Universal cell service still elusive Group lists `vital
Transcription
Universal cell service still elusive Group lists `vital
YO U R N E W S PA P E R , O U R F U T U R E A1 OUR GOAL: DAILY ON THE WEB + WEEKLY IN PRINT BY ’17 SERVING WINDHAM COUNTY, VT. FOR 10 YEARS AND COUNTING! T H E C O M M O N S • Wednesday, January 13, 2016 Brought to you only with the support of our MEMBERS, DONORS, ADVERTISERS, and VOLUNTEERS Yes, we can do it — with your help! Details in this week’s paper Brattleboro, Vermont Wednesday, January 13, 2016 • Vol. XI, No.2 • Issue No. 339 www.commonsnews.org YOUR AWARD-WINNING, INDEPENDENT, NONPROFIT SOURCE OF NEWS AND VIEWS Town & Village BRATTLEBORO With survey, town seeks citizen input on Police-Fire Project page A3 Recycling rates soar since PAYT adoption page C1 MARLBORO Town votes to expand its school board page C1 NEWFANE Huskies run amok, kennel owner told to control dogs page C1 The Arts LUMINOUS NIGHT Brattleboro Concert Choir spotlights contemporary composes page B1 CHICAGO JAZZ VJC presents guitar legend Bobby Broom in rare East Coast concert page B1 Sports BASKETBALL BF boys even their record with win over Black River page D4 Universal cell service still elusive Recent decision by cellular carrier to back out of planned tower in Townshend illustrates Vermont’s dilemma in providing coverage statewide By Mike Faher VtDigger/The Commons TOWNSHEND—In late 2014, it appeared that Townshend finally would get its first cell tower after the state granted approval for an AT&T project along Route 30. But AT&T recently notified Townshend that it is dropping those plans, leading one frustrated Selectboard member to declare that “every time we take one step forward, somebody seems to slap us back down.” Those two developments may be a microcosm of the cellular dilemma across Vermont. Just one new tower can make a world of difference in towns that have little or no service, but there’s no way to force service providers to invest in those areas. And at this point, it appears there’s not much hope for truly “universal” cell coverage in the Green Mountain State. “It is very difficult,” said Jim Porter, director of the state Public Service Department’s Division of Telecommunications and Connectivity. “In Vermont, the topography and areas of A circus-arts center’s expansion, broadband, green building, and workforce training named essential to region’s future By Mike Faher VtDigger/The Commons BRATTLEBORO—There aren’t many economic development meetings that include talk of trapeze artists. But the New England Center for Circus Arts’ high-flying expansion plan was a big part of the buzz here Monday morning as officials announced 14 highpriority economic projects for Windham County. The “vital projects” announcement comes with no funding attached; rather, it’s part of an update of the Members of Vermont Independent Media receive The Commons in the mail. Visit http://donate.commonsnews.org. CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID BRATTLEBORO, VT 05301 PERMIT NO. 24 region’s federally approved Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. Nevertheless, officials placed a lot of emphasis on this year’s list, in part because it shows the variety of projects—from green building to health care to wastewater systems—happening in a county that is losing one of its biggest employers. The circus center’s expansion into a new, centralized headquarters is just one example of that growth, and administrators brought good news: A groundbreaking for the $2.5 million OLGA PETERS/THE COMMONS Brattleboro Police Capt. Mark Carignan stands in the narrow stairwell that leads to the holding cells in the basement of the Municipal Center. ‘SUBSTANDARD and UNSAFE’ A police captain takes media through a tour of the Brattleboro Police Department, complete with gardens of mold, peeling paint, and safety vulnerabilities — many small problems that create larger challenges By Olga Peters The Commons B RATTLEBORO—From tying up fallen mufflers to plugging leaky pipes, baling twine, duct tape, and Yankee ingenuity have helped stretch many a household budget. The Brattleboro Police Department has also put this philosophy of making do into practice — albeit with a little less baling twine and a few more donated Simplicity pattern cabinets. The police department and the Brattleboro Fire Department are holding open houses throughout the month every Tuesday starting at 5 p.m. Anyone looking to tour Brattleboro’s three emergency service stations can just show up at the door, say department chiefs. The departments’ goal is to help illuminate for voters why the BPD and BFD’s existing stations need a multi-million-dollar rehabilitation. According to department and town leadership, the three stations are quickly nearing the end of their useful lives. The town’s proposed rehabilitation project would fix health, safety, and architectural issues at the three stations. OLGA PETERS/THE COMMONS Moving forward with financing the project, Mold covers the walls of the locker however, has met with controversy. Voters r o o m i n t h e b a s e m e n t o f t h e ■ SEE CEDS, A4 ■ SEE POLICE TOUR, A2 Municipal Center. Vermont Yankee to cut 150 jobs by May Old Ferry Road offices to close as Entergy explores options for building VtDigger/The Commons P.O. Box 1212, Brattleboro, VT 05302 www.commonsnews.org ■ SEE CELL SERVICE, A4 Group lists ‘vital’ projects for county By Mike Faher Vermont Independent Media sparse population make expanding cellular service a difficult proposition.” Despite its topography and population, Vermont has not missed out on the wireless boom. The state’s latest Telecommunications Plan update (http://publicservice. vermont.gov/publications/telecom_plan) says that, in 2004, an “overwhelming majority” of survey respondents “had not even considered the idea of giving up their traditional landline service.” A decade later, about 30 percent of Vermont adults were living in wireless-only households. The plan says four nationwide cellular carriers — AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint — “have made great inroads into rural Vermont, installing facilities in some of the hardest-to-reach places of the state.” The document also estimated that those carriers reach “an estimated 96 percent of the state’s geographic area.” Taken by itself, that number can be a little misleading. For one thing, expanded coverage by one carrier BRATTLEBORO—The next round of job cuts at Vermont Yankee has been scheduled for May 5, when 150 employees — roughly half the remaining workforce — will be laid off. Also, around that same time, plant owner Entergy will be vacating its offices on Old Ferry Road. Administrators are “looking at [their] options,” which could include selling the property, a spokesman said. Both the job cuts and the corporate relocation are directly connected to federally approved emergency planning cutbacks at Vermont Yankee. But company administrators are offering assurances that those changes don’t mean the end of safety measures at the shutdown nuclear plant. “There will be an emergencyresponse organization,” Entergy VY spokesman Marty Cohn said. “It’s just that it will be reduced.” Some of the biggest changes at the plant in 2016 will involve emergency operations. The federal Nuclear MIKE FAHER/VTDIGGER AND THE COMMONS Regulatory Commission in Entergy’s Old Ferry Road headquarters will be December approved exemptions empty this spring after the next round of Vermont ■ SEE LAYOFFS, A4 Yankee layoffs. PAID ADVERTISING • TO PLACE YOUR AD, CALL (802) 246-6397 OR VISIT WWW.COMMONSNEWS.ORG CHELSEA ROYAL DINER FOOTBALL BAR SPECIALS! ALAN SCOTT AUTO TACO’S TACO’S TACO’S! only $1.50 each Chicken, Beef or Veggie Served after 4pm Every Day! Rte 9 W. Brattleboro Open 5:30am-9pm daily Sundays & Mondays 60c Wings $6 Ch. 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JOHN & CO. 800.627.2484 rjohnco.com Democracy requires a free press and an informed public NEWS A2 A publication of Vermont Independent Media ——— 139 Main St. (Hooker-Dunham Bldg.) #601A — Newsroom #604 — Business and Advertising P.O. Box 1212, Brattleboro, VT 05302 (802) 246-6397 • fax (802) 246-1319 www.commonsnews.org Office hours by appointment 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday Jeff Potter, Editor/Operations Director E D I TO R I A L Randolph T. Holhut, News Editor Olga Peters, Senior Staff Reporter Mike Faher, Senior Staff Reporter for The Commons and VtDigger (vtdigger.org) Wendy M. 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A tour without visitors Captain Mark Carignan stood in the hallway of the Municipal Center to greet people wanting to tour the station on Jan. 5. Two members of the media (The Commons and Brattleboro Community Television) appeared, but no members of the public stood waiting for the captain. If he was disappointed, he didn’t show it. The station’s workflow isn’t practical, said Carignan as he opened the door to the officers’ workspace. Although they work on the same shift team, the lieutenants and sergeants’ offices sit in separate areas. The chief’s office is on one side of the public THE COMMONS FROM SECTION FRONT hallway with the officers and dispatch. Carignan has his office on the opposite side of the hallway with the detectives and records managers. Not because he supervises either group, Carignan said — that’s were there happened to be an empty office. Separating the the officers from the sergeants or lieutenants “slows down their work,” he said. There’s not enough adequate storage, Carignan said as he tapped a stack of breath alcohol tests sitting in a corner between interrogation room one and the officers’ break room. Things get squirreled away wherever they fit, not where it’s practical or logical. Not everything is wrong with the station, Carignan said — the patrol officers’ area has a good layout. But he qualified that positive by noting that the officers are separated from their supervisors. Pointing to the lunch area nearby, Carignan said it poses a safety issue. It’s located near one of the interrogation rooms, and officers can’t fully relax while they’re eating in case a non-cooperative prisoner is being moved to interrogation. In a hallway off the officers’ area, Carignan pointed to a laptop sitting near a photocopier. He said that it’s the only place to keep the laptops that officers take into the field. It’s dusty and unsecured. When asked what caused the paint to peel in a wide swath in the corner behind the photocopier, Carignan pauses and stares. “Oh, I don’t know,” he finally said. “This sounds terrible, but it’s been like that for so long I stopped noticing.” He then pointed to a waterstained ceiling tile. It’s not from a roof leak, he clarified. It’s from the heating and cooling system in the ceiling. In the summer, the air conditioning unit leaks, Carignan OLGA PETERS/THE COMMONS COME BACK Peeling paint is a common sight at the Brattleboro police station. added. The officers put a bucket under it. Carignan opened the door to the dispatch room, where personnel field calls for multiple departments and emergency situations, including the BPD and BFD. “There’s a tremendous amount jammed in here,” he said. The dispatch supervisor sits in the same room, Carignan continued. The supervisor orders supplies or performs other duties in an environment where the dispatchers are trying to triage emergencies. It’s an inefficient setup, he said. TO ALL OF YOUR SENSES. Open for Sunday Brunch 802-365-7713 fourcolumnsvt.com INN-KEEPING with TODAY Stairway to chaos Carignan showed the steep and narrow cement stairs leading to the basement cells. The cell blocks are off limits for this tour because they’re holding prisoners, he said. Cold air rushes down into the cell block when the back door to the station is opened, he continued. The prisoners feel it. The situation is not exactly inhumane, he said — but, he acknowledged, “it’s freezing cold.” The external doors leading into the two sides of the department are locked. Once someone is inside the department, BOARD OF DIRECTORS Barry Aleshnick, Hollis Carlisle, Jane Noyes, Peter Seares, Carolyn TaylorOlson. Staff liaison: Olga Peters ABOUT THIS NEWSPAPER The Commons is a nonprofit, weekly community newspaper published since 2006 by Vermont Independent Media, Inc., a nonprofit corporation under section 501(c)3 of the federal tax code. The newspaper is free, but it is supported by readers like you through tax-deductible donations, through advertising support, and through support of charitable foundations. SUBMITTING NEWS AND TIPS We welcome story ideas and news tips. Please contact the newsroom at [email protected] or at (802) 246-6397. VOICES The Commons presents a broad range of essays, memoirs, and other subjective material in Voices, our editorial and commentary section. We want the paper to provide an unpredictable variety of food for thought from all points on the political spectrum. We especially invite responses to material that appears in the paper. We do not publish unsigned or anonymous letters, and we only very rarely withhold names for other pieces. When space is an issue, our priority is to run contributions that have not yet appeared in other publications. Please check with the editor before writing essays or other original submissions of substance. Email: editor@ commonsnews.org. Editorials represent the collective voice of The Commons and are written by the editors or by members of the Vermont Independent Media Board of Directors. The views expressed in our Voices section are those of individual contributors. Bylined commentaries by members of the Vermont Independent Media board of directors represent their individual opinions; as an organization, we are committed to providing a forum for the entire community. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Vermont Independent Media is legally prohibited from endorsing political candidates. My experience at Brattleboro OB/GYN has been nothing but positive. I’ve seen every doctor and midwife; everyone is so welcoming and warm -it makes the environment very comfortable. -- Kaitlyn Leonard, Hinsdale ADVERTISING Your advertising directly supports a better newspaper. The open display advertising rate is $16.50 per column inch, and The Commons offers discounts. 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Special thanks to: Editorial support: Emily Cox, Henry Rathvon, Leah McGrath Goodman, Anne Galloway and VtDigger Operations support: Simi Berman, Chris Wesolowski, Diana Bingham, Jim Maxwell, Bill Pearson, Bevan Quinn, Monica MacNeille, Philip Coolbeth, Anne Koplinka-Loehr, Rob Bertsche, Barbara Evans, Stephen Phillips, Jon King, Jon Potter and LatchisArts, Jon Mack and Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery In memoriam: Alan O. Dann • Wednesday, January 13, 2016 Minimally Invasive Surgery Well Woman Gynecological Care Urinary Incontinence however, there’s no security. “It’s unsafe and it’s not efficient,” he said. Leading the way from the officers’ area and dispatch, Carignan crossed the public hallway, which concerns the police department, Carignan said. There, he pointed out, members of the public — who are sometimes crime victims — have no privacy. He unlocked the door to the records department, where records storage is an issue for the police. In some cases — those involving homicides or fatal car crashes, for example — state law requires departments to retain permanently some records or evidence. The department stores records and evidence as they do many other items throughout the building: wherever there is space. Carignan explains that records for the most immediate years stay in the record clerk’s office. Other years are stored in various areas of the building. The clerks receive approximately a dozen public records requests a week, he said. Requests range from people seeking statistical data to people needing an accident report for their insurance company. Dispatch routes these calls. In a new or improved station, members of the public could request and receive records directly. Designs for the various scenarios under consideration provide the clerks with their own window, Carignan continued. “We want the department to be more accessible for people in those circumstances,” he said. Located between the records department and the detectives’ area is the department’s conference room. Storage lockers line one wall. The room serves for roll call, training space, and meeting space. The conference room sits on the opposite side of the hallway from where the officers actually work, Carignan said. It’s not large enough. Department-wide meetings can’t happen in the department, Carignan said. On July 4, 15 to 20 officers receive a briefing before the annual parade. “It’s standing room only,” he said. Also, many items in the storage lockers — like Tasers — should logically be stored elsewhere, Carnigan continued. In the detectives’ area, Carignan said that the evidence room lacks ventilation. It reeks of marijuana, he said. A second interview room — a converted equipment storage area — sits to the side of the detectives’ area. It works, but it’s a vulnerable location for an interrogation room, Carignan said. The setup allows potential perpetrators near sensitive evidence. “That’s absolutely a problem,” he said. Meanwhile, if the officers decided to arrest someone in Interrogation Room 2, they must walk that person across a public hallway to the booking area. That’s demeaning for the arrestee, Carignan noted. It’s also dangerous for the public if that person acts out. Recycled furniture Brattleboro Obstetrics and Gynecology delivers the health care every woman deserves. Specializing in women’s health, obstetrics and gynecology, we strive to offer our patients the most professional attention in healthcare. Our board certified infertility specialist provides advanced infertility treatments, and our gynecological services include preventive care for all ages, from adolescence to menopause. Proof generated January 12, 2016 11:38 PM Brattleboro OB/GYN & Four Seasons Midwifery 21 Belmont Avenue | Brattleboro,VT 05301 802-251-9965 | www.bmhmedicalgroup.org Brattleboro OB/GYN & Four Seasons Midwifery a Department of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital The lateral file cabinets outside Interrogation Room 2 bear the logo for Simplicity patterns. Carignan winces a little when asked about them. Yes, he said. Those are former dress pattern cases. When JC Penney closed its Brattleboro store a decade ago, it donated the cabinets to the department. It was a generous donation and much needed, Carignan said. “And it’s funny, but it’s a little embarrassing too.” After crossing through a ■ CONTINUES ON FACING PAGE THE COMMONS NEWS • Wednesday, January 13, 2016 A3 Selectboard seeks residents’ input on Police-Fire Facilities Project Residents have until Jan.18 to return survey By Olga Peters The Commons BRATTLEBORO— Residents with burning opinions about the Police-Fire Facilities Project can file their input with the Selectboard through a new questionnaire until Monday, Jan. 18. The board has created a survey for residents that details different aspects of rehabilitation plans for the town’s three emergency stations. The survey, conducted both electronically and in print, details estimated project costs and asks questions such as, “Do you believe this work should be done at this cost?” Conversations about the buildings’ challenges started in the late 1960s. Attempts to correct life-safety challenges, fix structural issues, and bring the buildings into the current century have gone around and around in Brattleboro in earnest since the 1980s. Selectboard members are considering three alternatives for the project. One of the alternatives includes moving the Police Department to Black Mountain Road. Project costs range from $5.4 million to $11.8 million. This range includes the $5 million borrowed in 2013 before the project was put on hold by the board after a townwide budget referendum. Project supporters characterize the buildings as unsafe and not meeting the departments’ needs. Supporters also feel that it’s unfair of the town to expect its emergency responders to work in substandard and dangerous buildings. Opponents argue that while safety of town employees is important, the multi-million project itself would require tax increases that would put an unfair burden on residents. At the board’s Jan. 5 meeting, Chair David Gartenstein voiced his support for keeping the police station at the Municipal Center. In his opinion, the benefits of moving to Black Mountain Road do not justify the project portion of the basement shared with other Municipal Center departments, Carignan unlocked the door to the BPD’s locker room and workout area. Towels and workout gear hang from locker doors and clothes hangers. A dehumidifier hums next to one of the shower rooms. The machine runs 24/7/365 because it’s always damp down here, Carignan said. No one leaves anything damp in their lockers, Carignan explained. If they do, the items turn moldy within days. “They get really dingy and nasty in the lockers,” he said. To make his point, he poked the stone basement wall. The white paint fluttered to the ground like a mini snowfall. In the gym area of the basement, where officers are breathing deep during their workouts, mold has eaten away at the paint and taken over the walls, Carignan noted. When asked why the floor feels springy, the captain tapped the floor with his boot. No idea, he answered. Behind the lockers, blooms of black fuzz in a garden of mold cover the stone. costs. “I was never sold on the Black Mountain Road alternative since it first came up,” Gartenstein said. Vice-Chair Kate O’Connor agreed. “I’ve not been keen on the idea of moving to Black Mountain Road,” she said. But, O’Connor continued, “We have to do this project.” She said that finding a way to do the project that’s affordable and palpable to taxpayers is also important. Board member David Shoales said he wasn’t sure about the minimum rehabilitation alternative Gartenstein supported for the police station at the Municipal Center. This option might not resolve all the building’s issues and could require additional work within 20 years, he said. A third, more-expensive, option would keep the police at the Municipal Center but also make more substantial changes to the building. Residents should submit their surveys by Jan. 18. Town staff will publish the survey results on the town’s website (www.brattleboro.org). The board will discuss the survey at its Jan. 19 meeting. To obtain a copy of the survey, go to the “News” section on the right side of the website and choose one of two links: “Police-Fire Facilities Project Questionnaire (Survey Monkey)” at www.surveymonkey. com/r/CFSF6R5 ) or a printable PDF version through “Police-Fire Facilities Project Questionnaire.” One may also contact the Town Manager’s Office at 802-251-8151 or via email at [email protected], or pick up a copy at Brooks Memorial Library or the Town Clerk’s Office. Residents can submit a survey electronically through Survey Monkey or via email to [email protected]. They can mail or hand-deliver it to the Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office, 230 Main St,, Suite 208, Brattleboro, VT 05301. We did it! Thanks to more than 200 donors, we have met our $15,000 challenge from the Thomas Thompson Trust — funding that 100% will let us begin the long journey toward the next chapter of the life of this improbable 90 nonprofit and your newspaper. 80 In the weeks to come, we will undertake 70 planning, analyzing, scheming, and other 60 decidedly professional operations, all to 50 one end: to make The Commons your stable, reliable news source for Windham County 40 news in print here, as usual, and online daily. 30 That plan will require your continued support. 