in a
cool setting
page B1
AMERICAN IDOLS
Concert
Choir sings
works of
homegrown
composers
OLGA PETERS/THE COMMONS
River engineer
talks about
how people
are changing
their behavior
after Irene
By Olga Peters
The Commons
W
EST BRATTLEBORO—Vermonters
are still rebuilding from the flooding
brought on by the 8-11 inches of rain
dumped by Tropical Storm Irene last
August.
River Management Engineer Todd Menees of the
Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
said he hopes people will learn from the recent past and
change their relationship with Vermont’s rivers for a less
flood-damaged future.
Last week, Menees walked along the Whetstone Brook
with nine residents, most of whom live along the West
Brattleboro portion of the brook, and members of the
West Brattleboro Association.
Menees hammered one simple message: Give rivers
space to move. Water is powerful and flooding is random.
“You can’t change Mother Nature,” he said. “You’ve
got to change yourself.”
Menees said river science has progressed in 30 years.
Pointing to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ former
■ SEE WHETSTONE, PAGE A2
page B1
THE DOCTOR IS IN
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OLGA PETERS/THE COMMONS
Empty lots are still visible at the Glen Park mobile home community in
West Brattleboro, which bore the brunt of flood damage from Tropical
Storm Irene last August.
Brooks House
project moves
forward
Three new investors join
company; plans afoot
to buy building by fall
By Olga Peters
The Commons
BRATTLEBORO—Three
investors have thrown their
hats into the ring to help keep
the Brooks House reconstruction project to its autumn 2013
reopening.
Pete Richards, Drew Richards,
and Ben Taggard have become
partners in Mesabi, L.L.C., a
new company formed to restore
the Brooks House, the 1871
downtown landmark that caught
fire in April 2011.
The trio’s undisclosed financial investment will help support
pre-construction activities like
concept, design, permitting, and
marketing.
Owner Jonathan Chase said
he did not want to abandon the
building that his father, Norman,
bought in the 1970s, and pledged
to rebuild.
But in a surprise announcement on April 3, Chase said that
he would hand the project over
to Bob Stevens, the head of the
local architectural and engineering firm Stevens & Associates,
and to lawyer Craig Miskovich.
Stevens and Miskovich will
complete the rebuild, and they
created Mesabi, the corporation
for the project that will eventually own the building.
According to Allyson Wendt,
marketing director at Stevens &
Associates, which will finalize
■ SEE BROOKS HOUSE, PAGE A4
AIDS Project mourns
longtime volunteers
As annual Walk for Life
approaches, volunteers
mourn Robert Torrey
and Peggy Longueil
By Randolph T. Holhut
The Commons
BRATTLEBORO—For people involved with the AIDS
Project of Southern Vermont for
the past 25 years, grief is a familiar emotion.
This year, the sense of loss is
more acute as the AIDS Project
is mourning the deaths of two
longtime volunteers.
The AIDS Project had already
dedicated this year’s annual
Walk for Life on May 19 to the
memory of Robert Torrey, who
died in December. But, as the
final preparations for the 25th
annual event were nearly complete, news arrived of the death
of Peggy Longueil on April 30.
Both Torrey and Longueil had
served on the AIDS Project’s
board of directors.
According to Sarah Benton,
a close friend of Torrey, he was
one of the founders of the AIDS
Project.
“He participated in and cochaired many of the Walks in the
early days of the Project and also
served on the board,” she said.
”The AIDS Project was one of
Bob’s commitments year after
year, not only financially, but
with time and talent.”
“He was one of our earliest
supporters,” said AIDS Project
executive director Susan Bell.
Benton set up an online fundraising page with a goal of raising
$1,000 in Torrey’s memory and
will speak at the May 19 event.
Longueil, who died of brain
cancer at the age of 69, got involved with the AIDS Project
after she lost her 28-year-old
daughter, Michelle, to the disease in 1995.
“Peggy’s death is very sad for
us,” said Bell. “She was always
there each year for the Walk.”
Every year for 25 years, the
AIDS Project of Southern
Vermont has held a Walk for
Life to honor the community’s
efforts to support those living
with HIV/AIDS, and reduce the
risk of HIV transmission.
This year’s Walk for Life will
start at 10 a.m. Walkers will
gather at the River Garden on
Main Street for a brief period of
remembrance, then walk to the
Brattleboro Food Co-op, up to
the Common and back to the
River Garden for a program of
music, prizes, and a light lunch.
Teams from businesses,
neighborhoods, clubs, churches,
and schools form each year to
help raise money for the AIDS
Project. This year’s teams include Brown Computer
Solutions’ Bratt Pack, St.
Michael’s Episcopal Church,
The Men’s Program, Bob’s Girls,
Marlboro Walk for Life, the Boys
and Girls Club, and Green River
Village People.
“The AIDS Project is an excellent cause and we are very
proud to support it,” said
■ SEE AIDS WALK, PAGE A3
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• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
brattleboro
n Whetstone
practice of building berms along
rivers, he said many older floodproofing measures prove a more
dangerous cure than the disease.
River engineers now recommend two measures for flood
protection: leaving rivers to
maintain themselves, except
when their movements threaten
manmade infrastructure or
homes, and educating people to
build away from the river’s edge.
“What’s good for the river,
what’s good for our budget, is
good for us,” he said. “And I
think about half the people [I
speak with] don’t believe me.”
Destruction
in West B
Irene’s late summer rains,
which fell upon ground already
saturated by a rainy August,
gathered speed and volume as
they flowed downhill to eventually converge on low-lying
Brattleboro.
The excess rainfall whipped
the normally quiet Whetstone
Brook into a raging torrent of water as it jumped its banks seeking
the relief of its ancient floodplain.
This may be good for the
brook, but not for the relatively
new population of humans,
buildings, cars, bridges, and
Route 9.
The flooding has altered the
Whetstone, creating sandbars,
toppling trees, making narrow
portions wide, and making deep
areas shallow.
Menees said the Whetstone
will take years to recalibrate itself after the trauma of Irene.
He estimates people will see big
changes in the brook, like falling
trees and shifting sandbars, for
another year. Smaller changes
will continue for at least another
five years. Meanwhile, evidence
of the storm remains.
Fine, gray sediment coats the
parking areas behind American
Traders on Route 9. Blackberry
bushes from last August lay half
submerged in the silt frozen
by the force of rushing water.
Seedlings and weeds poke up
through sediment like green marbles tossed across a grey carpet.
Farther downstream beside
the footpath connecting the public housing complexes of Hayes
Court and Melrose Terrace,
a bright orange traffic cone is
wedged under a broken tree
trunk. Churned up earth like
brown wounds surrounds the
empty mobile home lots in Glen
Park, where broken pieces of
mirrors, pottery, insulation, and
electrical wires share the debris field with an animal skull,
a baby rhubarb plant, and tiny
wildflowers.
The results of Irene’s destruction are only beginning to be
revealed. The river will be recovering for years.
Menees awards permits for
working in rivers. He views a
river as a complete system encompassing water quality, fish
habitat, flooding, erosion, public
safety, and financial costs.
from SECTION FRONT
In this system, everyone lives
upstream and everyone lives
downstream. Cause a change
in one portion of the river, and
the effects ripple out in both
directions.
Rivers have memories of
15,000 years, he said. Humans
average about 50 years. For
centuries, before people built
West Brattleboro, the Whetstone
snaked back and forth across the
valley floor as erosion wore away
some banks and filled in others.
“It’s a process not in our time
frame,” he said.
This long-term evolution
holds true for the Whetstone as
it destabilizes after Irene. This
will take years, even decades, to
work out, according to Menees.
Many of the estimated 4,000
frustrated people that Menees
has spoken with since August
ask why he won’t let them fix
the damaged rivers and fix them
quickly.
“Where do you start, where
do you stop, and who pays for
it?” he asks. “[River stabilization] is a long-term process that
you won’t see.”
Residents on the Whetstone
walk questioned Menees on
how to best maintain or rebuild
the brook, how to better protect the buildings along it, and
how Brattleboro could convince towns upstream to change
their development to lessen potential flooding in downstream
Brattleboro.
“Where’s the equity?” asked
Menees. “That’s a tough nut.”
Watersheds don’t follow town
lines, he said. Also, towns differ
in zoning regulations, resources,
and flood prevention measures.
He said usually the best tack is
appealing to a neighbor’s sense
of altruism.
“No matter where we live, we
have our conflict — nature does
her thing and we get in the way,”
said Menees. “Equity is a very
hard part of the equation.”
Finding balance
Rivers seek to balance the immense energy inherent in flowing
water. Menees calls this balanced
state “dynamic equilibrium,”
where overall, the river system
remains stable even while small
changes occur, such as erosion at
a rate of about one inch a year.
Rivers constantly erode the
earth channeling them, depositing that soil at slower sections
downstream. Healthy rivers meander. The altering of quick and
slow speeds manages the river’s
energy so it does not reach damaging velocities, he said.
Over time, rivers bend and
move altering their channels.
Healthy rivers also have open
floodplains that allow flood waters to expend their energy by
spreading out and slowing down,
Menees said.
When people build flood
walls, excavate gravel from a
river, or cut away trees lining
a river bed they disrupt a river’s natural balance. Often this
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T h e C ommons
Olga Peters/The Commons
From left, Todd Menees of the Vermont Department of Environmental
Conservation, Michael Bosworth of the West Brattleboro Association, and Adam
Hubbard of Stevens & Associates speaks with Glen Park resident Mary Durland.
increases the water’s energy and
speed, forcing the river to expend its energy in other, unintended ways.
Menees said he thinks this
is what happened to Melrose
Terrace and Glen Park. The
flood wall intended to protect
the Melrose housing units lining the Whetstone forced more
water into Glen Park.
If, for example, if the Melrose
flood wall was removed, the
homes closest to the Whetstone
were moved, and the stream
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By Randolph T. Holhut
The Commons
BRATTLEBORO—The long
list of restaurants in town which
have gone defunct in recent years
just got a bit longer.
The Steak Out, which has
operated on Putney Road
since 1972, closed abruptly on
Sunday.
The restaurant was wellknown in the area for its soup
and salad bar, as well as an allyou-can-eat dessert bar. The
French onion soup, prime rib,
and the big bowls of all-you-caneat shrimp were among its signature dishes.
Owner Sean Henry, who
bought the steakhouse from
his father, Mike, four years ago,
blames a sluggish economy and
increased competition for the
closure.
In a message posted on
Facebook on Monday night,
Sean Henry wrote that the ultimate decision “all came down
to money. The bills and debt just
kept piling up."
Henry’s purchase of the Steak
Out came right at the time that
the nearby 99 Restaurant opened
for business and the global economic collapse struck. He said
sales dropped 40 percent since
he bought the restaurant.
“It became too hard to compete with a chain located right
in front of the Steak Out getting
all the people off the highway
we used to get,” he wrote. “We
were so tucked back and hidden,
which made it even more difficult
to reach those customers.”
“If the 99 was not there, we
would still be doing just fine,”
Henry wrote.
For the past two years, he
wrote, “nearly every month I
was faced with the decision of
whether I should close or stay
open. I chose to try and stick
[with] it again and again.”
“There were at least four times
over the last two years that I told
my parents I would be closing,
A number of comments were posted to the Steak
Out’s Facebook page, most of them from carnivores
saddened by the local institution’s sudden closing.
but somehow made it through.”
But he admitted that juggling
the finances only postponed the
inevitable.
“It just got to the point where
I could not push my bills back
any further and I didn’t want to
keep borrowing money making
the situation worse,” he wrote.
“I had to make the difficult decision to close and, this time, actually do it.”
Telling his staff was the hardest part, he wrote, and not being able to tell them until the
last minute only made it harder.
“If I could have told them
earlier, I would have, but things
would have got very complicated
or, heck, I might have stayed
open like the last four times I
thought about closing,” Henry
explained.
Sean wrote that he hopes his
former patrons support the other
local restaurants in Brattleboro.
“They definitely need the support of all the great Steak Out
customers during these difficult
times,” he wrote.
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chairs, firewood, hay bales, and
houses are still lining river banks.
“[People] are not willing to
change their behavior, but [they]
can’t change the river,” he said.
Menees said that, in human
relationships, people know they
can’t change the other person.
Instead, they must change their
point of view and relationship to
the other person.
The same goes, he said, for
the relationship between Mother
Nature and humanity.
After 40 years on Putney Road,
Steak Out closes abruptly
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azing Sunsets
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bank was gently sloped, the
Whetstone could move closer to
equilibrium.
But will people learn from
Irene? Menees said he is not sure.
In the weeks after Irene,
Meeees said, what the flood
carried away — lawn chairs,
firewood, “marshmallow” hay
bales, trees, and houses — blew
his mind.
“You don’t think that would
put the fear of God into you?”
Menees asked.
Yet eight months later, lawn
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NEWS • Wednesday, May 16, 2012 A3
Ten years of building stronger,
more confident young women
NRC to present
annual safety
assessment of VY
Girls on the Run celebrates milestone with annual 5K run on May 19
By Alex Ossola
The Commons
BRATTLEBORO—Girls on
the Run will host its 10th annual 5K Run/Walk on Saturday,
May, 19, at Brattleboro Union
High School.
The event, and the 10-week
program that led up to it, are
designed to encourage girls in
grades 3 to 8 to develop selfrespect and healthy lifestyles
through running.
Nancy Heydinger, the executive director of Girls on the Run
in Southern Vermont, said she
sees the program as a way to
help girls at a pivotal age stay out
of what she calls the “girl box.”
“The ‘girl box’ [is] a place
where only girls who are a certain size with a certain beauty
are popular, and where girls who
want to fit in have to mold their
bodies and their personalities to
fit the requirements of the box.”
she said.
“Girls on the Run was created to help girls stay out of the
‘girl box’ and recognize and appreciate their own strengths and
beauty.”
Key components to the
Young runners practice for this weekend’s Girls on the Run.
curriculum are community
building, team-building and attitude, and building strong and
supportive relationships — concepts that can prove particularly
challenging to girls who feel victimized by their peers.
Last year’s event drew nearly
1,500 participants. This year, organizers are hoping to top that.
For the past 10 weeks, girls
in programs in schools across
Windham County have met
twice a week to engage in
Courtesy photo
sessions that combine physical
activities and “experiential learning activities.”
On the end-of-the-year survey
from last year’s program, many
girls indicated that the run was
one of the best parts of the 10week curriculum.
“The noncompetitiveness
of our program is what makes
this all work,” Heydinger said.
“All types of girls come to this
program and, because it’s noncompetitive, you see them form
incredibly strong bonds.”
“We see girls encouraging
each other to finish [the 5K],
and many who have finished
run back to bring in their teammates,” she added.
Heydinger said the goals of the
program have taken hold here in
southern Vermont.
“I’m thrilled at the passion
with which Vermonters have
embraced Girls on the Run,”
Heydinger said. “It is important
for our Vermont girls to own
and embrace who they are and
to recognize and celebrate their
own uniqueness.”
from SECTION FRONT
“As we help them move toward this, they begin to feel
more confident with their surroundings, peer group, and
community,” she added. “If our
teenagers are able to shift their
focus from questioning their
worth, they will be free to pursue other opportunities to grow
and contribute to their local
communities.”
Since 1996, when the organization was founded in North
Carolina, organizers and school
personnel have seen the effect
that this program has had on preteen and teenage girls.
Stephanie Nichols, a volunteer coach, said she is always
impressed by how the girls have
grown in 10 weeks.
“The girls are fully self-expressed and eager to offer their
thoughts because they know
their peers support and encourage their sharing,” Nichols said.
“They have become very confident and embrace who they are
and what they stand for, which
Councils of Girls on the Run
is especially inspiring given their can now be found in 47 states
age and current pressure to fit in throughout the U.S., and several
and be like everyone else.”
in Canada.
Courtesy photo
To register online for the 5K,
This year’s Walk for Life is dedicated to the memory
visit www.girlsontherunvermont.
n AIDS walk
Patrick Brown, owner of Brown
Computer Solutions.
Fighting
complacency
Perceptions have changed
about AIDS and HIV in the last
25 years, so that it’s no longer
viewed as a death sentence but
as a manageable chronic disease.
However, this has created a false
sense of security, particularly
among young people, Bell said.
“The younger folks, particularly gay and bisexual men, are
still being exposed,” she said.
“That generation hasn’t experienced the loss like we did. If
people take [the disease] for
granted, they won’t be making
healthy choices.”
The AIDS Project’s Men’s
Program and Women’s Program
encourage healthy choices and
promotes safe sex. Both programs have been held up as models on the national stage. Despite
success, this year the AIDS
Project learned that funding for
programs was going to be cut.
Bell said the federal government has shifted its focus to
urban areas with the largest number of at-risk individuals. That
has meant that programs in rural areas such as Vermont will
receive less funding in the future.
While the number of people
living with AIDS in Vermont —
about 600 — is small compared
to other states, there are still new
cases diagnosed every year, and
of Robert Torrey, a longtime volunteer for the AIDS
Project of Southern Vermont.
Bell said that about 90 percent of
the people that the AIDS Project
serves live below the poverty line.
“People don’t have a sense
that AIDS is still an awful disease,” said Bell. “It’s still a really difficult disease to live with.
The medicines are expensive
and [have] side effects and you
have to really keep on top of everything, which can be hard to
do. That’s why we’re still here
to help.”
Available Pets for Adoption
Windham County
humane SoCiety
Make a friend
for life
B R A T T L E B ORO —
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) staff will
conduct a public meeting and
open house on Wednesday,
May 23, regarding the agency’s annual assessment of
safety performance for the
Vermont Yankee nuclear
power plant in Vernon.
The public meeting and
open house will take place
from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in
the Multipurpose Room
at Brattleboro Union High
School, 131 Fairground Road.
During the open house, members of the public will have an
opportunity to talk on a oneon-one basis with NRC inspectors assigned to the plant
and NRC managers about
plant-related topics.
At 7 p.m., the NRC will
conduct a public meeting
at which agency staff members will take questions from
attendees.
Overall, the NRC found
that Vermont Yankee operated safely during 2011. At
the conclusion of last year,
the NRC’s Reactor Oversight
Process, said they found no
performance indicators for
Vermont Yankee other than
“Green” (very low risk), and
no inspection findings that
were “Greater than Green”
(all findings were of very low
safety significance).
Therefore, for the rest of
2012, the NRC said that
Vermont Yankee will receive
the very detailed inspection
regime used by the NRC for
plants that are operating well.
In 2011, the NRC devoted
approximately 6,325 hours
of inspection to the Vermont
Yankee facility.
“Throughout 2011, our
inspectors kept close watch
on safety performance at all
104 commercial power reactors operating in the United
States,” said NRC Region
I Administrator Bill Dean.
“Vermont Yankee was among
those that met our clearly defined performance criteria
last year.”
916 West River Road, Brattleboro, VT
802-254-2232 View all at: wc h s4 p e t s. o rg
Hello there! My name is Jonas
and if you’re looking for new
feline friend to spend your days
relaxing with, look no further! I’m
a sweet, handsome man with a
personality that everybody falls in
love with. I’m a mellow man that
is content to just hang out with
you and get some affection. I get
along with other cats and could probably get used to
a cat-savvy dog, if we’re given a proper introduction.
And mellow children would be fine by me! Stop by
to meet me today...I know you won’t regret it!
Hi there! My name is Zinnia
and don’t I just have the most
precious face? I’m a real doll-I
love people more than anything! I can be a bit shy at first
but give me some time and
some gentle pets on my head,
and you’ll see the real me. I
get along with other cats and
could probably live with a cat-savvy dog if we’re
introduced properly. And mellow children 8+
would be fine too! Stop by soon and fall in love!
Meet Apollo! Apollo is a
gentle, sweet and snuggly
boy! This guy loves being
pet so much he will just start
to slowly relax and slide on
the floor until be becomes a
big puddle of doggy- mush!
Apollo would do best as an only pet and likes children quite a bit.
He would do best in a home with children age 10 and up. This guy
is the best of both worlds: a gentle and quiet companion in the
house and also a great running and hiking buddy. He also does
great in the car. Apollo is also house-trained and knows his basic
behaviors. Don’t miss your chance to own such a wonderful dog!
My name is Ginger and I am just one
heck of a swell girl who is all about
finding myself a great home! I am a
fairly low key girl who likes to go out
and about on daily strolls to the park
or maybe along a sidewalk or quiet
country road. I do well with most other dogs and cats as well. I have some
mild rescouce guarding with my food
bowl (I love my food!) so I should live
with children 12 and up. please come
by and meet me! I can’t wait to be cuddling up on the couch with you!
This space is graciously sponsored by:
648 Putney Road
Brattleboro, VT
802.257.3700
o n e s t o p co u n t ryp et .co m
org by 9 p.m. on May 17. You
can also register at the event from
8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
For more information, call
802-246-1476 or email lauren@
girlsontherunvermont.org.
Household Hazardous Waste
Collection!
May 19,Waste
2012
HouseHold
Hazardous
IT’S THAT TIME! Now is the time to clean out the unColleCtion!