20 Carignan pointed to a bank of lockers arranged to create a screened-off area. There’s no space down here to create a separate women’s changing area, he said. The boxed-off corner shields the women officers while they’re changing, but it’s not fully private. Back in the hallway outside dispatch, Carignan ran through the list of challenges the current station poses for the department. “It’s not one single issue,” he said of the challenges. When aggregated, the little issues build up to big problems with efficiency, safety, protecting the public, and security. BPD wants to be a progressive, innovative, and modern police department, Carignan said. Meanwhile, the department spends a lot of time “patching together and making do with what we’ve got,” he said. The facility adds to the department’s problem with retaining officers, Carignan said, noting that a female officer recently left. Most of the officers have grown accustomed to a “substandard and unsafe facility,” he said. “That’s not okay,” he said. It will require the community to dig in and pay for the news that we all need. Paradoxically, 10 this accomplishment means we’re not 0 celebrating the end but girding ourselves for a whole new beginning. The more people who join us, the more we can do for you and for the community. Please join us today. In this thermometer, mercury most definitely is not in retrograde. Yes, And again — thank you, hundreds of times over. I want The Commons, Commonsnews.org, the Media Mentoring Project, and Vermont Independent Media’s other efforts to thrive — including the ambitious effort to expand our newsroom and reporting efforts for daily reports to Windham County. I want to support your efforts with a tax-deductible donation of: ■ $50 ■ $75 ■ $100 ■ $250 ■ $500 ■ $1,000 ■ Other ($____________) ■ Yearly ■ Quarterly ■ Monthly ■ I would like to discuss a special gift to help The Commons fully staff to publish online daily. Please call me. ■ I would like to attend a special gathering to learn more about VIM and its programs. ■ I am interested in advertising in The Commons in print or online. Please contact me. Name ____________________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________________ ■ Please acknowledge my donation as “Anonymous.” City ________________________________________________ State____________Zip__________________________ Phone__________________________E-mail ______________________________________________ ■ Check enclosed Please make checks payable to Vermont Independent Media. ■ Charge my credit/debit card • You can donate online at http://donate.commonsnews.org NUMBER 3-DIGIT CODE _________________________________________________ CARDHOLDER’S SIGNATURE OLGA PETERS/THE COMMONS The office of Brattleboro Police Chief Michael Fitzgerald sits in public view next to the dispatcher at the Municipal Center. Proof generated January 12, 2016 11:38 PM EXP. MM/YY ■ ■ P.O. Box 1212, Brattleboro, VT 05302 • (802) 246-6397 • commonsnews.org 339 NEWS A4 n CEDS project could happen this spring. “We are creating something that is going to be unique in the United States, and we hope to be the national center for circus arts.” said Elsie Smith, NECCA’s artistic director and co-founder. The area’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, also known as the CEDS, is a project of Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies, also known as SeVEDS. While it’s easy to get lost in the acronyms, officials say the CEDS bestows eligibility for some federal-funding programs. It also serves as a road map for the future, and that map has become even more important since the December 2014 shutdown of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon. “I think it’s really important for our region to have a sense of what folks are working on, what’s important, what are you struggling with, what are your challenges (and) what are your really exciting opportunities,” said Laura Sibilia, economic development director for Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC). To that end, officials update the CEDS every year, looking for information about ongoing projects as well as new projects that fit the study’s goals. Those goals include reversing the region’s population decline; boosting wages and household income; and improving the size and quality of the workforce. The 14 vital projects announced Monday (available at http://brattleborodevelopment. com/_files/docs/full2015cedsprojectslist.pdf) were given that label by a five-member committee that ranked all submitted projects according to criteria including regional and long-term impact as well as jobs created or retained. The five-member committee that ranked the vital projects was independent of BDCC and SeVEDS. The committee consisted of representatives from Brattleboro Savings & Loan; Southern Vermont Deerfield Valley Chamber of Commerce; Five Maples (a Putney business); the Institute for Nuclear Host Communities; and the Resilient Design Institute. There are several SeVEDS/ BDCC projects on the list including analysis of a Windham County green building cluster; creation of a Southern Vermont Sustainable Recruitment Project; expansion of broadband; and extension of water and sewer service to new industrial sites near Interstate 91 Exit 1 in Brattleboro. Other vital projects include revitalization of the Retreat Farm in Brattleboro; creating a doesn’t necessarily mean expanded coverage by any of the others. For example, the Telecommunications Plan’s authors found that, between January 2012 and January 2014, AT&T’s cell-equipment applications with the Vermont Public Service Board far outpaced Verizon’s. Also, it’s unclear what that 96 percent figure really means. While Porter said the data was “derived from actual drive tests,” he speculated that the number may refer to “areas where there are structures or people — not land mass coverage.” There’s another variable: New roadside micro-cell installations by a company called CoverageCo were not figured into the telecommunications plan’s estimate, as that project is ongoing. The CoverageCo equipment provides service in a limited area via contracts with several major carriers, and it’s expected to eventually reach about 500 sites around the state. The ultimate goal, as articulated in the Telecommunications Plan, is that “Vermont should have universal availability of mobile service along travel corridors and near universal availability statewide.” But Porter could not quantify how close the state region and far beyond. The center’s alumni and teachers work with prestigious outfits such as Cirque du Soleil and Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and former students also can be found at European cabarets, on cruise ships, and on celebrity tours. The center also is active in the local community, staging performances and operating the Circus in the Neighborhood and Circus FROM SECTION FRONT has come to meeting that goal. “The CoverageCo project is still being built, and there has been no drive-by data mapping conducted since 2013, so it is hard to say at this time,” he said. In places like Townshend, though, the answers are easy to come by for those who find their phones useless. Selectboard Chairwoman Kathy Hege said CoverageCo installations along Route 30 can be used by subscribers to some cellular services, but not others. At any rate, the CoverageCo facilities are not meant to provide widespread service. For that, officials had placed their hopes in AT&T. The company’s proposed tower along Route 30 also was to have been used to boost emergency radio signals in the area. “This valley is horrible for any type of radio communication,” Hege said. But in December, Townshend received an e-mail from an AT&T representative explaining that the company “regularly evaluates customer needs, network performance, market conditions, etc., and adjusts its network construction plans.” “Unfortunately, this site is not in our current build plan at this time,” wrote Andrew Kingman, a Boston-based AT&T regional director for external affairs. Kingman also advised Townshend officials that “the tower company that was planning to construct the site has offered the site to other carriers. While none have accepted at this point, the tower company will continue to solicit interest.” Townshend has regional importance, in part because it hosts a hospital, an ambulance service, a junior-senior high school and an assisted-living facility. But Hege is not optimistic about the town’s prospects for cell coverage. “There are a lot of reasons why we should be looked at for this service,” she said. “But we seem to be way down on the priority list.” Porter said that’s not necessarily the case, and he said officials in his department are willing to meet with towns that lack cell service in order to look for potential solutions. He’s also “hopeful we will see a public/ private partnership or two over the next year that will help expand coverage” in Vermont. But in the end, “we have no regulatory authority to require cellular buildout,” Porter said. “We work closely with the carriers and do all we can to have them expand coverage in Vermont.” Cell service may not be as prominent a policy issue as it for Survivors programs. “We have been slowly building and growing,” Smith said. “We have over 5,000 students in the entire world. We work all over the world. We have students move here from Costa Rica, from Guam, from Brazil, from Australia—all sorts of people who come to Brattleboro.” The new vital project list doesn’t lack for variety. Just below the circus-arts center were ranked two Windham Regional Commission initiatives—a real estate market analysis and an assessment of water and wastewater needs in the region’s villages. Windham Regional Commission Executive Director Chris Campany sees the latter as an important issue for future development. He believes a lack of adequate water and wastewater infrastructure is inhibiting residential and commercial development in population centers—the places where development is n Layoffs and a license amendment that allow Vermont Yankee’s emergency planning zone (EPZ) — which currently includes all or part of 18 towns in three states — to shrink to the boundaries of the plant itself. The changes take effect April 15. Vermont officials had opposed those changes, citing the ongoing presence of spent nuclear fuel in a pool at the plant’s reactor building. But NRC officials ruled that “the risk of an offsite radiological release is significantly lower and the types of possible accidents significantly fewer at a nuclear power reactor that has permanently ceased operations and removed fuel from the reactor vessel.” The NRC noted that Vermont Yankee still is required to “maintain an onsite emergency plan and response capabilities, including the continued notification of state government officials of an emergency declaration.” The change means the end of millions of dollars in annual Entergy support for emergency planning in the EPZ towns and states. The company also will not maintain warning sirens or provide tone-alert radios and potassium iodide. Internally, Entergy will drastically downsize its emergency operations, including elimination of the joint information center and Producer Month OF THE Garuka Bars In 2010 Mike began a journey in his kitchen. From flank steaks to baking bread, he became very proficient at creating delicious food. He shared one of the newly discovered products of his labor, his energy bar, with colleagues. One of these colleagues, a beekeeper, suggested he add raw honey for flavor and energy. The raw honey, from Champlain Valley Apiaries in Vermont, changed the profile to a “really awesome flavor” and is now the main ingredient in his bars. From the crunch of the peanuts to the specific raw honey, he has tested many recipes to get his energy bar to where it is today. Burlington, VT This partnership with IGCP even inspired the name Garuka Bars. “Garuka Bar is named after one of the few remaining mountain gorillas ranging the volcanic forests of the Virunga Massif in Rwanda.” Every time you buy a Garuka Bar you are supporting a great cause! rowing up in northern Vermont, Mike Rosenberg, the founder of Garuka Bars, discovered a love of nature from an early age. To this day he still is an avid outdoorsman; this longcultivated passion feeds his yearning to provide excellent hand-crafted energy bars. Mike is excited for the future. He recently hired two employees, moved into his own commercial kitchen and is eager to become more efficient with what he now calls “his company.” The impact that his product can make is multi-faceted: from 100% recycled packaging, the bars being handmade in VT, and 1% of profits being donated to the IGCP. And besides all of those worthwhile effects. Garuka Bars are fueling adventures! Garuka bars are delicious; beyond that, they also support a great cause, donating a portion of profits to the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP). Proof generated January 12, 2016 11:38 PM once was. In terms of connectivity initiatives, much of the state’s recent emphasis seems to have been on the effort to expand high-speed Internet service. “There was such a huge amount of federal money in Vermont for broadband expansion over the past five years, (and) I think broadband took the lead in priority and certainly in discussion,” Porter said. He added that “we have more broadband providers than cellular providers in Vermont, and in many ways it is easier to create incentives for broadband projects.” Technology is still evolving, though, and Porter suggested that broadband and cellular discussions are not mutually exclusive. “These days ... where you have cellular you frequently also have broadband,” he said. “As cellular increasingly will be provided over broadband, the distinction between the two blurs in many ways.” Those who live and work in towns like Townshend, though, may be more interested in results than in the specifics of the delivery method. “I know there are a lot of people in town who would like to see cell service of any type,” Hege said. supposed to be concentrated in order to discourage sprawl. Campany said he hopes the issue’s inclusion in the CEDS will open the door for a study of those villages. “We need to translate the anecdotal evidence ... (and) really get into, what are the issues, how are they really affecting businesses and homes and homeowners, and what does it mean?” Campany said. FROM SECTION FRONT other facilities in Brattleboro. Reduced emergency operations mean big job cuts at Vermont Yankee. Cohn said May 5 — a little less than three weeks after the NRC’s rulings take effect — has been set as the date for 150 layoffs, all of which are related to the company’s decreased emergency responsibilities. Fewer than 300 Vermont Yankee staffers remain from a workforce that had stood at about 550 before shutdown in 2014. Vermont Yankee’s pending reduction to a workforce of fewer than 150 threatens to knock it off the list of the county’s top 10 employers. Combatting the job loss G • Wednesday, January 13, 2016 n Cell service FROM SECTION FRONT Brattleboro prototyping facility for the prominent green-building consortium of Ironwood Brand/ PreCraft/STIX; and developing a healthcare workforce training project that includes area colleges and hospitals. The New England Center for Circus Arts project was ranked No. 5 on the list. For the uninitiated, the link between economic development and a circus-training center might seem tenuous. But New England Center for Circus Arts has deep roots in the local development community. Smith and her identical twin, Serenity Smith Forchion, started their production company as Nimble Arts in 2002. The organization became New England Center for Circus Arts in 2007, and the new nonprofit landed $20,000 in startup funding through BDCC’s first businessplan competition. Four years prior to that, the circus center had moved into the Cotton Mill, a massive former industrial building maintained as an industrial park by BDCC. “We have since proceeded to slowly take over the building,” Smith joked. While that’s an exaggeration, it’s clear that the circus-arts center has been growing rapidly. Smith noted that, just a week ago, the center expanded into the Cotton Mill studio space that hosted Monday’s economicdevelopment gathering. All told, the organization occupies eight spaces scattered around Brattleboro. Administrators searched for years for a larger, centralized space. But it’s not easy to find a home for a school that needs a flying trapeze: After looking at more than 40 buildings in the area, the center’s leaders “could not find anything that we could reuse,” Smith said. They settled in 2014 on a vacant, 3-acre plot off Town Crier Drive in Brattleboro. The plan is to create a high-ceilinged building big enough for aerial instruction and performances, and Smith expects that the design also will include safety considerations “such as taking a trampoline and putting it below ground—therefore, you can’t fall off the trampoline.” The Center for Circus Arts also needs more classroom, office, meeting, and restroom space. All of this comes at a fairly steep price: The center’s fundraising goal is $2.5 million. But Smith on Monday said $1 million already has been raised, with another $500,000 expected over the next several months and a ground-breaking anticipated in late spring. She believes the project will allow NECCA to further expand its reach, both in the Windham THE COMMONS Visit the Co-op on Thursday, January 14th, 11am to 1pm, to taste Garuka Bars and meet their team! There’s no replacing a plant where the average wage, according to a 2014 study, was $105,000. But officials have attempted to combat the Vermont Yankee job loss in other ways. For instance, there are detailed steps in the Windham Region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for combating the economic impacts of Yankee’s closure. And Entergy, as part of a shutdown settlement with the state, is paying $2 million annually for the next five years to support economic development in Windham County. That fund—called the Windham County Economic Development Program—already has been used to help preserve 300 jobs at G.S. Precision in Brattleboro and to allow for the company’s expansion. That’s one way to combat the effect of VY job loss, said Adam Grinold, executive director of Brattleboro Development Credit Corp (BDCC). Grinold also cited the CEDS and other work done by Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies as roadmaps for longterm, post-VY economic recovery and growth in the region. “We follow those strategies every day in what we do,” he said. For the short term, Grinold said BDCC will try to help those who lose their jobs at VY and want to transition into the local labor force. “We continue to speak with Entergy and have good dialogue with them and the (state) Department of Labor, and we hope to learn more about the specific types of layoffs,” Grinold said. “As that comes, we look to be able to assist with any local transition.” has sought to advise and assist those who are headed for the exit in 2016. “We’ve already conducted a number of seminars. We’re working very closely with the departments of labor in the tri-state area,” Cohn said. “We’ve had a resume-writing seminar. And there will be one on retirement.” Plant administrators also are trying to place some departing VY employees at other Entergy nuclear facilities. That effort has grown more complicated, though, with last year’s announcements that Entergy will be shutting down both the Pilgrim plant in Plymouth, Mass., and the FitzPatrick plant in Scriba, N.Y., over the next several years. Cohn said Vermont Yankee Site Vice President Chris Wamser has met with administrators at other plants to talk about staffing needs. “We’re doing a job-match that way, with other Entergy facilities,” he said. Plans for building not yet determined Vermont Yankee’s layoffs and scaled-back emergency operations will mean no more VY staffers at the Old Ferry Road offices. Already, Cohn said, most of the remaining employees have relocated to the Vernon plant site. “What we do with the building is something that we’re talking about right now,” said Cohn, including potentially selling the property. Town documents show that Entergy owns two parcels on Old Ferry Road. One 4.86 acre tract was valued at $299,380 in 2014; another 2.06 acre parcel was valued at $222,070, and the building on it was worth $1.62 million, according to Brattleboro’s grand list. The office’s location could be desirable, as there is ample parking and an interstate exit nearby. But Brattleboro Town Manager Peter Elwell said the property is not under consideration for the town’s long-sought police-fire headquarters. “It was a property we knew would be becoming available, so we did take a look at [the Entergy offices],” Elwell said. He reiterated, though, that the town has purchased an option on the current Brattleboro Reformer building on Black Mountain Road with the idea that it may become a police-fire facility. The town’s plans aside, local officials say they don’t expect that the Old Ferry Road site will remain vacant for the long term once Entergy leaves. Assistance for “I’m sure there will be interVY employees est in that property,” Grinold As was the case with the first said. “It is a well-maintained round of Vermont Yankee layoffs piece of property that can have in early 2015, Cohn said Entergy many uses.” SECTION B The ARTS Wednesday, January 2016 C A L13, END A R . .•. page . . . . . . .B1 .B2 Wednesday, January 13, 2016 page B1 Kim and Reggie Harris, Peter and Mary Alice Amidon, and Peter Siegel offer songs, stories, and melodies in Guilford Morten Lauridsen COURTESY PHOTO COURTESY PHOTO Ola Gjeilo John Tavener COURTESY PHOTO A ‘luminous night’ for Brattleboro Concert Choir Concert spotlights contemporary composers By Richard Henke The Commons B RATTLEBORO— The Brattleboro Concert Choir, led by Susan Dedell, will be introducing to Southern Vermont a rising star in contemporary choral music when it performs three short works by Norwegian pianist and composer Ola Gjeilo as the centerpiece of its winter concert. On Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 24, at 3 p.m., at Centre Congregational Church on Main Street, the choir will present Luminous Night, featuring the music of three extraordinary composers: Morten Lauridsen, John Tavener, and Ola Gjeilo. “The program combines the impressive Svyati of Tavener with four of Lauridsen’s most beautiful compositions and introduces a trilogy of pieces from Ola Gjeilo,” Dedell writes in her notes for the concert. “The pieces in the program weave together to form a vivid musical impression, although each of the composers has a unique style.” In all the works performed, Dedell is using the full chorus, sometimes singing unaccompanied, other times with cello or string quartet and piano. “I am particularly glad to include the Tavener because he has substantial music for men,” says Dedell. “And right now the Brattleboro Choir has some beautiful sounding tenors and basses we are eager to show off.” Although she says all the music in this concert is remarkable, Dedell is particularly excited to introduce the “riveting” works of Ola Gjeilo to the Brattleboro audience. “Gjeilo’s music has recently been catching attention around the country,” says Dedell. “Gjeilo is a truly original voice, and one of the most exciting composers on the contemporary scene today. Gjeilo’s music is very ‘present’—it speaks directly to us on a very physical level and, at the same time, draws us towards the mystery — and magic — of our existence.” Dedell says that his music is “of our time.” “It is difficult to say how he makes his music sound so contemporary,” she says. “He can achieve this, not in any ostentatious way, almost as if without trying.” She says his music expresses who we are, rather as Mozart sounded to his contemporaries. “In essence, the music seems truthful.” she says. Dedell recently caught an interview with the composer and found him to be a “cool young man. I already was a fan of the music, but I fell in love with Gjeilo as a person,” she says. She discovered that even though he has now become something of a celebrity, at least in the choral music world, Gjeilo is very humble. He also is someone who early on was clear about what he wanted. “He was such a promising student in Norway that he could go anywhere in the world to continue his studies,” says Dedell. “He chose Julliard in New York City because he felt that European academies pushed music that was atonal and cerebral. And while he finds that kind of music compelling, he is interested in tonal music.” The Concert Choir will perform three of his recent works: “Dark Night of the Soul,” “Luminous Night of the Soul,” and “Serenity.” Scored for chorus, string quartet and piano, the pieces have a multidimensional sensory experience, which perhaps comes as a result of Gjeilo’s stated inspiration and influence by films and contemporary film music, Dedell says. “Gjeilo had claimed that his musical influences go back back to Renaissance stuff, through the French Baroque, to modern composers like Tavener and the American minimalists,” says Dedell. “But he says that he has also been influenced by contemporary composers who write for the movies. Some are Italian or French who will be unknown to most of us, but others are quite famous and should be familiar to American audiences, such as John Williams.” Dedell believes Gjeilo’s music has a “cinematographic” sound. “By cinematographic, I mean that there is a certain dimension to his work, an atmosphere, that seems almost 3D,” she explains. Gjeilo’s is not easy music, she adds. “By that, I do not mean for audiences,” Dedell says. “His music is quite accessible for most listeners. But it can be difficult for the average singer to learn. There are lots of layers to it, with a strange texture full of unorthodox harmonies that come and go. His work, Serenity , for instance, looks simple on paper, but it is deceptively hard to make sound beautiful. However, once the singers get it, they exclaim, ‘Oh, this is how it works!’” Dedell says it is important to remember that Gjeilo is a pianist as well as a composer. GUILFORD—Musicians Peter and Mary Alice Amidon and Peter Siegel, will join Kim and Reggie Harris in an evening of songs and stories on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m., at the Guilford Community Church. Musicians and storytellers, the Harrises combine a folk and gospel legacy with a background in classical, rock, jazz and pop music. “As socially conscious acoustic musicians and storytellers, the Harrises have been ‘walking the talk’ for over 30 years, performing modern and historical songs that explore societal ills and proffer positive social messages,” according to a press release. The Harrises’ cultural background as African-Americans is a major component of their repertoire. Spirituals and gospel songs are liberally incorporated in their work and they present on black history to teachers and students. Peter and Mary Alice Amidon perform and teach, and have dedicated themselves to traditional song, dance, and storytelling. The Amidons have been headliners at national music teacher conferences, summer camps of traditional song and dance, and traditional music festivals. Peter is co-music director of both the Guilford Community Church Choir, and the Hallowell hospice singers. The Amidons’ choral arrangements are being sung on both sides of the Atlantic, according to a news release. Siegel contributes a radical chord to American Roots music. Founder and member of the local Celtic/world beat band the Gaslight Tinkers, he is influenced by the songwriting of Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs, the rugged melodies of old time and Celtic fiddle tunes, the gutsy blues of the Rolling Stones, and the diaspora of beats and melodies from Cuba to Africa. His music defies categorization. As a performer he’s seen on stages nationally. He’s been published in Sing Out! magazine and various fiddle tune compilations, and contributed GrammyAward-winning mandolin tracks on the Best Children’s Album of 2011. When he is not touring, writing, or recording, he teaches music at Symonds School in Keene, N.H. Admission is $15. For more information, call 413-320-2729. COURTESY PHOTO Susan Dedell will direct the Brattleboro Concert Choir in “Luminous Night,” a program that will feature the works of Morten Lauridsen, John Tavener, and Ola Gjeilo. “His writing for the strings and piano is fabulous, and is really at the core of both Dark Night and Luminous Night,” she says. The string quartet for this concert consists of Moby Pearson, violin; Michelle Lehninger, violin; Barbara Wright, viola; and Judith Serkin, cello. “The piano here is quite virtuosic,” says Dedell. “You need to have classical chops and a contemporary ear to pull it off. Luckily we have a pianist who does. Brian Fairley, currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Wesleyan University and who coaches chamber music at Harvard, has played every kind of music.” In the Luminous Night concert, Dedell and the choir will complement the music of Gjeilo ■ SEE DEDELL CHOIR, B4 Kim and Reg COURTESY PH OTO Alice Amidogie Harris will join Peter an concert in Gun and Peter Siegel for a d Mary ilford. Jan. 23 Vermont Jazz Center presents Chicago guitar legend Bobby Broom BRATTLEBORO—The Vermont Jazz Center (VJC) welcomes the Bobby Broom Trio on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 8 p.m. Broom is one of Chicago’s leading guitarists, according to a news release from the VJC, and rarely plays on the East Coast. He will perform with his longstanding trio of Dennis Carroll on bass and Makaya McCraven on drums. The trio will travel from Chicago to Vermont for this “one-off” concert with no other East Coast gigs listed on their itinerary. Broom stands out as one of the best guitarists in the world and TODD WINTERS has won the Downbeat Critic’s Bobby Broom, Chicago’s leading jazz guitarist, Poll as Best Guitarist for three makes a rare East Coast visit on Jan. 23 at the of the last four years. His music Vermont Jazz Center. is both intelligent and soulful at the same time. He is a deep listener and an arranger who understands the power of space, according to the VJC. He has played with greats such as Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Max Roach, Stanley Turrentine, Al Haig, Walter Bishop, Dave Grusin, Charles Earland, Hugh Masakela, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Ron Carter, Kenny Burrell, Ramsey Lewis, and Dr. John. The repertoire from his latest release, My Shining Hour, will be featured at the VJC concert. According to his website, this album “is a personal and indepth exploration of American Songbook classics and his first studio recording exclusively of this nature.” The New York Times’ Nate Chinen wrote that it is “among the most satisfying jazz guitar albums likely to emerge this year” (2014) and Downbeat ’s Jon Corbett writes that “Broom is the full monty: ultra-refined timing and tone, continuous flow of ideas, a touch of grease, a treat for the connoisseur.” Bassist Carroll, who came up on the Chicago scene playing with heavyweights like Jodie Christian, Bunky Green, and Clifford Jordan, has anchored Broom’s trio for more than two decades. He has performed with artists such as Eddie Harris, Roy Hargrove, Eric Alexander, Ron Blake, and Ira Sullivan. In the drum chair, there has been more turnover and it has become something of a launching pad for stellar young players, Charming chalet tucked up off the road and very private. You can hear the Wardsboro Brook from the screened porch and watch nature in the surrounding woods. This home has new wood floors, open concept living room, kitchen and dining room. The wood stove will keep you cozy warm and supplement the new hot air furnace. Full basement has great storage and could be finished for added living space. EXCLUSIVE $179,000 Proof generated January 12, 2016 10:30 PM Scan for more info. Makaya McCraven included. In the early 2000s, McCraven was a rising star in the Northampton, Mass., jazz scene. He then moved to Chicago where he is now considered “one of Chicago’s most versatile and in-demand drummers” (Chicago Reader). Tickets for the Bobby Broom Trio are $20 general admission, $15 for students with identification (contact VJC about educational discounts); available at In the Moment in Brattleboro, online at www.vtjazz. org, or by email at ginger@vtjazz. org. Tickets can also be reserved by calling the Vermont Jazz Center ticket line, 802-254-9088, ext. 1. Handicapped access is available by calling the VJC. BellvilleRealty.com 255 WESTERN AVENUE BRATTLEBORO, VT 05301 Susan Bellville WWW.BELLVILLEREALTY.COM 802-257-7979 802-257-7979 ext. 3 255 Western Ave, Brattleboro, VT B2 THE COMMONS • Wednesday, 13,2014 2016 Wednesday,January June 25, arts & community C A L E N D A R THURSDAY 14 Performing arts B R A T T L E B O R O Future Collective: "Lady Queen Paradise," "Most Selfless Cheerleader," "Bella," "badweatherfriend": Four shows in one. All ages. ▶ 7 p.m. ▶ By donation. ▶ Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery, 139 Main St. Information: 802-254-9276; hookerdunham.org. Music Kevin Parry: Open Mic: Participating musicians receive 50% off of their meal. Every Thursday. ▶ 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Marina Restaurant, 28 Spring Tree Rd. Sign up: 802-257-7563; kevinparrymusic.com. BRATTLEBORO Instruction Genealogy Group: Discover Your Family Roots: Beginners and seasoned genealogists are welcome to join genealogy enthusiast Wayne Blanchard. With the many free databases available at the library, it's hard to tell what you might find. (Thursdays) ▶ 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Rockingham Free Public Library, 65 Westminster St. Information: 802-463-4270; rockinghamlibrary.org. BRATTLEBORO Spanish Class: Experience a new approach to learning a language. No prior Spanish experience necessary. With Elissa McLean. ▶ 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Express Fluency, 73 Main St., #1. Information: 802-275-2694; expressfluency.com. BELLOWS FALLS Well-being BRATTLEBORO Personal Self Care: We live in a world that is spinning fast, and many of us need to slow down and learn how to take time for ourselves. Robin White, a Life Coach, offers an introduction to living a balanced and compassionate life. ▶ noon - 1 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Brown Bag Lunch Series, River Garden, 157 Main St. Information: 802-246-0982; st r o l l i n go f t h e h e i f e r s . co m / calendar. Community building BRATTLEBORO Climate Change Cafe: "After Paris, What Do We Do Now?: An Invitation to Area Climate Activists": Despite the celebrating from the delegates at the recently concluded COP 21 climate conference, is the accord that was produced enough to save the planet. As part of this conversation, there will be updates about current, ongoing efforts with an emphasis on resilience, community building, and values change. Light refreshments. ▶ 6 p.m. in the Community Room (enter from Canal St. entrance). ▶ Free. ▶ Brattleboro Food Co-op, 2 Main St. RSVP appreciated. Tim Stevenson: [email protected]. GUILFORD Guilford Gazette Meeting: Finalizing the January issue. ▶ 5:30 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Guilford Country Store, 475 Coolidge Hwy. (Rte. 5). Information: 802-257-4603. Dance BRATTLEBORO Zumba: Zumba is a Latin-inspired cardio-dance workout that uses music and choreographed steps to form a fitness party atmosphere. (Thursdays) ▶ 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. ▶ Through Thursday, April 28. ▶ $5 ($7 for non-Brattleboro residents); 10-sessions: $50/$75. ▶ Gibson-Aiken Center, 207 Main St. Information: 802-254-5808; [email protected]. Visual arts and shows Opening Reception and Exhibit of the Work of David Stern: "All Over the Map," the title of Stern's new show, refers to the paintings he created while traveling and the variety of pieces of styles. ▶ 1/14: 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. reception. ▶ Through Monday, February 22. ▶ Free. ▶ Main Street Arts, 37 Main St. Information: 802-869-2960; mainstreetarts.org. WILMINGTON Donna Festa: Exhibit of New Oil Paintings and Sculptures: ▶ 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Fri-Mon. ▶ Through Monday, February 1. ▶ Gallery Wright, 103 W. Main St. Information: 802-464-9922; gallerywright.com. S A X TO N S R I V E R Ideas and education BRATTLEBORO Brattlemasters: Local Toastmasters Group: Members practice public speaking in a safe environment. Guests welcome. Refreshments. (2nd and 4th Thurs. of every month) ▶ 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., 2nd fl. ▶ Free for guests. ▶ Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St. Information: brattleboro.toastmastersclubs. org/#null. THURSDAY C O N T. Film and video BRATTLEBORO "Ceremony:" Mongolian Shamanism: Learn about the mysterious spiritual life of shamans in northern Mongolia, specifically one particular ceremony that few outsiders have ever witnessed, or filmed. Discussion with the filmmaker Sas Carey follows the screening. ▶ 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. ▶ $5 at door; free for members and ages 18 and under. ▶ Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, 28 Vernon St. Information: 802-257-0124; brattleboromuseum.org. FRIDAY 15 SATURDAY C O N T. ▶ 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. ▶ Free; donations to musicians welcome. ▶ Superfresh! Organic Cafe, 30 Main St. Information: 802-5791751; superfreshcafe.com. WEST BRATTLEBORO Butterfly Swing Band: Early jazz and classic swing ▶ 7:15 p.m. - 10 p.m. ▶ No cover. ▶ New England House, 254 Marlboro Rd. Information: 802-254-6886. Farmers' markets Brattleboro Winter Farmers' Market: Diverse indoor farmers market. Local farm produce, meats, syrup, fresh baked goods, local cheeses, fruits, cider, pickles, preserves, handmade jewelry, pottery, soaps and more. Lunch menu and live music. (Saturdays) ▶ 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. ▶ Through Saturday, March 26. ▶ River Garden, 157 Main St. Information: facebook.com/Bratt leboroWinterFarmersMarket. BRATTLEBORO Music Well-being Kevin Parry: Singer/Guitarist: Kevin specializes in singing the classic tunes of the '60s, '70s, and '80s plus blues, bluegrass, and slide guitar. He takes requests and has a working list of over 400 songs. Visit www. kevinparrymusic.com. (Fridays through 4/8/16) ▶ 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ West Dover Inn, Rte. 100. Information: 802-464-5207. WEST TOWNSHEND Tribute to Martin Luther King and Pizza: Celebrate King's birthday with readings from his essays and speeches, and poems or songs that were inspired by his legacy and commitment to peace and justice. Bring a favorite of your own. Build your own pizza from a number of toppings. Beer, wine, and other refreshments available. Sponsored by the West River Community Project, promoting community, the arts, and local, sustainable agriculture. ▶ 5 p.m. pizza; 6:30 p.m. tribute. ▶ $10 pizza pie. ▶ West Townshend Country Store and Cafe, Rte. 30. Information: 802874-4800; info@westtownshend. org. S A X TO N S R I V E R Windham Orchestra "Stars": Mendelssohn "Fingal's Cave Overture"; Copland, "Clarinet Concerto," with Karen Bressett; Reinecke, "Ballade for Flute," with Kimi Hasegawa; Elgar, "Romance for Bassoon," with Diane Lipartito; Schumann, "Concert Piece for Four Horns and Orchestra," led by Karen Horton. ▶ 7:30 p.m. ▶ Vermont Academy, 10 Long Walk. Information: 802-869-6200; vermontacademy.org. B R A T T L E B O R O Ashtanga Vinyasa Flow Yoga: Laura Tabachnick instructs this vigorous, all levels class. Live gentle music accompanies each class. Every Saturday. ▶ 10 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. ▶ By donation (all monies given to area non-profits). ▶ Yoga Locally, 74 Cotton Mill Hill, The Loft #A-209. Information: 802-275-4403; vi-vn.facebook.com/ YogaLocally. BRATTLEBORO Mindfulness Yoga: Introduction to Thich Nhat Hanh's mindfulness and some gentle Hits the Spot Yoga poses. With Robin White ▶ 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ▶ By donation. ▶ Curves, 464 Putney Rd. Information: 802-257-3500. W E S T D OV E R Recreation Drop-In Volleyball: Friendly and competitive game of bump, set, and spike. Bring off-street shoes to play in. (Thursdays through 4/28) ▶ 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ▶ $3 ($5 non-Brattleboro residents). ▶ Gibson-Aiken Center, 207 Main St. Information: 802-254-5808. BRATTLEBORO Kids and families PUTNEY Playgroup: Storytime and songs for parents or caregivers with children ages 0-2. (Fridays) ▶ 10:30 a.m. - noon. ▶ Free. ▶ Putney Public Library, 55 Main St. Information: 802-387-4407; home.svcable.net/putpub. Well-being Meditation S i tt i n g : Ve r m o n t I n s i g h t Meditation Center. (Fridays) ▶ 5:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Solar Hill, 229 Western Ave. BRATTLEBORO Sugar Blues: How Sugar Affects Our Health and Mood: Are you craving sweets and want to understand why? Do you want to gain control and better health without deprivation? Join Ellyn Durante of Inspire Wellness Coaching for an informative talk, food samples, and recipes that will help you on your path to better health. ▶ noon - 1 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Brown Bag Lunch Series, River Garden, 157 Main St. Information: 802-246-0982; BRATTLEBORO st r o l l i n go f t h e h e i f e r s . co m / calendar. SATURDAY 16 Performing arts BRATTLEBORO The MET: Live in HD: Bizet's "Les Pecheurs de Perles": This sweeping romance, by the composer of "Carmen," has not been staged by the company in a century. ▶ 1 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. ▶ $22; $20 members; $10 students. ▶ Latchis Theatre, 50 Main St. Information: 802-345-8979; [email protected]. Music Live Music at Superfresh!: Every Saturday night. BRATTLEBORO SUNDAY SUNDAY C O N T. ▶ Free; donations welcome. Childcare provided. ▶ The Root Social Justice Center, 28 Williams St., 1st fl. Information: 802-254-3400; therootsjc.org. Dance Community Circle Dance: Led by Anja Daniel and Jim Desmond. All dances taught. No partner needed. ▶ 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. ▶ Donations welcome. ▶ River Valley Aikido Center, 11 Cottage St. Parker Huber: 802-257-9108. BRATTLEBORO Celebrations, festivals, community meals Interfaith Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech will be shown, jazz pianist Franz Robert plays, an intergenerational community choir led by Andy Davis sings, and Julie Cunningham of Families First is the featured speaker. Plus a tribute to the "Hidden Heroes and Heroines" of the Civil Rights Movement, profiling individuals from different faith traditions who were instrumental in the success of the movement and of Dr. King's work-Bayard Ruston, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and others. Service concludes with the lighting of a candle by everyone in attendance. Followed by a spaghetti dinner, with vegetarian and gluten-free options, to support the Brattleboro Area Interfaith Youth Group service trips to South Dakota and Kenya. (Singers of all ages and abilities are encouraged to come to the church beforehand to rehearse songs for the service.) Donations shared between the VT Partnership for Fairness and Diversity and the Root Social Justice Center. ▶ 4 p.m. celebration; 5 p.m. dinner (3 p.m. rehearsal). ▶ Free; good will donations welcome. Dinner: $10 ($5 under age 12). ▶ Centre Congregational Church, 193 Main St. Information: 802-257-2776. B R AT T L E B O R O 17 18 MONDAY Music Windham Orchestra "Stars": Mendelssohn "Fingal's Cave Overture"; Copland, "Clarinet Concerto," with Karen Bressett; Reinecke, "Ballade for Flute," with Kimi Hasegawa; Elgar, "Romance for Bassoon," with Diane Lipartito; Schumann, "Concert Piece for Four Horns and Orchestra," led by Karen Horton. ▶ 3 p.m. ▶ Latchis Theatre, 50 Main St. Information: 802-257-5717; latchis. com. B E L L OW S FA L L S Mandolin Ensemble Concert: Classical music, traditional folk music featuring the mandolin, mandola, mandocello, and classical guitar. Directed by Prof. August Watters of Berklee College of Music showcasing the New England Mandolin Ensemble and Festival of Mandolin Chamber Music participants. ▶ 3 p.m. in the Chapel. ▶ $17; $13 seniors. ▶ Immanuel Episcopal Church, 20 Church St. Tickets: 802-4600110; stonechurcharts.org. B R AT T L E B O RO Recreation JAMAICA BEEC amble: Jamaica State Park/West River Trail: Follow the old West River Railroad bed along an undeveloped stretch of the river. The trail is wide and the slopes are gentle. Cross-country skis or snowshoes as needed. Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center ambles take place on the first and third Sundays. ▶ 8:30 a.m. Meet at the Rte. 30 covered bridge in Dummerston. ▶ Free. ▶ Jamaica State Park. Information: [email protected]. Community building Brattleboro Food Co-op Shareholder Forum: Created by shareholders, for shareholders; open to the general public. At this month's Forum, Sabine Rhyne, BFC General Manager, will speak about Co-op Finances and and other vital issues regarding our Co-op. All voices honored. Join the digital conversation: https://groups. google.com/forum/#!forum/ shareholder-forum-group. ▶ 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. in the Community Room. ▶ Free. ▶ Brattleboro Food Co-op, 2 Main St. Information: [email protected]. B R AT T L E B O R O Mass Incarceration and Vermont: VT has one of the highest racial disparities in incarceration in the nation and has been shipping prisoners to out-of-state private prisons since '04. Hear stories of incarcerated VTers, their family members, and people working on changing the VT prison system; videos/letters from VCJR's "Stories Project"; and a panel exploring the connections between mass incarceration in the US and the VT prison system, how incarceration is affecting families and our communities, what is being done locally to make change, and how you can get involved. This forum is presented by the Root Social Justice Forum and Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform. ▶ 2 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. BRATTLEBORO Proof generated January 12, 2016 10:30 11:50 PM Music String Band Combo: Old-time music with Jack Arensmeyer, Jason Burbank, and Jack Nelson. ▶ noon - 1 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Brown Bag Lunch Series, River Garden, 157 Main St. Information: 802-246-0982; BRATTLEBORO st r o l l i n go f t h e h e i f e r s . co m / calendar. Government "The 2016 Election and the Future of American Politics": This lecture presented by Prof. Michael Krasner is offered by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Light refreshments. ▶ 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. (snow date 1/25). ▶ $6. ▶ The Learning Collaborative, 471 Route 5. Information: 802-2578600; learningcollaborative.org. DUMMERSTON Kids and families BRATTLEBORO "Nature Days": Kids in grades 1-5 romp, stomp, and explore, learning and benefiting from the fresh air and exercise. ▶ 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. ▶ Through Tuesday, January 19. ▶ $45 per day ($35 members); scholarships available. ▶ Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center, 1221 Bonnyvale Rd. Register: 802-257-5785; beec. org. Well-being BRATTLEBORO Natural Support for Autism, ADHD, and Family Stress: Conversation about how we can create advances in the health of children on the autism spectrum, or with ADHD, Asperger's, mitochondrial conditions, and more. Find holistic strategies for the physical, social, emotional, and communication needs of young people. ▶ 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. in the Community Room. ▶ Free. ▶ Brattleboro Food Co-op, 2 Main St. Pre-registration requested: 802-246-2821; msbfc@ sover.net. TUESDAY 19 Music BRATTLEBORO Singing Strong, A Chorus for Seniors: For seniors interested in chorus. (Tuesdays. No class 2/16) ▶ 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ▶ Through Tuesday, March 1. ▶ $40 for 6 sessions. ▶ St. Michaels Episcopal Church, Putney Rd. and Bradley Ave. Information: 802-257-4523; bmcvt.org. TUESDAY C O N T. TUESDAY C O N T. WEDNESDAY C O N T. Recreation Dance Well-being BRATTLEBORO Table Tennis: Tango Open Practice Sessions: All levels. Newcomers and visitors are welcome to participate or watch. Complementary snack buffet. Every Tuesday. ▶ 8:45 p.m. ▶ $5. ▶ Stone Church in Brattleboro, 210 Main St. Information: 603-9239743; [email protected]. B R A T T L E B O R O Shall We Dance?: West Coast Swing Lessons: Techniques, timing, and step patterns and combinations. Partner not necessary. Taught by Ray Warren and Lucinda Dee-Warren. (Tuesdays in January) ▶ 5:30 p.m. beginners; 6:30 p.m. advanced beginners; 7:30 p.m. intermediate/advanced. ▶ $10 ($5 each additional class). ▶ Stone Church in Brattleboro, 210 Main St. Information: 802 5799990; shallwedance.biz. Yoga with Dante: Relax and reinvigorate--the best of both worlds. Postures are accompanied by conscious breathing. Crystal bowl sound healing, meditation, some chanting. ▶ 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. ▶ Free; donations welcome. ▶ Gallery in the Woods, 145 Main St. Information: 802-257-4777. BELLOWS FALLS Advance Care Directives: "It's Really About Love": Discussion with Joanna Rueter: Why every adult needs an advance care directive; how to fill out an advance care directive; the key decisions that need to be made; why this is really about love; and any questions that come up. If a serious illness or accident leaves one unable to communicate, an advance directive becomes their voice. This is a project of Brattleboro Area Hospice, Taking Steps Brattleboro, reaching into the community through partnerships and education. ▶ 6 p.m. (snow date 1/27). ▶ Free. ▶ Rockingham Free Public Library, 65 Westminster St. Information: 802-460-1162x101; brattleborohospice.org. LONDONDERRY Valley Health Connect: Health Insurance Coverage: An authorized navigator for the state health exchange will enroll individuals and families for health insurance for coverage commencing March '16. ▶ 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (90-minute appointments). ▶ Free. ▶ Neighborhood Connections, The Meeting Place, Rte. 100, 5700 Marketplace (across from the post office). Information: 802-824-4343; [email protected]. W. H A L I FA X Tai Chi Class: Instructor Seth Geslin teaches the Yang style with an emphasis on beginners, but people at all levels can participate. No special equipment needed; wear comfortable clothing. Go barefoot or wear shoes/slippers allowing for firm placement on the floor. Benefits include calming, better focus, sounder sleep, and overall improvement of well-being. (Wednesdays). Sponsored by The Halifax Community Club and Whitingham Free Public Library. ▶ 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. ▶ Through Wednesday, March 23. ▶ $5 per class suggested donation. ▶ Halifax Community Hall, 20 Brook Rd. The Brattleboro Area Table Tennis Club invites players of all skill levels for open games and occasional lessions. Kids welcome on the 1st Tuesday of the month. (Tuesdays). Sponsored by Brattleboro Rec. & Parks. ▶ 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. on the 3rd fl. ▶ Through Tuesday, April 26. ▶ $2 ($3 non-Brattleboro residents); $20/$5 for 10 session punch card. ▶ Gibson-Aiken Center, 207 Main St. Information: 802-254-5808. Business and economy Women in Business Round Table: A gathering for women to discuss issues, opportunities, and to network with other women who are currently in business or are thinking about starting a business. With Karen Woodcock and Denise Mason, Economic Development, SEVCA. ▶ noon - 1 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Brown Bag Lunch Series, River Garden, 157 Main St. Information: 802-246-0982; B R AT T L E B O R O st r o l l i n go f t h e h e i f e r s . co m / calendar. BRATTLEBORO Management Ideas Exchange: "What is the State of Your Board?": Many boards are busy doing their important work and don't have time for reflection or self-assessment. Kim Lier offers quick, effective assessment tools that can be used to identify your strengths and areas for improvement. Presented by The Center for New Leadership. ▶ noon - 1:30 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St. Pre-register, Julie Jansen: 802-258-9204; cosmo. marlboro.edu/cnl/2016/01/04/ mix-workshops-announcedspring-2016. Kids and families BRATTLEBORO Mothers' Circle: Gathering for mothers with infants up to 12-months. Discuss the challenges of parenthood and realities of motherhood. Led by a MotherWoman certified facilitator. Free childcare for older siblings (call ahead). Light refreshments. (Tuesdays). ▶ 10:45 a.m. - noon. ▶ Free. ▶ Winston Prouty Center for Child Development, 20 Winston Prouty Way. Amanda Pizzollo: 802-251-2102. GUILFORD Storytime: Program of songs, fingerplays, books, and activities for babies, toddlers, and older siblings. Presented by Cathi Wilken or Laura Lawson Tucker. Every Tuesday. ▶ 11 a.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Guilford Free Library, 4024 Guilford Center Rd. Information: 802-257-4603; sover.net/~wilken/ guilfordlibrary. BRATTLEBORO "Nature Days": (See 1/18) ▶ Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center. Well-being Coming off Psych Drugs: Support group for anyone thinking about, in the process of, or with experience of withdrawing from or lowering amounts of psychiatric drugs. (Third Tues. of every month) ▶ 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ The Root Social Justice Center, 28 Williams St., 1st fl. The Hive Mutual Support Network: info@ hivemutualsupport.net. BRATTLEBORO Free Medical Care: For individuals without insurance or a physician. Every Tuesday. ▶ 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. ▶ Brattleboro Walk-In Clinic, 81 Belmont Ave. Information: 802251-8484; brattleborowalkinclinic. com. B R A T T L E B O R O Bereaved Parents Support Group: For parents mourning the death of a teenage or young adult child, sharing and connecting with other grieving parents can be a powerful component in the healing process. Facilitated by Connie Baxter and Judy Davidson.(First and third Tues. of every month). ▶ 6 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Brattleboro Area Hospice, 191 Canal St. Contact Connie beforehand: 802-257-0775 x 104; connie. [email protected]. B R A T T L E B O R O Strength Training for Seniors: Build strength in all major muscle groups. Followed by stretch and relaxation. With Cyndy Gray. (Tuesdays) ▶ 9:30 a.m. ▶ $3 ($5 for 2 classes). ▶ Brattleboro Senior Center, 207 Main St. Information: 802-2577570; [email protected]. BRATTLEBORO Community building B R A T T L E B O R O Tour the Municipal Building and the Brattleboro Fire Department Stations: Brattleboro has wrestled with how best to renovate the town's aging police and fire stations for years. Visitors are also invited to attend the Selectboard meetings immediately following the tours in order to ask questions and discuss options for upgrading these facilities. The Fire Department's Central Station is at 103 Elliot St; Station II is at 16 South St. (Tuesdays through January) ▶ 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. (tours do not take the entire hour). ▶ Free. ▶ Municipal Building, 230 Main St. Information: 802-251-8100. BRATTLEBORO Ideas and education LONDONDERRY Winter Feeding Wild Birds: Randy Schmidt from The Vermont Bird Place discusses types of feeders, seeds and suet which attract the widest variety of wild birds, heated bird baths, where to place your feeders, how to discourage critters, and other questions you have. ▶ 11 a.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Neighborhood Connections, The Meeting Place, Rte. 100, 5700 Marketplace (across from the post office). Information: 802-824-4343; [email protected]. Celebrations, festivals, community meals BRATTLEBORO "Cabin Fever": Enjoy spirits, brews and specialty foods while listening to live music. Vendors: 14th Star Brewing Co., Caledonia Spirits, Champlain Orchards, Honora Winery, Solo Services & Libations, Stonecutter Spirits, Vermont Distillers, Vermont Spirits, Whetstone, Bijou Jewels from the Oven, Blythedale Farm, Burke Mountain Confectionery, Cabot Creamer y, Lyman's Specialties, Monadnock Oil & Vinegar Co., Monkey Moon Challah and Pastries, Orchard Hill Breadworks, Taylor Farm, and more. ▶ 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ River Garden, 157 Main St. Information: 802-258-7070; st r o l l i n go f t h e h e i f e r s . co m / rivergarden. B R AT T L E B O R O Community building WEDNESDAY 20 Music Community Jazz Jam Session: For all musicians and instruments. Run by pianist Eugene Uman. Every Wednesday. ▶ 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. ▶ $3 donation requested from players and listeners. ▶ Vermont Jazz Center, 72 Cotton Mill Hill, #222. Information: 802-254-9088; [email protected]. BRATTLEBORO Recreation S. LONDONDERRY Sit and Knit: Carol Barclay shows the basics of knitting and crocheting. If you already know how, she will share her expertise, patterns, books, and yarn. Work on your own project and enjoy the company of other like-minded crafters. (Every Wednesday) ▶ 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. ▶ South Londonderry Free Library, 15 Old School St. Information: 802-824-3371; southlondonderryfreelibrary@ yahoo.com. The written word GUILFORD Talk About Books: "Empire Falls" by Richard Russo: (Third Wed. of every month) ▶ 6:30 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Guilford Free Library, 4024 Guilford Center Rd. Information: 802-257-4603; sover.net/~wilken/ guilfordlibrary. B R A T T L E B O R O MexicanAmericans: "Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya: "Ultima," first in a four-part reading and discussion series, "Mexican Americans: Experience and Identity," deals with the experiences of Mexicans living in the U.S.