19,
wanted
toxic waste that isMay
sitting in
your 2012
basement, garage,
bathroom and kitchen. The collection is available to
IT’S THAT TIME! Now is the time to clean out the unwanted toxic
all WSWMD community residents only.
waste that is sitting in your basement, garage, bathroom and
kitchen. The collection is available to all WSWMD
W HAT TO community
B RING : roofing
tar, oil
paint and stains, wood
residents
only.
preservatives, varnishes, rust proofers, paint strippers and
WHAT TO BRING: roofing tar, oil paint and stains, wood
thinners, muriatic acid, antifreeze, brake fluid, fuel additives,
preservatives, varnishes, rust proofers, paint strippers and thincar wax & polishes, gasoline, motor oil, solvents,
ners, muriatic acid, antifreeze, brake fluid, fuel additives, car wax
transmission
driveway
sealer, pool
chemicals,
& polishes,
gasoline, fluid
motor and
oil, solvents,
transmission
fluid and
insecticides,
herbicides,
driveway
sealer, pool
chemicals,fungicides,
insecticides, chemical
herbicides, fertilizers,
weed killers,
cleaners/spot
removers,
polishes, mothballs,
fungicides,
chemical
fertilizers, weed
killers, cleaners/spot
bleach,
drain mothballs,
& toilet bleach,
cleaners,
flea
control
products &
removers,
polishes,
drain
& toilet
cleaners,
chemistry
flea sets.
control products & chemistry sets.
What NOT to bring: LATEX PAINT, electronic waste,
WHAT NOT TO BRING: LATEX PAINT, electronic waste,
fluorescent bulbs, empty containers, ammunition,
fluorescent bulbs, empty containers, ammunition, explosives,
explosives, fireworks, medical waste & radioactive waste.
fireworks, medical waste & radioactive waste.
Where to bring it:
WHERE TO BRING IT:
Wilmington Town Garage
Wilmington Town Garage
9:00 am - 10:00 am
9:00 am - 10:00 am
Whitingham Transfer Station
Whitingham Transfer Station
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Halifax Town Office
Halifax Town Office
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Fees –FEES
First–10
gallons
of HHW
is free!
More than 10 gallons
First
10 gallons
of HHW
is free!
- $4.00/gallon
charge.
More than 10
gallons - $4.00/gallon charge.
Additional
collections
will be
in June
and November.
Additional
collections
willheld
be held
in June
and November. For
For
more
information
visit
our
website
at
more information visit our website at windhamsolidwaste.org
or call (802) 257-0272. or call (802) 257-0272.
windhamsolidwaste.org
149 Emerald St
Keene, NH
603.352.9200
THE COMMONS ❧ SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE ❧
www.commonsnews.org
“I like the concentration on local news, plus the attention given by The Commons to evaluating it for the resultant quality of
people’s lives in our bioregion. Everything else I can get online, but here is root and branch of what cannot be replaced by
mass media.”
Proof generated May 15, 2012 10:05 PM
“In addition, our inspectors
spent time in 2011 verifying
that there were no immediate
safety concerns at Vermont
Yankee, as well as all other
U.S. nuclear power plants, following the March events at the
Fukushima Daiichi facility in
Japan,” Dean added. “Those
reviews indicated the plants
remained safe for continued
operation.”
The NRC utilizes a combination of color-coded inspection findings and performance
indicators to measure plant
performance. The colors start
with “Green” and then increase to “White,” “Yellow”
or “Red,” corresponding to
the significance of the safety
issues involved.
The agency issues reports
on performance at specific
plants twice a year. Inspection
findings and performance indicators are also updated on
the NRC’s web site, www.nrc.
gov, each quarter. Following
the release of an annual assessment report every March, the
NRC meets with the public
in the vicinity of each plant to
discuss the results.
The annual assessment for
the Vermont Yankee plant is
available on the NRC web site
at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/
ASSESS/LETTERS/vy_2011q4.pdf.
Routine inspections are
carried out by NRC Resident
Inspectors assigned to the
plant and by inspection specialists from the agency’s
Region I Office in King of
Prussia, Pa. Among the areas
of performance at Vermont
Yankee to be inspected this
year by NRC specialists are
activities associated with permanent plant modifications,
radiological safety, emergency
preparedness, and the implementation of a voluntary industry initiative to address
potential degradation of underground piping.
Current performance information for Vermont Yankee is
available on the NRC web site
at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/
ASSESS/VY/vy_chart.html.
Real quotes from real readers.
Support The Commons
by becoming a member
S E E PAG E A 5
NEWS A4
T h e C o m m o ns
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
n Brooks House
from section front
the architectural design and engineering for the building, the
project required an initial equity
investment. This investment allows the company to purchase
the building and for the project
to qualify for funding programs
like historic or new-market tax
credits.
Wendt said the team is also
pursuing green building options.
Pete Richards, a vice president and risk management consultant at The Richards Group,
a full-service insurance and financial services firm based in
Brattleboro, said in a phone
interview that he, his brother
Drew, and their cousin Ben have
managed projects with larger
price tags than the Brooks House
restoration.
But, he said, the Brooks
House marks the trio’s first personal investment.
According to Richards,
Stevens and Miskovich approached them after announcing taking over the project.
Richards credited their decision to invest to a deep respect for Stevens and Miskovich
and a desire to support their
community.
“The Brooks House is the centerpiece of downtown,” Richards
said.
Richards said his brother,
cousin, and their young families
are connected to Brattleboro.
He hopes to see the Brooks
House, which abuts Main Street,
High Street, and the Harmony
parking lot, once again stand at
a hub of activity.
Richards, who said he can’t
imagine a property with a greater
effect on downtown, added that
it’s no secret he would like to see
Community College of Vermont
(CCV) move into the building.
But he would also like to see
residents, restaurants, and retail
spaces return to the downtown
landmark.
“[Brooks House could be] an
energizing force for Main Street
and the Harmony parking lot,”
he said.
According to a press release
from Stevens & Associates, the
Brooks House team is now moving forward with design and
seeking to pre-lease portions of
the building.
Stephan Morse, of Newfane,
former speaker of the Vermont
House of Representatives
who now works as president
and C.E.O. of the Windham
Foundation, has also stepped
forward as a hired consultant to
provide strategic advice, including locating an anchor tenant, a The Brooks House hotel, in an 1876 J.B. Beers & Co engraving made five years after the building’s
step the investors say is critical completion.
to the project’s viability.
“Many people are pulling for
a successful redevelopment of
the Brooks House. We hired
Stephan so all of these folks
would have a single point of contact on issues like attracting CCV
GIMME A BREAK!!!
Commons file photo
The Brooks House in the aftermath of the blaze.


802.387.0058

to downtown,” said Miskovich in
a press release.
The team’s timeline includes
purchasing the building in the
fall of 2012, and completing construction in late 2013.
Interested commercial or residential clients should contact
Wendt at awendt@stevens-assoc.
com or 802-257-9329, ext. 112.
Peerless Boilers
series WBV/WV
residential oil Boilers
Water
1
steam
6
3
GFPC offers free
parenting workshop
in Bellows Falls
BELLOWS FALLS —
The Greater Falls Prevention
Coalition (GFPC) is once again
offering the “Guiding Good
Choices” parenting series in
Bellows Falls.
Registration is currently open
and classes will begin once a minimum number of parents have
registered. This free, five-week
series led by GFPC’s Parent
Outreach Coordinator provides
support and skill-building for
parents of kids ages 8-13.
The class focuses on setting
boundaries, monitoring, communication, and dealing with conflict. Child care and light food
are available. To register, contact
Deb Witkus at 802-463-9927,
ext. 212 or gfpc4parents@gmail.
com (mce_host/site/editsystem05a/
[email protected]).
MATT SKOVE/AUDIO DESIGN
Home Stereo/Flat Screen TVs
Home Theater Installation
Car Stereo/Remote Car Starters
Sales and/or Installation
“I’ll come to you!’’
802-257-5419
www.audiodesignvt.com
7
4
4
5
5
2
1. Limit Control with
Circulator Relay
2. High Efficiency Flame
Retention Burner
2
3. Temperature-Pressure Gauge
4. Insulated Jacket
5. Full Plate Swing-Out Door
6. Pressure Control
7. Probe LWCO
or Kearley Fuel
802-874-4921
NEWFANE — It’s time to
start planning for the annual
Newfane Community Yard Sale.
This is the 10th year the event
will be held, and it is scheduled
for Saturday, June 30, from 8
a.m. to 2 p.m.
Each year, dozens of individuals, families and community
groups gather on the Newfane
Common and throughout the
village of Newfane to sell their
treasures, and hundreds of people come shopping. The fee is
$10 for a 12’ by 12’ space; contact Marilyn at 802-365-7916 for
more information or to reserve
your space.
Frank Barrows
35 Main St., Brattleboro, Vt.
THE COMMONS ❧ SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE ❧
www.commonsnews.org
“The Commons is singlehandedly responsible for inspiring the spread of nonprofit community news in
Rhode Island. It’s also serving as inspiration for our designer, and a beacon of awesomeness that
alt-model news organizations can set their course by.”
Proof generated May 15, 2012 10:05 PM
BRATTLEBORO —
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital
announced that Windham
Internal Medicine and
Brattleboro Internal Medicine
are merging into a single practice, which will be known as
Brattleboro Internal Medicine.
Starting July 15, Richard
Burtis, MD and Roxanne Karter,
ARNP will begin seeing patients in the Brattleboro Internal
Medicine offices on the second
floor of the Gannett Building.
BMH Vice President of
Physician and Business Services
Prudence MacKinney says
Windham Internal Medicine’s
Richard Orlan, MD, has accepted a position as medical
director of the Brattleboro VA
Community-Base Outpatient
Care Clinic. He will maintain
his staff privileges at BMH and
continue to be an active participant in the medical community,
she adds.
Both Windham Internal
Medicine and Brattleboro
Internal Medicine are part of
BMH Physician Group, a multispecialty group practice of primary care and specialty care
providers utilizing a centralized
practice management system
for patient scheduling, registration and billing. Offices are located in Brattleboro, Putney, and
Bellows Falls.
Planning begins for
Newfane Community
Yard Sale
Call the Comfort Consultant
802-254-4574
Windham Internal
Medicine to merge
with Brattleboro
Internal Medicine
Real quotes from real readers.
Support The Commons
by becoming a member
S E E PAG E A 5
The Commons
ADVERTISEMENT
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012 ADVERTISEMENT
A5
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
“Thank you, Commons, for being
Windham County’s best news
source! I wish I could contribute
more, but what you get is ¹⁄₃ of
my state tax refund, so not bad
in the grand scheme of things.
Keep up the great work. W”
—Message with a recent donation
•We publish The Commons frugally, with
far too few resources for what we are attempting
•Our growth over the past few months is creating financial
challenges — challenges that are difficult but not insurmountable
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fearless, and independent news source for Windham County
•Your tax-deductible memberships and additional gifts will keep
the presses rolling and move The Commons into the future
It’s your newspaper as much as it is ours.
Together, we can make it great.
Complete this form today, or donate via our website,
www.commonsnews.org
Yes!
I want to help support Vermont Independent Media and the
work of The Commons, www.Commonsnews.org, the Media
Mentoring Project, and VIM’s outreach to journalism programs in schools.
VIM members get the paper in the mail and join us for occasional
special events. We gratefully accept donations of smaller amounts,
but we cannot mail the paper.
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NEWS
A6
THE COMMONS
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
AROUND THE TOWNS
the Brattleboro Farmers’ Market.
Kids can come sell things they
make themselves from scratch.
The market is open from 9
a.m. to 2 p.m., and hosts music
by Mike Cressey from 11 a.m.-1
p.m. More than 50 vendors offer high quality goods they make
themselves. For more information, call 802-254-8885 or www.
brattleborofarmersmarket.com.
May 19, from 10 a.m. until 2
p.m. The sale will take place in
the Algiers section of Guilford
BRATTLEBORO — The
at Richmond’s Garage at the
town bus service, the BeeLine,
corner of Route 5 (the Coolidge
will be running fare-free on
Highway) and Guilford Center
Friday, May 18, in support of
Road, one mile south of Exit 1 of
the “Way To Go” commuter
Interstate 91 and across from the
challenge.
Guilford Country Store.
For more information, conThe sale will feature plants —
tact The Current (formerly
all reasonably priced and locally
Connecticut River Transit) at
raised — and a variety of baked
802-460-7433.
goods from some of the best
Guilford Historical
cooks in the Guilford area. Pies,
cookies, and other delicacies will
Society
presents
Saturday is Kids’ Day
be offered.
Plant & Bake Sale
The sale will benefit the soat Farmers’ Market
GUILFORD — The Guilford ciety’s work in maintaining
B R A T T L E B O R O — Historical Society will hold a the 1822 Guilford Historical
Saturday, May 19 is Kids’ Day at Plant and Bake Sale on Saturday, Museum, the 1837 Guilford
Center Meeting House, and the
1797 Brick One Room School
House. The society also offers
programs to the public on issues
related to the town’s history.
Persons willing to donate
plants are asked to pot them
in advance of the sale and then
to bring them to Richmond’s
Garage between 8-9 a.m. on sale
day. Baked goods should also be
Early Education Services is now accepting applications for
brought at that time. If donors of
plants or baked goods have questhe Head Start program 2012 - 2013 school year. Head Start
tions, they may call Mary Sargent
is a pre-school program for children and families in
at 257-0004 or Shirley Squires at
Windham County. If your child will be 3 years old by
802-254-2468.
Sept. 1, 2012 and will not be starting kindergarten,
aPPlication
noticE
HEad Start
please contact us.
For more information or application call:
Early Education SErvicES
130 Birge Street
Brattleboro, vt 05301
(802) 254-3742 or
(800) 427-3730 (vt only)
“Every child deserves a Head Start”
Finnell
Workshop shows
how to design
gardens to attract
hummingbirds,
butterflies
DUMMERSTON — On
Saturday, May 19, from 10-11
a.m., garden designer Michaela
Harlow will give an hour-long
talk at Walker Farm on Route 5
on horticultural information and
design tips for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your
garden.
She will also share information on how to provide safe habitat and natural food for these
beautiful and important pollinators. This presentation is free.
Reservation are requested. Call
802-254-2051. This presentation
is sponsored by the Dummerston
Conservation Commission and
Walker Farm.
‘Scoop the Loop’
benefits Our Place
BELLOWS FALLS — The
Golden Sneaker award will be
the goal for walkers who like to
“Scoop the Loop” in Bellows
Falls in the third annual event
to benefit the food pantry of Our
Place Drop-in Center.
Individuals and groups will
step off Saturday, May 19 at
10 a.m. in an easy two-mile
walk around the village in a
time-honored local tradition
known as “scooping the loop.”
Teams from local exercise gyms
and businesses will compete
to have the largest number of
Roofing LLC
Residential/Commercial
Insured
www.finnellroofing.com
802.257.0841
~ Residential and Commercial ~
Our Own In-house Installation Team
The
Chimney & Stove Care
Ceramic Tile
Hardwood
Carpet
Cork
Rugs
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Hardwood
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Service
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s )NSTALLATION
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(802) 387-6037
972 Putney Road Unit 3, Brattleboro, VT
www.lawtonfloordesign.com / 802-254-9303
Putney, VT
[email protected]
www.vtchimneydoctor.com
Prouty Center
hosts annual Taste
of the Town
BRATTLEBORO — The
Windham Prouty Center will
present its 23rd annual benefit and auction, A Taste of
the Town, on Saturday, May
19, from 7:30-9 p.m., at the
International Center at World
Learning in Brattleboro.
The Taste features delectable
food, stunning floral arrangements, and unique products,
arts and services from local and
regional businesses. Tickets are
$40 per person.
For more information or to order tickets, contact Ann Linge at
802-257-7852, ext. 10 or ann@
winstonprouty.org. If ordering tickets, please include your
name, daytime contact information, and number of tickets desired in your message.
Event seeks to
spread cheer to
troops overseas
Chimney Doctor
BEST KEPT SECRET
IN THE AREA
participants, earning themselves
the Golden Sneaker for first
place and the Silver Sneaker for
second.
Our Place Drop-in Center is
organizing the event in an effort to fill its food shelves while
promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Participants are asked to bring
a non-perishable food donation
to Our Place at 4 Island St. at 10
a.m. before taking a walk around
the village on designated routes.
Maps will be provided.
Our Place will be offering refreshments to returning walkers,
plus a token of appreciation for
each participant. Prizes will be
given, including for most members of one family, most employees of the same company, most
people from the same gym, oldest walker, youngest walker, and
most interesting attire.
There is no charge for participating. Rain date for the event is
Sunday, May 20. Further information is available by calling Our
Place at 802-463-2217 or visiting
its Facebook page.
Exotic Thai Cuisine
The Far East Just
Got a Little Closer!
7 High Street
Brattleboro, VT
(802) 251-1010
ThaiBambooVT.com
BRATTLEBORO — Local
author Jessica Bills, who writes
the feature “Our Patriotic Duty”
for the Brattleboro Reformer, is
teaming up with the local chapter
of Yellow Ribbon and WKVT to
honor those who serve overseas.
On Sunday, May 20, from
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General Sitework
6 Annual Inflammatory
Bowel Disease Symposium
n
Broadband meeting
to be held in Putney
PUTNEY — The Vermont
Telecommunications Authority
will hold a broadband target
community meeting on Monday,
May 21, at 5:30 p.m., at the
Putney Firehouse on Route 5.
Residents from Brookline,
Dummerston, Newfane, Putney,
Rockingham, Townshend, and
Westminster are invited to come
learn about the list of unserved
locations and plans to extend
broadband Internet to these locations by the end of 2013.
T
he Net is the ultimate empowerment tool. You have the right
to express your opinion to a global
audience, but everyone has the right
not to pay any attention to it.
—DON RITTNER
R i ve r Va l l e y C r e d i t U n i o n
Mortgages are about people
E
than Grimes enjoys being a part of the biggest, most important
investment you can make. Best of all, he gets to do it in Windham
County, where he grew up. “I was a Mortgage Originator in Florida
after college. I’m one of the lucky ones who got to come back
home and do what I love with great people.”
The Basics and Beyond
Saturday, June 2, 8 AM -1:15 PM
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
n
DUMMERSTON — Green
Mountain Camp for Girls hosts
an open house on Sunday, May
20, from 1-4 p.m. Parents and
campers are invited to tour the
camp, meet new camp program
director Billie Ognenoff, connect
with other campers, and enjoy
some refreshments.
Founded in 1917, Green
Mountain Camp provides
girls with an opportunity to
strengthen their skills as selfreliant, creative and strong individuals. This year’s program
runs from June 25 through Aug.
3. Daily activities include crafts,
swimming, games, singing, baking, and theater.
Day camp is open to 6-12 year
olds, classic overnight camp is for
ages 8-12 and “Try Me Camp”
for ages 6-12. “Try Me” is for
campers who want to try overnights, as girls have the flexibility to switch from day to
overnight camp at any point
during the week. For more information and directions, visit
www.greenmountaincamp.com
or call 802-257-1751.
David Manning
103 Frost Place, Brattleboro, VT
th
n
Green Mountain Camp
to hold open house
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11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the River
Garden, 153 Main St., community members of all ages are
invited to stop by to send along
their kindest thoughts and best
wishes to the troops.
Copies of Bills’ book for children, Sad, Angry and Blue, which
was written to support military
children when a parent deploys,
will be available at the event.
Yellow Ribbon, a nonprofit organization that sends packages
filled with homemade baked
goods, toiletries, and entertainment in the form of books and
playing cards, will also be there.
If you’re in the market for a home mortgage,
come talk with Ethan in our Brattleboro office.
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Learn the basics about Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
Hear from others living with IBD
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If you or a loved one is living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), then
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of children with IBD to attend. The program features adult and pediatric
IBD specialists from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Center, plus a special guest lecturer, Dr. Thomas Ullman of Mount Sinai
Hospital in New York. This year‘s program offers something for everyone,
from those newly diagnosed to those who have lived with IBD for years.
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Breakfast and lunch provided.
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P.O. Box 643 Brattleboro, VT 05302
Builders LLC
THE COMMONS ❧ SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE ❧
P.O. Box 643 Brattleboro, VT 05302
www.commonsnews.org
“The Commons is shining evidence that local news is more than, well, ‘local news.’ The writers tell us stories with a
reach and depth not often found in the best of big-time journalism. There is heart and soul and humanity. The writing
is compelling and reminds us why we love where we live.”
Proof generated May 15, 2012 10:05 PM
Good only at China Buffet, Brattleboro, VT
Free rides on the
BeeLine this Friday
Real quotes from real readers.
Support The Commons
by becoming a member
S E E PAG E A 5
THE COMMONS
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
NEWS
A7
■ Domestic violence
FROM SECTION FRONT
Shari added that domestic
violence takes the lives of three
women every day in the U.S.
“This of course happens in
the broader social context that
teaches violent masculinity,
which certainly harms and demeans us all,” she said.
Macomber, Shari, and fellow
advocates with the Woman’s
Freedom Center held a community discussion and screening of the documentary “Telling
Amy’s Story” on April 26 at the
River Garden.
The screening and conversation is part of the center’s fledgling community outreach.
Macomber said the center
conducts most of its work in secret to protect victims. Yet, if
the center wanted to involve the
community in changing the tide
of domestic violence, it would
need advocates.
The film chronicles the events
leading to the 2001 shooting of
Amy Homan McGee, 33, by her
husband, Vincent, in their State
College, Pa., home. The Public
Service Media Project from Penn
State Public Broadcasting was
made with funding from Amy’s
former employer, Verizon.
Amy, after years of abuse, had
decided to leave her husband.
Thinking he wasn’t home, she
and her parents stopped for Amy
to pick up diapers, clothes, and
bottles for her young children.
The State College community
was small, rural, and regarded
as safe.
“But if you can’t be safe in
your own home, does it matter if
your community is safe?” asked
State College Police Detective
Deirdri Fishel, who worked on
Amy’s homicide case.
By all accounts, Amy did everything right. She contacted
family, she worked with the police, she left Vincent, she moved
out of town, she tried to leave.
“There are only three possible outcomes in an abusive relationship,” said Fishel. “Either
the batterer is going to stop the
abuse, or the victim is going to
leave that relationship, or someone is going to die.”
The Freedom Center chose
the film because it provided a
unique look at Amy’s death.
Rather than pointing fingers, the
community discussed its pain
and worked to understand how
to prevent future deaths.
Macomber said that when a
batterer is intent on harming his
victim, it’s dangerous.
“Even the best [escape] plans
don’t work,” she said. “The danger is that intent to do harm.”
“Telling Amy’s Story” started
as a training video for local
Pennsylvania police officers,
said Shari. Since 2010, the film
COURTESY PHOTO
Detective Deirdri Fishel, primary investigator and case manager of the State
College Police Department’s Victim Centered Intensive Care Management
(VCICM) Unit, is the narrator of the film, “Telling Amy’s Story.”
has been used as a training video
nationwide, aired on television,
and used in community discussions. The Vermont Police
Academy has added it to the
training roster.
Members of the audience
shared their experiences with
domestic violence. One woman
described her fear when she answered the phone and heard the
voice of her batterer. He had
found her after two decades.
Another woman talked about
being stalked. Another spoke
of trying to help her daughter’s
best friend leave an abusive
Offering support
BRATTLEBORO—It
can be hard to know how to
help a friend, family member, or colleague in an abusive
relationship.
“Domestic violence is a
very complex issue,” wrote
Women’s Freedom Center advocates in an email. “Although
it is hard for friends, colleagues,
and family members that don’t
want to see their loved one in
a situation like this, it is essential to try and understand that
it is not an easy fix and that often times there is much more
to the situation then he or she
may know.”
The Center offered some
suggestions to help people
looking to support a woman in
an abusive situation.
“The woman [experiencing
domestic violence] has been
living and surviving the abuse
for quite some time and knows
the batterer’s behavior better
than anyone else,” the advocates added.
Respect the woman’s timing: It is important she decide
when and how she seeks help.
Calling the police, for example,
without her okay could become
an intervention that potentially
escalates the situation, making
it more dangerous for her.
Respect the woman’s privacy: Let her know about local resources or give her the
Freedom Center’s hotline
number, but do not pressure
HELP
WANTED
To place your employment ad,
call Nancy at (802) 246-6397
or email [email protected]
her into calling. She will call
when she’s ready.
Avoid victim blaming:
Questions like “Why did you
get yourself in this situation?”
or “Why don’t you just leave?”
can feel like you’re blaming her
for the abuse. These types of
questions put the responsibility for the batterer’s abusive actions on her shoulders. A more
helpful approach is to say to
her, “You don’t deserve to be
treated like this and what can
I do to support you?”
Take care of yourself: It
can be stressful to be in a supportive role, especially seeing
a loved one hurt. Take measures to have a healthy outlet
for this stress.
boyfriend. The friend did not
leave the boyfriend, and has since
left the area.
Another woman spoke about
her abusive husband and asked
the advocates for help.
Windham County Sheriff
Keith Clark said, “This is a conversation that needs to occur
everyday.”
Clark serves on a domestic violence task force with the
Freedom Center, the Windham
County State’s Attorney’s office, and other members of law
enforcement.
Domestic violence is seen as a
women’s issue, he said. But men
have to step up.
“The problem isn’t lodged
with her,” said Shari. “But you
can pretty much guarantee that
you’ll be going back to his house.
That’s where the serial behavior
Where law enforcement meets community
NEWFANE—Sheriff Keith
Clark sits at a table in his office
at the Windham County Sheriff’s
Department in Newfane. With
nearly 30 years in law enforcement and the military, Clark has
witnessed his share of domestic
violence calls.
“I’ve met women who don’t
know which way to turn, other
than ‘Can I survive today?’”
Clark said.
Like learning to hide bruises,
women wear a mask to hide mental abuse. They protect themselves until eventually they’ve
shut down, Clark said.
He equated the emotional
toll of domestic violence victims to soldiers returning from
war zones.
Soldiers are encouraged to
talk, seek help, and look for signs
of depression or post-traumatic
stress disorder. Society erects
billboards listing hotline numbers and support groups.
FAMily SErViCES WorkEr
Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA)
is currently seeking a Family Services Worker to provide
emergency and non-emergency assistance to our low-income
clients in the Brattleboro area. This individual will assess
clients’ needs and help resolve crisis situations by
coordinating community services, providing information,
referrals and advocacy. The Family Services Worker helps
clients understand their options and access
the services that they need.
The qualified candidate must be able to establish and
maintain positive and respectful relationships with clients,
community resources and other agencies. She/he must
possess excellent organization, communication and
problem solving skills. Experience in the
Human Services field is preferred.
Send resume and cover letter by May 30th to:
Family Services Director,
SEVCA, 91 Buck Drive, Westminster, VT 05158.
EOE
Dutton
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This position requires good mechanical skills,
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excellent work. The job also requires working
on ladders and roofs and moving heavy items
with the assistance of power equipment.
Excellent customer relations and attention to
details and aesthetics is a must. Extensive
training is available, with the goal of attaining
certifications. Competitive pay and benefits.
Please send a letter of interest and resume to:
Blind Box #10
c/o The Commons
P.O. Box 1212
Brattleboro, VT 05302
THE COMMONS ❧ SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE ❧
“We don’t have those same uncomfortable, how does he
systems in place for women,” make her feel when no one is
he said.
watching?”
“The tools are out there, but
Clark said that, as an authority
who encourages them?” Clark figure, he doesn’t want to push a
said. “They’re in a war zone. woman into any course of action.
They’re battling every day. But In his opinion, she has already
there’s no billboards.”
undergone trauma,
Clark attended a
she doesn’t need pushcommunity convering by someone in a
sation on domesuniform. She needs
tic violence with the
support.
Women’s Freedom
Instead, Clark said
Center on April 26.
law enforcement
Although he said the
should push on the
event had a great turnabuser in the form of
out, Clark wished more
the Legislature passmen had attended.
ing enforceable laws,
Specifically men with Keith Clark
with the courts and
“community standing” like busi- law enforcement following close
ness owners or elected officials. behind.
“It’s not a women’s issue,” he
“And not victimize the victim
said. “It’s a community issue.” again,” he said.
Society puts the onus on
Young officers ask Clark why
women to keep themselves safe, they should bother returning to
he said, but society should in- the same house for the same dostead focus on what men can do mestic abuse call once, twice, a
to stop abuse.
hundred times.
Everyone should protect
They don’t understand there’s
themselves by staying aware of a tipping point.
their environment, he said. “But
“Because every time you go,
we’ve turned that on its head in a she knows you’re there,” he said.
way by saying it’s your [the woman’s] sole responsibility.”
Not just a
Clark would like to see more woman’s issue
men intervene before their male
A domestic abuse victim may
friends’ behavior becomes a not look like she’s not absorbcrime.
ing the information from officers
“It would be nice in my life- about taking out a protective ortime, but I don’t know,” he said. der, or the number of the closest
shelter, he said. “But she’s storA matter of power ing it away.”
Clark has a personal reason
“Every situation is unique,” he
for wanting to end domestic vio- said. “Because every abuser has
lence. Two of his sisters, out of his own issues and every victim
five siblings, were abused by for- is an individual.”
mer husbands.
Clark said he believes sociPeople expect domestic vio- ety would benefit all around if
lence to come in the form of situations never reach the law
beatings, bruises, or rape. But enforcement level. Men can tell
mental abuse cuts deep too. He men to leave an unhealthy relahas spoken with women and teen tionship and get help before lives
girls afraid to leave the house go south.
even for groceries.
“Make men understand that
“I can’t imaging saying to just because they’re male, they
my wife, ‘You need to bring the don’t have [all] the power,”
checkbook right back. I need to Clark said.
see the receipt and everything
Instead, men must learn that
in the bag had better match it,’” relationships are based on trust,
he said.
equity, and responsibility.
Clark has witnessed mostly
Clark said society can decide
men’s violence against women, to stop empowering young boys
but said an abuser’s behavior to abuse.
follows the same line whether
Fathers shouldn’t just model
the relationship is heterosexual healthy relationship behavior
or same sex.
and assume boys will pick it up.
Even during routine police They should also talk to their
calls like noise violations or sons, said Clark.
traffic stops, the abuser’s body
“When you talk with your son
language is overly assertive — about the birds and the bees,
puffed chest, disrespectful com- talk not just about sex but about
pliance with police requests long-term, caring, equitable re— especially in the presence of lationships,” he said.
his partner. The abuser wants
The community can help victo demonstrate power, control, tims by recognizing that domesand strength to show his partner tic violence is not just a police
that there is nothing she can do. issue, a women’s issue, or an adBatterers want to control their vocates’ issue.
whole environment. Police chalEveryone knows a victim and
lenge that power, said Clark.
everyone knows an abuser, said
If police respond to a noise vi- Clark.
olation, the batterer will answer
“It’s not even six degrees of
the door while the woman stands separation,” he said. “More like
to one side. Often, she won’t one degree.”
make eye contact or will stare
Clark said an Internet search
at the police as if saying “help.” would uncover multiple re“She’s afraid of what will hap- sources for people looking to
pen when the sheriffs leave,” reach out to victims.
said Clark.
Vermont’s 2-1-1 system
“But if I can see all that — (http://vermont211.org/), a confias someone who has been with dential phone service connecting
this couple for a few minutes people to local health and human
— why don’t family, cowork- services organizations, is also a
ers?” he said. “If he makes you powerful starting point, he said.
www.commonsnews.org
“Once again, The Commons newspaper hits the nail on the head! What a great bunch of
news people you are.”
Proof generated May 15, 2012 10:05 PM
is.”
In her work, Shari talks to
women who describe their relationship as trying to survive “living on a razor’s edge.”
“It’s human nature to survive,” she said, adding that victims cope with a level of trauma
living under the batterer’s
control.
“The reality is he doesn’t have
to pull a gun a second time,”
Shari said.
Brattleboro Police Sgt. Mark
Carignan said he attended the
conversation on his own time.
He said that men need to involve themselves in preventing
abuse by saying, “Man, that’s not
okay,” early when their friend is
demonstrating controlling behaviors like sending six texts
in 15 minutes to check in on a
girlfriend.
But, said Carignan, most men
engage only after the controlling
behavior turns violent.
“We think of domestic violence as a clenched fist, but domestic violence happens before
that,” he said.
According to Shari, violence is a learned behavior. And
there’s the hope. Behavior can
be unlearned.
To learn more about Telling
Amy’s Story visit: http://telling.
psu.edu.
Real quotes from real readers.
Support The Commons
by becoming a member
S E E PAG E A 5
NEWS A8
T h e C o m m o ns
Local AAUW chapter honors Swift
for professional, volunteer work
BRATTLEBORO—
Elisabeth V. “Betsy” Swift of
Brattleboro was honored recently by the Brattleboro Branch
of the American Association of
University Women (AAUW) for
her professional and volunteer
accomplishments.
Swift received the branch’s
Woman of the Year designation
for her early advocacy of education for women, her efforts
during World War II, and her
volunteer service in her adopted
hometown.
A native of New York, Swift
resisted her family’s efforts to
send her to a private girls’ high
school, electing to come to
Vermont to attend the Putney
School in its early years. The
next step was a earning a bachelor’s degree in government in
1945 from Radcliffe College,
where women were expected to
sit in the rear rows of the lecture
halls so they did not distract the
Harvard students.
During the war, Swift
served as a Red Cross driver in
Manhattan, driving goods and
people all over the city. By the
end of the war, she was in government service in war-ravaged
Eastern Europe, and her career
continued both abroad and in
Washington, D.C. During her
Washington stay, she was able to
volunteer in the orchid rooms of
the Smithsonian.
After retiring, Swift moved
to Vermont, where she had vacationed previously, settling in
Brattleboro and immersing herself in her new community.
She has served on the boards
of the Brattleboro Music Center,
Brattleboro Area Hospice, and
the Windham World Affairs
Council, and has been a longtime supporter of the Marlboro
Music Festival, Putney School
alumni, and St. Michael’s
Episcopal Church, where she has
been a member of the vestry, altar guild and officer of Episcopal
Church Women.
She has also volunteered as a
guardian ad litem for vulnerable
youth in the area.
“She has done this with grace
and humor, and we are pleased
to honor her,” said last year’s
honoree, Cynthia Terzariol.
“This remarkable woman has
spent her life breaking ground
for all women who have encountered gender-based obstacles
and discrimination in education,
employment, civic, and political
life,” Terzariol added.
Founded in 1881, AAUW
promotes education and equity
for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy,
and research. Information is
about the Brattleboro branch is
available by contacting Vivian
Prunier at vivian.prunier@gmail.
com or 802-387-5875.
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Spring Time Special
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Special group discount when you
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commonsnews.org.
GAS PAINS?
MAKE THEM STOP. TAKE THE WAY TO GO STATEWIDE
COMMUTER CHALLENGE.
Courtesy photo
Elisabeth Swift, left, was recognized for her
professional and volunteer accomplishments by
the Brattleboro AAUW. Making the presentation is
Cynthia Terzariol, last year’s honoree.
Join your fellow Vermonters in reducing 500,000
pounds of carbon pollution in Vermont. Commit one
week to riding the bus, carsharing, carpooling, walking,
or biking and make a difference.
FREE YOURSELF FROM YOUR CAR
AND COME RIDE WITH US FOR FREE!
MAY 14 -18
Join us to celebrate Vermont ‘ WAY TO GO WEEK’
…get out of your car and onto the bus!
SIGN UP FOR FREE AT
WWW.WAYTOGOVT.ORG
Friday, May 18th is RIDE FOR FREE DAY!
Come ride one of our buses! Commuter buses from Bellows Falls
to the Upper Valley and Brattleboro and in-town and inter-town
buses. For schedules see our website at www.crtransit.org.
Or call us at 888 869-6287
Like us on
Facebook
TAKE THE WAY TO GO
STATEWIDE COMMUTER
CHALLENGE.
Join your fellow Vermonters in reducing
500,000 pounds of carbon pollution in
Vermont. Commit one week to riding the
bus, carsharing, carpooling, walking,
or biking and make a difference.
MAY 14-18
SIGN UP FOR FREE AT WWW.WAYTOGOVT.ORG
Serving Windsor & Windham Counties
Operated by
Connecticut River Transit
Leave your Car behind and
Let “The Current” Provide Your Ride
For Bus Schedules and Information Visit our Website at
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or Call us at 888-869-6287 or
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The mission of WWHT is to enhance the quality of life of low- and moderate-income
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social, economic, and cultural health of communities in Windham and Windsor counties.
“A lot of what distinguishes a land trust or housing trust is that we don’t displace people,”
explains Connie. “We improve housing conditions for the people who already live
[there]. We will buy a building and move the families out temporarily, and then when
the renovations are done, those same families will have the first option to move back
in.” In the past decade, WWHT has expanded their vision of how to provide affordable
housing. Buying and renovating somewhat rundown buildings certainly improves the
quality of life for many in our community, but it doesn’t necessarily add to the housing
stock and actually create new homes. Since this shift, WWHT has built several new units,
including homes in Dover and the apartments above the new Co-op. They also created
the Daly Shoe building, which is an adaptive reuse of a manufacturing warehouse on Birge
Street that now houses 29 apartments as well as the WWHT offices. When the Co-op
approached WWHT about teaming up to create a multi-use building, Connie was excited
because it offered the rare opportunity to add to the housing stock of downtown and to
provide mixed-income apartments near the heart of many jobs and services.
tHe COMMONs ❧ sPrING MeMBersHIP DrIVe ❧
Stop by the Co-op
on Friday, May 18th,
between
11:30–1:30pm
to learn more about
WWHT!
Also visit their
website at
www.w-wht.org.
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THE COMMONS
S E C T I O N B1
B
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 • page B1
Modern
American choral
music showcased
in BMC concert
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOECRAVENMUSIC
The Joe Craven Trio.
Bluegrass Blowout features
three acoustic styles
old and new on a historic
Rockingham farm
MUSIC FESTIVAL
TWIST
with a
By Richard Henke
Vermont Associates for The Commons
B
ELLOWS FALLS—
Where do you go for
the hottest bluegrass
music in the most
picturesque setting?
On May 18 and 19, Barnaby’s Presents is sponsoring
Bluegrass Blowout 3 at Rockingham Hill Farm. The music
festival will showcase 11 bands,
along with fire dancers, numerous food vendors, and a variety
of camping options.
The gates open on Friday
at 2 p.m. The music begins at
6:30 p.m. and runs until early
Sunday morning. Tickets can
be bought for a single day or
the whole weekend.
The artists performing on
Friday include Henry’s Rifle,
Bow Thayer and Holy Plow,
JATOBA, Floodwood, and Primate Fiasco.
Saturday will start with a music workshop on the main stage
with with Joe Craven. Saturday’s music will begin at 1 p.m.
with Shady Mountain Folk, followed by The Blind Owl Band,
Madison Violet, Gold Town,
Hot Day at the Zoo, and the
festival’s headliner, The Joe
Craven Trio.
Josh Hearne, who, with business partner Chris Lincoln, organized the festival, described
this weekend’s event as “a twoday music festival of non-traditional bluegrass music.”
JATOBAMUSIC.NET
JATOBA.
Bluegrass music may be characterized as a form of American
roots music inspired by the
music of Appalachia that’s traditionally played on acoustic
stringed instruments, but that
description is just the starting
point for many of the bands appearing at Bluegrass Blowout.
“Bluegrass musicians usually play Americana, folk, and
singer/songwriter things,”
Hearne said.
“However, we mix it up a bit.
This is not your grandfather’s
bluegrass music, although there
will be some of that too. We will
be exploring different aspects
of bluegrass — new, groove,
zoo, and honky-tonk bluegrass
music.”
The musicians combine unusual instruments, and may
even add a non-acoustic element here and there, resulting
in an eclectic hybrid.
Bluegrass Blowout originated
in 2009 when Hearne’s love of
live music and his vision for
a local music scene managed
to attract national acts to his
southern Vermont backyard.
That first event turned out to
be bigger than he ever dreamed,
with more than 300 music lovers showing up to see six bands,
five fire dancers, a contortionist,
and one vendor serving food.
Local music scene
Seeing the great potential,
■ SEE BLUEGRASS, PAGE B2
BRATTLEBORO—Do
Americans love choruses? Check
out the statistics: according to research done by Chorus America,
42.6 million people in the U.S.
sing in more than 270,000 choruses today.
More Americans sing in choruses, chorales, choirs, glee
clubs, and other vocal groups
than engage in football, baseball,
or tennis, making choral singing
the ultimate participatory event
in America.
The Brattleboro Concert
Choir’s American Idols concert brings together three of Eric Whitacre
America’s great choral composers — Eric Whitacre, Moses
Hogan, and Alice Parker —
along with one energized chorus and some of director Susan
Dedell’s favorite soloists and
guest musicians. The concert
will be held at the First Baptist
Church on Main Street, on
Saturday, May 19, at 7:30 p.m.,
and again on Sunday, May 20,
at 3 p.m.
American choral music spans
the emotional, spiritual, and
technical gamut, with influences
from a wide variety of ethnicities. Composer Alice Parker feels Alice Parker
a strong affinity for American
roots music, and has been vital in researching and presenting authentic settings of early
American hymns and spirituals.
In this concert, the choir will
sing a grouping from her “Holy
Manna” collection.
At 87, Parker continues to
inspire and lead choral conventions and workshops across the
country. The Concert Choir was
thrilled to have a chance to work
personally with her in early May.
Her vibrant philosophy of musicmaking is inspirational, as is her
■ SEE AMERICAN IDOLS, PAGE B3
Moses Hogan
Latchis Arts receives
two grants to renovate
classic Latchis Theatre
BRATTLEBORO—Latchis
Arts recently received two grant
awards to support the organization’s Campaign for the Heavens
and the Earth, a $550,000 effort
to restore the zodiac ceiling (the
Heavens) and replace the auditorium seating (the Earth) in the
Latchis Theatre in downtown
Brattleboro.
The Windham Foundation,
famous for Grafton cheddar and dedicated to promoting Vermont’s rural
communities, awarded $10,000
to the campaign.
The Thomas Thompson
Trust presented a challenge
grant in the amount of $50,000,
as long as the campaign meets
the goal balance of $500,000.
“We are immensely grateful to
Thompson Trust and Windham
Foundation, especially at this
time in the campaign,” said Gail
Nunziata, Latchis Arts managing director.
The Campaign for the
Heavens and the Earth was
about to get off the ground last
year, when Tropical Storm Irene
brought Latchis activity to a halt.
“We couldn’t in good conscience continue with the campaign while flood recovery was
going on in the town,” said
Nunziata.
But as time passed, the effort
resumed.
“We are keeping to the preflood timetable, so time is of the
essence,” she said. “We plan to
close the main theater for construction in January 2013.”
The Latchis Theatre is the region’s largest auditorium for live
events, and is the town’s only
movie theater, with four screens.
The Campaign for the Heavens
and the Earth aims to replace
the original seats and restore the
ceiling in the main auditorium.
The seats, nearly 75 years
old, are showing their age. The
ceiling was damaged by a leaky
roof in years past and, although
the roof has been replaced, the
altered ceiling fabric and zodiac
designs remain.
The repairs and replacements
are being done with historic preservation in mind. “The art deco
aisle ends will remain,” Nunziata
said. “These pieces are important
to the history of the room,” and,
she points out, they will be refurbished to their original luster.
Along with restoring the ceiling, Latchis Arts hopes to return
a starry night effect to the heavens, using LED lighting instead
■ SEE LATCHIS CAMPAIGN, PAGE B3
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“First, my thanks for all your help in making my Voices piece much stronger than what I had sent at first, and especially for such great placement, art, and layout. It really looked good to me, and I think my mother has taped it to her
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THE ARTS B2
T he C o m m o n s
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
85, and still swinging!