--from the struggles of migrant farm workers and day laborers in California to coming of age stories of Chicanos as U.S. citizens. "Ultima" chronicles the story of an alienated New Mexico boy who seeks an answer to his questions about life in his relationship with Ultima, a magical healer. Facilitated by Prof. Patricia Pedroza Gonzalez. Sponsored by Vermont Humanities Council. ▶ 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in the 2nd fl. meeting room. ▶ Free. ▶ Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St. Information: 802-2545290; brookslibraryvt.org. Kids and families Free Dinner for Kids Ages 9-18: 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month. ▶ 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Boys & Girls Club (Bellows Falls), 12 Church St. Information: 802-460-4400. BELLOWS FALLS "Conserving Your Land: Everything You Wanted to Know but Didn't Know Where to Ask": A panel of owners of conserved land and a former owner who still lives on it-John Evans, Stewart McDermet, Greg Moschetti, Mary Lou Schmidt, Karen Falk Sugden--share why they conserved their land or bought conserved land, what conservation means to them, and the benefits of land conservation for them and for the town. Then Joan Wier of the Vermont Land Trust explains how a conservation easement works. Questions and discussion. ▶ 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Dummerston Congregational Church, 1535 Middle Rd. Bill Schmidt: 802-257-0233; elysian2@ svcable.net. BRATTLEBORO "Nature Deficit Disorder" with Bill Pearson: The lack of respect for our natural world underlies the global warming issue and many others. As Richard Louv stated in his book "Last Child in the Woods": "What we don't know, we don't love, what we don't love, we don't take care of." He also introduced the term "nature deficit disorder." If we don't know Nature, we won't love Nature, and what we don't love, we won't take care of. ▶ noon - 1 p.m. ▶ Free. ▶ Brown Bag Lunch Series, River Garden, 157 Main St. Information: 802-246-0982; DUMMERSTON st r o l l i n go f t h e h e i f e r s . co m / calendar. Celebrations, festivals, community meals SAXTONS RIVER Blue Door Soup Suppers: Neighborhood families, singles, and seniors are invited for a free soup supper. Out of 3 soups made weekly, there's always at least one vegetarian and a glutenfree option. Every Wednesday. ▶ 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. ▶ Free; donations welcome (for Our Place Drop-in Center). ▶ Christs Church-Saxtons River, 24 Main St. Wanda Salter: 802-869-2582. To submit your event: calendar@ commonsnews.org • Deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. THE COMMONS THE ARTS • Wednesday, January 13, 2016 B3 Main Street Arts hosts exhibit by David Stern SAXTONS RIVER—The work of David Stern is the subject of an art show that runs through Feb. 22 at Main Street Arts (MSA). An opening reception will be held Thursday, Jan. 14, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Stern has titled his show “All Over the Map,” which refers to the paintings, which he created while traveling, and for the variety of pieces and styles. With a degree in theater from the University of Vermont and a Master of Fine Arts in design from Rutgers University, Stern has directed and designed more than 100 productions for the stage—including MSA’s 2015 production of Les Miserables — and has shown artwork at numerous galleries. His work encompasses wood Verandah Porche interviews Chard deNiord at Next Stage PUTNEY—Next Stage Arts Project Next Stage Arts will present a special literary event on Sunday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m., with Vermont Poet Laureate Chard deNiord, hosted by renowned poet, Verandah Porche. There is a suggested donation at the door of $10. Beyond being the current Poet Laureate of Vermont and creator of the Next Stage Speaks Poetry series, deNiord is the author of five books of poems, Interstate (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2015), The Double Truth (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011), which was named one of the ten best books of poetry in 2011 by The Boston Globe, Night Mowing (The University of Pittsburgh Press, 2005), Sharp Golden Thorn (Marsh Hawk Press, 2003), and Asleep in the Fire (University of Alabama Press, 1990). He is also the author of a book of interviews with seven senior American poets (Galway Kinnell, Ruth Stone, Jack Gilbert, Lucille Clifton, Donald Hall, Maxine Kumin, and Robert Bly) titled Sad Friends, Drowned Lovers, Stapled Songs, Conversations and Reflections on Contemporary American Poetry (Marick Press, 2011). A co-founder of the New England College MFA Program in Poetry, he works as a professor of English at Providence College and lives Westminster West. Porche, poet, performer, and writing partner from Guilford, is the author of two books of poetry, The Body’s Symmetry (Harper and Row, 1975) and Sudden Eden (Verdant Books, 2013). She has also edited several volumes of poetry and personal histories, including Ordinary Mystery, Infusion Musings from the Oncology Clinic, Springfield, Vermont and Broad Book Anthology, A Play of Voices, a collection of personal narratives that honor the lives of elders in Guilford. Porche will interview deNiord about his career, life, and recent works. The interview will be followed by a reading and a question-andanswer period. More information about about this, and upcoming events, can be found at www.nextstagearts. org. Main Street Arts, Historical Society host Fireside Chats Brattleboro Autobody & Detailing State-of-the-Art Paint System and Down Draft Baking Booth • Free Estimates • Frame Straightening • Windshield Replacements • Complete Auto Detailing We work with All Insurance Companies on All Makes and Models 802-254-5551 16 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT Don McAllister - Owner Email: [email protected] MEMBERS 1ST CREDIT UNION Playing October 1 - 4 ALL SEATS $5 A America: program feature Captain for the Rockingham Thetown FirstofAvenger (PG-13) THESatHATEFUL EIGHT R 5, 7:15, & 9:30pm Fri, 7 pm SunJan. 5 & 15: 7:15pm Sat, 16:Tue 7:30 pm MonJan. 7:15, 7:15 Sun, Jan. on 17:our 2 & new 7:30 HD pm Featured M &Digital T, Jan.Projection 18 & Jan. 19: 7:15 pm System Movie Tickets $5 Tuesdays $3PG THE GOOD DINOSAUR Sat, Jan. 16: 3 & 5:15 pm Upcoming Sun, Jan. 17:Events: 5:30 pm Vermont Symphony Orchestra Friday, September 30, 7:30pm GROUNDHOG DAY Wednesday, Jan. 27: 7:30 pm National Players Open House Simba to play benefit for critically injured South Newfane man BRATTLEBORO—On Saturday, Jan. 23, at 118 Elliot Street, starting at 7:30 p.m., there will be an evening of music donated by Simba, southern Vermont’s worldbeat dance band. This event will benefit Brooks Mitchell of South Newfane, who was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident on Sept. 7, 2015. His motorcycle was hit by a car that turned into oncoming traffic on Route 9 in Wilmington. Brooks’ injuries are many and his recovery has been slow but steady. He has been out of work for more than three months. As a self-employed plumbing and heating specialist, he has already lost a lot of income due to this tragedy, and it is still unknown when and if he will be able to return to work. He has applied for disability, and he has been told that the wait will be at least 6-to12 months before he knows if he has been approved. Started in 1989, Simba’s eight members work throughout the New England area as soloists, accompanying other artists and doing recording work. The band has evolved into a high-energy dance band, drawing upon African, reggae, Caribbean, Latin, jazz, and funk influences to create their own unique and vibrant sound. Simba features several multi-instrumentalists allowing their sound to range from guitar/horn section funk to Caribbean steel drum, from West African balafon grooves and hand percussion to jazz sextet and even Klezmer orchestra. Tickets for this event are a $10 minimum donation and can be purchased at Everyone’s Books in Brattleboro. Beverages, desserts, and raffle items will be available at the event as well. Express Fluency combines films with language classes BRATTLEBORO—This spring, Express Fluency is offering a variety of classes in French and Spanish, including two miniclasses held before and after popular films shown at the Latchis Theatre on Sunday afternoons. On Jan. 17, the Latchis will screen The Dinner Game , a French comedy with English subtitles, at 4 p.m. The informal French class, for advanced beginners to intermediate speakers, will meet in Express Fluency’s classroom at 73 Main Street at 2 p.m. and after the film. Admission to the film is by donation, and benefits Latchis Arts and Doctors Without Borders. For Spanish speakers, the Latchis will be screening Volver, in Spanish with English subtitles, starring Penelope Cruz, on Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. The screening will benefit Latchis Arts and MANOS, a local nonprofit organization that provides maternal and neonatal support services to healthcare workers in Nicaragua. The Spanish class will meet in the www.members1cu.com 10 Browne CT PO Box 8245 N. Brattleboro, VT 05304 Insured to 250,000 MOVIES Now in its 27th year, Main Street Arts is a nonprofit community COURTESY PHOTO arts center dedicated to serving Works in several media by artist David Stern will the creative needs of the greater be on exhibit at Main Street Arts through Feb. 22. community by encouraging creative exploration and expression through a wide range of experiences. Further information is available at www.MainStreetArts.org or on Facebook. “The SMALL Credit Union with a BIG HEART” NCUA at the Tel. (802) 257-5131 Fax (802) 257-5837 Express Fluency classroom at 2 p.m. and again after the film. For both French and Spanish learners, Express Fluency offers a variety of classes in addition to the mini-classes around films. Spanish offerings will start with a free one-hour class on Jan. 14, from 6 to 7 p.m., at the Express Fluency classroom. A weekly class for beginners and another for advanced beginners will start on Jan. 21; an intermediate class will begin in April. French offerings include both intensive and weekly classes. Intermediate French students can choose between a nine-week class starting on Feb. 1, and a three-day weekend intensive beginning on Friday, Feb. 12. For advanced French speakers, a one-day class, Samedi Fran ç ais, offers immersion and conversation on Saturday, March 19. For more information, and to register for any class, visit expressfluency.com or call 802-275-2694. ‘ Discount Foods Dotties 77 Flat Street in the Brattleboro Transportation Center 802 246-0053 Extra Savings! ‘ Dotties Discount Foods $500 off Your purchase of 25 or more $ One Coupon per Transaction • Some restrictions apply 436 Western Ave., Brattleboro, Vermont (802) 257-9254 • www.vermontcountrydeli.com Open 7am-7pm Daily Lunch & Dinner Daily plus Sunday Brunch The AcA cAdemy c Ademy Ademy at chArlemont A Arlemont A College Preparatory Coed Day School for Grades 7-12 Does your child belong here? Come find out... Sunday, January 24 “Of Mice and Men” 1pm 802-463-4766 “Taming of the Shrew” 7pm 7 Square, Bellows Falls Wednesday, October&5 Visit: rockbf.org Like us on Facebook “Critical State” with support from NEFA Thursday, Oct 13 & Fri Oct 14 Events Tickets At www.bfoperahouse.com T H (800) E A595-4849 T R E By phone and at Village Square Booksellers latchis.com 802.246.1500 On The Square, Bellows Falls VT www.bfoperahouse.com FRI, JAN 15 - THU, JAN 21 (802) 463-4766 Manager’s Pick of the Week SPOTLIGHT R 2:00 matinee Sunday 6:45 & 9:00 nightly STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS PG-13 1:45 matinees Sat & Sun 6:40 & 9:10 nightly THE REVENANT 2:00 matinees Sat & Sun 7:10 nightly Program begins at 1:00 PM R THE HATEFUL EIGHT R Register online: www.charlemont.org 7:00 nightly Pre-registration is helpful, drop-ins are welcome. BROOKLYN Find your voice. Speak your mind. PG-13 2:00 matinees Sat & Sun fireworksrestaurant.net • 802.254.2073 73 Main Street • Brattleboro, VT ............................................................. natural family farmed meats. hand cut fries Check out our weekly specials! veggie burgers.salmon & turkey burgers Burger of the week thick shakes .iced coffees & frappes Dog.draft of the fruit lemonades beerweek & spiked shakes Shake of the week it’s not real fast food....it’s real food, fast! ................................... manages 50,000 acres of state land in Windham and Windsor counties, and has worked extensively on both private and public lands. He will highlight some of the management challenges faced by today’s forest managers, including introduced plants that have gained a foothold and that may lead to rapid changes in the future. Attendees are invited to share their own experiences, photos, artifacts, and stories related to the topic of the evening. The series is offered at no charge, with donations accepted. Those attending are invited to bring their own memories and memorabilia to share in this informal setting. The inn’s dining room will be open for dinner after the presentation for further socializing. Reservations are appreciated by calling the inn at 802-869-2110. In case of inclement weather, cancellation information will be available by contacting Main Street Arts at 802-869-2960. sculpture, watercolor painting, and jewelry, through which he attempts to communicate a consistent sense of design across multiple media and methods. Stern says he is “seeking to retain the freshness and freedom of the organic while providing enough structure to support the composition. Thus, in watercolor, I celebrate the movement of the water. In jewelry, I let the metal melt and move. In sculpture, I leave a great deal of wood just as I found it, using what is innate in the material.” Described by those who know him as a Renaissance man, Stern is the artistic director of Main Street Arts and is the director of the arts organization’s upcoming winter production of Bat Boy: The Musical. He lives in Westminster with his wife Vanessa. ................................... SAXTONS RIVER—Main Street Arts and the Saxtons River Historical Society continues its series of Fireside Chats to highlight the area’s history Sunday, Jan. 17, when the topic will be turkeys. The chats take place from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. in the dining room of the Saxtons River Inn. “Gobble! Gobble! Wild Turkeys are Smart and Social” will feature Lynn Morgan of the Nature Museum at Grafton and include tales of local farmers who walked their turkeys to Boston and how the wild turkey was reintroduced to Vermont in 1969. The series concludes Jan. 24 with a talk on “Forests from Glacier to Today: Managing Our Forests Then and Now,” with Tim Morton, a forester with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation. Morton, a resident of Rockingham, has been a practicing forest and land manager since 1984. He graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Forest Management, NOW PLAYING 97 main street, brattleboro 802.251.8226 www.brattleburger.com ............................................................. Tues-Sat 11:30-9 • Sun 11:30-3 • Closed Mon (802) 251-8226 97 Main St, Brattleboro, VT get 50 get $50 get 50 CASH CASH CASH $$ TAX PREPARATION WITHWITH PAIDPAID TAX PREPARATION WITH PAID TAX PREPARATION Putney 972972 Putney Rd Rd 972 Putney Rd Brattleboro, Brattleboro, VT VT Brattleboro, VT 05301 05301 05301 802-257-2080 802-257-2080 802-257-2080 866-871-1040 LibertyTax.com 866-871-1040 LibertyTax.com 866-871-1040 LibertyTax.com With tax preparation. Valid participating With paid taxpaid preparation. Valid at participating With paid tax preparation. Valid at at participating locations. Cannot becombined combined with other locations. Cannot Cannot be combined with other offers oroffers locations. be with other offers or or used pastservices. services. One coupon customer used toward toward past One coupon perper customer used toward past services. One coupon per customer and per return. return. exclusions Other may apply. VoidVoid per Otherexclusions exclusions may apply. and perand return. Other may apply. Void where prohibited prohibited law. Valid 01/15/16 - 02/15/16 where by law.01/15/16 Valid 01/15/16 - 02/15/16 where prohibited by law.by Valid - 02/15/16 LIBERTY AX LIBERTY TAX LIBERTY TTAX at Brattleboro Country Club Open Year Round! Thursday - Saturday: 11am - 3pm & 5:30 - 8pm Wing Nights on Thursdays! Sunday Brunch 9am - 3pm Refer to our website: www.brattleborocountryclub.com for info and events. Fresh Pastries • Salads & Sandwiches Vermont Products • Gifts • Gourmet to Go The West River Trail begins here! 28 Spring Tree Rd., Brattleboro VT 802-257-7563 VermontMarina.com Proof generated January 12, 2016 10:30 PM Cold outside? Come warm up with our homemade soups! DINING & EVENTS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 348 Upper Dummerston Road • Brattleboro, VT 05301 802.254.9864 • [email protected] THE ARTS B4 • Wednesday, January 13, 2016 Local artist offers recycling, up-cycling workshop to benefit Groundworks’ Food Shelf Stone Church Arts presents mandolin ensemble concert BELLOWS FALLS—Stone Church Arts and Immanuel Retreat Center in Bellows Falls hosts the Festival of Mandolin Chamber Music for the sixth time, Jan. 14 through 17. The festival welcomes participants from near and far, both Canada and the Northeastern United States. It culminates in a public concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 17, featuring the New England Mandolin Ensemble and Festival Participants. Directed by professor August Watters of Berklee College of Music, the ensemble presents a concert of THE COMMONS BRATTLEBORO—With an up-cycled twist on basket weaving, a three-part workshop— taught by local artists Jackie Abrams, Carol Barber, and Sandie Page—will benefit the Groundworks Food Shelf. The workshop, which takes place on three Wednesday evenings (Jan. 27 and Feb. 10 and 24) at the Marlboro College Graduate Center on Vernon Street, will cover the art of making “yarn” from used plastic bags to crochet strong, colorful, and multi-purpose tote bags. “I have been offering this workshop in Brattleboro since 2011, always to benefit the Brattleboro Food Shelf. It is a great way to use those plastic bags, and to create an environmentally friendly bag,” Abrams said in a news release. “Instead of a ‘quilting bee,’ it is a ‘plastic crocheting bee.’ Always fun!” classical music, traditional folk music for fans of the mandolin, mandola, mandocello, and classical guitar. The purpose of the festival is to create learning and performance opportunities for those interested in chamber music composed for mandolin and its related instruments, as well as classical guitar. Tickets are $17 general admission and $13 seniors in advance ($20 and $15 at the door). Further information and tickets are available at Village Square Booksellers in Bellows Falls, by calling 802-460-0110, and online at www.stonechurcharts.org. In 2008 and 2009, Abrams developed a fair trade enterprise in Pokuase, Ghana, working with a group of Ghanaian women, focusing on the use of materials that usually litter the environment. The women learned to crochet with plastic bags, creating handbags and wallets, which they sold to supplement their subsistence livelihoods. Workshop participants are encouraged to collect bags from friends and family to be used in the course to make baskets, shopping bags with handles, covered jars, and even sculptural forms. The course registration fee is $35 for three classes, with all proceeds benefiting Groundworks. Groundworks Collaborative is the agency created from the recent merger of Morningside Shelter and the Brattleboro Area Drop In Center. The newly-merged organization continues to provide all of the services offered by each of the agencies, including the operation of our region’s largest food shelf, and the Brattleboro area’s only shelters for those experiencing homelessness. Those interested in the course may register with Jackie Abrams by calling 802-257-2688 or by emailing www.groundworksVT.org. MOORE CLEANING SERVICE Next Stage welcomes Jacques Brel and Main Street Arts to Putney BRATTLEBORO VT AREA PUTNEY—Next Stage Arts Project will host the final performance of Main Street Arts’ production of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris on Saturday, Jan. 16, at Next Stage’s newly renovated theater in Putney. Showtime is at 7:30 p.m. While not a household name in America, Brel’s “literate and incredibly emotional songs” (New York magazine) became “part of the national consciousness of post-war Europe.” His music has been recorded by more than 400 professional recording artists, from Edith Piaf and Frank Sinatra to Judy Collins and Nirvana, and translated into more than 22 languages. STEPHEN MOORE Residential & Commercial Cleaning House Sitting & Pet Sitting through the winter season (802) 272-0569 References “SATISFACTION GUARANTEED” For all of your renewable energy needs, solar solutions, and gifts for the holidays! Solar electric and solar hot water for your home and business. 802-258-1723 English language translators, Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, tried to answer the question by incorporating his songs into a cabaret-style musical that became an award-winning standard of the Off-Broadway and regional stage. Over the last few months Main Street Arts has taken Jacques Brel on the road, bringing it to a variety of locales from dinner clubs to theaters across the area. According to Main Street Arts’ Co-chair Kathleen Bryar, the idea of a starting a touring company was “somewhat of an experiment this year. Jacques Brel seemed like a natural fit to launch the project.” MSA Managing Director Margo Ghia said the show is also intended to be part of Main Street Arts’ planned outreach to other area cultural institutions. “When we completed our renovation and expansion project, we wanted to go out into the community to celebrate that achievement. We also wanted to connect with the other wonderful area organizations and businesses that do so much for arts and culture in our area,” said Ghia. Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door. For more information or to order tickets, call Main Street Arts at 802-869-2960 or go to mainstreetarts.org. BMAC presents documentary on Mongolian shamanism sunnysidesolarstore.com 499 Marlboro Road, West Brattleboro BRATTLEBORO—The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) presents a screening of the documentary film, Ceremony, followed by a discussion with filmmaker Sas Carey, on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. Admission is $5 at the door, free for BMAC members and children under 18. A project 10 years in the making, Ceremony sheds light on the mysterious spiritual life of shamans in northern Mongolia, specifically focusing on one Weight Loss Better health can start today When was the last time you felt GREAT? Did you know there are simple changes you can make everyday to lead a healthier, happy life? Registered Dietician, Ashley Mellinger, has joined Biologic and is accepting new patients. She will work one on one with you to set and achieve sustainable health goals that include diet, exercise and whole body wellness. Contact Biologic Healthcare today. Become the healthiest you that you can be. ACCEPTING NEW Europe’s intelligentsia fell in love with songs such as “Carousel” (originally, “La Valse a Mille Temps”), considering it a three-minute musical meditation about life whirling and speeding out of control. The English version of “Quand on n’a que l’Amour” would become an early antiwar anthem in the United States during the Vietnam conflict and helped inspire the Beatles’ song “All You Need Is Love.” Brel caused a sensation in the late sixties when, at the height of his fame, he quit the stage and all but disappeared. For much of Europe it was as if Frank Sinatra and the Beatles suddenly vanished. Where had he gone? His particular ceremony that few outsiders have ever witnessed, let alone filmed. Carey, a nurse from Middlebury, spent more than a decade with the shamans and nomads in the Mongolian steppe. After many years, the shamans allowed her to film their ceremony, during which a shaman slips into a trance and takes on a spirit being. The shaman and others provide voiceover commentary, in order to help viewers comprehend what they are seeing. “Their system is thousands and thousands of years old,” said Carey. “It’s very powerful. They just allow their souls to leave their bodies. They’re just like shells that are accepting their ancestors’ spirits, and they start acting like something else. In the film, a shaman named Nergui starts howling like a wolf. It’s like the energy of the wolf is in his body.” Ceremony grew out of Carey’s work with the nonprofit ■ Dedell Choir with works by John Tavener and Morten Lauridsen. “I had wanted to do the Tavener piece for several years now,” says Dedell. “But I could not think of anything that would be suitable to program with this short work, except, of course, a complete Tavener evening. His music is so distinctly sacred. But you know, he also has a mystic side, which keeps everything a little open-ended.” Dedell says she feels that Tavener’s Svyati is a dramatic and profoundly moving work, PATIENTS sensible approaches to your well-being Primary Care Naturopathic Medicine Lifestyle Medicine 205 Main Street • Brattleboro 802.275.4732 • biologichealthcare.com $ 5.00 Off FROM SECTION FRONT where the solo cello and choir have a dialogue as though between priest and choir in a service. “The cello also represents the Icon of Christ, and the choir functions as the ‘bells of heaven,’” writes Dedell. “It is a truly amazing composition. “Both the cello and the chorus are written with a huge tonal range, with extremely low tones in the men’s voices, as well as some very high writing for the cello. The writing for the cello is narrative and vocal, while the choir may function more instrumentally — for instance when they create the effect of overlapping bells. The ambient effect of this piece is awe-inspiring.” Judith Serkin is the featured soloist in Tavener’s Svyati, written for a cappella choir and solo cello. Serkin is well known as a frequent performer at the Marlboro Festival, and was one of the original founders of the Brattleboro Music Center School. The third composer of the concert, Morten Lauridsen, received the National Medal of Arts “for his composition of radiant choral works combining musical beauty, power and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide.” His works have been recorded on more than 200 CDs, five of which HAND-CRAFTED PIZZA SMOKED BBQ Dine in and take out Naturals Pelleted Horse Feed 75 Elliot St. Brattleboro 802.579.1092 hazelpizza.com 50 lb. bag Limit 1 per customer. Not valid with other offers. Exp. 1/31/16. organization Nomadicare, a group that provides medical care to the people of the Mongolian steppe. Audience members wishing to learn more about Nomadicare or to make a donation to support its ongoing work will have the opportunity to do so at BMAC on Jan. 14. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit www.brattleboromuseum.org. New York-Style Pizza BBQ Smoked in-house Sandwiches Salads Full Bar have received Grammy Award nominations. “Lauridsen is a real treasure,” says Dedell with enthusiasm. “He seems incapable of not writing beautifully. You give a chorus something of his to sing, they invariably love it. I think his accessible sound helps audiences relate to the other more challenging music in the contemporary singing world.” The choir will sing his O Magnum Mysterium, Ubi Caritas, Sure on this Shining Night, and a new composition, Prayer. Dedell chose these four pieces because she finds them particularly moving, she says. She explains, “They remind me that although I don’t know where music comes from, and I certainly don’t know where inspiration comes from, I do know that some music has the power to melt away the ice that sometimes seems to form around our hearts and minds. And I just don’t think we can get enough of that.” Tickets for Luminous Night are $15, $10 for students. For more information, visit the Brattleboro Music Center, 38 Walnut St., call 802-257-4523 or go to bmcvt.org. www.achilleagway.com Keene Martell Ct. 357-5720 Peterborough Jaffrey Rd. 924-6801 Walpole Main St. 756-9400 Hillsboro Henniker St. 464-3755 Milford 351 Elm St. 673-1669 Brattleboro, VT Putney Rd. (802) 254-8755 How to sAvE monEy while shopping at the Co-op! da y a r e E ve r y es! L o w Pr i c eals co+op d ks! boo coupon ar e Rot a t in g S ale s Pr ic in g! In-Store ls! Monthly Specia a free tour to learn shopping tips at the Co-op! BrattleBoro Food Co - op E v E r yo n E Mon - Sat 7–9, Sun 9–9 • 2 Main Street, Brattleboro BrattleboroFoodCoop.coop • 802-257-0236 is wE lComE ! Proof generated January 12, 2016 10:30 PM Best Kept Secret in Town Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinners Special Orders, Cakes & Pies Catering Available 747 Putney Road Brattleboro, VT In or 802-579-1622 Eat Call for Take Out TOWN & VILLAGE SECTION B C Wednesday, January C R 13, O S S 2016 W O R D • . page . . . . . . .C1 .C3 AROUND THE TOWNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C3 Wednesday, January 13, 2016 page C1 M ARLBO R O NEWF A NE Huskies gone wild Selectboard orders owner to control dogs or face penalties By Wendy M. Levy The Commons NEWFANE—A Newfane dog breeder has been ordered by the Selectboard to control her dogs, or she could risk losing her kennel license, and pay a $500 fine. Samantha Rivera’s huskies have flown their coop three times in six months, resulting in three domestic animal deaths. At the Dec. 21 regular Selectboard meeting, Rivera told the board she had 11 adult huskies, and one was pregnant. Animal Control Officer Michael Young told the board he had received two calls about Rivera’s dogs, and there was an additional incident prior to his taking the position. On Nov. 30, Young said a person living on Blueberry Extension alerted him to the pack of dogs running around his house “all day.” Winchester Stables had a visit from Rivera’s huskies on Dec. 6. The third event occurred in July. All three incidents led to the loss of residents’ animals. Two chickens and one goat died as a result of the dogs being loose. According to Rivera’s statement at the Selectboard meeting, the dogs were playing with the goat and it drowned in a pond. She said she offered to reimburse the owners of the animals for their losses. “The dogs are very friendly and healthy,” Young said. “They’re not vicious,” he added, “They just get out.” He noted that his concern, as Animal Control Officer, is for the health and welfare of all of Newfane’s livestock and wildlife. Rivera told the board she was “doing everything I can to keep them secure,” but, “they’re escape-artists.” She detailed the new fencing, and electric fences, she has installed to try to contain her dogs. Rivera said the culprit was likely a gate the dogs had manipulated to allow their flight, and she has since repaired it. Selectboard members assured Rivera of the gravity of the situation, noting Vermont law permits ■ SEE DOGS, C4 BRATTL E B OR O Town calls contract with Black Mountain gravity-fed sewer line By Olga Peters The Commons BRATTLEBORO—The town might take the unusual step of halting a major construction project and calling back its bond. The project in question is the Black Mountain gravity fed sewer line. Intended to replace a pump station with a lower-cost, lowermaintenance option, the gravity feed would carry waste under Interstate 91 and into the municipal system beneath Putney Road, according to Town Manager Peter Elwell. The project was also intended to be fairly straightforward, simple, and completed by July 31, 2015. Unfortunately, as the fall flooding of 10 businesses at Black Mountain Square demonstrated — the total estimated damage was upwards of $500,000, as of December — the pipeline might be a pipe dream. The town contracted with excavating contractor Kingsbury Construction Co., and engineering firm Hoyle, Tanner & Associates of Manchester, N.H. Speaking at the Jan. 5 Selectboard meeting, Elwell said the project met with early difficulties that have continued to build. “The pipe will not function in its current condition,” Elwell said. He added that it’s rare that the Town of Brattleboro would “call a contract.” Town Attorney Robert Fisher sent a letter dated Dec. 30, 2015, informing the project team of the town’s concerns. The letter gives the project team 10 days to meet with the Selectboard and outline a plan to get the project back on track and working, said Elwell. If a new plan can’t happen, then the attorney’s letter also starts a process that protects the town from stopping bond payments related to the project. Facing Act 46, Marlboro expands its school board Voters decide that expanding board from three to five members is necessary to handle education law’s complexities By Mike Faher VtDigger/The Commons MARLBORO—This town’s school directors will have a little more company as they march into the uncharted territories of Act 46. After some debate, Marlboro voters on Jan. 4 agreed to expand the town’s school board from three members to five. Soon after that vote, Lauren Poster and Dan MacArthur were named to fill the two new seats until Town Meeting, when elections will be held for full one-year terms. Marlboro officials admitted that board expansion is an unusual step for a small school facing consolidation under Vermont’s new education-governance law. But they told voters that they need help in dealing with the complexities of that statute—not to mention handling the everyday business of running a school. “We just thought this was an important time to have more representation from the community,” said Jen Carr, Marlboro’s board chairwoman. Act 46 is an attempt to reduce school costs and streamline governance in an era of rising taxes and declining enrollments. The 2015 law pushes for larger districts via mergers due to take effect by 2019, at the latest. It’s a difficult, potentially controversial process for any school district. But that’s especially true for a school like Marlboro: It is the only K-8 district in Windham Central Supervisory Union, meaning officials may have to look outside the union’s boundaries for potential merger partners if they want to retain their Martin Luther King Jr. celebration to be held at Centre Church BRATTLEBORO—On Sunday, Jan. 17, at 4 p.m., there will be a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Centre Congregational Church, 193 Main St. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech will be shown, jazz pianist Franz Robert will play, an intergenerational community choir led by Andy Davis will sing, and Julie Cunningham, executive director of Families First, will be the featured speaker. New to this year’s event is a tribute to the “Hidden Heroes and Heroines” of the Civil Rights Movement, profiling individuals from different faith traditions who were instrumental in the success of the movement and of King’s work. The service will conclude with the traditional lighting of a candle by everyone in attendance. Singers of all ages and abilities are encouraged to come to the church at 3 p.m. to rehearse songs for the service. This event is sponsored by the Brattleboro Area Interfaith Clergy Association as an opportunity for people of all ages, faiths, races, and ethnicities to come together to remember, to learn, and to celebrate all that unites us. Admission is free, but a good-will donation will be MIKE FAHER/VTDIGGER AND THE COMMONS The Marlboro Elementary School. current school setup. “We don’t really have natural partners,” Carr said. “We don’t look like any other schools in our supervisory union in order to merge easily, so we have a harder decision to make.” There’s no shortage of Act 46 studies and discussions happening in Windham Central. The supervisory union has been approved for a $5,000 grant to fund a consultant who will assist the entire union with Act 46 deliberations, Superintendent Steven John said. Independently of that, school officials in Jamaica and Marlboro are taking their own in-depth looks at merger options. It all adds up to a lot more work for Marlboro’s three-member board. Carr noted that the town’s school board has been holding its regular meetings; attending Marlboro’s Act 46 committee meetings; attending more-frequent Windham Central meetings; and traveling to other towns to talk about mergers. “With five people, we can actually delegate that out,” Carr said. “There are different roles that people (can) take, and it helps us to divide them up.” So Marlboro’s school board summoned voters to a special meeting Jan. 4, seeking permission to add two extra members and ease their workload. But there were some questions among a small crowd of about 20 people who braved frigid temperatures for the evening vote. Some recognized the irony of expanding a school board in reaction to a law that calls for downsizing school governance. “A school this small is expanding, rather than the contraction that Act 46 is aimed at?” asked Jean Boardman, herself a former Marlboro school director. Later, Boardman said she didn’t oppose the change but wanted to raise the issue for debate. That seemed to be a common sentiment: No one spoke explicitly against expansion, but voters questioned the timing of the decision; the long-term need for two extra board members; and the ability to keep those seats filled. “You beat the bushes (for candidates), and it’s getting tougher and tougher and tougher,” one voter said. “And I think that’s got to be clearly understood if we’re going to try and add two more people. It’s hard enough to ■ SEE SCHOOL BOARD, C4 GUILFO RD AMY BOEMIG/SPECIAL TO THE COMMONS/FILE PHOTO A view of Sweet Pond before the drawdown that took place in 2011 amid concerns about the integrity of the dam. taken with proceeds shared between the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity and the Root Social Justice Center. Following the service, a spaghetti dinner will be served in the lower level of the church, a fundraiser for interfaith youth service trips to South Dakota and Kenya. Vegetarian and gluten-free options will be available. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12 years old. For more information about these events, contact Guilford Community Church, U.C.C. at 802-257-2776. Sweet Pond Dam reconstruction plans move forward By Wendy M. Levy The Commons GUILFORD—The timetable for Guilford’s Sweet Pond Dam reconstruction was recently released by the state, and locals are already lining up to help decide the future of the popular recreation site. The pond, located about eight miles from the town’s center, was drained in the summer of 2011, after the state’s Dam Safety Section deemed the structure unsafe. In response, locals formed a grassroots campaign to fix the dam and restore the pond. They raised almost $7,000 to contribute to site enhancements, said Linda Hecker, a member of the Sweet Pond Steering Committee. State Rep. Michael Hebert, R-Vernon, took on the cause. At a Selectboard meeting last May, Hebert admitted he was a “pest” in the Statehouse, and the issue became known in Montpelier as “Hebert’s Damn Dam.” His efforts worked. Hebert secured $405,000 for the town from the state, with the help of Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Forest, Parks, and Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder, and Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz. In mid-September, the Sweet Pond Steering Committee threw a party celebrating the securing of the funding, and the imminent return of the pond and its surroundings. Politicians spoke, a band played, and locals and visitors cheered the victory. And now the work begins. Or at least the planning of the work. ■ SEE SWEET POND, C4 Free brake inspections! 10% off brake service & repair Valid during the month of January 753 Brattleboro Rd, Hinsdale, NH (603) 336-5100 • ShippeeAuto.com Proof generated January 12, 2016 11:25 PM • Service on all Makes & Models of Cars, Light Trucks, & SUVs • Specializing in VW, Audi, & Subaru • All work Guaranteed • Certified ASE Master Technicians • Free Loaner Cars TOWN & VILL AGE C2 Transcribing, Editing and Proofreading Services Up to 60% off Complete from Manuscript to Ready to Print Sweaters, Tops, Pants, Accessories and More! ❦ Elizabeth: [email protected]; 802-257-7475 [email protected] 802.348.7377 WINTER CLEARANCE HELP WANTED Exit 1, I-91 Brattleboro Open Daily! 9:30-6:00, Sun til' 5:00 To place your employment ad, call us at (802) 246-6397 or email [email protected] STEBBINS MASONRY Vernon, Vermont The historic and civic minded Town of Vernon, Vermont (pop. 2,193) seeks a collaborative and dynamic town administrator. Its abundant outdoor recreational opportunities reflect quintessential Vermont living while in proximity to several major urban areas. The announcement and job description are available at: http://www.vlct.org/marketplace/classifiedads/town-administrator-2/ The successful candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in public administration, political science, or business management or a minimum of three years’ experience in an administrative or managerial capacity in either municipal government or business, or a combination of equivalent experience. Applications are confidential. Send cover letter, resume and three references by 2/8/16 to: [email protected] with email subject: “Vernon”. EOE Engaging minds that change the world Office/Program Outreach Support (EFNEP Nutrition Educator) Part-time paraprofessional position (75%) with FULL benefits. UVM Extension is seeking an individual to identify, recruit, and provide services to income eligible youth, pregnant women and families with young children through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in the community and home setting. The primary focus is teaching the skills of healthful food selection, meal planning, food preparation, food safety, physical activity, and gardening and food preservation (as appropriate) based on USDA guidelines using the provided curriculum and materials. This position will be based in the Brattleboro Extension Office and will serve the Southeast Region of Vermont. High School diploma/G.E.D. and three years related experience required, or an equivalent combination. Must provide own transportation to and from work sites. For further information, or to apply with electronic application, resume and cover letter, visit our website at: http://www.uvmjobs.com, Posting #S530PO Tel: (802) 656-3150. Candidates’ forum set for Jan. 14 PUTNEY—As Putney’s municipal election season begins, town officials are hosting an informational candidates’ forum on Thursday, Jan. 14, at the Putney Public Library. Beginning at 6 p.m., potential candidates will have the opportunity to learn about the open positions in the town and school district offices. Members of the Selectboard will be available to answer the public’s questions. The following positions are open for the town offices: Cemetery Commission, 3-year term; Lister, one 2- and one 3-year term; Moderator, 1-year term; Selectperson, 3-year term; Town Agent, 1-year term; and two Town Grand Jurors are needed, 1-year terms. Jewett NEWFA NE Plumbing & Heating Serving the brattleboro area with reliable profeSSional Service Residential • commeRcial TOWN ADMINISTRATOR The administrator assists the five-member selectboard’s general administration of the town. Responsibilities include: supporting all departments as needed, budget administration, engagement in selectboard meetings, PR, and coordination with elected and appointed officials. Salary for this full-time position is $50,000 with excellent benefits. • Wednesday, January 13, 2016 PU TN EY P rofessional B ook Design anD ProDuction for self-P uBlishers Accurate, Confidential, Fast Turn-Around, Fair Pricing THE COMMONS - bathRoom & kitchen Remodeling - complete heating systems - wateR pumps & systems Specializing in Block Brick and Stone Foundation Repair waterproofing Stone wall and fireplace rebuild and repair Please contact Stebbins Masonry at 802-365-4446 The University of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. LEON’S AND J & L have an opening for a full time Windham Commons EXPERIENCED AUTO BODY Issue: 1/13 TECHNICIAN Due: 1/8 • Ability to repair anything from minor scrapes to major Size: 2 (3.4) x 3 body damage Cost: to$116.47 • Attention detail a must! • Ability to repair a variety of vehicles - Old and New • Must be willing to become I-CAR certified The repairer usually works approximately 40 hours a week. We’re a drug free workplace and offer a competitive salary with full benefits including 401k with company match. Stop in and complete a job application at Leon’s and J & L, 600 Main Street, Keene or email your resume with salary requirements to: [email protected] 802-254-4963 1090 Western avenue West brattleboro REAL ESTATE FOR SALE AVENUE GROCARY 82 western ave $125,000 Includes building, inventory & equipment. Contact Jean for more info 860-302-6007 Town concerned about illegal dumping of used hypodermic needles NEWFANE—During the roads report segment of the Dec. 21 Selectboard meeting, the roads crew alerted the board to a new scourge on South Wardsboro Road: someone has been dumping used hypodermic needles in a pull-off area on the Newfane portion of the road. According to the report, read by board member Dennis Wiswall, the roads crew had to clean up the needles three times so far. The roads crew asked the Selectboard to do something about it. One suggestion was to Stratton Mountain recognized for diverting food waste STRATTON—Stratton Mountain Resort is the only Vermont organization to be recognized this year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for efforts in diverting food waste. Stratton is among the 24 organizations recognized in the EPA’s annual “Food Recovery Challenge,” which collectively diverted over 38,000 tons of food to donation or composting in 2014. In efforts to reduce landfill waste and contribute to a sustainable environment, Stratton composted 19.10 tons of food Immanuel Episcopal Church Sunday Services: PUBLIC NOTICES To place your legal/public notice/ ad, call (802) 246-6397 or email [email protected] TOWN OF NEWFANE COMMERCIAL TELEPHONE SYSTEM REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 8:00 & 10:00 am You will prepare reports on the conditions of units and maintenance or repairs needed and or performed. Inspect, maintain and service individual rooms as well as the common public spaces of the building using a standard checklist. Basic Education plus one to three years of relevant work experience and/or trades training, or a combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and skills are acquired. www.finnellroofing.com 802-463-3100 This is a Full Time Year Round Benefitted Position. Apply online at www.mountsnow.com/employment. EOE NOTICE TO CREDITORS To the Creditors of: Danny R. Alsvig (Decedent) late of Athens, Vermont (Decedent’s town of residence) I have been appointed to administer this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months of the first publication of this notice. The claim must be presented to me at the address listed below with a copy sent to the Court. The claim may be barred forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period. Dated: January 11, 2016 Executor/Administrator: Scott A. McAllister, Esq Phone Number: (802) 876-7848 Mailing Address: 78 Severance Green, Suite 102 Colchester, VT Name of Publication: The Commons Publication Date: January 13, 2016 Windham Windsor Name of Probate Court: Vermont Superior Court, Windham Unit, Probate Division Address of Probate Court: 30 Putney Road, 2nd Floor, Brattleboro, VT 05301 The Chimney & Stove Care Whole System Service s #LEANING s 2EPAIR s )NSTALLATION s 2ELINING s 9EARROUND 3ERVICE [email protected] www.vtchimneydoctor.com MATT SKOVE AUDIO DESIGN Home Stereo/Flat Screen TVs Home Theater Installation Sales and/or Installation... I’ll come to you! 802-257-5419 audiodesignvt.com Candidates will possess strong administration, relational and communication skills. This position requires high energy and an organized and proactive employee who is a quick learner committed to ongoing education and skill development. Work with a great team in a mission driven organization! WWHT provides affordable rental housing to low- and moderate-income households, including families and individuals, persons with disabilities or special needs, and the elderly. We offer a competitive salary and benefits. Please submit a cover letter and resume to Human Resources, WWHT, 68 Birge Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301 or [email protected]. WWHT is an Equal Opportunity Employer www.w-wht.org Proof generated January 12, 2016 11:25 PM Vernon, VT 802-257-1619 [email protected] MUSIC AT MCNEILL’S 90 Elliot St, Brattleboro H o u s i n g Tr u s t PROPERTY MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT Septic Tank Pumping & Portable Toilet Rentals Car Stereo & Do you have excellent administrative and interpersonal skills? Windham & Windsor Housing Trust (WWHT) seeks a full-time Property Management Assistant based in the Brattleboro, VT office. The successful candidate will be responsible for all aspects of waitlist and available apartment administration, tenant qualification, lease- up preparation as well as assisting the Intake Specialist at the front desk. 802.257.0841 Chimney Doctor Putney, VT PROBATE DIVISION Docket No.: 51-3-13 Wmpr • Shingles • Slate • Rubber • Metal immanuelepiscopal.org immanuelepsicopal.org (802) 387-6037 STATE OF VERMONT Finnell Roofing LLC Residential/Commercial Insured Proposals, to be received in a sealed envelope marked “Town Office Phone System” are due by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, February 1, 2016. SUPERIOR COURT Windham Unit in re ESTATE of: Danny R. Alsvig in the 2014-15 winter season. According to the EPA, “diverting food waste from landfills ... reduces the generation of harmful gases that contribute to climate change.” Compost can be used as nutrient rich soil, helps aid forest restoration, and can eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers. Stratton Mountain Club’s dining crew have been composting for about two years. They send food scraps from the dining facilities to 38 gallon food totters where it becomes compost, and take it to a farm in upstate New York. 20 Church St, Bellows Falls, VT To view the current system or discuss the project further, please contact Shannon Meckle, Administrative Assistant at (802) 365-7772 - Ext. 14, or [email protected]. to carry out a variety of general maintenance tasks to the Grand Summit Hotel building and grounds. ask the Vermont State Police to increase patrols along that road. But, Wiswall noted, with a slight hint of irony, that catching the perpetrator is like “finding a needle in a haystack.” Instead, Wiswall recommended temporarily installing a game camera at the dump site to catch the hypo scofflaw. Members of the Selectboard agreed that publicity generated by mentioning the crime at the meeting, where it will be broadcast on Brattleboro Community Television, might deter future incidents. The Town of Newfane is seeking proposals for the procurement and installation of a commercial phone system with automated attendant, and seven (7) speaker phones with Caller ID. Please indicate warranty available, if any. LODGING MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN In the school district, the following positions are open: two School Directors, 1-year positions; School Director, 2-year; and School Director, 3-year. For more information contact Anita Coomes, Town Clerk, 802-387-5862, ext. 14; Cynthia Stoddard, Town Manager, 802387-5862, ext. 11; or putneytc@ putneyvt.org. STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT Windham Unit in re ESTATE of: Paul Erich Brown PROBATE DIVISION Docket No.: 556-12-15 Wmpr NOTICE TO CREDITORS To the Creditors of: Paul Erich Brown (Decedent) late of Whitingham (Decedent’s town of residence) I have been appointed to administer this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months of the first publication of this notice. The claim must be presented to me at the address listed below with a copy sent to the Court. The claim may be barred forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period. Dated: January 1, 2016 Executor/Administrator: John B. Loehmann Phone Number: (802) 257-5292 Name of Publication: The Commons Publication Date: January 13, 2016 Mailing Address: c/o Jonathan D. Secrest, Esq Corum Mabie Cook Prodan Angell & Secrest, PLC 45 Linden Street Brattleboro, VT 05301 Name of Probate Court: Vermont Superior Court, Windham Unit, Probate Division Address of Probate Court: 30 Putney Road, Brattleboro, VT 05301 Brattleboro Pharmacy 413 Canal Street 254-7777 Locally Owned Independent Personal Service Open 7 Days Easy Parking Free Delivery Wednesday, Jan. 13 Irish music - free Thursday, Jan. 14 Jean Chaine and the Fiction Giants masters of funk - free Friday, Jan. 15 The STOCKWELL BROTHERS Bluegrass band - $5 cover Saturday, Jan. 16 Michael Louis Smith trio, Fusion jazz/rock from Brooklyn - $5 cover Monday, January 18 Bluegrass Jam THE COMMONS • Wednesday, January 13, 2016 C3 AROUND THE TOWNS THE COMMONS CROSSWORD Across 1 2 3 4 5 6 1. Lucy’s guy 5. Proof word 19 20 1. Lucy’s guy 9. Disgust and then some 15. 5. Shipwreck’s Proof word spot 23 24 19. reality-show 9. 1999 Disgust and then flick some 20. Sing the praises of 27 15. Shipwreck’s spot 21. “Game of Thrones” actress 19. 