Vermont Jazz Center
celebrates Brofsky’s birthday
with a May 19th concert
BRATTLEBORO—The
paths of trumpeter Howard
Brofsky and saxophonist Jimmy
Heath have crossed frequently
over the past 30 years. Both
jazzmen share an appreciation
of jazz and bebop, held faculty
posts at Queens College, and
occupied the same stage on numerous occasions.
Now, at age 85, Brofsky and
Heath will cross paths again
when they take the stage together at the Vermont Jazz
Center (VJC) for a concert,
“Howard Brofsky and Friends,”
on Saturday, May 19, at 8 p.m. at
the center, 72 Cotton Mill Hill.
Brofsky, who has earned the
moniker “Dr. Bebop,” started
playing trumpet at age 17, following bebop legend Charlie
Parker and listening to Roy
Eldridge.
“I was blown away by the
newly emerging bebop,” he recalled of his early music days
growing up around New York
in 1945-46.
Several years later, after immersion in the jazz scene, and
playing and recording in Paris,
Courtesy photo
Brofsky left jazz and turned to Howard “Doctor Bebop” Brofsky will be joined by saxophonist Jimmy Heath in a concert at the Vermont
classical music scholarship, earn- Jazz Center on Saturday, May 19.
ing his master’s and doctoral degrees at New York University in 18th Century Italian classi- National Endowment for the both of whom have performed (contact VJC about educational
cal music.
Arts Jazz Master.
with Heath and who make up discounts). Tickets are available
“The jazz life was so difficult,”
Brofsky and Heath hit it off a piano trio with Patton in New at In the Moment in Brattleboro,
says Brofsky, who was married immediately, and Brofsky, who York. The program will con- online at www.ntjazz.org, and
and raising a family. “I put my had started the Master’s of Arts sist of original compositions by at the door. Tickets can be rehorn away and stopped playing in Jazz Program at Queens, in Heath and Brofsky, as well as served by calling the Vermont
and stopped listening to jazz.” the Aaron Copland School of jazz standards.
Jazz Center ticket line, 802-254That path led him to a faculty Music, procured a faculty apHeath continues to teach 9088, ext. 1. The performance
post at Queens College, where pointment for Heath to direct and perform. Brofsky is back at space is wheelchair accessible.
he taught classical music history, the new program.
Queens College, teaching jazz
Next up at the Vermont
specializing in composer Padre
Brofsky and Heath have history and coaching an ensem- Jazz Center: Eugene Uman’s
Giovanni Battista Martini and played together many times ble. He performs every other C o n v e r g e n c e P r o j e c t o n
the transition from Baroque to since, but their May 19 concert week at a club in Brooklyn.
Saturday, June 9, at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $20 general admisClassical styles. But nearly 20 at VJC will be the first time the
years later, at age 46, Brofsky, two legends have shared a stage sion, $15 for students with I.D.
in a self-described mid-life crisis, since 2005, when they last played
“took my horn out of the closet, at VJC.
got back in shape, looked up
According to Brofsky, their
from SECTION FRONT
some of my old friends,” and has common age had something to
been playing ever since.
do with it. “We’re both 85 this
Brofsky met Jimmy Heath year,” says Brofsky, who will offi- Hearne formed Barnaby’s Pres- Youth Academy. He plays a varisome 30 years ago at a private cially hit 85 this month. “I asked ents, a promotion and produc- ety of string instruments, includjam session. Heath had already Jimmy to join me for this year’s tion company dedicated to ing fiddle, mandolin, ukulele,
been around the jazz block, hav- concert and without hesitation bringing nationally famous acts tres, cavaquinho, and balaliaka,
to Bellows Falls and expanding as well as a percussion instruing played with Miles Davis, he said he would.”
Kenny Dorham, Gil Evans, Art
Joining Heath and Brofsky will the town’s burgeoning local mu- ments, including a “pickle jar,
a credit card, or a jawbone,”
Farmer, and as one of the Heath be pianist Jeb Patton, a former sic scene.
Barnaby’s Presents hosts three Hearne said.
Brothers in the 1970s. Heath has student of Heath’s at Queens,
Craven has played with many
collected a host of music awards who now sits on the faculty there, festivals a year at its Rockingham
and accolades over the years, as well as bassist Mike Karn and Hill Farm location: Bluegrass notable musicians, including
most recently being named a drummer Pete Van Nostrand, Blowout, Rockinghill Music Jerry Garcia, Stephane GrapFestival, and Out on Bail. It also pelli, Alison Brown, Rob Ickes,
brings the Halloween show and and David Lindley. He performs
several shows annually at The solo, and in different sizes and
For those of you getting a jump on the grilling season Stone Church in Brattleboro. versions of his own projects.
Hearne is especially proud of
Serving as a backdrop to the
we are featuring organic garlic cheddar from Neighborly Farms
the high level of quality of each music is the setting.
of his festivals.
“Rockingham Hill is a pristine
as our cheese of the week. This spicy cheddar adds a
“I love to hear when peo- Vermont farm,” Hearne said.
nice dimension to burgers, meats or veggies!
ple say they can’t believe such
“The current owner is the first
a show came out of rural Ver- non-Divoll to own the property.
One of our May specials is a three year aged cheddar from
mont,” he said.
The Divoll family have farmed it
the Grafton Village Cheese Company. The sharp flavor of this
The professional, creative pro- for the past 12 generations and
duction of each event that Barn- it was a working dairy farm until
cheese lingers on your palate long after you’ve swallowed it! Our
aby’s Presents hosts is the result the last 20 years. It has beautiful
other special for this month is Crumbled Goat Cheese from the
of its collaboration with Grip buildings, including two remarkVermont Butter & Cheese Creamery, the perfect salad topper!
Lighting and Effects.
able silos. It is about as picturChris Lincoln and Grip have esque Vermont as you can get.”
Look for our Memorial Day Weekend Special when it comes.
collaborated with Barnaby’s
One of the delights of this fesWe will be offering Halloumi, the grillable sheep’s milk cheese
since its inception in 2009, be- tival is camping on the property.
coming a co-owner in 2011.
Visitors can camp in a quiet famfrom Cyprus. It will be on sale! Keep in mind that new
This year, Hearne is particu- ily area, in their RVs, or in an
seasonal cheeses are arriving every week!
larly excited about the Bluegrass area called Crazy Town, where
We are all enjoying the first round
Blowout 3’s headliner act, the Joe few campers actually get to sleep.
See you soon in our new building!
of fresh ricotta from Vermont
Craven Trio.
The number of people who
Shepherd, and are anxiously
Craven, a freestyle folk, world, have been attending Bluegrass
and roots music multi-instru- Blowout has been growing each
awaiting the return of fresh sheep
Mon - Sat 8–9, Sun 9–9
mentalist, singer, and award win- year.
milk cheese from Willow Hill!
2 Main Street, Brattleboro
ning educator is the director of
“The ticket pre-sale is our bigRiverTunes Music Camp and a gest ever,” he says. “We have all
–Alison, Cheese Department
www.brattleborofoodcoop.coop
co-director of the Wintergrass kinds of people who come, from
intense music fanatics to families
out for a good time. … This all
makes for a very diverse and interesting crowd.”
Attendees can bring their own
beer
and identification will be
Featuring ‘Farmers’ Choice Plantings • Best Suited To This Area
checked at the door.
n Bluegrass
BrATTLeBOrO
Food CO - Op
Everything You’ll Need To Get Your Garden Ready
Hanging Baskets • Flowering Annuals
Vegetable & Herb Plants • Fruit Trees
Berry Bushes • Flowering Shrubs
Rose Bushes • Perennials
Tickets for Friday’s shows are
$30; the gates open at 2 p.m., and
the music begins at 6:30 p.m. A
Saturday-only ticket is $50, with
performances starting at 1:30 p.m.
and lasting until early Sunday
morning. A weekend ticket is $65
for singles, $160 for families. For
those who just want to attend
Joe Craven’s music workshop on
Saturday, the cost is $10. For
more information, or to buy tickets, visit http://barnabyspresents.
com/BBB3.html.
Fresh-Cut from our Greenhouse
• Snapdragons • Swiss Chard • Kale • Herbs • Salad Greens
Fresh cut from the field! Asapragus, Fiddleheads & Rhubarb
• Fudge
• Homemade Jam
• Local Cheeses
• Apples & Sweet Cider
• Maple Syrup
• Maple & Black Raspberry
Creamies
This space
Breads, Rolls, Cookies & Pies
Fresh Baked from Scratch with our
very own berries & apples!
for rent
You are looking at
Special Orders Welcome!
Windham County’s best
advertising value. To
promote your busi-
www.duttonberryfarm.com
facebook.com/duttonberryfarm
Cow Manure
Potting Soil
Mulch • Pottery
O p e n D a i ly 9 a M –7 p M
Route 30,
Route 9,
newfane
West Brattleboro
802-365-4168
802-254-0254
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Nancy at (802) 2466397 or e-mail ads@
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“We’re all delighted with the breadth of your reporting on our programs and the quality of the articles,
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S E E PAG E A 5
n American Idols
received over a million views on
YouTube in just two months.
His “Virtual Choir 2.0, Sleep,”
was released in April 2011 and
included more than 2,000 voices
from 58 countries.
For this program, the Concert
Choir will sing “Five Hebrew
Love Songs,” scored for choir,
violin, piano, soprano, and alto.
Joining the choir for this exotic sounding cycle are soprano
Margery McCrum, alto Jennifer
Hansen, violinist Kathy Andrew,
and pianist Bruce Griffin. The
choir will also sing Whitacre’s
arrangement of ee cummings’s
poem “i thank you god, for most
this amazing day.”
“This piece has really resonated with the chorus,” said
Dedell. “The combination of this
fantastic poem and Whitacre’s
gorgeous sounds is magical.”
Tickets are $15, $10 for students, and can be purchased by
calling the Brattleboro Music
Center at 802-257-4523 or by
visiting www.bmcvt.org.
n Latchis
campaign
harles Marchant of Townshend has a collection of
20,000 postcards, and he would like to know more
about the people and places they show. Each issue we
will publish one of his postcards with a question or two
in the hopes that readers can help him preserve a piece of
Vermont history for future generations.
At right: Does anyone
recognize this scene
(“West River Homestead,
Newfane, Vermont”)?
If you can help Charles Marchant,
please call him at (802) 365-7937
or email [email protected].
Publication of this postcard
is underwritten by:
Elizabeth Ann Agostini, ESQ.
Attorney
PO Box 336, Townshend, VT 05353
www.agostinilaw.com 802•365•7740 [email protected]
henRY hooK
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
49.
50.
51.
53.
The Commons CRossWoRD
“What the Magic 8-Ball Said”
Student theater group offers
summer program for youth
TOWNSHEND—The Leland
& Gray Players offer a Summer
Performing Arts Exploration
(SPAE) for young people entering grades 5 to 8.
The program opens with a
family potluck gathering Sunday,
July 22, and runs Monday
through Friday, July 23 to Aug.
3, with culminating performances at 7 p.m. on Aug. 3 and
at 3 p.m. on Aug. 4.
Typical days will include theater games, production work
and workshops in acting, music, scene design, movement
and dance, lighting, costumes,
and prop-making. These skillbuilding activities will culminate
in a final performance inspired
by C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of
Narnia: “The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe” with an original script and music by Leland &
Gray alumni and SPAE founders, Karlie Kauffeld, Claire
Zukas, and Johnny Pozzi.
The program will take place
in the Dutton Gymnasium and
the Roland Gould Wing on
the Leland & Gray campus on
Route 30.
“Four years ago, Karlie and
Claire, then rising seniors, introduced a gratifyingly successful performing arts program for
elementary school kids,” said
Leland & Gray theater director
Ann Landenberger.
“The interest has been so
high since SPAE’s inception,”
she continued, “that this year
we’re offering even more to area
kids who want to grow and learn
through the performing arts.”
New this year is SPAE After
Houras in which workshops will
be offered — one per afternoon
— in monologue writing, music
composition, acting, visual arts,
voice, and poetry-out-loud from
C
3:30 to 5 p.m. each day.
“Two Players initiated this and
now it serves not only younger
kids in the West River Valley, but
also high school students who
want to help lead those kids,”
Landenberger said.
Kauffeld is now a music education major at the University
of Vermont and Zukas is a management/marketing major/studio art minor at Manhattanville
College. Other key staff members are Johnny Pozzi, who will
begin at Fordham University’s
acting program in the fall and
Melissa Soule, an English major
at Williams College.
In addition, this year’s staff
includes Ann Landenberger as
managing director and composer
and L & G’s music director,
Ron Kelley, as music workshop
leader. Other workshop leaders
will be announced in early June.
“We intend to incorporate
many different aspects of theatre
in our program,” Kauffeld explained. “At the end of the twoweek period, all are invited to see
our final production.”
Zukas added, “The show itself
is used as the tool to teach theater arts and it will be rewarding. But really, it is the process
of working on the show that will
offer the richest learning opportunities. Moreover, working with
guest artists gives participants a
chance to meet people who have
excelled in the arts they love.”
The cost for SPAE is $200 total per student for the two weeks
and $10 per SPAE After Hours
workshop. A sliding scale fee is
available for those in need. For
registration information, contact
Landenberger at [email protected] or call 802-365-7355,
ext. 204.
P E N E LOP E W URR
FIN E CON TE MPORA RY GL A SS
LOCAL & EUROPEAN GI F T S
from SECTION FRONT
of the ancient light bulbs that
originally lit the “sky.”
Bringing the theater up to
code for ADA accessibility upOPENING SOON
grades is another major goal of
the project.
167 Main St
With $500,000 to raise in orBrattleboro,
VT
der to meet the Thompson Trust
ICE CREAM!
•
FRESH
ORGANIC
GARDEN
VEGGIES!
(802)
387
3015
challenge, Latchis Arts is planOUR OWN
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[email protected]
ning outreach
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For EGGS!
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802-254-1109,
The Royal Soft-Serve Stand is now open thru October!
www.penelopewurr.com
visit
latchisarts.org
write
The month
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WHAT THE MAGIC 8-BALL SAID Henry Hook
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Punch-card residue
Psychiatrist R.D.
Place of worship?
103-Down’s voice
Move, in Realtorese
Good __ (fixed)
Veil material
Draftable
...to the untalented painter?
“The Good Earth” heroine
Spanish noble
...to the ill-equipped pub
gamesman?
Drenched
Stan of jazz
Makes use (of)
Oscar winner as LaMotta
Law, in Lyon
NBA Hall-of-Famer Thomas
“And giving __, up the chimney he rose”
Ideated, to Li’l Abner
Markets
Cushion
...to the hopeful skier?
“Top Hat” star
Skillet spray
Onetime Bebo owner
Contacting on Facebook, in a
way
9-Down setting
“Most Oscar nominations”
record-holder
Weary
Expect
...to the squash farmer?
Collapse
“Star Trek: TNG” role
1965 hit song, “Hang on __”
Malaria symptom
“Survivor” factions
Actress Joanne
Drone
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Stuffed, on a Tex-Mex menu
..to the French chef?
Resembling
Ericson and Garrett
Innsbruck’s region
“__ and away!”
Crooner Michael
Auntie, to Mom, maybe
Irons on celluloid
Electronic echo
Barak or Olmert
With 45-Down, Fats Waller
specialty
...to the lumberjack?
Knowing
Cataract site
...to someone writing a will?
Thrombosis cause
Berry with juicy parts?
Manicurist in old TV ads
Burns up
Towel embroidery
One of the Ivies
Rose
Clinton Cabinet member
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PBS pledge-drive gift
Bloodhound’s clue
Autograph (Abbr.)
Starbuck’s order?
Grades K-12
“Vous et moi”
Clammy
New Age Grammy winner
Par for the course
Clouseau, for ex.
Metal refuse
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“Anagram Kit”
ANAGRAM KIT by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon
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Scaler’s challenge
Hamburger’s title?
Utah ski resort
Negative aspect
Rio Grande city
Popped the question
Hostel
Ultramodernist
Mitchell classic, for short
Zero
Immoral sort
Matty or Moises
Movie about the Tuskegee
Airmen
Racetrack refrain?
Zhou __
Shade of gray
Liar’s combustible?
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Last issue’s solution
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© 2012 by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon
PUBLICATION OF THE CROSSWORD IS UNDERWRITTEN BY
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“Too often local newspapers tell us about conflict, and about people and events we are already familiar with. I prefer a paper that will
share stories I don’t know about, and introduce me to people I wouldn’t otherwise meet. That approach brings us together and bonds a
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University of Texas city
Most complex
Hostess Cupcakes features
See 102-Across
Helpful pointer
Campus listkeeper
Page of music
“Two Women” star
Dust Bowl migrant
With 84-Down,whatever the
consequences
Dudley Do-Right’s love
Damascus, e.g.
__’acte
Adar holidays
The P in “S&P”
Castmate of Graves and Landau
Tasty torus
Palate appendage
Mug with a mug
Peak performance?
Italian sweetie
Drudgery
States
Publicist’s job
One, on a one
Brooding
Canon camcorder brand
Meek
“Topaz” author
See 53-Down
Lyonnaise “Later”
Have something
Sires
Left at the altar
Take out of context?
Dressing choice
Traitor’s fate, maybe
Bravery
Outsider, to Hawaiians
Reader founder Eric
__ Plaines, Ill.
2011 film chameleon
March Madness grp.
Phonograph choices (Abbr.)
Bronte heroine
One with Bieber fever,
probably
__ buco
Feedbag morsel
“Don’t mind if __”
clip this ad!
dedication to help build strong
singing communities.
Another American composer
who has created an enduring
body of authentically American
choral music is Moses Hogan.
Hogan is recognized as a leading force in rejuvenating the
genre of African American spirituals. His arrangements of over
70 works have become staples
in the repertoires of choirs the
world over. The chorus will be
joined by soloists alto Jennifer
Hansen, tenor/baritone Peter
Shea, and soprano Margery
McCrum.
Finally, the chorus will present
to the community some of the
works of Eric Whitacre, who has
become perhaps the most recognized contemporary American
composer to emerge in years. His
first album as composer and conductor, “Light and Gold,” won
a Grammy in 2012, and became
the No. 1 classical album on the
U.S. and UK charts.
Whitacre’s ground-breaking
Virtual Choir, Lux Arumque,
B3
heLP ChARLes
from SECTION FRONT
Open daily
5:30 a.m.–9 p.m.
THE ARTS • Wednesday, May 16, 2012 "
The Commons
Real quotes from real readers.
Support The Commons
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S E E PAG E A 5
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The Commons
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
M I L ES T ONES
Births, deaths, and news of people from Windham County
Obituaries
• Jesse Maxwell Corum
III, 88, of Vero Beach, Fla. Died
April 17 at Indian River Medical
Center. Husband of Carol (Joy)
MacKubbin Corum for 68 years.
Father of Laurie Hawley and her
husband, Bruce, of Vero Beach;
Jesse Maxwell Corum IV and
his wife, Lynn, of Brattleboro;
and Vance Corum and his wife,
Kristin, of Vancouver, Wash.
The second son of Jesse and
Laura Corum, he grew up in
Norristown, Pa., and spent summers in Chestertown, N.Y., with
relatives, where he practiced
youthful capers. He proceeded
to mesmerize people for the rest
of his life with beguiling dry humor, a keen mind, a passionate
commitment, and a prophetic
vision. He was equally comfortable playing a set of drums, pulling a trick on someone, making
sense of a theological premise,
volunteering with Habitat for
Humanity, or being arrested
on political principle. He was
a cheerleader and track star at
The Haverford School, graduating in 1941. After a year at
Bowdoin College, he joined the
Army, married his high school
sweetheart, completed Officers
Candidate School, became a
first lieutenant responsible for a
tank platoon, and was stationed
at Fort Smith, Fort Knox, and
Okinawa. After World War II
ended, he returned to Bowdoin
where he received a B.A. in
English in 1948. In 1951, he
earned a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological
Seminary in Richmond, Va., and,
following his father’s footsteps,
became a Presbyterian minister. He began with two small
churches in the Adirondack
Mountains of upstate New York,
where he built a third congregation and church. He later told
stories about wild winter rides
through the snow as he raced to
participate in three services on
blustery Sundays. After a second pastorate in Weedsport,
N.Y., from 1956-58, he took
his family to Europe from 19581960, studying in Edinburgh and
Geneva under leading theologians of the day. Their 108-day
vacation coursing through western Europe in 1959 led to a treasure-trove of family stories. He
served the Presbyterian Church
of the USA visiting churches in
upstate New York before becoming a pastor in New City, N.Y.,
from 1961-66, and Holland
Patent, N.Y., from 1971-73. In
between, his curiosity led him to
try new pursuits in Vermont as
an English teacher, Volkswagen
salesman, high school drivers’
education teacher, golf caddie,
and ski patrolman. Entering the
mission field, he taught English
for two years at Moeng College
near Palapye, Botswana, during which time he and his wife
traveled extensively throughout southern Africa. Following
several years back in Vermont,
they returned to Africa to teach
at Chipembi Girls Secondary
School in Chisamba, Zambia in
1980-81. They then managed
Wellspring Renewal Center in
Philo, Calif., for two years. After
retiring at age 62, he and his wife
became “Peace Pilgrims,” making two separate year-long trips
across the U.S. in a camper covered with 400 political bumper
stickers. They spoke at churches,
schools, on the street and on
radio and TV about the need
for world peace. He also pastored several churches in Te
Awamutu, New Zealand for a
year. For 17 years, they lived
on Upper Saranac Lake in their
beloved upstate New York before moving to Florida in 2004.
He stayed active as a Habitat for
Humanity volunteer and played
tennis until age 87. In late 2011,
they moved into HarborChase,
an assisted living facility in
Vero Beach. M emorial in formation : A celebration of
his life was held at the First
Presbyterian Church in Vero
Beach. Donations to Habitat
for Humanity International,
121 Habitat St., Americus, GA
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cipal. Online condolences may
• Lawrence be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral
“ L a r r y ” Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
Dooley, 64, of
• Mar yann
Putney. Died
Gindel Hall,
May 11, after a
65, of Athens.
long battle with
Died May 5
Camel unfilfrom complicatered cigarettes.
tions from bile
Former husband of Patricia
duct cancer.
Whalen and Diane Bailey. Father
Wife of William
of Lea Dooley of Rockville, “Bill” Hall for 23 years. Mother
Md., and Marguerite Dooley of Karen Lorenc Alberico of
of Brattleboro. Twin brother Proctor, and John F. Lorenc
of Lynn Dooley and her hus- Jr. of Meriden, Conn. Sister of
band, Jim Mort, of Walpole, Jeanne Graham and David and
N.H. Brother of Mark Dooley James Gindel. Born in Meriden,
of Monmouth Junction, N.J.; Conn., daughter of the late Irene
Patricia Dooley and her husband and Ernest Gindel, she graduTodd Nielsen of Walpole N.H.; ated from Platt T. Orvill High
and the late Michael Dooley. School and later went on to reBorn in Somerville, N.J.., he at- ceive degrees from Post College.
tended Immaculata High School She moved to Vermont in 1990
in New Jersey, the University of and began a career with the
Scranton, Cape May Vocational Vermont Department of Labor
Center, and Peters Valley Craft that lasted nearly 20 years. She
School, after which he followed was very passionate about makhis dream of being a woodworker ing a difference in the lives of
in Vermont. He was known both all around her. In retirement,
for his incredibly long braid and she started working part-time
for his beautiful furniture and as a pharmacy technician for
creative designs, crafting play- Messenger Valley Pharmacy on
wright desks and briefcases out Townshend. She was an avid
of wood. Some of his work can reader, loved playing in all her
be seen at his website http:// flower gardens, and loved all her
www.archiforms.com and the feathered friends and the wildBrattleboro Museum & Art life on the pond. She enjoyed
Center. Some of his pieces could boating on the river with her
be found in the movies Pilgrim, family, and loved to meet her
Farewell and Tick Tock Time friends for lunch and catch up
Emporium. He also designed at her favorite spots. Memorial
and built the exterior forms for information : A prayer serboth the Vermont Castings’ vice was held May 11 at KerDefiant and Vigilant woodstoves. Westerlund Funeral Home in
Memorial information : A Brattleboro. Donations to Grace
memorial service will be held at Cottage Hospital, P.O. Box 1,
the Brattleboro Museum & Art Townshend, VT 05303.
Center on Saturday, May 19,
• Leo M. Lacroix Sr., 71,
at 2 p.m. His favorite afternoon formerly of Bellows Falls. Died
snack, coffee and brownies, will May 7 in Las Vegas, after a battle
be served.
with cancer. Husband of Patricia
• Ruth Anne Pickering, who survives him, in
“ R u t h i e ” 1988. Father of Mary Moore
Felski, 67, of of Bellows Falls, Leo Lacroix,
Bellows Falls. Jr. of Lyndon, Dianne Milliken
D i e d M a y 8 of Charlestown, N.H., and
at Springfield Genevieve Hoes of Depere, Wis.
H e a l t h & Stepfather of Todd Pickering
Rehabilitation of Swanzey, N.H., and Scott
Center following a period of de- Pickering of North Smithfield,
clining health. Wife of Arnold R.I. He worked for Holmes
Felski for 32 years. Sister of Transportation of Bellows Falls
C a t h y S p r a g u e , M a r t h a for 21 years. M emorial inSeigars, Mary Jane Giroux, formation : A memorial serCindy Renaud-Kim, Margaret vice will be held May 27 at 1
Moulton, Nancy Renaud, p.m. at Fenton and Hennessey
Pauline Wilson, Caroline Houle, Funeral Home in Bellows Falls.
Judy Clark, Claire Renaud; Donations to Cedarcrest Center,
Jerome, Michael, David, and 91 Maple Ave., Keene, NH
Francis Renaud, and the 03431, or to the Senior Center,
late Helen Hassay. Born in Gilman, VT 05904.
Brattleboro, the daughter of
• Jean A. St. Lawrence,
Louise (Bittner) and the late 86, of Swanton. Died May 10
Hyacinth Renaud, she was raised at St. Albans Healthcare and
and educated in Brattleboro, at- Rehabilitation Center following
tending St. Michael’s Parochial a brief illness. Wife of the late
School and later graduating George St. Lawrence. Mother
from the former Frances Hicks of Gregory St. Lawrence and
School, Class of 1964. Born his wife, Linda, of Grafton;
with only one kidney and other Donna Jennison and her husso-called handicaps, she did not band, Donald, of Walpole,
let the challenges of life discour- N.H.; Jane Capron and her
age her. She loved children and husband, Russell, of Bellows
for several years worked as a day Falls; Jodi Rorison and her huscare provider in Brattleboro. band, Thomas, of Perkinsville;
She enjoyed sewing, knitting, and Monica Trombley and her
bead work, cooking and bak- husband, Gary, of Swanton.
ing. She especially cherished Sister of George Hurlburt of
time spent with her family. Walpole, N.H.; Ruth Wright
Memorial information : A and Marion Fournier, both of
funeral Mass was held May 11 Springfield, Vt.; and the late
at St. Michael’s Catholic Church Fred Otis and Helen White.
with burial in St. Michael’s Born in Bellows Falls, the daughParish Cemetery. Donations to ter of the late Charles and Ruth
St. Michael’s School, 47 Walnut (Strong) Hurlburt, she was
St., Brattleboro, VT 05301, in a Bellows Falls High School
Get Ahead This Summer...
take classes at CCV
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#%'F$)1A(C'-$(0+A1$%(+-C(A1&//(.+*$(+(5$$>$-C(1'($-F'63(
graduate, and a member of St.
Charles Church. Memorial
information : A funeral Mass
was held May 14 at St. Charles
Church in Bellows Falls, with
burial to in St. Charles Cemetery
in Westminster. Donations to
the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society or to the American
Diabetes Association.
• Grace
H e c t o r
Lewis, 76, of
Brattleboro.
Died May 7 at
her home following an extended illness.
Wife of Burnis Lewis for nearly
49 years. Sister of Leueen
Haviland of Tigard, Oregon.
Born in New Haven, Conn., the
daughter of the late Alden and
Agda Hector, she was raised
and educated in Brattleboro,
graduating from Brattleboro
Union High School with the
Class of 1954. She worked as
a telephone operator for New
England Telephone Co. in the
downtown Brattleboro office,
which she retired from in 1996
following 31 years with the company. She enjoyed working with
the elderly and, for many years,
was an active volunteer at the
Thompson House Nursing
Home. She also loved to travel
and especially liked visiting
Sweden and Denmark. She was a
lifelong Lutheran and a member
of Trinity Lutheran Church in
Brattleboro. Memorial information: In accordance with her
final wishes, there are no funeral
services. Burial of her cremated
remains will be in Meetinghouse
Hill Cemetery, where she will
be laid to rest next to her parents. Donation to the Oncology
Department at Brattleboro
Memorial Hospital, 17 Belmont
Ave., Brattleboro, VT 05301, or
to Thompson House, 80 Maple
St., Brattleboro, VT 05301.
Online condolences may be sent
to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at
www.atamaniuk.com.
• Peggy G.
Longueil, 69,
of Brattleboro.
Died April 30
at home, after
a short illness.
Wife of the late
Sheldon Roy
“Lefty” Longueil. Mother of
William and Charles Longueil,
both of Virginia, and Brian Clark
of Guilford. Sister of Nancy
Bagby of Virginia. Predeceased
by a sister, Betty, and her children, Michelle and Joseph Clark.
Born Nov. 25, 1942, in Newport
News, Va., the daughter of
Charles Lusk and Nita Frizzelle,
she graduated from Brattleboro
Union High School. She was
president of the Clark/Canal
Neighborhood Association for
15 years, an organization providing summer lunch and activities for community children. She
was also active in her church and
enjoyed gardening. Memorial
information : A celebration
of her life will be held Saturday,
May 19, at 11 a.m., at Agape
Christian Fellowship Church in
Brattleboro, followed by a potluck lunch. Donations to the
Peggy Longueil Trust, in care
of Members 1st Credit Union,
10 Browne Court, Brattleboro,
VT 05301.
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• Enjoy a flexible course schedule
• Benefit from financial aid
182 Main St., Brattleboro, Vt.
802-257-4566 Open 7 days
CCV
Register Now! www.ccv.edu
Brown & Roberts
Ed Morse
of Grafton.
Died May 4 at
DartmouthHitchcock
Medical Center
in Lebanon,
N.H. Wife of the late Charles L.
Park Jr. Mother of Charles R.
Turo and wife, Pam, of Addison;
Martin R. E. Turo of Surrey,
B.C.; and Cynthia A. Turo of
Fair Haven. Stepmother of Ann
Kuusela and husband, George,
of Rockingham; Robert Park
and wife Barbara of Gibsonia,
Pa.; and the late Nancy White.
Sister of the late James Roberts.
Born in Rome, N.Y., the first
child of the late Frank J. and
Anna (Worden) Roberts, she was
well known in the Grafton and
Bellows Falls areas for her community involvement and service
over the past 30 years. Among
her activities was the founding
of the Rockingham Area Land
Trust and service on the boards
of various community organizations such as Parks Place and
SEVCA. She also served in various roles for the town of Grafton
including committee membership, auditor and, over the years,
was always there to give suggestions, opinions and expertise.
Memorial information : A
memorial service will be held at
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on
May 23 at 11 a.m. A reception
will follow in the parish hall. A
private burial in Middletown
Cemetery will take place at a
later time. Donations to Parks
Place, 44 School St., Bellows
Falls, VT 05101.
• James M. Per na, 88,
• Richard Charles
Romaine, 43, of Stamford,
• Earn full and transferable college credit
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• Louise
R . Pa r k , 9 2 ,
of West Dover. Died May 5.
Husband of Beverly Bruce
nearly 60 years. Father of Lynn
Perna of Marlboro and Michael
Perna of San Francisco. Born in
Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of the
late John and Mary (DeCarlo)
Perna, who emigrated from Italy
as children. At age 10, the family moved to Spring Valley, N.Y.,
where he graduated from public
schools. He served in the Navy
from 1943-1946 during World
War II. Following his discharge,
he graduated from Champlain
College in Plattsburgh, N.Y. The
Pernas lived in Rockland County
in New York until his retirement
in 1988, when they moved to
• Stephen H. Parenchuck, West Dover to be closer to his
94, formerly of Hinsdale, N.H. grandchildren. He worked in
the aerospace industry, and later
managed a commercial stationary store. Sports were important
to him both as a participant and
a coach, but golf was his passion.
He often played twice a day well
into his 80s. Memorial information: As per his wishes, there
will be no services. Contributions
in his memory may be made to a
charity of one’s choice.
!)+-(1.$(GH(
)'C$(5&1.(6'"%(
2'I&/$(#.'-$(1'(
/$+%-(2'%$(+I'"1(
=/+%>?@$-A&-,1'-3
!"##
Died May 5 at Vernon Green
Nursing Home. Husband of the
late Ella Ebbighausen. Father of
Charles Parenchuck and his wife,
Margaret, of Vernon and Patti
Jean Barnes and her husband,
Raymond, of Northfield, Mass.
Born in Brattleboro, the son of
Marcus and Mary (Volalski)
Parenchuck, he was a graduate
of Brattleboro High School. He
served in the Army in the Pacific
Theater during World War II.
After the war, he came back
and went to work for the former
Crosby Mills, later Agway, in
Brattleboro, retiring after more
than 30 years’ employment. He
was a member of the Hinsdale
VFW, and was an avid hunter
and fisherman. Memorial information: A graveside service
with full military honors was held
May 11 at Oak Lawn Cemetery
in North Hinsdale. Donations
to the Advent Christian Homes,
13 Greenway Drive, Vernon,
VT 05364.
Classes available in 12 locations
throughout Vermont and online.
THE COMMONS ❧ SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE ❧
Conn. Died April 14 at his home
due to complications from his
illnesses. Sister of Margaret
(Romaine) St. John and her
husband, Terry, of Guilford.
Stepbrother of Michael, Wendy,
Darcy, and Bridget. Born in
Greenwich, Conn., the son of
Richard D. Romaine and the late
Margaret L. (Rekos) Romaine,
his family moved to Newfane
in 1972. He attended Newfane
Elementary School, graduating from Leland & Gray Union
High School in 1987. He found
work for a short time, however,
his illnesses prevented him from
continuing. He took great pride
in raising funds for, and participating in, the annual AIDS
Walk New York, and also visiting Times Square annually
on New Year’s Eve. He was
an avid collector of Star Wars
www.commonsnews.org
“I’ve always loved Chris Petrak’s columns, and this feature is superb. Thanks again.”
Real quotes from real readers.
Support The Commons
by becoming a member
S E E PAG E A 5
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THE COMMONS
NEWS
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
memorabilia, comic books, and
videos. He was an outgoing person who loved acting, performing in many school plays. He
also enjoyed taking pictures, and
spent much of his time compiling
photo discs of family and friends,
sharing them online and giving
them to the special people in his
life. He always looked forward
to his time with his family for
the holidays or special gatherings. MEMORIAL INFORMATION:
A celebration of his life will take
place at the NewBrook Firehouse
in Newfane on Saturday, May
19, at 11 a.m. Donations to epilepsyvt.org or diabetes.org.
• Tammy Sue Shattuck,
46, of Putney. Died May 5
at Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Medical Center in Lebanon,
N.H., after a period of declining health. Mother of Colin Lee
King. Sister of Tracy Shattuck
of Bellows Falls and the late
Louie Shattuck. Born in Bellows
Falls, the daughter of Henry and
Ramona Fortier Shattuck, she
graduated from Bellows Falls
Union High School in 1985. She
had worked at Whitney Blake
and Vermed in Rockingham.
She enjoyed spending time with
family and friends, and was a
fan of NASCAR racing, country music and collecting anything having to do with wolves.
MEMOR IAL INFOR M ATION : A
graveside service was held May
12 at Pleasant View Cemetery
in Chester. Donations may be
made to a trust fund for her
son at People’s United Bank’s
Bellows Falls branch.
Laude, from Sonoma State
University in California.
• Richard Chapman of
West Dummerston and Andrew
W. Fallon of Brattleboro were
inducted into Alpha Alpha Psi
chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the
national history honor society, at
the University of Vermont.
Transitions
• Brattleboro Memorial
Hospital announced that
Carolyn Taylor-Olson, MD
has been appointed the Medical
Director for Post-Acute Care. In
this position, she will work with
Pine Heights, Vernon Green,
and Thompson House to provide post-acute care for their residents. Previously, she had been
the Medical Director for BMH’s
Hospitalist Service.
Succeeding Taylor-Olson in
the Hospitalist position will be
Aida Avdic, MD, effective July
17. Avdic will lead a team of
physicians specializing in internal medicine who provide care
to patients experiencing acute
medical conditions when they are
admitted to the hospital.
Editor’s note: The Commons
will publish brief biographical information for citizens of Windham
County and others, on request, as
community news, free of charge.
Submit obituaries, births, scholarships, high-school and college
achievements, awards, and the
like to [email protected].
Deadline is Friday for the follow• Michael “Big Wooly” ing week’s paper.
Woolhouse, 48, of Spofford,
N.H. Died May 2 at his home
in after a long battle with cancer.
Husband of Julie Woolhouse.
Father of Steven Tompkins
and his wife Toni of Valdosta,
Ga.; Bryan Tompkins, Cory
Tompkins and Coty Tompkins
of Spofford, N.H.; and Zachary
Woolhouse and Mikayla
Woolhouse of Hurst, Texas.
Born in Newport, R.I., the
son of the late William Henry
Woolhouse and Cynthia
Woolhouse Derensis and his
step-father, Carlo Derensis, he
spent years in the automotive
industry. He was a wonderful
and loving husband, father, and
grandfather who was at peace
working at home in his yard,
where he was an avid gardener.
MEMOR IAL INFOR M ATION : A
memorial service will be held at
a later date.
B5
Brattleboro police gets new social worker
BRATTLEBORO—Kathleen
Bell has been hired as the new
Health Care & Rehabilitation
Services (HCRS) Community
Support Specialist for the
Police Social Work (PSW) program, in collaboration with the
Brattleboro Police Department.
The PSW program coordinates services to people referred
by the police department or community providers. Often people
come into contact with police
as the result of an unmet social
need, according to HCRS.
PSW staff, who spend part of
their work week in police departments, make connections with
community members and attempt to connect the community
with mental health, substance
abuse, and other services.
Bell’s career has included
work with domestic abuse
situations, substance abuse,
and crisis interventions. Most
recently, she worked in the mental health unit at the Southern
State Correctional Facility in
Springfield.
Before that, Bell worked for
the Windsor County Family
Court in collaboration with
community hospitals and police departments. She also has
provided crisis intervention services for New Beginnings and facilitated the Intensive Domestic
Abuse and Batterers Intervention
Programs in Windsor County.
“We are privileged again to
have a liaison between the police department and Health Care
and Rehabilitation Services,”
said Brattleboro Police Chief
Eugene Wrinn.
“Kathleen has hit the ground
running as our Community
Support Specialist. Her experience and services will free up
officers to more proactively deal
with criminal activities while she
supports citizens in need of social services who have come in
contact with the department.”
Originally started in Bellows
Falls in 2002, the PSW program
contributed to a 30 percent reduction in crime in that community, according to HCRS.
The PSW program has been
honored by the Secretary of the
Agency of Human Services, cited
as a model program by the Act
80 Law Enforcement Advisory
Board, recommended by the
statewide Incarcerated Women’s
Initiative report, and received the
2005 Special Recognition award
by the National Alliance of the
Mentally Ill of Vermont.
Founded in 1967, HCRS
• Er ic Thomas Kurkul
of Petaluma, Calif., formerly
of Westminster, received a
Bachelor of Arts and Humanities
in Liberal Studies, Magna Cum
COURTESY PHOTO
is a nonprofit, community
mental health agency serving
Vermonters in Windham and
Windsor counties. For more information, call 802-886-4567,
ext. 2135.
‘Parents Who Host Lose the Most’
campaign warns families of consequences
BRATTLEBORO—The
Brattleboro Area Prevention
Coalition (BAPC) announces
the launch of the “Parents Who
Host, Lose The Most: Don’t Be
a Party to Teenage Drinking”
public awareness campaign to
provide parents with information
about the health and legal consequences of underage drinking
this prom and graduation season.
According to the Youth Risk
Behavior Survey from 2011, 69
percent of teens surveyed reported that it was easy to get
alcohol.
Among students who reported
drinking in the last 30 days,
85 percent got their alcohol
from home, by giving someone
money to buy it for them, or
from someone who just gave it by posting signs throughout the campaign materials visit www.
Brattleboro and Greater Falls BrattleboroAreaPreventionCoalition.
to them.
org or call 802-257-2175.
Most underage youth who area.
For more information and
drink are getting their alcohol
from adults who buy it legally
— parents, siblings, friends, relatives, and home liquor cabinets.
But when adults give alcohol
Since 1907
to teens on their property, those
adults can face fines of up to
$2,000 and 2 years of jail time for
each underage individual caught
• All Naturally-Grown Beef
drinking. Even when adults do
• All local natural feed
not provide the alcohol, if they
are aware that underage drinking
• No growth hormones or Antibiotics
is occurring on their property,
Maple Syrup- All Grades
they can be held responsible.
BAPC and the Greater Falls
Maple Candy • Maple Cream • Maple-Coated Nuts
Prevention Coalition ask community members and busi- Ames Hill Road (Only 3 Mi. From Route 9) West Brattleboro, VT
nesses to support the campaign
802-258-9087 • RobbFamilyFarm.com
Robb Family F rm
a
Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center
Nature Explorers
Summer Camp
Wee Naturalists,
Ages 5-­7
June 25th29th
Cub Camp, Ages 4-­5
July 2, 3, 4 & 5
Roots & Shoots,
Ages 6-­9
July 9th13th
College news
• The following local students were awarded degrees
during Keene State College’s
commencement ceremonies on
May 5: Katheryne Emond
and S e l i n a T h o m a s of
Putney, William Sevigny of
Brattleboro, Judith Ferraro
of Saxtons River, S a r a h
Ferris of Vernon, Jeannette
Mills of Dummerston,
Travis Schwartz of South
Londonderry, Sarah Szarejko
of Wilmington. They were part
of Keene State’s largest-ever
graduating class, with a total of
1,196 degrees awarded to 1,107
students.
• Violet S.L. Batcha of
Putney, was presented with the
Writing Award at Moving-Up
Day ceremonies held April 28
at St. Lawrence University in
Canton, N.Y. Moving-Up Day
celebrates student achievements
in academics and co-curricular
activities. It is a campus tradition
dating from 1869, when it began
as “Tree Holiday,” to add trees
to the campus landscape.
• Bethany Ann Hilts of
Wilmington will receive an
A.S. in Liberal Arts & Sciences:
Science, with high honors,
from Herkimer County (N.Y.)