1999 reality-show flick Williams 32 33 34 20. Sing the praises 22. Housekeeping jobof 21. “Game of Thrones” actress 23. Financial backers’ truthfulness? 38 Williams 26. Talk to the man upstairs 44 45 27. Balanced bridgejob opening 22. Housekeeping 28. The D’backs, on chyrons 23. Financial backers’ 49 50 29. Hoppy beer truthfulness? 30. Asparagus 26. Talk to theservings man upstairs 54 55 56 32. In need of an ice pack 27. Balanced bridge opening 35. Smoking or sweets, e.g. 28. The D’backs, on chyrons 61 62 37. Leaning 29. Hoppy beer taken illegally? 38. Chesspiece 65 30. Asparagus servings 41. Have bills due 32. In need an ice pack 44. Ruin, as aofpicnic 68 69 46. “Cool” 35. Smoking or sweets, e.g. 47. “Cool” 37. Leaning 74 75 48. Square dance participant 38. Chesspiece taken illegally? 49. POTUS, militarily 78 79 41. Have bills due 50. Have a title to 44. Ruin, as a picnic 52. Candidate Sanders, in tweets 82 83 46. “Cool” 53. Longish skirt 47. “Cool” getaway spot 90 91 54. Romantic 48. Square dance 55. Brought drinksparticipant over? 94 95 49. POTUS,open-mouthed militarily 60. Stares (at) 50. Have a title to 61. Perfection 100 101 63. Believer in a “watchmaker God” 52. Candidate Sanders, in tweets 64. Out looking for adventure 53. Longish skirt 107 108 109 65. 8-point itemgetaway in Scrabble 54. Romantic spot 66. Equal share number 55. Brought drinks over? 113 114 67. In the past 60. Stares open-mouthed (at) 68. Tough guys 117 118 61. Perfection 70. Lake rental 63. Believer in a “watchmaker __ rug 71. God” of a party 74. Belief 11. Foul ground Down 75. Head covering 64. Out looking forstrap? adventure 12. Cruising? 1. New wave band with energy 77. Hotheadedness 65. 8-point item in Scrabble domes 13. Rapper __ Dicky 78. Director von Trier 66. Equal share number 2. Perfect places 14. < 79. Yelp review, 67. In the past sometimes 3. Toss everywhere 15. Urge on 80. Coastal eagle 68. Tough guys 4. Tennis 81. Kate Middleton’s nana-in-law, 16. Bashesstar at aAna New York race 70. briefly Lake rental 5. Manning in the NFC track? 71. __ rug 6. Test animal 82. Male sib 17. Onecapital telling stories? 7. Its is Georgetown 74. Belief ofataStarbucks, party 83. Grande e.g. 18. Ice cream brand 8. Trash can emanation 84. Book fig. 75. Head publishing covering strap? 24. Actor Firth 9. Health studies org. 87. Contract stipulation 77. Hotheadedness 25. Fun run length 10. Anxiously nervous 90. Intent 78. Director von Trier 11. Foul ground 31. Panthers of the NCAA 91. Relaxing mountain climb? 79. Yelp review, sometimes 12. Cruising? 94. Lubed up 33. Head of a pub? 80. Coastal eagle 13. Rapper __ Dicky 96. River near the Leaning Tower 34. Where “Tejas” is vis-a-vis 81. Kate Middleton’s nana-in-law, 14. < 97. Georgia, e.g. Tijuana briefl y 15. Urge on 100. Sprint Cup Series org. 36. Ballerina Rubinstein 16. Bashes at a New York race 82. English Male sib__ foreign language 102. 37. track? Juggling three jobs and 83. Oct. Grande Starbucks, e.g. 103. andatNov. smoking, 17. One tellinge.g. stories? 105. orange fig. 84. Kind Bookofpublishing 18. Ice cream brand Basil 39. One-hit wonder 107. ingredient 87. Sunscreen Contract stipulation 24. Actor Firth of doing anything 40. Incapable 108. 90. Improved Intent some fish? 25. Fun runmolded length 42. Easily 113. Gila River city 91. Relaxing mountain climb? 31. Panthers of the tool NCAA 43. Mass-emailing 114. In a really mean way 94. Lubed up 33. Head of a pub? 115. Fred’s pet 44. Cantaloupe leftover 96. River near the Leaning Tower 34. Where “Tejas” is vis-a-vis 116. Four-award artist, initially 45. Tijuana Take over a gene unit? 97. Discover Georgia, rival, e.g. briefly 117. 49. Chapter 102 36. Ballerina Rubinstein 100. Sprintback Cup Series org. 118. Hold 51. Like some wit jobs and 37. Juggling three 102. English __ foreign language 119. Put overhead, maybe smoking, e.g. 52. Occupied 120. Wine selection 103. Oct. and Nov. Across COMMUNITY TV 802- 463-1613 www.fact8.com Brattleboro Time Trade exchanges Time Credits, a community currency that anyone can earn by using their time, resources, skills or energy to help others. 802-246-1199 www.brattleborotimetrade.org Be Sure To Check Full Schedule Program@Schedule @ Be Sure To Check Our FullOur Program brattleborotv.org brattleborotv.org LOCAL PROGRAM BCTV HIGHLIGHTS Local Program Highlights Week of: Jan. 11of - Jan. 17, 2016 Week 11–17, 2016 CHA N N E L8 8 Channel C HChannel A N N E 10 L 10 BUHS TV News: Tue. & Thu. 10:15a - Replay Ch.8: Wed. & Thu. 5:30p 1st Wednesdays: The Buildings of Vermont: Mon. 8:40p, Wed. 11:15a, Fri. 3:30p, Sat. 4:30a Brattleboro Planning Commission Mtg. 1/4/16: Mon. 5:40a, Thu. 3:00p, Fri. 6:15a, Sat. 10:30 Agape Christian Fellowship: Delayed Fruit: Mon. 9:00a, Thu. 9:30p, Sun. 8:30a Brattleboro Selectboard Mtg. 1/5/16: Special Mtg 1/12/16:Live Tue. 6:15p Wed. 1:00p, Artists in the Berkshires - The Williams College Octet: Tue. 6:00p, Thu. 5:00a & 5:00p, Sat. 3:00p Brattleboro Town School Board Mtg. 1/13/16: Sun. 9:00a & 6:30p Brattleboro Junior PeeWee Football: 10/31/16: Mon. 4:55p, Wed. 9:00a, Fri. 6:00p BUHS School Board Mtg. 1/4/16: Mon. 4:40p, Wed. 10:30a Calvary Church of the West River Valley - Weekly Service: Tue. 9:00a, Fri. 7:00a, Sun. 10:00a Dummerston Selectboard Mtg. 1/6/16: Mon. 9:00a, Wed. 9:45p, Fri. 4:00a & 3:30p Energy Week Extra - Walter Gustafson of VPIRG: Tue. 10:00a, Wed. 6:00p, Sat. 9:30p Energy Week with George Harvey: Mon. 8:00a, Tue. 5:00p, Wed. 12:00p, Thu. 10:30a, Sat. 7:00p,Sun. 8:00a Firefighters, Architechs and Engineers for 911 Truth: Mon 6:05a & 10:00p, Wed. 1:00p, Sun. 8:30p Guilford Selectboard Mtg. 1/11/16: Fri. 6:00p, Sat. 7:30a First Baptist Church Service: Wed. 10:30a, Fri. 2:00p, Sun. 7:00a Jamaica Selectboard Mtg. 1/11/15: Thu. 6:00p, Sun. 3:00p Keep Talking: Friends with Benefits - Psychopharmacology & Psychtherapy: Mon. 8:00p, Tue. 12:50p, Fri. 10:50a & 4:50p, Sun 11:25p Leland and Gray School Board Mtg. 1/12/16: Fri. 8:30p, Sat. 2:30p, Sun. 5:30a Let’s Talk About Mental Health and Addiction: Mon 6:30p, Tue. 1:30p, Wed. 10:00a, Thurs. 6:00p, Fri. 1:30p Montpelier Connection - David Deen: Tue. 9:30a & 2:00p, Thu. 11:30a, Fri. 10:30a, Sun 5:00a & 6:00p New England Cooks - Chef Tom Bivins: Mon. 1:00p, Wed. 7:00a Newfane Selectboard Mtg. 1/4/16: Mon. 10:00a, Thu. 5:00p & 9:34p, Fri. 2:30p SEON: Heat Pump Workshop 11/9/15: Tue. 11:00a & 9:30p, Fri. 9:00a, Sun. 3:00p Townshend Selectboard Mtg. 1/4/16: Tue. 10:30a, Fri. 9:30a & 11:00p, Sun. 2:00p St. Michael’s Catholic Church Mass: Sun. 2:00p & 7:00p, Tue. 7:00a & 2:00p WSESU Act 46 Study Committee Mtg. 1/7/15: Wed. 6:00p, Thu. 6:55a - 1/13/16: Sun. 9:00p Vote for Vermont: Pros and Cons of Marijuana: Tue. 5:30a & 11:30p, Fri. 1:30p, Sun. 6:30p VT Statehouse Special Events - The Governors State of the State Address 1/7/16: Mon. 6:55a & 8:00p, Thu. 8:30p, Fri. 4:30p VYO: 2015 Youth Oechestra Chorus Palooza: Tue. 4:00p, Thu. 6:00a, Sat. 12:00p Vernon Selectboard Mtg. 1/4/16: Mon. 5:58p, Tue. 7:05a & 9:15p, Fri. 7:58a BCTV’s Program Highlights are sponsored by Note: Schedule subject to change. 105. 107. 108. 113. 114. 115. 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. municipal meeting coverage helps Commons reporters stay in touch. Read about it in the Town & Village section at www.commonsnews.org. Brattleboro Community Television — 257-0888 Kind of orange Sunscreen ingredient Improved some fish? Gila River city In a really mean way Fred’s pet Four-award artist, initially Discover rival, briefly Hold back Put overhead, maybe Wine selection Down 1. New wave band with energy domes 2. Perfect places 3. Toss everywhere 4. Tennis star Ana 5. Manning in the NFC 6. Test animal 7. Its capital is Georgetown 8. Trash can emanation 9. Health studies org. 10. Anxiously nervous 53. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 62. 64. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. Comic Marc with a podcast Pitching awards? Has an illness Minneapolis suburb Clear, as the windshield Puts into endnotes Composer Edvard Buddy of Porthos Ireland, in poetry Lyft figure Some fairy tale men __ toast “Berzerk” company Song played that isn’t the original 71. Hockey god with a statue outside of the TD Garden 7 8 CRooked Crosswords November 22, 2015 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 21 17 18 42 43 72 73 22 25 26 28 29 35 16 30 36 31 37 39 40 41 46 47 48 51 52 57 58 53 59 60 63 64 66 67 70 71 76 77 80 84 85 81 86 87 92 93 96 97 102 103 88 89 98 104 105 110 111 106 112 115 116 119 120 72. Racer Luyendyk 39. One-hit wonder Basil 73. Ring of flowers 40. Incapable of doing anything 75. Stunned 42. Easily molded 43. Mass-emailing 76. Al Gore’s hometool st. 44. Cantaloupe leftover 79. Dredging spot, perhaps 45. Take 81. Moreover sick a gene unit? 49. Chapter 102 83. Actress Ward 51. Like some wit 84. Ashdod resident 52. Occupied 85. VictoriaMarc in London, e.g. 53. Comic with a podcast 86. Region of life 55. Pitching awards? 88. Singing syllables 56. Has an illness 89. Moonlightingsuburb waiter’s other 57. Minneapolis 58. Clear, as the windshield job, often 59. Puts into endnotes 92. Community in SW California 60. Composer Edvard 62. Buddy of Porthos 64. Ireland, in poetry 66. Lyft figure 67. Some fairy tale men “Circular File” 68. __ toast 69. “Berzerk” company S Song I R played E N that isn’t P AtheG 70. I R O A original B A T E 71. Hockey god with a statue V O I Cof the E TD S Q U A outside Garden D A U N T E O N Luyendyk 72. Racer 73. S Ring K YofBflowers L U E 75. Stunned Y E N L O 76. Al Gore’s home st. 99 93. Salt ’N Pepa’s 79. Dredging spot, biggest perhapshit 95. Wintersick climber’s tool 81. More 98. Sexy dance 83. Actress Ward 84. Ashdod resident 99. Round waffl es 85. Victoria 100. Fiji rivalin London, e.g. 86. Region 101. Booster,ofatlifetimes 88. Singing syllables 102. Working hard 89. Moonlighting waiter’s other job, 104. often Roulette bets 106. Noble Italian family 92. Community in SW California 109. First’Nlady? 93. Salt Pepa’s biggest hit 110. Rembrandt van tool __ 95. Winter climber’s 98. Sexy 111. “Lux”dance musician Brian 99. Round waffles 112. Renegade __ (workout move) 100. Fiji rival 101. Booster, at times 102. Working hard 104. Roulette bets 106. Noble Italian family 109. First lady? 110. Rembrandt van __ 111. “Lux” musician Brian 112. O PRenegade E C __ B(workout L A move) D E Last issue’s solution H O S T A N K A M A M A E V E N S O P H S A C O O L I R S A C D P U A N G I B U L E T E O R A S T E T S S W E R H U M T O R I O N H E T P E M E O E E P L A D L E R M T A F E L L O O D Z G E E C E A A D M Y O N B R A I V E I F A S E N D N B C A V A S I T E N S E G S O S E N I V E D E R E N S B S O O E I U T S T H M S E A T P O O R E R U N I T H A W N T O R O G O R A R T E D K E Y N E A T U R M A R S I D E G C O R P R A U E Z I P P E S S E L I I N G S G A P A M A I B E R R O S E I D M S E E O N I N D E E G L S O E A L I D I N R A F O M O L E D U A S C L A H I F E Z I N C U C O D A N G B S E $ WINTER 2695 TIRES FREE SPRING + $225 env. fee Most cars. Up to 5 qts. 5W-30 Special Oil & Filters Extra. NOW BUY 3 CHECKOVER LIghts • Belts GET 1 FREE Wipers • Battery P I N T G L E A N 558 Putney Rd., Brattleboro • 254-5411 commons 254-5411 TIRE sALE 558 Putney Road Brattleboro LocallyOwned Owned For For Over Over 39 35 Years! Years! Locally 1 FREE! INTERSTATE BATTERIES $10 OFF Assurance Tires with free installation BUY 3 GET ON sALE CARs, suvs, LIghT TRuCks Courtesy Cars or Rides Always We Honor All Courtesy Cars or Rides Always Competitor’s Coupons AvailableAvailable at No Cost!at No Cost! Proof generated January 12, 2016 11:25 PM S O T S Brattleboro Tire BRATTLEBORO TIRE LUBE, OIL & FILTER N R O N PUBLICATION OF THE CROSSWORD IS UNDERWRITTEN BY JOHN PENFIELD’S The Commons View full schedule watchhelps online at BCTV’s municipal meetingand coverage Commons reporters stay in touch. Read about it in the Town & bratt leboroTV.org Village section at www.commonsnews.org BCTV’s Program Highlights are sponsored by The Commons. BCTV’s “Ladies First” LADIES FIRST by Brendan Emmett Quigley FALLS AREA 5:45 Live News: Ch.8 M/Wd/Fr/Su at 5:45p - Ch. 10 T/Th /Sat 10:00a BRATTLEBORO — Brattleboro Orthodontic Specialists is offering a free SAT Prep course to be held in Keene and Brattleboro during the four Saturdays in March. The course is taught by Keene High School teachers Robert Tiebout and Jessica Smith. Registration is now open to all high school Juniors; after Feb. 1, if space allows, other grades will be able to sign-up. Classes are March 5, 12, 19, and 26. The Keene course will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Keene Public Library. The Brattleboro course will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Brattleboro Union High School. Registration information is available at www.BrattOrtho. com. BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY Osher Midwinter lectures on American politics conclude DUMMERSTON — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) announces the last in its midwinter series of three lectures on the future of American politics, to be held on Monday, Jan. 18. HALIFAX — The Halifax Community Club and the Whitingham Free Public Library are again cosponsoring a Tai Chi class that will be held on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Halifax Community Hall. The winter session will begin on Jan. 20 and end on March 23. The instructor, Halifax resident Seth Geeslin, has been practicing Tai Chi for more than 20 years and teaching for about 15 years. The class will be Yang style, with an emphasis on teaching beginners. However, people at all levels of Tai Chi are encouraged to participate. Tai Chi does not require special equipment or clothing. Students should wear comfortable clothing for ease of Free SAT prep course available in March movement. Participants can go barefoot or wear shoes or slippers that will allow for good, firm placement of their feet on the floor. The Halifax Community Hall, located at 20 Brook Road in West Halifax, is wheelchair accessible and has an accessible bathroom. The class is open to the public, and no registration is required. There is a suggested voluntary donation of $5 per class. All donations will be applied toward a winter heat fund to enable the Club to host Tai Chi classes and other programs year-round in the historic Hall. For more information, contact Linda Lyon at www.marlboro. edu/hotmix. clip this ad! TOWNSHEND — The Community Hope and Action group of Townshend will be putting on a free supper and concert on Saturday, Jan. 16, from 6-9 p.m., at the Town Hall. A local band, Eddy and the Giants, will be performing classic country and blues music. This is an alcohol-free, familyfriendly event with childcare provided. Bring a potluck appetizer or dessert to share. Volunteers will provide the main meal and beverages. This month’s event is sponsored in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as Grace Cottage Hospital. BRATTLEBORO — Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s Community Health Team will present a free four-part workshop series focused on the role of mindful eating for those seeking to lose weight. Presented by Peg Canal, Carrie Quimby, and Nancy Schaefer, the workshop series will help participants identify triggers that contribute to unhealthy eating and learn to Tai Chi classes offered in Halifax " Community concert in Townshend BMH launches ‘Mindful Eating For Weight Loss’ workshop series develop mindful eating practices. “Many people have a difficult time changing their eating habits even though they know they are not good for them,” said Canal, a nutritionist and dietician. “Mindful eating can be an effective strategy for eating less, enjoying food more and losing weight.” All series events will be held in BMH’s Brew Barry Conference Room #1 on Jan. 19 and 26 and Feb. 2 and 9, from 6 to 7 p.m. Participants will also learn food preparation for optimal nutrition and have the opportunity to prepare and taste delicious healthy food. The workshop is free and open to the public, but registration is strongly suggested. Those with questions or wishing to register should call 802-257-8877. CRooked Crosswords November 15, 2015 TOWNSHEND—A new series of Tai Chi/Qigong classes will be offered at Grace Cottage Hospital on Thursday afternoons, Jan. 14 and 28, and Feb 11 and 18, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Gentle, flowing movements coupled with the coordinated breathing techniques of these ancient Chinese practices are widely acclaimed as some of the most effective overall exercises for physical and mental health. This four-session series is open to people of all ages and abilities. It is led by Jason Sperling, a teacher at Leland & Gray Middle-High School who has studied tai chi, qigong, and meditation practices for years. Classes are held in the serene Grace Cottage Hospital Community Wellness Center, 133 Grafton Rd./Route 35. Wear soft-soled shoes and loose clothing. The cost for the series is $5 per class. Limited space is available, and registration is required. To register or for more information, call 802-365-3649. The lecturer will be Michael Krasner, of the political science faculty at Queen’s College, State University of New York, who will consider the state of our political life in what promises to be a momentous election year. Monday’s lecture will examine this fall’s election. January 25 will be the designated snow date. All lectures are held at the Vermont Learning Collaborative, 471 Vermont Route 5, Dummerston. The fee is $6 per lecture. Light refreshments will be served. For further information, call the Learning Collaborative at 802-257-8600, or toll-free 866-889-0042. IRCULAR FILE by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon Tai Chi series offered at Grace Cottage Flush Fill Radiator VT STATE for winter INSPECTION $10.00 OFF $5 OFF THEExpires REGULAR 1/31/15PRICE VT State Inspection VT State Sticker Due Inspection Red #6 #2 DueIsNow Now TOWN & VILL AGE C4 DUMMERSTON — The Board of Civil Authority will meet Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 5:30 p.m. at the Town Offices. The board will review the newest additions to the voter checklist, appointment of Assistant Election Officials, review of election procedures for the Presidential Primary/Town Meeting on March 1, and have a sign-up for working the polls. For more information, contact Town Clerk/Tax budget, election of officers, Collector Pamela McFadden an update on the completed at 802-257-1496. building addition, plans for celebrating the Society’s 40th anniversary in June and the Historical Society dedication of the new addition. to meet The program, at 7:30 pm, DUMMERSTON — The will feature Tristam Johnson, annual meeting and program interim executive director of the of the Dummerston Historical Landmark Trust USA. Society will be held on He will discuss the hisThursday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m., in tory and mission of the orthe Historical Society’s school- ganization and describe the house in Dummerston Center. several historic properties in The business meeting will Dummerston which have been include adoption of the annual restored and are maintained by the Trust. They include Naulakha (Rudyard Kipling’s Vermont home), the Dutton Farmhouse, the Amos Brown House, The Sugar House, Kipling’s Carriage House, and the well-known Scott Farm. The Dummerston Historical Society welcomes all visitors; programs are free of charge and handicapped accessible. For more information, call 802-254-9311. SEVCA to hold client representative election on the SEVCA Board and whose current term has expired, has declared that he will be running for re-election to that position from the Putney area. Skekel, who formerly represented the Brattleboro area, has been a resident of Putney since 2012. He holds a degree in administration and management, as well as a Master’s degree in counseling psychology. Skekel has performed extensive volunteer work in the Brattleboro area with the mentally ill, as well as serving on the board of the Arts Council of Windham County. He has also been on the receiving end of needed services. His desire to serve on SEVCA’s board is to help address the economic realities that restrict people from improving their well-being and achieving their potential, and as an opportunity to put his skill sets to good use. SEVCA will continue accepting nominations for other candidates from the Putney area until Jan. 20, and there will also be a space for a write-in candidate on the ballot. Ballots will contain a brief biography on announced candidates. Voting will take place at the following locations on the dates and hours listed below: • SEVCA Outreach Office, 15 Grove St., Brattleboro, Jan. 25-29 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. • SEVCA Main Office, 91 Buck Drive, Westminster, Jan. 25-29 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Putney Family Services, 54 Kimball Hill, second Floor, Putney, Jan. 25-29 from 9 a.m. Trash pickup schedule to change in July The Commons BRATTLEBORO—With the success of Pay-As-You-Throw exceeding the Selectboard’s expectations, the leadership has unanimously approved a reduction in trash collection. Starting July 5, Triple T Trucking, the town’s contractor, will change from weekly trash collection to every-otherweek pick up. Weekly collection of recyclables and compost stays the same. The move is expected to save the town approximately $96,188 in Fiscal Year 2017. Savings are also expected for the following years. The board approved Town Manager Peter Elwell’s execution of an addendum to its contract with Triple T that also extended the company’s contract five years for a total of eight. The addendum includes an option to alter, in 2016, where the town sends its recycling. Right now, the town participates in the Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD)’s recycling program with 19 other member towns. By Wendy M. Levy to 3 p.m. • Putney Foodshelf, Christian Square (Putney Community Center), Jan. 26 from 6 to 7 p.m., and Jan. 30 from 9 to 10 a.m. • Putney Meadows, 17 Carol Brown Way, Putney, Jan. 28 from 9 to 10 a.m. Clients, customers and patrons who frequent the above locations are invited and encouraged to vote in this election to help ensure representation of the low income population in the Putney area on the SEVCA Board. People do not have to be registered voters to vote in this election. Voting can also be done by mail. To request a ballot or for more information, call 800-4649951, ext. 105. VERNON—Vernon’s cemetery rules and regulations were updated in the last month. Marylynn Scherlin, of the Cemetery Committee, presented changes to the Selectboard at its December 21 regular board meeting. The board passed the changes unanimously. Selectboard member Sandra Harris was absent. Under the “Burials” section, an item was added to keep vaults open, and available at no extra cost, for winter burials. The paths leading to the vaults will be kept plowed and accessible, Scherlin said. Changes in regulations deal with prohibitions: no dogs, other than service animals, no alcoholic beverages, no tobacco products, and no bicycles and unauthorized vehicles are permitted in town cemeteries. Scherlin announced footstones need to be raised 3 inches, and flat stones need a liner, called a “wash,” to prevent them from sinking. Selectboard member Emily ■ Dogs BRA TTL E B OR O By Olga Peters Cemetery changes its rules and regulations The Commons P UTNE Y PUTNEY—Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA), the anti-poverty agency serving Windham and Windsor counties, will be holding a public election during the week of Jan. 25 to elect a Client Representative to its board from the Putney area. SEVCA needs representatives of low-income residents throughout its service area to ensure that there are board members who can speak with firsthand knowledge about what people need to cope with financial hardship and become self-reliant. It’s a unique opportunity for local residents to help direct SEVCA’s resources and services to achieve its mission to alleviate suffering and lift people out of poverty. Donald Skekel, who has been • Wednesday, January 13, 2016 V ERNON DU M M E R ST ON Board of Civil Authority to meet THE COMMONS Anytime during this year, however, the board can choose to have Triple T send recyclables to Casella’s single stream Materials Recovery Facility in Rutland. Elwell said that he hoped the switch to Casella would not be necessary in light of favorable agreements with WSWMD. Still, he felt keeping the option remained in the town’s best interest. According to a Dec. 24 memo from Assistant Town Manager Patrick Moreland, trash collection in town has dropped 55 percent since the implementation of Pay-As-You-Throw and the introduction of town-wide curbside compost collection. In his memo, Moreland provides a graph showing curbside collection in Brattleboro between July and November in 2013-14 and 2015. Triple T picked up an average of 1,030.97 tons of rubbish per month in 2013 and 2014, according to Moreland’s memo. In contrast, the tonnage of rubbish decreased to 472.11 tons per month in 2015, wrote Moreland. Meanwhile, in 2015, the combined tonnage of paper, cans and bottles, and compost increased by an average of 110.07 tons. Overall, writes Moreland, the volume of the waste has dropped 30 percent. “Locally, haulers have noted an increase in new commercial customers following Brattleboro’s implementation of Pay-As-You-Throw, and this likely accounts for much of the overall reduction in curbside volume,” writes Moreland. But what about smelly trash that sits around for an extra week? The board members stressed that compost collection will be picked up weekly. They expect that with more people composting, there are fewer smelly, rotting, or “putrescible materials” sitting in trash cans. Board Chair David Gartenstein praised the people of Brattleboro for making the shift to every-other-week trash collection possible. Residents’ changes in behavior and adapting to the Pay-As-YouThrow system marks a proud moment, he said. “It’s a form of service cut, but we’re saving money as a result,” he said. GET COVERED. STAY COVERED. O P E N E N R O L L M E N T E N D S J A N U A R Y 3 1 S T, 2 0 1 6 ! Whether you’re new to Vermont Health Connect or you already have a plan, Open Enrollment is the time to review your health insurance. ENROLL IN A NEW PLAN CHECK ON YOUR PLAN HAPPY WITH YOUR PLAN Choose a plan for the first time. Make sure your plan is still right for you. If you’re happy, you don’t need to do a thing. livestock and pet owners to shoot threatening animals. The statute, under Title 20, Chapter 193, says, “A domestic pet or wolf-hybrid found wounding, killing or worrying another domestic pet or wolf-hybrid, a domestic animal or fowl may be killed when the attendant circumstances are such that the killing is reasonably necessary to prevent injury to the animal or fowl which is the subject of the attack." They also told Rivera she is running afoul of local laws. ViceChair Carol Hatcher assured Rivera her inability to control her dogs puts her in violation of FROM SECTION FRONT Newfane’s dog ordinances. “Because