Community College. Hilts is one
of 727 candidates eligible to participate in the College’s 44th annual commencement ceremony
on Friday, May 18.
• E m i l y O s t e r h o l t of
Westminster West will graduate from Tulane University in
New Orleans on Saturday, May
19, with a B.A. in History and
Music.
• Kayden Manning , a senior International Leadership
and Asian Studies major from
Vernon, was named to the Spring
2012 Dean’s List at Marietta
(Ohio) College.
• Anna Wright of Windham
was inducted into the Psi Chi
National Honor Society during honors day ceremonies
conducted by the Psychology
Department at the University
of Vermont earlier this spring.
Kathleen Bell
Circus Camp
Meeting Waters Ymca
Day Camps
• Bussing from Brattleboro,
Westminster, Putney, BF, Saxtons River, Walpole,
Charlestown, Chester and Springfield •
• Child Care Subsidy & other Financial Assistance •
• Great staff, great facility, great value •
• One- and two-week sessions •
• Open House on 5/20 •
802-254-9780
74 Cotton Mill Hill
Brattleboro VT
flip  leap
juggle
jump  climb
hoop  balance
& more
Camp Astley
Camp Barnum
Camp Cadona
Emerging Naturalists,
Ages 6-­9
July 16th20th
Our Side of the
Mountain
Ages 8 10
July 23rd July 27th
Finding our Way
Ages 9-­11
July 30th Aug 3rd
Magical World of
Nature
Ages 6-­9
Aug 6thAug 10th
June 25-29
July 9-13
July 16-20
age 5-16 all levels
Advanced Camp
age 8-18
July 23-27
make summer fun
necenterforcircusarts.org
www.meetingwatersymca.org
Camp Fantastic!
A new collaboration
between RGS and
KidsplAyce. Full day
summer camps with
art making, cooking,
and nature activities.
One week sessions
starting July 9
More info call
802-257-1577
rivergalleryschool.org
Townshend, VT • www.gracecottage.org
Did You Know...?
Grace Cottage’s
Cottage’s pediatricians
provide
Grace
medical practitioners
physical
examsphysical
required exams
for:
provide
annual
for:
• often
Camprequired
• College
• Camp
• College
• School
Sports Programs
• School
Sports
Programs
Call 802-365-4331
Call 802-365-4331
New patients welcome • Most Insurance Accepted
New patients welcome
Most Insurance Accepted
Maybelle Farm
Hilltop
Montessori
School
presents
SummerFun
SixweeksofthemebasedcampsJune18-July27
AGES3-6
AGES6-9
AGES10-13
Creaturesinthe
WetandWildWorld
FairyCampor
TalesandSailsCamp
AStitchinSummerFun
orUltimateSurvival
Adventuresin
FairyTaleLand
Dance&Movementor
PondLifeCamp
PaperMacheCreatures
CreepyandCrawly
Critters
Kids’Cookingor
SuperScienceCamp
Planes,Trains,Cars
andTrucks
DrawfromNature,
SculptfromDrawings
WildKingdom
Soccer
DownontheFarm
GardenGnomes
CreateYourOwnNature
Journal
TrailBlazers
GrowIt!CookIt!EatIt!
orCreateanEco-Art
Portfolio
BuildaLandscapeoutof
theLandscapeor
TimeTravelersCamp
120SummitCircle,Brattleboro,VT802.451.8542www.hilltopmontessori.org
THE COMMONS ❧ SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE ❧
July 9-13
Aug. 6-10
cost: $75.00
per student
Morning session
9 a.m.-12 noon
Afternoon session
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Visit our website for
full details or call:
(802) 896-6013
MaybelleFarm.com
www.commonsnews.org
A very big thank-you for writing such a wonderful, in-depth article about our programs. It was so well-written. Many thanks and
appreciation for your willingness to cover this topic with such candidness. It is reporters like Olga Peters who help our community
learn about issues that may not be talked about, but need to be.
Proof generated May 15, 2012 5:16 PM
Fiber Fun Camp
PASSIONATE, CREATIVE,
EXPERIENCED CAMP LEADERS
Real quotes from real readers.
Support The Commons
by becoming a member
S E E PAG E A 5
THE ARTS B6
T he C o m m o n s
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
arts & community C A L E N D A R
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
K i ds a n d
f a m i l i es
18
n
.
Last preschool stor ytime: The last
TOWNSHEND
preschool storytime until fall will be Friday
at the Townshend Library. The summer reading program, "Dream Big, Read!" will begin
July 6. n 10 a.m. n Free. n Townshend
Public Library, 1971 Route 30. Information:
802-365-4039 or www.townshendlibrary.org.
On Friday, May 18,
Brattleboro-based
Fenibo will bring its
Afrobeat music to the
stage at The Arts Block
in downtown Greenfield,
Mass. Opening for Fenibo
will be Sana & U-tek,
featuring Sana Ndiaye of
the Senegalese Hip Hop
band “Gokh-Bi System”.
The Arts Block features
a spacious dance floor,
ample seating and a fine
selection of beverages at
their full bar. The show is
open to people of all ages.
Doors open at 7:30. There
will be a $10 cover charge.
21
n
.
Story
Hour: Young children and their
WILMINGTON,
caregivers are invited to join us for themed
stories and activities. n 10:30 a.m. n
Free. n Pettee Memorial Library, 16 South
Main Street. Information: 802-464-8557;
petteelibrary.org.
F u n dra i s i n g
and
a w are n ess
eve n ts
19
n
WEST DUMMERSTON
.
Geranium Festival and Book
Sale: This fundraiser includes an opportu-
R ecreat i o n
22
n
.
Weekly
Stress Busters Bowling
Series: Weekly series of shared activities,
WILMINGTON
then bowling or mini-golf, to "empower and
renew you from the stress of Tropical Storm
Irene." n 1-2:30 p.m., Charlie Brown room.
n $4.95 for bowling; mini golf free; donations
welcomed. n Starting Over Strong in Vermont
(SOS VT), North Star Bowl,. Information: 802272-7982; www.startingoverstrongvermont.
org..
18
n
B E L L O W S
F A L L S
.
Party at the Bellows Falls
Farmers' Market: Kickoff Party at the
Bellows Falls Farmers' Market, with music featuring The Bluebird Orchestra. n 4-7 p.m.
n Free. n Bellows Falls Farmers’ Market,
Waypoint Center, 17 Depot Street. Information:
802-463-2018; www.bffarmersmarket.com.
18
n
.
Live: Groove
Culture: Bob Stabach, sax; Draa
PUTNEY
Hobbs, guitar; Wayne Roberts, bass; and
Tim Stone, drums, play a lively mix of funk,
latin, jazz, and swing. n 7:30 p.m. n No
Cover. n Putney Inn, 57 Putney Landing
Road. Information: (800) 653-5517 or info@
putneyinn.com.
C ele b rat i o n s , f est i vals ,
c o m m u n i t y m eals
19
n
.
Super
Spring Community Jam and
Plant Sale: Flabberghaster, Acoustic Roots,
TOWNSHEND
Medicine Warriors, Black Mountain FM, and
Toni Atari. Annual Kindle Farm Plant Starter
Sale features cold-weather plant starts from
12,000 growing in the school's greenhouse,
including broccoli, cauliflower, kales, chards,
lettuces, spinach, radishes, multiple herbs,
eggplant, tomatoes. Bake sale, a cord wood
deas are like pizza
dough, made to be tossed
around.
—Anna Quindlen
MEMBERS 1ST CREDIT UNION
“The SMALL Credit Union
with a BIG HEART”
www.members1cu.com
10 Browne CT
PO Box 8245
N. Brattleboro, VT 05304
NCUA
raffle, and the opening day for Pizza Hippo's
Townshend Pizza Stand. Benefits the Kindle
Farm vocational logging program. n 10
a.m.-10 p.m. Details and the full music schedule at www.pizzahippo.com. n Free; $5 donation suggested. n Kindle Farm School, 1
Route 30. Information: 802-365-7909; www.
kindlefarm.org.
19
n
.
The Brattlyn
Brothers Live: The Brattlyn
NEWFANE
Brothers are Kevin Parry on guitar and vocals, Joe Santry on guitar and vocals, Ken
Storey on bass and vocals, and Richard Mayer
on drums. This show will feature a special
set of tunes dedicated to the memory of the
late Levon Helm. n 7-11 p.m. n Free. n
Rick's Tavern, 386 Route 30. Information: 802365-4310 or visit www.kevinparrymusic.com.
22
n
.
Open
Mic at Inferno: Open Mic every
BRATTLEBORO
Tuesday at Inferno, hosted by Molly Steinmark
and Sam French, amps, drum set, PA/mics
provided, Bar and drink specials. n 8 p.m
to midnight. n No cover. n Inferno, 19
Elliot St. Information: 802-258-6529; www.
gotoinferno.com.
C o m m u n i t y b u i ld i n g
17
n
B R A T T L E B O R O
.
Community Conversations:
"Come nurture your sense of possibility as we
each answer the question, 'What is my one
wish for Brattleboro?'" Group discussion precedes smaller conversations on such topics
as strengthening neighborhoods, expanding
Tel. (802) 257-5131
Fax (802) 257-5837
17
n
community gardens/garden sharing, connecting to the global Transition Town movement, or creating local work. n 6:30-8:30
p.m.; socializing begins at 6 p.m. Group meets
the third Thursday of the month. n Free.
n Community Conversations, Samuel Elliot
Towers, 107 Elliot St. Information: 802-2548582; www.transitionbrattleboro.org.
.
and Walter Srebnick explore the collaborative
process between Alfred Hitchcock and the
screenwriters he hired to write the scripts for
three of his greatest films. n 7-9 p.m. n
Free. n Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main
Street. Information: 802-254-5290; www.
brooks.lib.vt.us.
Cynthia Nau,
Owner
Over 40 Years
in Elementary
Education
Rte. 30, Newfane - Just North of the Fire Station
802-365-4811
Summer Hours: Tues-Sat 10-5
School Year Hours: Tues-Fri 3:30-5:30, Sat 10-5
19
n
Tues.-Thur. 11-5
Fri. 11-6 Sat. 10-5
Sun. 12-4
802 387-3011
133 Main Street
The Tavern, Putney, VT
PLOTKIN’S
MATTRESSES & FURNITURE
Better Quality, Low Prices
800-747-2564
www.plotkinfurniture.com
Chris Triebert will discuss her cameraless
botanical photography at the Vermont Center
for Photography in Brattleboro on Friday.
V i s u al arts a n d sh o w s
18
n
B R A T T L E B O R O
.
Christine Triebert,
"Shadowgraphs": South Newfane
artist will be talking about her journey
from conventional photography to cameraless photography and all the steps
in between. n 5:30 p.m. n Free. n
Vermont Center for Photography, 49 Flat
St. Information: 802-251-6051; info@
vcphoto.org.
19
n
.
Five new
artists at Hunter Gallery:
GRAFTON
The work of five new artists will be added
to the recently expanded Hunter Gallery of
Fine Art as it opens its 2012 season with a
grand opening reception. n 5-7:30 p.m.
n Free. n Hunter Gallery of Fine Art, 74
Main Street. Information: 802 843 1440.;
www.hunterartworks.com.
T he w r i tte n w o rd
19
n
.
The Scarlet
Letter: "An Evening with
author Carol Gilligan" : Renowned
PUTNEY
author and educator Dr. Carol Gilligan will
appear at Next Stage. She will incorporate
readings as well as discussion with the audience. Gilligan will be joined by special guest
and local author Elayne Clift. n 7 p.m. n
$15 general admission; $12 students and seniors. n Next Stage Arts Project, 15 Kimball
Hill. Information: 802-387-8500; www.
nextstagearts.org.
19
n
.
“Why
Some Politicians Are More
Dangerous Than Others”: Author
BRATTLEBORO
James Gilligan draws on research that connects election results and the rise of murder
THE COMMONS ❧ SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE ❧
and suicide rates in the United States. "These
epidemics of lethal violence have then remained at epidemic levels until the more
liberal party, the Democrats, regained the
White House and dramatically reduced the
amount of deadly violence by diminishing
the magnitude of the economic distress that
had been causing it." n Noon, Meeting
Room. n Free. n Brooks Memorial Library,
224 Main Street. Information: 802-254-5290;
www.brooks.lib.vt.us.
23
n
.
“An
Evening of Poetry II ”: Join
BRATTLEBORO
poets Joan Aleshire, Meg Kearney, and Ellen
Dudley. n 7 p.m., Meeting Room. n Free.
n Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street.
Information: 802-254-5290; www.brooks.
lib.vt.us.
BRATTLEBORO
or would like further information, directions to the auditions, or digital copies of
the plays e-mailed to you for your perusal,
contact either of the producers. n 2 p.m.
n Free. n Actors Theatre, Browne Court off
Putney Road. Information: Michael Kennedy:
[email protected]; Mike Jerald: [email protected].
19
n
B R A T T L E B O R O
.
'Momentum' at Brattleboro
School of Dance: The school’s annual
spring performance at New England Youth
Theatre, 100 Flat St., features ballet excerpts
from "Coppelia," many modern dance pieces of
a variety of moods and messages, jazz dance,
two tap pieces, belly dance, and more. n
May 18, 19, 25, and 26 at 7:30 p.m.; May 20
and 27 at 4 p.m. Through Sunday, May 27. n
$12.50 general admission; $10 for seniors. n
. Information: 802-254-6884 or www.brattle­
boroschoolofdance.com.
Be y o n d
D escr i p t i o n
19
n
.
Shred
Saturday: Shred private docuBRATTLEBORO
ments bearing name, birth date, social security number, account numbers and other
personal information and keep your identity
safe. Up to 10 boxes (approx. 12 x 10 x 15
inches) of your private documents will be accepted. Shred Saturday is open to the entire
community. n 9 a.m.-1 p.m. n Free. n
Vermont State Employees Credit Union, 499
Canal St. (Price Chopper Plaza). Information:
802-371-5162 o; www.vescu.org.
I
don’t need to worry about identity theft because no one wants
to be me.
—Jay London
www.commonsnews.org
“Thank you so much for your good ears, you really hear what’s being said. Thank you for being the
voice to the community that the arts need in order to get some of these thoughts out and available to
be pondered.”
Proof generated May 15, 2012 4:47 PM
.
Te n
Minute Play Festival auditions: If you are interested in auditioning,
rockriver-studio.com
Colorful, Comfortable
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one can join in to share their experience of
Tropical Storm Irene. Your story will become
part of the town's historical archives, and part
of the oral history collection at the Vermont
Folklife Center. This event is dedicated to all
those affected by the flooding along Dover
and Augur Hole roads in South Newfane and
Marlboro. Presented in collaboration with the
Vermont Folklife Center. Refreshments will be
available. n 6:30-8:30 p.m. n Free. n
South Newfane Community School House, Dover
Road. Information: 802-249-3628.
www.northfielddrivein.com
(603) 239-4054
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Spring Beauties
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N ew fa n e a n d M a r l b o r o
Story Circle: Story Circles are where any-
NORTHFIELD
93 Park Ave, Keene, NH 03431
Jessica Bills has teamed up with the local
chapter of Yellow Ribbon to honor those
who serve. Community members of all ages
are welcome to meet the children's book author and purchase their own copy of "Sad,
Angry and Blue." Available will be coloring
pages for children to share their thanks for
our troops and homemade cards for adults to
send along their kindest thoughts and best
wishes. n 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. n Free. n
The River Garden.
22
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Featuring:
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$20 pre-buy and $25 at the door. Tickets can
be purchased online. n G.Housen Beverages,
1568 Putney Rd. Information: www.pinkpintnight.com.
Fri. & Sat., May 18 & 19
1
:25
at 8 The hunger games PG-13
& the avengers PG-13
Creative Teaching Press
Teacher Created Resources
House Mouse Designs
Home-Schooler & Christian Materials
Scrap Booking
Used Books & Lending Library
B R A T T L E B O R O
Pink
Pint Night Benefit for
the Brattleboro Museum & Art
Center: An event that combines beer sam-
st
A Teacher Resource Store
.
Plant Sale: The Westminster West
School and Westminster West Public Library
will hold their annual Plant Sale. There will
be amazing deals on perennials, annuals, and
organic vegetable starts. Come early for the
best selection or late for the biggest bargains. n 8 a.m. - noon. n n Westminster
West School, 3721 Westminster West Road.
Information: [email protected].
22
n
DRIVE•IN THEATRE
teacher treasures
WESTMINSTER WEST
Supporting our troops
takes a community: Local author
Scripting
Hitchcock: Psycho, The
Birds, and Marnie: Walter Raubicheck
BRATTLEBORO
19
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20
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Film and
v i de o
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Insured to
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music, and crafts for children. n 11 a.m. - 4
p.m. n n Lydia Taft Pratt Library, 156 West
Street. Information: 802-254-9602.
Music
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S E E PAG E A 5
THE COMMONS
VOICES
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 • page C1
OPINION • COMMENTARY • LETTERS
Join the discussion: [email protected]
GAY MARRIAGE, GAY ACCEPTANCE
ESSAY
Life
lesson
A chance
encounter
on Canal St.
resonates
deeply
W
S E C T I O N C1
B
C
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Brattleboro
HILE I WAS
OUT walking
one recent
morning, an
elderly woman struck up a
conversation with me.
She began by telling me
a bit about
herself, that HEATHER
she resides LEGACY
at a nearby is a student at
Community
nursing
home. She College of
said she is Vermont and
the young- a proud resident of the
est and
most physi- Phoenix
cally fit res- House
ident there, Tapestry
Program.
so they
“spring” her
daily for a
walk alone.
Last year, she said, she
was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
I couldn’t even finish my sentence of “I am
so sorry to hear that” before she told me that she
wasn’t.
She said she feels great
(at this time), and that life
will and has always been
what the person living it
makes it to be.
I explained a bit about
myself, and she seemed
all too content to switch
the conversation over
to thanking me for my
(seemingly-small-to-me)
service to our community.
She and I then went
our own separate ways,
but in that instant I knew
I was left with something
that would not disappear
as quickly as this spirited
woman had.
YES, I HEAR all the time
that “life is what you
make it.” But have I ever
let the thought do much
more than pass from one
of my ears to the other?
Up until that moment, I
had thought so. Oh, how
wrong I have been.
This truly remarkable
woman, as she nears the
end of her own life, is out
and about in our community reminding me (and,
I am sure, others she encounters) that there is still
time to find beauty somewhere in our chaotic lives.
During our conversation, she was citing
facts about our community, all the while planting
in my head the message
that if we could just help
one another a bit more,
Brattleboro would go from
being a good place to live
to a great one.
MOST PEOPLE might
have the impression that
helping out requires financial assistance.
Surprisingly enough,
however, I believe we
would find that something
as seemingly simple as
saying hello, or even just
a smile in passing to those
we encounter on our daily
travels, would set forth a
chain of assistance to others, the likes of which this
community might not
have seen in a while.
I am sure that whoever
coined the phrase “the
best things in life are free”
was referring to a “hello,”
a “good morning,” or even
just a smile.
That woman, whose
name I did not learn, is
proof positive of this concept for me.
VIEWPOINT
NEXT GENERATION
The elephant
in the closet
It’s
convenient
to endorse
gay
marriage
so close to
the election
season
Support for LGBT high
school students is minimal, a
Leland & Gray senior writes
Jamaica SARAH DICKSON originally wrote this piece for The
conversation with a
Burrower, the student newspafriend, and there is
per at Leland & Gray, where she
this obvious thing
is a senior.
you both are aware of, yet,
for whatever reason, refuse to
acknowledge.
kept him from coming out was
Maybe it’s that you cheated our school’s size.
on a test, or it could be some“At such a small school
thing more serious — that
there’s no anonymity, and
someone close to you died, or
there’s very little privacy,” said
that you like your friend but
Landenberger “I think in that
he or she doesn’t feel the same environment the embarrassway.
ment of coming out would
The awkwardness and dishave been magnified.”
comfort gnaws at your selfAlthough he suggested that
esteem. The elephant in the
the majority of students at
room grows so huge and conLeland & Gray might be acspicuous that at last it is impos- cepting of homosexuality in
sible to ignore, or else it might theory, “[it’s] another thing to
crush you.
be able to see two men or two
Imagine that elephant is your women holding hands or kissexistence. A piece of your own ing without thinking differently
identity is this thing no one
of them.”
dares speak of. It’s taboo to
The use of the word “gay”
even utter the word describing as a derogatory slur, even in
this thing in any seriousness;
conversation, only contributes
you can hardly say it yourself.
to the silencing of LGBTQ
NATHAN WIND/CREATIVE COMMONS (BY-NC-SA) LICENSE
You are that big, bumbling
students.
elephant trapped in a tiny
Landenberger remembered
Guilford HANNAH ALESHNICK
closet with the whole world,
hearing the word “gay,” among
with pliers, like the sinewy
T MUST BE so hard,
and her fiancée, Moriah Floyd,
and it’s cramped in there. The others, being “tossed around in
stitches from a bad cut: snip,
Barack.
are homesteading in Guilford and tug; snip, tug.
world knows you exist someconversation, which is almost
I know you probably
planning a wedding. This piece
where but can’t quite pinpoint worse. It must have had a cuYou coil the strings into a
crawl into bed next to
originally appeared on her blog
mulative effect on me. When
little tin on the medicine cabi- where.
Michelle, after brushing your
(criyas.wordpress.com).
The worst part is that your
you’re trying to come to terms
net, step into the shower, wash
lips across your daughters’
with your own sexuality, it’s
the day off your tired body with invisibility is, in a sense, synforeheads and pulling the covthetic. It is perpetuated by the
hard to constantly hear words
that aloe-almond body wash
ers closer to their sweet chins,
like ‘gay’ or ‘homo’ casually
Photoshopping and the scripts your kids gave you for Father’s actions of those around you.
and that you know how lucky
Gordon Landenberger, who used as general pejoratives.”
— that you have a good heart.
Day last year.
you are that your marriage is
graduated from my high school
If that weren’t enough to
I think you probably want
You haven’t fooled me,
respected in this country.
the best for the world, like most Barack; you can tell those pup- in 2007, did not have a defini- bury a teenager deep within the
You wrap your arms around people do. Maybe that’s what I peteers that they failed, this
tive moment in which he realproverbial closet, there was also
her waist, remembering your
ized that he is gay; it was more the “casual speculation.”
want to believe.
time, again. It’s convenient to
wedding day, how lovely she
of a gradual understanding.
When his peers made comI know you have strings
endorse gay marriage so close
looked, and how gloriously her stitched to your lips, tugged by to the election season. You
The real difficulty came once ments like, “I think he’s gay,
bursting heart shone through
but doesn’t know it yet,”
thugs and thieves with agendas should have done it last year or he could match how he was
her eyes.
feeling with a word or a label.
Landenberger became upset,
that you probably don’t really
waited until after November
How your ancestors and
“It became a matter of veri- even if they were talking about
believe in, if you dare to really
has come and gone — then, I
community lifted you up to the think about them.
might have had a chance at be- fying it, figuring out what to do someone else.
world — you are a married couabout it. And unfortunately,
“There was nothing I was
Agendas like reaping the
lieving it.
ple! — and everything fell into
as a gay person you are automore aware of in high school!”
profits of big oil by raping the
Not likely though. You’ve
place and fell apart all at once
he said. “It wasn’t a question
earth and so many voiceless
got to tell those guys, the ones matically put into a position
as you tried to make sense of
of having to do something,”
of ‘knowing it’ or ‘not knowpeople. Like keeping women in who thread those strings back
what it meant to be married.
Landenberger said.
ing it.’ It was much more
their place by pretending that
into your skin each morning,
You tried to set aside what
He explained that when peo- complicated.”
God gives a shit about birth
that they’ve gotta start to act a
you thought it meant to be a
ple are born heterosexual —
control and that domestic rape little more convincing.
husband to make room to cre- is a myth and that abortion is a
“straight” — they don’t have
ALTHOUGH Johnny Pozzi had
Because, Barack, an enate what it meant for you to
to make any sort of declaration somewhat of a different experiman’s choice to make in a con- dorsement does nothing for
ence from Landenberger, there
be a husband to Michelle.
of their sexuality; it’s simply
gressional hearing.
me.
were many parallels.
You had democratic discusassumed.
Agendas like slashing the
Pozzi, who graduated in
sions about who would do the
Meanwhile, anyone who
food-stamp budget and funWHEN I WRAP my arms
around her waist at night, I
dishes and who would fold the neling the funds into the mildoes not identify as heterosex- 2010, only officially came out
can think ahead to our wedlaundry.
ual is somewhat forced into, as as gay to a few of his close
itary-industrial complex, and
ding day, imagine how lovely
friends while he was at Leland
You fell out of lust, struggled pretending that everyone acLandenberger said, “the em& Gray. Unlike Landenberger,
together, and fell back between tually has access to health care she will look, and how gloribarrassing position of having
ously her bursting heart will
Pozzi did have a distinct mothe sheets even happier than
to publicly share our sexual
and good wages, that most of
shine through her eyes, but I
ment at which the fog cleared:
you were before.
preferences.”
us just don’t choose to fulfill
know that in most places in this
he and his brother were watchI know you think these
those basic human needs.
country, we will be no more
things, because you are a huTHE “COMING OUT” process ing an adult film when it ocI know you don’t mean to
is almost unheard of in the stu- curred to Pozzi that what he
than roommates.
man being — and I can tell
endorse these evils.
dent body of Leland & Gray.
While my ancestors and
was focusing on and what his
by your persona, even on
I know you spend a few minbrother was focusing on were
TV, even through the camera
utes each evening pulling mari- community will lift us up to the Landenberger was no excep■ SEE MARRIAGE, PAGE C2 tion to the silent majority; what
■ SEE GAY ALUMNI, PAGE C2
lenses and the makeup and the onette strings out of your body
Y
OU ARE having a
Strings
attached
I
Everything’s
gone to chaos
Wake up and breathe in the smell
of an unnaturally early spring
I
Grafton
NEVER MET “Chaos
John,” but I feel like I
knew him well.
I knew him through
the stories of my friend Maria
Catell, who had lived next
door to him throughout her
childhood. He was a considerate neighbor, always greeting
Maria and her siblings with a
cheery hello and offering help
to her family when needed.
John also had a streak of
gloom and doom that surfaced
every time anything went awry,
which, according to him, was
most of the time.
ANNIE HAWKINS
When his cows broke
through the fence and wandered down the road, John set
off after them, shaking his head
and muttering, “Everything’s
gone to chaos.”
He muttered those same
words when his tractor failed
to start on a cold winter’s
■ SEE CHAOS, PAGE C2
ALLISON TEAGUE/COMMONS FILE PHOTO
Environmental activist Bill McKibben and participants in a “Connect the
Dots” event at the site of the Bartonsville Covered Bridge, swept away in the
flooding from Tropical Storm Irene. McKibben contends that the flooding was
a bellwether of the environmental consequences of global warming.
THE COMMONS ❧ SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE ❧
www.commonsnews.org
“I love The Commons. My sister and I both love it.
Seems you cover all the bases and have very interesting stories.”
Proof generated May 15, 2012 6:24 PM
Real quotes from real readers.
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S E E PAG E A 5
VOICES C2
n Marriage
world — you are a married
couple! — my country won’t
care.
When everything falls into
place and apart all at once,
and I try to make sense of
what it means to be a wife,
and what it means to be married to her, and as we fall
out of lust and back between
the sheets with more fulfilled happiness, as we democratically decide on who will
weed the kale and who will
take the dog out to pee, the
government I voted for four
years ago will stand by and
laugh.
Best of friends! they say.
Roommates.
And roommates can’t file
taxes together or be assured
that if one fell deathly ill, the
other would be allowed to sit
at her bedside in the hospital and whisper “I love you”
until she recovered — or
died — because the state we
happen to be in at the time
doesn’t recognize me as her
family. What if I were not
to be able to spend the last
minutes of her life with her?
And when I will go to kiss
my children on their foreheads, Barack, I will have to
fight to keep the fear at bay.
Will we ever be able to
travel out of New England,
without constant terror
that our family will not be
honored?
Have you ever felt this
way, Barack, this dread that
something so wonderful as
having children with the one
you love could be so terrifying? Not because you won’t
know how to teach them to
love, not because you won’t
be able to keep them safe
from drugs or bullies, not because you won’t know what
to say, but because someone
with power over you might
look at you and decide that
from SECTION FRONT
you are not their parent, that
your family isn’t real enough
for their standards?
I hope you said that you endorse our right to marry because you believe in this
right. I hope you yanked the
strings out of your knuckles and muscles and just said
something real for once.
But I won’t believe you
didn’t do it just because they
told you to, in order to win
their election to protect their
interests, until I can sign the
papers with my wife and all
your offices will see them as
the truth: that we are married to each other.
Don’t worry, you can rest
well at night, with your arms
around your Michelle: marriage equality will come to
pass.
In my humble opinion,
however, it will not happen with you in the Oval
Office. It won’t happen in
your office at all, even. In
fact, I don’t think it will happen in the United States
government.
Because revolution is not
just a whisper anymore,
Barack. It’s a truth that
whistles past your ear when
you hang your head out the
window like a dog in the
summertime.
Take in the wind; let it
rustle the crisp seams of your
well-pressed shirt. Snuggle
closer to your wife. I hope
you feel you’ve done the best
you can, because your time
is up. All y’alls time is up.
It’s our turn. It’s time to
take back the nights, take
back the streets and the
squares, take back our currency, take back our bedrooms and our uteruses and
our families.
It’s time.
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day, when his dog trotted
home from a ramble reeking
of skunk, when he hung his
clothes on the line and it rained
an hour later.
When he discussed politics
with Maria’s parents, it was his
constant refrain.
Chaos John said that when
politicians walked, their
feet didn’t connect with the
ground, and that was why they
couldn’t be trusted to solve the
problems of real life.
“All dressed up in them
fancy suits and shiny shoes,”
he’d grumble. “All they want
is to stay in power and clobber the other team, like they’re
playing football instead of running the country.”
“Everything’s gone to
chaos.”
It became part of the Catell
family lexicon. Long after
Chaos John was dead and buried, he was fondly remembered
and frequently quoted.
from SECTION FRONT
silent music.
Maybe that’s why I’m remembering Chaos John; imagining him standing at the fence
beside me in his bib overalls and flannel shirt; drawing on his pipe and muttering,
“Everything’s gone to chaos.”
Usually when spring arrives, I’m as celebratory as the
horses. Free from the constraints of long underwear, layers of down, fleece, and wool,
and my Sorel boots (good to
40 below), I turn cartwheels,
crank up the boom box, and
dance with my pitchfork.
Now, I wonder if
Vermonters will ever again
need boots good to 40 below. I’m haunted by the voice
of Chaos John. My body and
mind are not aligned.
Friends and neighbors are
feeling the same misalignment.
”Weird weather,” they say.
We’re all feeling anxious
about this intimation of spring,
During the eerie heat wave the lack of snow in a winter
in March, just as another
that appears to have gone too
balmy morning dawns, I’m lin- soon, and the fate of our wongering by the fence watching
drous, hospitable home, the
the horses buck and rear and
planet Earth.
whirl and twirl like yearlings.
My father used to tell me
After this acrobatic display,
that anxiety could be an inthey gallop off, racing three
stinctual signal that something
laps around the field, the sound was out of balance and needed
of their hooves muffled by the
to be recognized and corrected.
soft, damp ground. Then they
stop and stand like statues, ears Everywhere I’ve ever lived,
forward, nostrils flaring, heads the weather was capricious, yet
still provided familiar rhythms.
raised to sniff the air.
In southeastern
Reconnaissance completed,
Pennsylvania, I lived in farm
they drop their heads to graze
country and worked outside
on green shoots of grass.
It’s the warmth and the scent six mornings a week. The
ground usually froze hard
of snow melt and damp earth
in December. We could exrising up that has them so full
pect a few days of thaw in late
of the joys.
January. The peas got planted
In his novella A Strange
on or around Saint Patrick’s
and Sublime Address, Amit
Day. At the end of April, we
Chaudhuri describes this
stashed our long underwear in
scent as “the most natural
and unpretentious fragrance.” the cedar chest, and we pulled
it out again in November.
Unpretentious and powerIn the mid-’70s, the rhythms
ful, it activates a rise of chi and
began to change.
spirit in humans and all other
I remember the first time my
animals.
Like many fragrances, it also husband and I picked ticks off
our dogs in February. We sat
induces memory, evocative as
on our porch, and the dogs sat
patiently next to us as we performed that loathsome duty,
not usually required until April
or May.
“This is weird,” my husband
said.
“It isn’t right,” I said, as
I dropped another tick into
the old coffee can filled with
gasoline.
Our snowdrops, crocuses,
and daffodils were already
sprouting. In subsequent winters, early blooming became
the norm, and the dogs had no
respite from ticks.
Today, in Washington D.C.,
the cherry blossoms are blooming early. Too many senators and congressmen are still
asleep. Soon they’ll rise from
their beds. They’ll still be
sleeping when they arrive at the
Capitol building, and they’ll
be talking in their sleep as they
bluster and fume and proclaim
that climate-change science is a
hoax perpetrated by “liberals.”
Presumably, they will apply this label not only to “treehugging, granola-crunching”
Vermonters but also to evangelical Christian environmentalists who are actively engaged
in taking care of “God’s
creation.”
Polar ice caps are melting. Ocean temperatures are
rising, and water levels, too.
Many species of animals and
birds are on the verge of extinction. More “extreme weather
events” are predicted, but it’s
not our fault, so “drill, baby,
drill” and while we’re at it,
let’s lop the tops off some
more mountains, too. We
can’t afford to protect the
environment.
Horses and all animals, domesticated and wild, stop and
sniff the wind. Then they know
where to go and what to do
next.
Maybe these legislators are
too busy collecting corporate
campaign contributions to employ their animal senses. Forget
waking up and smelling the
n Gay alumni
two entirely different things.
After that, the difference between him and his peers could
not be denied. However, it
wasn’t until college that he finally told his family.
“I told my sister, who then
told my mom, and then I told
my mom not to tell anyone,
who then told the entire family,” Pozzi said.
Fortunately, it all went over
well. Pozzi’s family was “very
liberal-minded, and they’re
hippies, so they accepted it really well.”
Unfortunately, the Leland &
Gray community was a more
intimidating confidant. Pozzi
never came out on a large scale
in high school, sharing the information with only a small
handful of people.
Since he graduated only two
years ago, it was easy for him to
remember why he kept quiet.
“I played a lot of soccer, so I
was on sports teams with kids
who I knew wouldn’t be okay
with it,” he said.
And although he never experienced any direct harassment, like Landenberger, Pozzi
frequently felt the sting of derogatory slurs used in casual
conversation.
“Kids would call each other
‘faggots,’ and there are a lot of
close-minded people who use
those terms ... especially when
I was on the soccer team, a lot
of kids would say things like
that as a put-down,” he said.
From those students’ perspective, it might be easy to argue that the words should not
coffee and the roses.
Wake up and breathe in
that “most natural fragrance.”
It has something to say to everyone, including President
Obama. His efforts on behalf
of the environment have been
lackluster, at best.
I propose the introduction of
a bill called the “No Legislator
Left Behind Act.”
It will mandate that prior
to running for office, prospective candidates will leave their
homes every morning and report to an outdoor classroom
where rigorous studies in environmental science will be held.
They’ll take field trips at
home and abroad, traveling to
Bangladesh, the Seychelles, the
Maldives, and other developing
countries where the impacts of
climate change are plainly visible; where government leaders
are making substantial efforts
to reduce carbon footprints
and prepare for the future.
In the Republic of the
Seychelles, they’ll meet with
President James Michel, who
will repeat what he said last
year in Melbourne, Australia,
when he was a guest of that
government.
“There is no ideology involved in the survival of
people.”
The students’ minds will
light up in a collective epiphanic blaze.
Upon presentation of dissertations outlining cogent and
stringent policies to reduce carbon emissions, create sustainable communities, and leave
this world a better place than
we found it, candidates will
graduate and be deemed fit to
run for office.
If elected, they will implement policies that support the
earth and all its inhabitants.
They will be called “realists,”
and be respected as exemplary
leaders.
Maybe then we will have the
right to tout our American “exceptionalism,” and Chaos John
will rest in peace.
from SECTION FRONT
creepy or weird for no reason other than their sexual
orientation.
Pozzi, who grew up in an
accepting family — hardly
the case for all households in
Windham County — suggested
that education in the history of
LGBT issues might help remedy the narrow-mindedness in
high schools in general and at
Leland & Gray in particular.
“It makes sense, for the kids
that are going around saying
‘faggot.’ I mean that’s horrible, but it’s something that they
learn from their parents, probably ... not necessarily the name
calling, but the close-minded
view on homosexuality.” Pozzi
feels that it’s important for an
objective, unbiased perspective to be taught in schools, and
When he did finally come
out, Pozzi’s biggest concern
it would also benefit students
was telling his guy friends.
who might be questioning their
“They were like my brothers, sexuality.
and I didn’t want them to think
“These kids don’t learn anyanything other than that, like I thing about homosexuality
didn’t want them to think, ‘Oh, other than what they’re learndid he have a crush on me?’”
ing about it from the biased
he said.
perspectives of their parents
In high school, one of our
and the media,” he said.
concerns — possibly one of our
Already, young adulthood is
biggest — is what others think
somewhat of a lonely time. You
of us. Everyone feels a certain
might feel like no one “gets”
level of self-consciousness. One you, then add on to that the reof the most degrading feelality that few, if any, around
ings high-school students can
you can truly understand what
have is the notion that they
you’re going through.
are gross, weird, creepy, or
Pozzi admitted to having
disgusting.
felt isolated from the moment
It’s not uncommon for
he realized he was gay up until
LGBT students to feel this
the day he finally came out to
way, with the overwhelmsomeone.
ingly popular idea within high
“I always wanted to tell
schools that they are, in fact,
someone,” he said. “I knew
have been offensive to Pozzi
because they weren’t necessarily talking to him, but such
logic has obvious flaws.
Most students do not understand what it is like to be gay
and be forced to stand by while
their peers call someone else
“gay” as an insult, as if their
natural sexuality is somehow
wrong or disgusting.
“I just had to bite my tongue
and not say anything,” said
Pozzi. “I mean, I guess I didn’t
have to, which is the sad part. I
could’ve said [something].”
His silence is common
— why take a chance of being “accused” of homosexuality, and risk being “outed” as a
consequence?
I could talk to an adult, but
would they really know? They
could sympathize with me
and be accepting of who I am,
but they wouldn’t really understand what I was going
through.”
Pozzi felt that living in
a small community like
Windham was particularly difficult because he felt even more
isolated.
“I don’t know of any openly
gay adults, and I know a couple of openly gay students now,
but for a while the only information that I was receiving about other people like me
was from the media, and that’s
skewed as ——,” he said.
When Pozzi and
Landenberger attended school
here, there was no easily accessible support from within
the Leland & Gray school
community.
Even now, support for
LGBT students is minimal,
which perhaps reflects the relative obscurity they are living in.
Then, that invisibility lends
itself to the idea that it’s somehow okay to say words like
“faggot,” “dyke,” or “homo”
as an insult because there is no
one around to be offended.
Pozzi and Landerberger
maintain that this is not true.
LGBT students are your
friends and neighbors, your
brothers and sisters.
They’re here and they’re
queer, so get used to it.
Heat fund appreciates support this season
T
Whirrr! The Music of Jimmy Giuffre
$5,000.
• Public events brought in
$3,843.50.
The Heat Fund’s total income was $47,146. We did not
spend any money on administration. All fundraising efforts
were done by volunteers.
The Heat Fund provided
$46,844.94 in one-time emergency oil, wood, propane, and
electricity to 101 local individuals or families.
We were able to provide heat
for those who did not qualify for fuel assistance as well
as for those receiving federal
or state fuel assistance when
THE COMMONS ❧ SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE ❧
their check did not arrive soon
enough or when their allotment
was not enough to make it
through the heating season.
A special thank you to the
staff of SEVCA for their collaboration and support and
to all of the front-line people
at Fleming Oil, Barrows and
Fisher, and Merrill Gas.
We also appreciate the generosity of Rick Fleming; Bob
and Booie Fagelson; The
Marina; Michael Lacroix;
the St. Michael’s Episcopal
Women; Guilford Community
Church; Eugene Uman, Jane
Findlay, and the Vermont Jazz
Center; Laura Austan; Chris
Grotke and Lise LePage at
iBrattleboro.com; Steve West
at WKVT; the Brattleboro
Reformer; The Commons; Susan
Monahan and the Thomas
Thompson Trust; and Larry
Smith and the Entergy
Corporation.
Thank you all for being
such a caring and generous
community.
Daryl Pillsbury
Brattleboro
The writer serves as president
of the Windham County Heat
Fund.
www.commonsnews.org
“Hey, do you support independent media? really? How about with money?... [The Commons is] the newspaper
I read more than any other, and I don’t even live in Windham County right now. It’s the newspaper that makes
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• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
n Chaos
Heat
S a t u r d a y, M a r c h 1 3 t h he
a Windham
t 8 p County
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every
indiS a t u r d a y, M a r c h 1 3 t h a t 8 p M
vidual, family, organization,
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business, and grant-funding orWhirrr! The Music of Jimmy Giuffre
ganization that made the 2011NEA
Jazz
Master
Jimmy
with The Harrison/Schuller
with TheSextet
Harrison/Schuller
Sextetseason a little more
12 heating
Heath and Howard Brofsky
bearable for our friends and
featuring Marty Ehrlich & Cameron Brown
featuring
neighborsBrown
struggling to make
in
ConcertMarty Ehrlich & Cameron
Masterful improvising and killer arrangements
ends meet.
Masterful
improvising
and killer arrangements
• 150 individuals or families
Two beboppers
born in 1926
celebrating
donated $25,114.
the “essence of 85”
• 12 local organizations doA night to remember!!
nated $5,188.50.
• The Thomas Thompson
72 C otton M ill H ill
Trust made an $8,000 matchB r attleBoro, Vt 05301
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www.vtjazz.org
o ff e xit 1, i nterstate 91 (802) 254-9088
• Entergy Corporation’s employee-run grant fund donated
Saturday, May 19
The Commons
Real quotes from real readers.
Support The Commons
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S E E PAG E A 5
The Commons
VOICES
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012 C3
L E T T E R S F R OM R E A D E R S
Supporting the
memory of an
American hero
H
e is an American hero,
having given the ultimate sacrifice for his county,”
said my son, Robert Bonello.
“I want to ensure that Mark
Forester is never forgotten.” This is why he is going
to Haleyville, Ala., to participate in the Mark Forester
Foundation Fundraising Walk
on May 19.
The walk is a continuous 31mile trek in honor of Mark’s
31st birthday, which is May 19.
Each year, one mile is added to
coincide with his birthday.
The foundation has created
a scholarship in Mark’s name,
which is awarded annually to
deserving students who exemplify the same character traits
and patriotism that were the
basis of Mark’s life.