we’ve had three incidents, I think it’s vital we’re completely sure that your dogs are in control by you 24/7. I’m a little concerned...this is repeating itself, and it’s getting a little more serious with the death of people’s livestock... This is absolutely unacceptable,” Hatcher told Rivera. Board member Mike Fitzpatrick was more blunt. “I don’t want to hear about them getting out again,” he said. His recommendation was “to take them away if you can’t control them." Administrative Assistant Shannon Meckle noted the only ■ Sweet Pond Reconstruction timetable The steering committee recently received an email from Ethan Phelps, Parks Regional Manager at the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, detailing the timetable of Sweet Pond’s restoration. Phelps told committee members the competitive bid process to choose the engineering firm is complete, with Dubois and King of Randolph selected to “prepare design and construction documents for the dam reconstruction project.” “The contract is being finalized,” Phelps wrote. Between now and August 2016, Dubois and King will work on the design of the project, and obtain the fairly extensive set of state and federal permits needed to do the work. Come autumn, the engineering firm will “prepare construction documents, obtain permits if not completed, and assemble [the] construction bid package,” Phelps wrote. After this step is complete, Dubois and King can put the project out for bid. Phelps anticipates construction to begin in June, 2017, and end in September. Then, he wrote, the final step is to, “refill the pond!” Recreational enhancements In his email to the Sweet Pond Steering Committee, Phelps said he met with consultants to, “go over some details pertaining to the recreational enhancements that are going with the project." Some of these additions include, “a better organized parking area at the cartop boat launch, improv[ing] the path to the launch site, and dredg[ing] a portion of the pond behind the dam for swimming." Phelps also informed the members, “the foot bridge across the top of the dam will no longer be allowed, so the bridge will be moved a few hundred feet downstream and the trail re-routed." He noted these enhancements depend on funding, and asked ■ School board find three.” Given the uncertainties of Act 46, school officials were careful to not make any long-term promises. School Board Vice Chairman Doug Korb acknowledged that, “after a proposal goes through on Act 46, we may have to restructure our entire school governance anyway.” And John told the crowd that, in his experience as a superintendent, “it isn’t clear whether three (board members) are more effective than five ... it depends on the commitment of the people involved.” But officials returned often to the idea that more board members will ease the workload and bring additional “diversity” to the Act 46 debate. And John pointed out that the appointments to the new seats would last only until March 1 elections, meaning “you can throw them out pretty quickly if they’re not serving you well.” After about 40 minutes of debate, voters unanimously FIRE WOOD FOR SALE GET STARTED OR GET SOME HELP VISIT VermontHealthConnect.gov CALL Toll-Free 855-899-9600 Proof generated January 12, 2016 11:25 PM Vergobbe asked for clarification about decorations. The rules state seasonal decorations must be removed on a monthly basis, and Vergobbe wanted to know whether solar lights were included in this decree. She said solar lights were becoming popular as a year-round cemetery ornament. Scherlin and the board agreed to rewrite the rules to allow solar lights to remain year-round. In other cemetery business, Scherlin asked the Selectboard to appoint Dean Spaulding to the committee, which the board, minus the absent Harris, unanimously voted to do. Scherlin also presented articles for the upcoming Town Meeting regarding cemetery plots. She said the Cemetery Committee proposes raising and appropriating $5,000 for the repair of cemetery stones. She said some are “sunken that have to be up,” a few have fallen, and one is broken. Townspeople will vote on whether to increase the price of cemetery lots, including the cost of cornerstones. Contact Rod Winchester: 802-257-4102 time the Selectboard can order a dog euthanized is if it bites a person on public lands. But, the board can vote to issue a $500 fine or revoke the owner’s kennel license at the next offense. Fitzpatrick made a motion to that effect, and it was approved. Young noted Rivera has been proactive in assisting him with his efforts, including notifying him when her dogs were loose, and helping him round them up. Rivera submitted her enhanced fence and gate plans to the board, and to Young, who said he is satisfied they are in compliance with established guidelines. FROM SECTION FRONT for additional ideas. Hecker sent an email to “everyone who has supported Sweet Pond’s restoration,” informing them of the news. She wrote, “What would we like to see there? Benches? Signage?" “Goose prevention” and the gifts the animals leave in their wake was high on the list, Hecker told The Commons. Some of the other ideas interested parties shared with Hecker were a rope swing, a little book to write in with a weatherproof box and pens, a field guide for wildlife, benches for hikers and skaters, a small pier with a ladder to make “access for the young and old easier/safer,” picnic tables, improved non-motorized boat access, and “a safe fireplace for warming winter skaters." Hecker said the committee had raised almost $7,000 for these enhancements. “We’re not actively seeking new funding but we welcome contributions,” she said, noting, “a few people made donations in response to the good news." FROM SECTION FRONT approved the board expansion on a voice vote. Afterward, Korb said he thought the change will be “a benefit to the townspeople—they’re going to have more boots on the ground for Act 46 as well as for our regular business.” In addition to the two new seats, two other Marlboro school board spots will be up for grabs at Town Meeting. Candidate petitions are due Jan. 25. “Spread the word,” John urged the crowd. “Let’s make sure we have people running for these positions.” THIS SPACE FOR RENT You, and some 20,000 other readers, are looking at Windham County’s best advertising value. To promote your business in the next issue of The Commons, call us at (802) 246-6397 or e-mail ads@commonsnews. org. VOICES SECTION B D Wednesday, January M I 13, L E S T2016 O N E S• .page . . . . . . D1 . .D3 OPINION • COMMENTARY • LETTERS • ESSAYS COLUMNS • MEMOIRS • EDITORIALS S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D4 Join the conversation: [email protected] Wednesday, January 13, 2016 page D1 PRIMARY SOURCES The work ahead In the State of the State address, the governor outlines his priorities for his last months in office I Montpelier N MY first inaugural ad- dress in 2011, I spoke with affection about our last governor from Putney, George Aiken. Threequarters of a century ago, he stood before this body and reflected on the challenges and progress of his day. He said: “During these four years, Vermont, in common with the rest of the nation, has experienced changes and put into practice new functions of government that were either unforeseen or in the visionary stage a few years ago. Our task has been to apply these innovations in a practicable manner.” Seventy-five years later, his words call to mind our own efforts over the last five years. When I became governor, I promised to focus every day on making the lives of Vermonters more secure — secure in an economy that grows jobs and works for everyone; secure with a saner energy policy that relies on Vermont-grown energy while protecting our planet and our economy; secure with an education system that gives all Vermont kids an equal shot at success; secure with a criminal justice system that relies less on incarceration and more on rehabilitation; and secure with a health-care system that offers coverage to all and costs Vermonters less. From day one, I made it clear that I didn’t run for this office to be a caretaker. I ran to get tough things done. I ran for governor because Vermont is a great state. I wanted to make it greater. I ended my first address to you with these words: “Our obstacles are many, and our challenges are daunting. The change we’re proposing is transformative and systemic. PETER SHUMLIN is in his last months as governor of Vermont. This piece is a condensed and lightly edited version of his annual State of the State address, which he delivered to a joint session of the state legislature on Jan. 7. For the full text, which includes vignettes honoring Vermonters in the audience, visit governor.vermont. gov/newsroom. VERMONT PBS Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin delivers his last State of the State address on Jan. 7. Seated at left: Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott. some Vermonters are stuck with bills that are piling up faster than they can pay them. We have more work to do. Vermonters who are sick should not have to choose between going to work or losing their job. This isn’t just about fairness for employees; it’s about protecting all of us. It will not happen quickly or Nationwide, almost 90 percent easily.” of food workers report that they It hasn’t been easy, but togo to work sick, and accordgether we have accomplished so ing to the Centers for Disease much. Vermont is a better place Control, 65 percent of foodto live, work, and raise a family borne illnesses result from the than it was when we began. handling of food by someone Governor Aiken was forthwho’s sick. I’m encouraged that right in saying “there have been the Senate is committed to gettimes when we have encounting to my desk the good bill tered rough places on the high- the House passed last year to way of our history.” But he address this problem. concluded that “we have been In a race to the bottom successful for the most part.” where states cannibalize one Both observations are as true another for jobs, Vermont has today as they were in Aiken’s succeeded by being smart, not day. big. Two years ago, we added to our job creation arsenal the WE PUT Vermont back to Vermont Enterprise Fund, and work. in my budget I will ask lawWe started at the trough of makers to enhance and extend the Great Recession, unsure it because of our job-creating whether we’d be able to build successes. back. Soon after, Irene struck. Of the new jobs we’ve creWe were down and we got ated, 4,400 are because of the knocked down again. But we new face of farming and lostood back up. cally grown food in Vermont. We added 17,600 new jobs Not that long ago, many bein the last five years and have lieved that our best farming grown per-capita incomes at days were behind us, but toor above the national rate evday a new generation of young ery year I have been governor, farmers are competing for and that has never happened in land and resources and proVermont’s history. ducing the best fruits, vegeWe have expanded health in- tables, meats, cheeses, beer, surance to 19,000 Vermonters cider, and spirits in the world. who had no coverage when In the past two years, I’ve had I took office. While there are the privilege of moving the thousands of success stories, Best Cheese in America award from one Vermont farm to another Vermont farm. Take that, Wisconsin. Now get this. Long known to out-of-staters for our great deer hunting, flatlanders are now coming to Vermont to beer hunt. They are literally rising at dawn to drive to the promised land, where they stand in a long line and wait, and wait, and wait some more to purchase Vermont’s world-awardwinning beers, which they carry back with them in the trunks of their cars to lift up their miserable lives because they don’t live in Vermont. We can’t let up on our farmto-plate, farm-to-glass, and farm-to-can revolution. I’m pleased to announce $175,000 in new money for the Working Lands fund, which has been a catalyst in our agricultural renaissance. AS I TRAVEL around Vermont talking to employers, their biggest challenge remains finding enough trained and educated workers to help their businesses grow. They know that our success in moving more low-income Vermont kids beyond high school will determine their success. By expanding the number of kids earning college credit for free while still in high school and becoming the only state to guarantee every 3- and 4-yearold access to high-quality prekindergarten, we have taken Vermont’s good education system and have made it better. Despite having one of the highest graduation rates in the country, we continue to fall short getting more students the college education that is now a prerequisite to earning a decent wage. We must ensure that Vermont kids who have not been born with mountains of opportunity have the same shot at economic prosperity as those who have. That’s why I signed a bill last year to help families start saving for college from the day their children are born. Now we must fund it. My budget will ensure every child born in Vermont will receive a $250 contribution to get a savings plan started, and for low-income Vermonters, we will double that amount to $500. We also need to make it easier for those who are working hard in low-paying jobs to get back to school. I constantly talk to Vermonters who ended their studies in high school, are working numerous jobs to make ends meet, and long for a better future and more education, but who don’t have two pennies to rub together to pay for it. It’s our responsibility to offer the same opportunity to every Vermonter. In partnership with CCV, Vermont State Colleges and the University of Vermont, my budget will provide $2 million to launch Step Up, funding a semester of free courses and support services to help firstgeneration and low-income students get back to school. We should be so proud that Act 46 is working better than any of us had anticipated. Communities across Vermont are finally having the very difficult but necessary conversation about how we right-size our education enterprise to improve quality and reduce costs. The rigid spending caps that were a small part of that bill have become the enemy of the good. I ask elected officials to work swiftly in the coming weeks to pass either a moratorium or a repeal of this small piece of Act 46 before school boards have to send their budgets to the printers for Town Meeting Day. THE MOST TROPICAL Christmas in memory reminds us that climate change threatens the Vermont we love, from our ski season to our lakes. That’s why we are working so hard to move to green, clean renewable energy that is creating jobs, reducing power rates, and putting money in Vermonters’ pockets. We’re living in a state where Vermonters’ electric bills have gone down, not up, for three of the last four years. When I became governor, our largest power generator was an aging, leaking nuclear plant. Five years later, we’ve increased by 10 times the number of solar panels, and we now have more clean-energy jobs per capita than any other state in the union. During peak demand, solar power has replaced our nuclear plant as the largest power generator in our state. And last year, we passed the most ambitious, long-overdue clean-water bill in Vermont’s history. But the clock keeps ticking, we’re running out of time, and the urgency for us to take every ■ SEE STATE OF THE STATE, D2 LETTERS FROM READERS Trump will create a liberal panic R E: “‘Southern strategy’ taken to its logical extreme” [Viewpoint, Jan. 6]: Bill Clinton groped Kathleen Willey, dropped his pants for Paula Jones, raped Juanita Broaddrick, and lied about his sexual relationships with Gennifer Flowers and Monica Lewinsky (an intern young enough to be his daughter), yet you call Donald Trump mean and a misogynist? Susan Odegard: When Trump is elected president, you and your liberal friends will be in a panic. I can’t wait. Tim Grant Bernardston, Mass. Rockingham citizen-requested Respect from Bernie article to ask the question: R E: “Genuine Bernie” [Viewpoint, Jan. 6]: A measure of a man is how he treats others. It’s nice to see the attention paid to the students and the respect to the teacher. We need more of this! Go Bernie! Marjorie Albrecht Ray Brookline “Shall the Voters of the Town of Rockingham allow placement of a detention center within the legal boundaries of Bellows Falls?” As there are forces fighting against this article and the request to exercise our democratic rights as taxpaying Vermont citizens, it would be in the best interests of Rockingham residents to atHelp place detention tend this meeting in force to center question see the question safely placed on the ballot on the ballot. he Rockingham In addition, there are conSelectboard will meet cerns with the use of town on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 5 attorney, as well as village atp.m., to finalize the articles torney, to require a legal opinfor the March Annual Town ion on the request prior to Meeting. Among them is the the Selectboard vote on the T article. On the one hand, the town attorney, paid by tax dollars, is also the registered agent of Island Holdings, LLC, the property-holding company for Bellows Falls Area Development Corporation, the nonprofit corporation working within the town hall on the Liberty Mill Justice Center project. The village attorney, on the other hand, is also the attorney for the property owner of the Chemco property. He is paid for his legal opinion through village taxes. The weaving of a significant conflict of interest is clear, once these factors are known. Who will give an opinion? Although the players might not have intended their multifaceted relationships to seem nefarious, they are the unfortunate result of a local government that is less than open to its citizens. Saying one’s door is open does not produce the same effect as presenting the facts voluntarily in open meeting to all concerned residents as statute requires: doing business before the public that they may have appropriate opportunity to comment. Therefore, if you can, please attend the meeting in the Bellows Falls Lower Theatre, followed by a concerned citizens’ meeting at 7 p.m. at Windham Antiques Center. The meeting will provide a safe space for Rockingham residents to exchange information, so that we might move beyond the fear and create a clear citizen-informed dialogue for our community’s future. A follow-up meeting Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. (location to be announced) of concerned citizens will invite Windham County Sheriff Keith Clark and other key players to create a clean, cohesive dialogue of the Liberty Mill Justice Center’s future. Deborah Wright Bellows Falls It’s Brattleboro’s talk show Monday-Friday 6:00AM - 9:00AM Proof generated January 12, 2016 11:26 PM VOICES D2 THE COMMONS • Wednesday, January 13, 2016 ■ State of the State sensible action against climate change has never been greater. California, under Governor Jerry Brown’s leadership, recently passed a bill to divest Conservationand and Restoration ofof Conservation Restoration state funds from dirty coal, and European andAmerican American Antique Furniture European and Antique Furniture explore divesting from Big Oil. Our small state must partner with California, which manGilles Gerard [email protected] Gilles Gerard [email protected] ages hundreds of billions of dol802-258-2575 www.ateliergerardvt.com 802-258-2575 www.ateliergerardvt.comlars of state funds, and divest Vermont of coal. 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We must also reject anti-reTHE BEST OF THE CARY CARPENDER ESTATE newable extremists who would shut down renewables through moratoriums and other job-killSATURDAY JANUARY 16TH 9:30A.M. ing tactics. Instead, let’s give an economic advantage for locatTOWNSHEND AUCTION GALLERY ing solar on rooftops, brownRTE. 30 TOWNSHEND VT. fields, landfills, and other (15 MILES NORTH OF BRATTLEBORO) already-developed lands where We have combined the early Manchester Vt. living estate of Sharon Allen with we currently have transmission selected items from the estate of Patrica & Donald Bujnowski, late of Wardsboro capacity. Vt to offer this exciting auction including antique and superior quality modern Homegrown, not corporate furniture along with complimenting accessories. Also huge selection of fine grown, is Vermont’s energy china, primitives and interesting country collectables. We will also offer many wonderful pieces of artwork; large selection of books and much more. future. Dutton Farm ESTATES AUCTION Be sure to check our website for photos and other details. Exhibition is from noon ‘til five Friday and at 8:30am Saturday. www.townshendauctions.com TOWNSHEND AUCTION GALLERY VISA/MASTERCARD H.K. “KIT” MARTIN Where honesty & integrity count 802-365-4388 18% BUYERS PREM. AUCTIONEERS ART MONETTE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS ALL SALE FINAL Locally owned ~ Residentialand and Commercial ~ ~ ~ Residential Commercial Our Own In-house Installation Team Our Own In-house Installation Team Ceramic Tile Hardwood Carpet Cork Bamboo BEST KEPT SECRET Area Rugs Vinyl Marmoleum IN THE AREA 972 Putney Road, Unit 3, Brattleboro, VT IT WAS A lonely place when Vermont had the courage to acknowledge the terrible disease of opiate addiction that was threatening our quality of life and killing too many of our neighbors. Today, there can’t be a state in the union that has not joined us. Our innovation over the past two years is getting results: • 65 percent more Vermonters are getting treatment; • We are moving addicts into recovery instead of jail; • By getting rescue kits to anyone who will take them, we have prevented hundreds of overdose deaths; • Most importantly, we’ve removed the stigma that discriminates against our friends and family members struggling so hard against this terrible disease. I said two years ago that opiate addiction is the one thing that could destroy Vermont as we know it. Today, we live almost daily with drug-related violence. Whether it is dealers getting shot in Burlington or people burning to death after being doused with gasoline, the horrors seem unimaginable. We live with despair, crime, death, and small children neglected by the people who are supposed to love them the most. So much of this burden lands on the shoulders of our state’s social workers, who spend every day making difficult choices to protect and give hope to heroin’s most innocent victims: our most vulnerable children. We will forever honor one of our very best: Lara Sobel, the social worker who was killed at work last August. Her love and compassion for every child, every family, every Vermonter she touched shall be forever etched in our memory. To continue Lara’s legacy, let’s give her colleagues the support they need to do their jobs by approving my request to fund 35 new positions at the Department of Children and Families, and help me take measures to ensure their safety in the workplace. We also need to take two additional actions to deal with our addiction crisis: First, in order to meet our goal of getting rid of waiting lists, we must continue to expand treatment. • In Franklin County, where approximately 250 people travel to other Hubs for treatment, my Health Department is working to expand treatment options closer to home. We are also working to increase access to Vivitrol, a drug that blocks the effects of opiates for a full month to help addicts stay clean. • In Burlington, Health Commissioner Harry Chen is working with Mayor Miro Weinberger, the UVM Medical Center, recovery providers, law enforcement, and community leaders to prevent addiction, reduce drug-related crime, and expand treatment options. • Across the state, the Department of Children and Families is sending drug screeners out with social workers into homes where substance abuse is a contributor to children who are abused or neglected. • Statewide, parents with young children in the DCF system will be moved to the front of the line for treatment until waiting lists are gone. Second, let’s go after the source that led us into this mess in the first place. It’s difficult for me to find words that adequately express my frustrations but I can find the three letters that are at the root of the problem: FDA. In the 1990s, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved OxyContin, which lit the match that ignited America’s opiate- and heroin-addiction crisis. In 2010, our nation prescribed enough OxyContin to keep every adult in the U.S. high for an entire month; by 2012 we issued enough prescriptions to give every adult in this country their own personal bottle of pills. On television, we now see commercials for drugs whose sole purpose is to help relieve side effects from taking opiates — in other words there are now FDA-approved drugs to help you take more FDA-approved opiates. A few years ago, the FDA approved Zohydro, which is OxyContin on steroids, against www.lawtonfloordesign.com 802-254-9303 Ceramic Tile Cork NEW Hardwood Carpet Rugs Marmoleum Solid-Click Hardwood Free & Clear Checking 972 Putney Road Unit 3, Brattleboro, VT www.lawtonfloordesign.com / 802-254-9303 BEGIN THE YEAR WITH A FRESH START! STEVE SEZ: • NO MINIMUM DEPOSIT! of the hands of underage kids. The current system doesn’t. 2. The tax imposed must be low enough to wipe out the black market and get rid of the illegal drug dealers. 3. Third, revenue from legalization must be used to expand addiction-prevention programs. 4. We must strengthen law enforcement’s capacity to improve our response to drivers impaired by marijuana who are already on Vermont’s roads. 