My son and Mark first
met at Pope Air Force Base
in North Carolina. They
trained together for two years
at Hurlburt Air Force Base
in Florida, and their first deployment was to Afghanistan
together. They became best
friends and shared a lot of
the same interests and values.
Mark’s parents, Pat and Ray
Forester, became extended
family to Robert.
On Sept. 30, 2010, I received a phone call from my
son, who was in Afghanistan,
with news that Mark was killed
in action. Mark had been
scheduled to come home that
November. Robert was given
the honor to escort Mark’s
body back home to Alabama.
Mark was a Mormon with
great values, and he would
give you the shirt off his back.
He was one of the most courageous men
I have ever
met. This
is why I am
involved
in raising money
for his
foundation.
I would
also like to
Forester
one day raise
money for a statue to erect in
his hometown in his honor.
My son is in Afghanistan on
his third tour, but he will be
back in time to join me to walk
together in remembrance of
our friend and brother Mark
Forester.
If you would like to support this walk, tax-deductible
donations can be made directly to the Mark A. Forester
Foundation (www.markaforester.
com) or by check sent to Mark’s
parents, at 171 Country Rd.
3401, Haleyville, AL 35565.
Anthony Bonello
Vernon
EDITORIAL
A good session for our lawmakers
F
or all the re-
cent talk about
excessive partisanship and a
breakdown in decorum in
the Vermont Legislature,
this session was arguably
one of the most productive
in years.
Lawmakers approved a
$5 billion state budget, an
honest spending plan that
is balanced without huge
cutbacks in social services,
despite starting the fiscal year with a $65 million
deficit.
They approved an overhaul of the state’s mental
health system, an overhaul
that only became possible
after flooding caused by
Tropical Storm Irene ravaged the Vermont State
Hospital and the state office complex in Waterbury.
They also approved a
$600 million transportation
budget — the largest ever
— to help pay for rebuilding the roads and bridges
damaged by Tropical
Storm Irene.
Most of all, lawmakers
enacted the rules needed to
put Vermont on the path
to a single-payer health insurance system, with a new
“exchange” for small businesses and the self-employed to buy insurance.
Yes, there were several
significant bills — from
unionizing child-care workers, to decriminalizing marijuana, to a “death with
dignity” protocol for the
terminally ill — that did
not get enacted.
And yes, the foot dragging on some these bills left
a lot of hard feelings.
The democratic process is always messy, and
reaching a compromise
can be difficult but, for the
most part, lawmakers left
Montpelier on May 5 relatively satisfied.
The end of the session
also means a farewell for
some lawmakers. Our
county delegation will be
losing two good legislators in Sarah Edwards and
Oliver Olsen.
Edwards, P/DBrattleboro, is leaving after
five terms in the House to
spend more time running
her family’s conservation
project on a small island
off Belize. What the county
loses is a lawmaker who
was well-versed in energy
issues and had a hand in
much of the legislation in
that area. Her shoes will be
tough to fill.
Olsen, R-Jamaica, is
leaving after three years
in the House. He came as
the late Rick Hube’s successor and is leaving because of conflicts with his
full-time job with Oracle, a
software company. He told
VTDigger.org last week
that he achieved what he
hoped to, even though he
was in the minority party.
He said that the top lesson he learned in his short
time in Montpelier was
that “the people who come
here to serve — everybody
comes with the best intentions and interests of
Vermont at heart. They
have different ideas about
how to get there.”
There certainly were
different ideas on how to
get there in the Senate, but
due less to a breakdown in
decorum than to having a
chamber filled with strong
personalities.
A legislative body is
bound to see friction
when it has as first-term
Democrats a former ambassador and best-selling
author (Peter Galbraith),
a longtime Progressive
Party firebrand (Anthony
Pollina), and a fiercely intelligent author, blogger,
and University of Vermont
professor (Philip Baruth).
Add to that two other
Republican members running or considering runs
for higher office, Randy
Brock and Vincent Illuzzi,
and you can see why there
was bit more fussing and
fighting than usual.
Even so, Vermont is still
a model of efficiency and
collegiality. In a difficult
year for the state, our lawmakers did their jobs and
adjourned on time with
many accomplishments to
their credit.
And that’s more than
you could say for some
other legislative bodies in
the rest of the nation.
Pink Pint Night: A major marketing misstep?
• A testament to rampant sexism and
gender-norming within our society
• What other demographic will
be targeted so meticulously?
I
T
t was brought to my attention recently that the
Brattleboro Museum & Art
Center (BMAC) is hosting an
event on May 22 called “Pink
Pint Night.”
I love BMAC and am an
ardent supporter of independent artists and the excellent
events that are held at our local museum. The framing of
this event, however, is a major
misstep.
The BMAC website
(www.brattleboromuseum.
org/2012/04/06/pink-pint-night)
says the event is “designed to
expose women to the world of
beer. It’s perfect for the new
beer consumer or the beer
lover. The event also helps
Stop
attacking
all women!
R
E: “Other salvos in war on
women,” Letters, May 9:
Very well said.
The hypocrisy here is that if
Rush Limbaugh calls Sandra
Fluke a name, the media is
absolutely beside itself with
anger, but when Bill Maher
continues to insult women
daily, no one says a word about
it.
Bill Maher is a repulsive,
hateful man, and so are the
others who are attacking conservative or liberal women.
It needs to stop!
Sandy Golden
Hinsdale, N.H.
women be better prepared to
shop for beer.
“At each beer table, brewery
representatives walk attendees
through tasting different types
of beer and what makes their
brewery and beer unique.
“Although Pink Pint Night is
designed for women, men are
always welcome to attend.”
The message I just received?
Beer is a man’s territory, and
pink is for women. Seriously …
what decade are we in?
Now, don’t get me wrong.
Pink is awesome. So is beer.
However, this type of framing around an event, although
it may on the surface seem
benign, is a testament to the
rampant sexism and gendernorming within our society that
has been going on for decades.
It is most profitable when it
comes to marketing.
Take even just the name of
the event – “Pink Pint Night.”
This color coding — associating pink only with those who
identify as women and girls
— is a prime example of the
harmful gender socialization
that begins the minute babies
are born.
Associating the color only
with women is archaic and extremely harmful to everyone;
I would like to say it’s a bit
1950s, but that sounds like it
was okay back then, which it
clearly wasn’t.
People might feel that the
event is fun, catchy, and totally innocent, but it is this exact marketing that keeps people
marginalized and confined to
a gender binary that only recognizes those who identify as
male or female.
However well-intentioned
this event, it is reproducing this
narrow gender construction
that tells people that they must
conform into gender boxes.
This construction ultimately
contributes to much genderbased violence and bigotry
within our society.
There’s a better, more inclusive and creative way to raise
money for our fabulous art
center than a ladies’ Pink Pint
Night. Why not just have it be
a fab beer-tasting event for everyone in town?
That sounds awesome.
Anna Mullany
Brattleboro
hese days, when a business
wants to let people know
that it’s “women friendly,”
it often starts with the use
of pink: pink products, pink
themes, pink everything.
Long associated with ribbons, yogurt containers,
M&M’s, or clothing lines that
support “cures” for cancer, the
pinking of consumer products
has become an everyday event.
Now it’s happening with an
event in Brattleboro in May,
except this time the product
being “pinked” is alcohol.
The event is called Pink
Pint Night (www.pinkpintnight.
com), and it is being touted as a
fundraiser for the Brattleboro
Museum & Arts Center (although it is unclear how much
of the $25 per person or
vending fees will actually be
donated).
The issue here is not a fundraiser serving alcohol. What
is disturbing is that the event
targets a specific demographic
(women 21-55, according to
the Pink Pint website) and is
using the “pink” language and
inviting wellness groups to participate in an effort to “expose
women to the world of beer
and better prepare them to
shop for beer.”
Vendors will include jewelry
and clothing and other things
that women like, but it is all really to attract them to the main
product of the evening: alcohol. Instead of dressing it up in
“pink,” let it just be what it is.
As one New York Times article said, some “complain
that pink marketing, despite
the many millions it raises for
charities, is just another way
to move merchandise and that
it exploits cancer by turning
it into an excuse to go shopping. And some pink-theme
products have no relationship
with any [cancer-related] charities at all,” such as the event in
Brattleboro.
I have several dear friends
living with terminal cancer.
This “pink” event is not doing
a thing to prevent or alleviate
what has happened to them.
I had one person from the
museum tell me that the pink
was just a symbol for girl versus
boy like when a baby is born.
But we are not babies, we are
women, and pink for women
does not conjure up baby blankets, it conjures up cancer prevention. In fact, the first photo
you see on the Pink Pint Flickr
account is a woman wearing a
pink ribbon.
I wonder: When the Blue
Pint Night targeting men will
happen? In fact, what other demographic will be targeted so
meticulously in this manner?
Shall we next go after AfricanAmericans or gays to teach
them how to shop for beer? Or
would it be obvious how insulting this would be?
I believe that the alcohol
industry, the real sponsor of
this event, is very aware of the
“pinking” of this demographic.
Given the relationship between
alcohol use and cancer, it is just
unbelievable that the industry
is trying to gain merchandising
advantage off women this way.
It’s a beer tasting, ladies.
Why not just call it that?
Robin Rieske
Brattleboro
G
ive me a woman who loves
beer, and I will conquer the
world.
—Kaiser Wilhelm
T
here is no such thing as a bad
beer. It’s that some taste better
than others.
—Billy Carter
Many caring interactions
on Landmark campus
T
his is in reference to commentary from Susie
Crowther in a recent edition
of The Commons [“Plan A,”
Viewpoint, April 25].
Readers who live in Vermont
can form their own opinions
about her views on our state,
but since not everyone is familiar with Landmark College, I
feel compelled to speak up in
E: “Grateful for book’s
regards to her remarks.
shout-out to Shadis,”
Susie indicates that those
[Letters, May 9].
who work at Landmark are
Wow, Peter Alexander, you never to ask if a student is
and Ray Shadis have discovhappy. As a member of the
ered the dastardly secret that
faculty for about seven years,
Entergy is a for-profit corpora- I’ve heard no such mandate,
tion, out to use the free-market nor are there covert or implicit
system to earn the best return it messages to that effect.
can for its shareholders.
On the contrary, the faculty
Gasp.
and staff at Landmark are reWonder where all you antimarkably invested in the wellnukers will be when the lights
being of our students. Every
go out in Brattleboro and your day, I hear from colleagues
energy bills skyrocket.
who are working with thoughtPaul Wieland ful, dedicated commitment,
Port Republic, Md. often teaming up to support
students.
Gasp
R
This support extends beyond academics to the overall health of these students (for
both concepts are interwoven);
this is inherent in the work we
do. There are many thriving,
caring relationships on campus, and if a student needs additional support, counseling is
available to all.
Of course, there are some
students for whom Landmark
is not a fit; that’s true at any
college. Attend any Landmark
graduation, and it will become
clear that Landmark is no diploma factory. Each student
who wishes to has a chance to
speak at the podium.
The hankies come out
amidst tears, giggles, exultant
shouts .... and happiness.
Nevada Bromley
Westminster West
The writer works as an assistant
professor at Landmark College,
where she teaches acting.
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www.commonsnews.org
“I am so, so grateful for the excellent coverage that The Commons is giving to the current local, regional, and state news, both the horrific
flooding and the tragic story of the missing teen. I have become dependent on The Commons for my news, a good thing. We will continue
to support it, as we have in the past, increasing our support as we can. The Commons is very important to the vitality of the region.”
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C4
THE COMMONS
• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
SPORTS & RECREATION
Colonels, Terriers are
top baseball teams
in the South
R
uns have been
hard to come by
for Brattleboro in
many of this season’s
games, but against Mount
Anthony last Monday, the
Colonels rallied late for a 9-5
win over the Patriots at Tenney
Field.
With the Colonels trailing 5-4 in the fifth, the game
turned when Soren Pelz-Walsh
took over for starter Sawyer
Olson. Pelz-Walsh threw three
innings of scoreless, hitless relief to shut down the Patriots’
bats.
Evan Parro then helped win
the game with his glove and
his bat. In the top of the sixth,
he ran down what looked like
a sure extra-base hit by Wade
Green for the final out, then
slammed a solo home run in
the bottom half of the inning
to tie the game. That started
a five-run uprising by the
Colonels that included doubles by Elliot Gragen and PelzWalsh and a RBI single by
Tommy Heydinger.
The Colonels played a doubleheader on Saturday, beating
Rutland in the morning, 3-2,
and then beating Mill River
in the afternoon, 13-6. Those
two wins put them on top of
the Division I standings with a
10-1 record.
CORRECTION
over Otter Valley. Wood threw
a two-hitter, with 13 strikeouts.
Daisy Giroux drove three runs
with a single and a sacrifice fly.
Graham hit a two-run double
and Mary Richardson hit a pair
RANDOLPH T.
of doubles as the Colonels imHOLHUT
proved to 9-2. They are curSports Roundup
rently ranked third in Division
I, and remain undefeated
against Vermont competition.
• Bellows Falls’ pitcher
• Twin Valley had the bats
Cooper Long went the distance
in a 7-0 shutout of Springfield going in a 14-6 win over Burr
& Burton last Monday. Jordan
at Hadley Field last Monday.
Niles and Savannah Nesbitt
Long struck out five and
walked one. Bruce Wells went each had two hits and scored
3-for-4 and drove in three runs, seven runs between them,
while Jeremy Kilburn had two while Kate Corey went 3-for-3
with two singles and a double.
hits.
On Friday, the Wildcats
The Terriers beat
pulled out a 9-8 win over Black
Woodstock, 7-6, last
River. Colton Butler had three
Wednesday, but lost to Otter
Valley, 1-0, on Friday. Despite hits and Nesbitt drove in three
runs as Twin Valley rallied to
the loss, the Terriers are the
score five runs in the fifth intop team in Division II with a
ning to tie the game. Corey
10-2 record.
struck out five and walked
• Leland & Gray shut out
three to pick up the victory and
Green Mountain, 6-0, last
lift the Wildcats to a 6-5 reThursday, to improve to 8-2.
cord and the No. 8 ranking in
The Rebels are now ranked
Division III.
No. 4 in Division III.
• Green Mountain got
• Twin Valley played errorsome payback for a 21-5 sealess defense and got plenty
son opening loss to Leland &
of hitting in a 7-6 win in
Gray by going to Townshend
Wilmington last Monday.
Colin Lozito, Dal Nesbitt, and last Thursday and beating the
Rebels, 15-13.
Jason Moore all went 3-forThe Rebels played an un4, while Cade Nesbitt had
characteristically sloppy game,
two hits. Winning pitcher Dal
committing 10 errors and
Nesbitt struck five, while reopening the door for the Lady
liever Sam Molner picked up
Chiefs. Losing pitcher Nicole
a save.
Sherman also had a rough day,
On Friday, the Wildcats litgiving up eight hits. Stephanie
erally stole a 6-5 victory away
Knockenhaller got the win defrom Black River. With the
spite giving up 11 hits; she
score tied with two outs in
struck out four and walked
the bottom of the seventh,
Jason Moore was at third base. six. Kiara Wilhite and Ashley
Goddard each had three hits
The batter at the plate, Sam
as the Rebels fell to 8-2 on the
Molner, had two strikes on
season. They are ranked No. 4
him. Moore, who had a big
in Division III.
lead off third, then broke for
• Bellows Falls is still searchhome on Molner’s suicide
squeeze bunt and slid in safely ing for its win of the season. The Terriers fell to Fall
to score the winning run.
Mountain, 13-1, last Monday,
Twin Valley finished the
week Saturday with a 15-0 loss and dropped a 9-8 decision
to Mount Everett. Despite the to Woodstock last Thursday
loss, the 4-8-1 Wildcats remain to finish the week with a 0-10
record.
No. 7 in Division IV.
Softball
A photo on the Sports &
Recreation page of the May 2
issue misidentified the shuttle
hurdle relay runner. The photo
was of Truuske Bailey-de Bruijn.
Chiara Leven, the student
athlete mistakenly named in the
caption, is an exchange student
living with the Bailey-de Brujin
family.
• In a game that had a playoff feel to it, Brattleboro got
by Mount Anthony, 2-0, last
Monday at Sawyer Field.
Pitcher Kayla Wood was
in the zone, striking out 10
in throwing a complete game
three-hitter. Kalee Graham,
Bailey Paige and McKinlie
Carpenter all had a hit, while
McKenzie Bover drove in a
run.
On Saturday in Brandon, the
Colonels cruised to a 6-0 win
May 9-22
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• The Brattleboro girls got a
chance to quickly avenge their
12-11 overtime loss on May 4
at Mount Anthony with a 1310 win over the Patriots just
three days later at Natowich
Field.
But last Monday’s result was
bigger than the average win for
the Colonels. It marked the
first time since varsity girls’ lacrosse began in Brattleboro
14 years ago that the Colonels
have beaten Mount Anthony.
RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT/THE COMMONS
The Colonels put the game
away late in the second half
with a flurry of goals. Ava
Myette had five goals to lead
the Colonels’ offense.
Brattleboro followed up
that win with a dramatic 13-12
double overtime victory over
Amherst, Mass., at Natowich
Field on Friday.
Maddie Rollins and Myette
each scored four goals, with
Myette scoring the game-winner in the second overtime.
The Colonels trailed for the
most of the game, but a strong
second half, culminating with
a goal by Rollins with 38 seconds left, sent the game into
overtime.
Karley Fortier scored a pair
of goals while Hannah Lynde,
Lizzie Clarke and Becca Bird
also scored. Rollins also had
two assists as the Colonels finished the week at 7-5. They are
ranked No. 5 in Division I.
• The Brattleboro boys had
a similar milestone win on
Thursday in Woodstock as
they rallied from a 6-0 deficit
to beat the Wasps 12-9 for the
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Lacrosse
Brattleboro
shortstop
Soren PelzWalsh is a good
relief pitcher
too. He threw
three innings of
scoreless, hitless
relief to lead the
Colonels to a 9-5
win over Mount
Anthony on May
7.
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first-ever win by the Colonels
on Woodstock’s turf.
Brattleboro battled back to
a 6-6 tie at the half and outplayed the Wasps the rest of
the way. Jon Thomson had
four goals to lead the Colonels.
Nik Rancourt and Sam Siegel
each added three goals, while
Conner Elliott-Knaggs had two
assists.
On Saturday at Natowich
Field, the Colonels lost to
Amherst, Mass., 12-6. Facing
a stronger and more athletic team, Brattleboro played
from behind for most of the
game. Brattleboro finished the
week at 9-2, and is 4-0 in the
Marble Valley League. They
are neck-and-neck with South
Burlington for the top spot in
Division I
Track and Field
• The Connecticut Valley
Championships were held at
Fall Mountain in Langdon,
N.H., on Saturday, and the local teams did well.
The Brattleboro boys finished fourth of 14 teams. Jacob
Ellis continued his roll with
first place finishes in the 1,600
(4:26.98) and the 800 (1:55.93,
a new meet record). He also
anchored the 4 X 400 relay
team to a second place finish.
Paxton Reed, Austin Nichols,
and Alec Silver were the other
Colonels in that relay.
Sam Kochinskas set personal
bests in the 110 and 300 hurdles; he was third in both the
110 hurdles and the high jump.
Andy Hale had a throw of 122
feet, 6 inches to take second in
the discus, and the 4 X 800 relay team of of Michael Cioffi,
Tennis
Abadhi Goodnow, Austin
• The Brattleboro boys beat Nichols, and Spencer Olson
Fair Haven, 6-1, in an inplaced third in 9:03.19.
door match played in Rutland
The Bellows Falls girls finlast Tuesday. The Colonels
ished sixth. Chapin Reis was
won three of the four singles
the 400 meter girls chammatches that were played, as
pion at 64.3 seconds, and
No. 1 Isaiah Ungerleider, No.
joined with Sarah Dumont,
3 Asa Lane, and No. 4 Jordan
Enny Mustapha, and Darion
Renouf all won in straight sets, James in a fourth place finish
while No. 5 Tony Acevedo
in the 4 X 100. Reis was part
won by forfeit. In the only
of the 4 X 400 relay team with
doubles match, No. 1 Benson
Anna Clark, Chloe Boyce, and
May and Cuyler Cunningham Mariah Barnett.
picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win.
Barnett and Boyce joined
The Colonels played host
with Ashley Palmisano and
to Rutland on Wednesday,
Lauren Rowell to take third in
and lost 6-1. Ungerleider won
the 4 X 800 relay in 11 minthe only match of the day for
utes, 20 seconds. Mustapha
Brattleboro as Rutland was
was second in the shot put with
able to prevail in several close
a heave of 33 feet, 6 inches.
matches.
Brit Moyna was fourth in the
Brattleboro avoided a
high jump and fifth in the
winless week by beating
100 hurdles, while Kammie
Woodstock, 7-0, on Friday.
Crawford was fifth in the
They won all six of the matches javelin.
played and also got a forfeit
The BF boys came in ninth
victory at No. 5 singles to imoverall. The Terriers didn’t
prove their record to 7-2-1.
have a winner in any event,
• The Brattleboro girls’
but Jamie Moore came in secup-and-down season conond in the 1,600 and fourth in
tinued Friday with a 5-2 loss
the 800, while Joe Aslin was
at Hartford. No. 1 Carolina
third in the javelin and part of
Dinicola-Fawley was the only
the sixth place 4 X 100 team
singles winner in straight sets;
with TJ Bernier, John Punger,
the only other Colonel win
and Will Bourne. Punger
came by default at fifth sinwas fourth in the pole vault
gles. Brattleboro’s record now and fifth in the javelin, while
stands at 5-4.
Bernier was sixth in the 110
hurdles.
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