5. Take a hard lesson from other states and ban the sale of edibles until other states figure out how to do it right. I understand that the Senate will go first, and I look forward to working with Senate Pro Tem John Campbell, Senate leadership, Senator Dick Sears, and the Senate Judiciary Committee to construct a sensible, cautious bill. We have a history of tackling difficult issues with respect and care, the Vermont way. I believe we have the capacity to take this next step and get marijuana legalization done right. AS WE BEGIN a new year, and start a new legislative session, we commit ourselves anew to the work ahead. I know there are those critics who perpetually see the cup, Vermont’s cup, as half empty. While some pessimists talk down our economy, Vermonters know we continue to make progress growing jobs and attracting businesses because of our unique quality of life, our tight-knit communities, and our dedicated work force. While some cynics call endlessly for Vermont to join the race to the bottom taking place in some states, I believe we should continue our commitments to clean jobs, clean water, clean energy, and a quality educational system. Our cup is not half empty; it is overflowing with the most hard-working, most resilient, most rugged, and most innovative people in America. Together, we aspire rightfully to a brighter future, and Vermonters deserve leadership that is forward-looking and unafraid. WHILE SOME WANT Vermont to join the majority of governors in the nation in closing its borders to the Syrian refugees fleeing violence and death, I believe Vermont must not abandon its long heritage of being a welcoming state to those who are escaping unimaginable horror to seek a better life. How many among us can claim that in our own family’s arrival to the United States, fleeing famine, religious opTHE OUTDATED War on pression, dictatorship, or war Drugs has also failed, and there was not the motivation to come is no greater example than our here? nation’s marijuana laws. That’s Vermonters have a long why Vermont took steps to and proud tradition of rejectchange our criminal penalties ing racism, bigotry, bullying, and to institute a well-regulated intolerance, and fear. When medical marijuana system that McCarthyism reared its ugly now serves 2,400 Vermonters. head, Senator Aiken cautioned This careful approach shows against his own Republican that we know how to regulate party that sought “victory marijuana thoughtfully and through the selfish political excautiously, avoiding the pitfalls ploitation of fear, bigotry, ignothat have caused other states to rance, and intolerance.” stumble. More than half a century But the black market of drug later, the same un-American dealers selling marijuana for spirit dominates our political recreational use is alive and dialogue. well, serving more than 80,000 We are blessed to live in Vermonters who reported usa state where so many reject ing marijuana last year. These fear and hatred, and I pledge illegal dealers couldn’t care less to continue to work with how young their customers President Obama, our refuare, what’s in the product they gee resettlement community, sell, or what illegal drugs you clergy, volunteers, and our buy from their stash, much less mayors to make our state a beawhether they pay taxes on their con of hope and hospitality to earnings. Muslims, to our Syrian brothThat’s why I will work with ers and sisters, and to all who the Legislature to craft the right seek to build a better life right bill, one that thoughtfully and here in Vermont. carefully eliminates the era of I love being governor, and prohibition that is currently fail- I am so grateful for the priving us so miserably. ilege of serving you. Those To do it right, we must do it of us entrusted by the people deliberately, cautiously, step by of Vermont to effect positive step, and not all in one leap as change have the unique opwe legislate the lessons learned portunity every day of putting from the states that went bewords into action. fore us. Our time is now to make I will insist on five things be- a difference in the lives of fore I’ll sign a bill: Vermonters. 1. A legal market must keep Let’s begin again — and let’s marijuana and other drugs out get to work. At Ker-Westerlund Funeral Home Windham Counties only Crematorium 57 High Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301 Your loved one is in our care at all times. On site – not out-sourced – the difference is piece of mind. • 1st box of checks FREE • Lower fees The future of banking...now the recommendation of its own advisory committee. Just a few months ago, the FDA approved OxyContin for kids. You can’t make this stuff up. The $11-billion-a-year opiate industry in the U.S. knows no shame. Compassionate pain management has been transformed by Big Pharma into drug promotion and profit. Until our country is willing to have an honest conversation about the way we are dealing with pain, our challenges will continue. In light of this, I am implementing the following: 1. We are putting an end to the system where doctors, dentists, and health-care providers send patients home with 80 or 90 pills in their pocket. I am proposing a new system where 10 pills will be the limit for minor procedures. We’re also looking at reasonable limits for more major procedures that provide pain relief without filling up our medicine cabinets with unused opiates. That’s just Vermont common sense. 2. We are partnering with pharmacies and local communities to expand drug takeback programs, to get rid of Vermont’s most dangerous leftovers. 3. We are partnering with neighboring states to upgrade the Prescription Monitoring System to prevent addicts from crossing state borders to go pill shopping. I ask for legislative support in these actions. We also must continue the good progress we’ve made reforming our criminal-justice system. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that when we take away people’s driver’s licenses for nondriving-related offenses like underage tobacco purchases that we end up with four times as many Vermonters with suspended driver’s licenses than we have enrolled in our state college system. Our innovative state’s attorney, T.J. Donovan, worked with us to create two driver restoration days in Chittenden and Windsor Counties. The stories that T.J. and I heard from lower- income Vermonters standing in line for redemption made me ask: Why are we creating a permanent economic disability and making it so difficult for people who want to improve their lives? I ask state lawmakers to make driver restoration days unnecessary by passing legislation that ensures non-trafficrelated offenses don’t lead to Vermonters losing their ability to get to work or drop their kids at school. EVERGREEN CREMATORY • Free online banking and bill payer It’s the area’s BEST checking account value. Open yours today! FROM SECTION FRONT COMPUTING TM • Brattleboro • Springfield • Bellows Falls • Townshend • Putney rivercu.com 802-254-4800 Proof generated January 12, 2016 11:26 PM Call us to learn more (802) 254-5655 57 High Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301 | kerwesterlund.com THE COMMONS • Wednesday, January 13, 2016 D3 MILESTONES Births, deaths, and news of people from Windham County College news • The following area students have been named to the fall 2015 Dean’s List at the University of Vermont: Isabel Stewar t of Brattleboro, Megan Siggins of Brattleboro, Greer Cowan of Putney, Savannah Nesbitt of Wilmington, Cleo Rohn of Brattleboro, Linnea Jahn of Brattleboro, Jennifer Hutton of Brattleboro, Oliver Pomazi of Brattleboro, John Sawyer Shaw of Brattleboro, Isaiah Ungerleider of Brattleboro, Roxanna Daims of Brattleboro, Ti l d e n R e m e r l e i t c h of Guilford, A l i z a R a c i n e of Marlboro, Lachlan Francis of Putney, Sylvie Littledale of Putney, T y s o n Po n d of Putney, Katherine Amidon of Vernon, Ursula Casey of West Dover, Ethan Illingworth of Westminster, Jordan LaBonte of Wilmington, Jamie Martell of Brattleboro, Colby McGinn of Brattleboro, Giannina GasperoBeckstrom of Guilford, Stephen Scott of Jamaica, Cade Nesbitt of Wilmington, Shannon Lozito of Wilmington, Ryan Borgesen of Newfane, and Kevin Knapp of West Dover. • Emily Dow, an event management major in the Class of 2016 from Brattleboro, was named to the fall 2015 Dean’s List at Lasell College in Newton, Mass. • Olivia Milne of Brattleboro qualified for the fall 2015 Dean’s List at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. School news • Theresa S n ow of West Dover was named the Windham R e g i o n a l Career Center’s December Student of the Month. Snow has been taking Career Center courses since her junior year. Despite a full class schedule, she also is a volunteer for West Dover Fire Department and works part-time. She will be attending Southern Maine Community College in the fall, where she plans to major in both fire science and paramedicine, with a goal of joining the fire service fulltime after graduation. Transitions • Michelle Bos-Lun of Westminster was elected to the Board of Directors of The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Vermont (NAMI Vermont) for a three year term. She has worked in education and social services for more than two decades, including work which provides housing, job development, and mentoring for youth with mental illness and other disabilities at Youth Services in Brattleboro. She is a family member with extensive knowledge and experience regarding mental health issues and previously has taught NAMI Vermont’s Family-to-Family course three times. Obituaries • Audrey V i r g i n i a “ D o l l i e ” Acquaviva, 87, of Whitingham. Died Jan. 1. Wife of the late William P. Acquaviva. Mother of Peter J. Acquaviva and his wife, Elizabeth, of Whitingham; William R. Acquaviva and his wife, Miriam, of Putney; Michael G. Acquaviva of Arundel, Maine; James A. Acquaviva and his wife, Jacqueline, of Kennebunk, Maine; AudreyAnn King and her husband, Richard, of Kent, Conn.; Thomas P. Acquaviva and his wife, Thanaporn, of Baton Rouge, La.; Anthony J. Acquaviva and his wife, Wendy, of Whitingham; and TinaMaria Acquaviva of Whitingham; Sister of Frances Spinazzola and her husband, Anthony, of Raymond, N.H., and the late Assunta, Frank, and Richard Mafera. Also survived by 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Born in Revere, Mass., the youngest of five children, to the late Juanita M. (Merrick) and Frank J. Mafera, she grew up in the Point of Pines in Revere and graduated from Revere High School and Burdett College in Boston. She married in 1950, and she and Bill lived and raised their family in Reading, Mass. She loved life, treasured her friends, and cherished her family. She possessed a unique and powerful strength garnered through her deep faith and spiritualism. She has left behind an indelible mark and contribution through her spirit of volunteerism. MEMORIAL INFOR MATION : Private services were held with her children in Townshend. Her children are planning a Celebration of Life Mass in Reading, Mass., in April for family and friends. Donations to the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 38 Park Place, Brattleboro, VT 05301. Condolences may be offered at www. from printing, he worked in real estate and continued working on his kerwesterlund.com. • Rober t L. “Handsome beloved property as landlord for Bob” Bousquet, 82, of Putney. his barn apartments until his death. Died Dec. 27 at Catholic Medical He was a gardener, cook, walker, Center in Manchester, N.H., fol- birder, singer, painter, writer, pholowing a period of declining health. tographer, conversationalist, and a Former husband of Barbara Anne tinkerer. He taught himself carpenConrad. Father of Curtis “Curt” try and all of the building skills that Bousquet and his wife, Betsy, of enabled him to convert a 150-yearPutney; Laurie Blair and her hus- old post-and-beam barn into beauband, Leo, of West Chesterfield, tiful living spaces. He kept goldfish N.H.; and the late Cindy Bousquet. for his grandchildren to enjoy, and Brother of Cherie Kingery of a canary for the jubilance of its song. Richmond, Va., and Jean Granger He raised pigs and sheep and then of Cummington, Mass. Also sur- ate them, to the horror of some of vived by two grandchildren and his children, and then turned to many nieces and nephews. Born in raising chickens for their eggs, as Springfield, Mass., the son of the well as a raucous flock of guinea late Joachim and Jeannette (Pourier) hens to eat the ticks. He loved his Bousquet, he was raised and edu- family and called his brothers, his cated in Springfield and was a grad- children and his grandchildren ofuate of Springfield Technical High ten, just to say hello. Sometimes School. He served in the Air Force that hello turned into an hour-andduring the Korean Conflict, even- a-half conversation, ranging from tually settling in Vermont following how he had started this season’s tohis honorable discharge from active mato seedlings under the pilot light service. He worked at the former in the stove, to a story about growWindham College, where he was ing up in Queens, to a reminder employed as a security supervisor, about the sugar-on-snow dinner and later worked for many years coming up, to the latest musical/ as an engineer at Whitney-Blake artistic/athletic/academic perforCompany in Bellows Falls. He was mance of his grandsons. He had a a member of American Legion Post gift for sharing himself and his joy 5 in Brattleboro. He enjoyed the out- in life. Every interaction was an opdoors, especially hunting and fishing, portunity to engage, to build a conand took great pride in restoring an- nection, to make a friend. He was tique and classic cars. MEMORIAL optimistic and saw what was good in INFORMATION : A memorial ser- everything and everyone, and spoke vice will take place at a later date to of it. He expressed his gratitude for be announced by the funeral home. the gift of life in the way he lived his Burial of his cremated remains will life. He had a deep reverence and be in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in faith, and always shared that God Putney. Donations to Putney Fire is Love. He was a gentle, encouragand Rescue, 14 Main St., Putney, ing spirit, with a wise perspective. VT 05346. To sign an online reg- MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A fuister book or to send messages of neral Mass was held at St. Michael’s condolence to the family, visit www. Catholic Church in Brattleboro, VT on Jan. 8. Donations to the Vermont atamaniuk.com. • Dr. Ralph N. Buck, 94, for- Foodbank. To sign an online register merly of Westminster. Died Dec. book or to send messages of condo22 at Springfield Health & Rehab lence to the Burdo family, visit www. after a brief illness. Known as “Doc atamaniuk.com. • Arlene Buck,” he was born in Glover, son of Maria Buzby, the late Dr. Percy and Grace (Dow) 89, of East Buck. Following his 1945 graduaDummerston. tion from Tufts Dental School in Died Jan. 6 at Boston, he served as a dentist in the Thompson House Navy. In 1947, he acquired a denin Brattleboro, tal practice in the Old Arms Block where she had in Bellows Falls, where he practiced been a resident for many years. He later built an office building in Westminster where for the past month. Wife of the late he practiced until his retirement in Howard K. Buzby for 61 years. 2007 at the age of 86. After 60 years Mother of Sue Precourt and her husin dentistry, his last patient was his band, Donald, of Westminster West, great-grandson, John (then 7 months and the late Timothy Buzby. Sister old) having his first dental checkup. of the late Glen and Fayette Crapo, Besides his love of his family, his in- Helen Tuttle, and two twin brothers terests included baseball and horses. who died during infancy. Survivors He played baseball in college and include four grandchildren and on several local teams in the area. many nieces and nephews. Born in It was at a ball game in Alstead, Brattleboro, the daughter of the late N.H., that he met Signa Owens, Glynn and Frances (Averill) Crapo, whom he later married on Nov. 20, she lost her mother at age two and 1948, and who predeceased him in was raised by her aunt and uncle. 2012. His early interest in horses She attended school in Wilton, was a throwback from his father, N.H., where she graduated from a country doctor who would visit Wilton High School. She worked his patients in northern Vermont all of her career as a bookkeeper emby horse and sleigh when unpaved ployed at Motel 6, formerly Susse roads were impassable in the win- Chalet Motor Lodge, and previously ter. His love for “The Trotters” had been employed at Brattleboro remained and, over the years, he Union High School as bookkeeper owned, trained, and raced several of and payroll clerk. She had also been his own at many New England tracks employed at Brattleboro Memorial and fairs. He was a presiding judge Hospital. She was a gambler at heart at the Harness Races at the Orleans and enjoyed day trips to Foxwoods. County Fair for over 50 years. He She also liked to play cards and felt very lucky to have been able Bingo, assemble jigsaw puzzles, and to see his two great-grandchildren, loved the time shared with her famJohn and Payton, enjoy his favorite ily. She was known for her cooking sports. “Old Pop” would be seen at and baking and, for many years, she almost every baseball and basketball made beautiful wedding cakes for game of John’s and got to see Payton many area newlyweds. MEMORIAL (who has acquired his love of horses) INFOR MATION : In keeping with ride, show, and have a horse of her her final wishes, there are no callown. He enjoyed going to the senior ing hours or formal funeral services. center and had many nice friends at Sympathy cards are welcome and Riverview Apartments. He was for- can be sent to her daughter Sue at 43 tunate to have enjoyed his horses, North Goddard Hill Road, Putney, good friends, good health, and his VT 05346. To sign an online regfamily over so many years. He was ister book or to send messages of friendly, outgoing, and always on condolence to the family, visit www. the go, looking for something to do. atamaniuk.com. He was a member of the Moose, • E r i c American Legion, and the Masons, W i l l i a m and served on many local boards Childs, 44, and committees in the area. He is of Brattleboro. survived by his children, Dr. Owen Died Jan. 4 at Buck and his wife, Donna, of Maine, Dartmouthand Nancy Adams and her husband, Hitchcock Don, of Westminster. MEMORIAL Medical Center INFORMATION: There will be a serin Lebanon, N.H., vice in the spring, at a date to be an- where he had been a patient since nounced. Donations to the Bellows August, 2015. Born in Brattleboro, Falls Senior Center, Westminster the son of Mary Childs Tier and Cares, or Kurn Hattin Homes. Andrew Craig of St. Albans, he was Fenton & Hennessey Funeral raised and educated in Brattleboro, Home of Bellows Falls is handling attending the Esteyville School. He arrangements. was a graduate of Brattleboro Union • V i c t o r P. High School. At the time of his death Burdo, 87, of he was a sales associate and delivD u m m e r s t o n . ery driver for Advance Auto Parts Died Jan. 3 at on Putney Road. Previously, he home. Husband worked at several other Brattleboro o f M a r y H . area businesses that included Achille B u r d o f o r 6 3 Agway, C&S Wholesale Grocers. BJ y e a r s . F a t h e r Wholesale, Putney Paper Company, o f A n n ( C a r l ) and Winter Panel. He was known Suhrie, Therese Burdo (Robert for his spirit of friendship and willMiragliuolo), Paul (Laura) Burdo, ingness to help others in need. He Peter Burdo, Lucy (Charlie) was a hard worker who exhibited a Hutchison, and the late Tom Burdo. strong work ethic wherever he had Brother of Benito (Margarete) Burdo been employed. He displayed treand the late Sal Burdo. Also survived mendous inner strength and resolve by eight grandsons. He was born in during his lengthy battle with cancer Long Island City, N.Y., to the late and had a personal connection with Salvatore and Concetta (Lampo) God. He enjoyed working on cars, Burdo. He began learning English watching action movies, listening when he started kindergarten, and to 1980s music, playing cards and ultimately graduated from the New games, and time shared with his York School of Printing. He was family. He was a devoted husband, skilled as a compositor and proof- father, grandfather, brother, and reader. He served in the Army dur- uncle. He was married to Mandy ing the Korean War, twice receiving Thomas. Although their marriage orders to go overseas and twice his ended in divorce, the couple reorders were changed. He met his tained a close friendship. Survivors future wife while serving in Atlanta, include his children Kasandra Childs and they were married in Decatur, and boyfriend Maudiel Palacious of Ga. They moved to Brattleboro Penacook, N.H.; Kourtney Childs and then Dummerston where they of Lowell, Vt.; Selena Goulas of lived for over 50 years. After retiring Bellows Falls; and Koree Childs and Proof generated January 12, 2016 11:26 PM Ryan Childs, both of Brattleboro; and two brothers, Seth Tier of Brattleboro and Jerod Tier of Hinsdale. He was predeceased by one brother, Joseph P. Childs. MEMOR I A L I N FOR M AT ION : A memorial gathering at VFW Post 1034 on Black Mountain Road in Brattleboro will be held on Sunday, Jan. 24, from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. A potluck luncheon will be served, please bring your favorite dish. • Linda Jane (Sanville) C o o k , 6 9 , of Kingsport, Tenn. Died Jan. 4 at home after a long and painful battle with COPD. Born in Westfield, Mass., the daughter of the late Marie Louise (Frechette) and Almon Eugene Sanville, she was preceded in death by one brother, five brothers-in-law, two sisters-in-law, and two nephews. Left to cherish her memory are her husband of 50 years, Dale E. Cook Sr., two children and their spouses, Rochelle (Larry Warriner) of Kingsport and Dale (Doe Cook) of Ellsworth, Maine, five grandchildren and their spouses, six great-grandchildren, 12 sisters, and one brother. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: It is the family’s request that donations in her namebe given to the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital by going to stjudes.com, clicking on “ways to donate,” and entering Linda (Sanville) Cook. • Debra Mary Kozlakowski, 61, of Guilford. Died Nov. 19, 2015, at her home after a very courageous battle with cancer. Wife of Joseph Kozlakowski. Mother of Jeannette M. Langlois-Barrows of Brattleboro and Gail L. Stout of Harrisville, R.I. Stepmother of Joey and Stacey Kozlakowski of Northampton, Mass. Sister of Catherine Butterfield of Greenfield, Mass., Doreen Breed of Wales, Mass., and Cindy Molitoris of Guilford. The daughter of Jeannette M. (Seymour) and George J. Butterfield, she graduated in 1972 from Easthampton (Mass.) High School. While raising her two daughters, she worked as a licensed home health care nurse. She was also a Girl Scout troop leader, a very active member of the local PTA, and a Sunday school teacher at Notre Dame in Easthampton. In 1985, she moved to Guilford and worked for Vermont National Bank (now People’s United) for more than 10 years as a customer service representative in investment banking. Eager to grow in her profession, she took many classes and seminars in banking. She also worked for Comcast as a customer service representative. From 2010 until her retirement in 2013, she worked at the Northeastern Family Institute in Brattleboro helping teenage girls. She loved spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren; baking; knitting; going dancing and to the beach; and watching comedies. She also loved traveling, seeing new places, meeting new people, and trying new activities (zip lining!) She volunteered frequently during the holidays, helping those less fortunate. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: None provided. • John Ira Nestel, 94, of Putney. He is survived by his sister, Sally (Rusty) Yesko of Coconut Creek, Fla.; his five children: Jane (Penny) Nestel-Patt and her husband, Jeffrey, of Lexington, Mass.; Peter Nestel of Armonk, N.Y.; John Nestel Jr. of Cohasset, Mass.; Nicole Nestel and her husband, Andrew Cuniberti, of Haleiwa, Hawaii; Gad Nestel and his wife, Melissa, of San Anselmo, Calif.; and six grandchildren. The oldest of three children born to Paul and Adele Nestel in Hunts Point, Bronx, N.Y., an immigrant neighborhood full of Jewish families of all levels of income, he played stickball in the neighborhood and attended Stuyvesant High School, to which he commuted from the Bronx to lower Manhattan. His passion as a boy was aviation, and on weekends, he hung around his uncle’s flight school where his love of flying was given room to grow and where he learned to fly. Just as the United States was becoming engaged in World War II, he was accepted at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana. At Purdue, he lived in a house for Jewish students, many of whom were eager to join the war effort to fight the Germans. He interrupted his studies to enlist in the Army Air Corps, where he excelled in cadet and flight training at Yale, Kansas, and Texas. He was sent to the Marianas to fight in the Pacific Theatre as part of the 9th Bombardment Group that flew B-29 bombers. As a young Captain, he became a critical member of the squadron, not only training new pilots and crews, but also moving to headquarters as a group flight engineer, planning and leading bombing missions from Tinian Island that led to eventual surrender of Japan. As a result of his service, he received many commendations and awards, including the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Medal. He resumed his studies at Purdue after the war and, in 18 months, graduated with degrees in aeronautical and mechanical engineerig. Following graduation, Mr. Nestel responded to an ad seeking experienced pilots and became one of the members of the first flight crews that launched Israel’s first airline company, El Al, in 1948. For three years, he lived in Israel and flew commercial routes from Israel to Africa and Europe, continuing to pursue his lifelong passion for aviation. Returning from Israel to New York in the early 1950s, he had two children and directed his passion for aviation and leadership to engineering and flight testing as co-founder/CEO of Consolidated Airborne Systems, Inc., a successful aeronautical engineering company that developed, manufactured and sold avionics for private, commercial and military aircraft. Consolidated’s innovative fuel gauges and engine measurement devices were quickly recognized as essential for nearly every airplane manufacturer in the world, an achievement that placed both Mr. Nestel and Consolidated at the forefront of the aviation industry boom. For his contributions, in 1974, the Purdue School of Engineering honored him with a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award and in 1981 he was named a Purdue Old Master. Mr. Nestel’s business leadership earned him an invitation to join the Young President’s Organization (YPO) and, later, its 49ers group, memberships for CEOs and business leaders that he enjoyed throughout his life. One of the highlights of his life and career included the years he spent first attending (as the only civilian member of his graduating class in 1973) and then teaching at the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School in Patuxent, Md. He relished flying and testing fighter planes with the best pilots in the world, many of whom became friends for life. During this time he also conducted flight testing of his own company’s avionics and flew the company’s twin-engine Aero Commander and then its twin Beechcraft Baron. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he had three more children and when the aviation industry began to consolidate, he sold Consolidated Airborne Systems (the company he led and listed on the New York Stock Exchange) to Bendix/Allied Signal, companies that were eventually merged into Honeywell. In 1978, he moved his youngest children with him to Putney, where he could ski, play tennis and fly his Cessna 182, commuting for work and pleasure. His children and friends have many fond memories of flying with Mr. Nestel, who was considered an extremely safe and competent pilot. He amassed more than 25,000 hours as pilot in command of 30 different aircraft throughout his life. As work and family commitments began to free up more of Mr. Nestel’s time, he devoted himself to tennis, playing nearly every day, well into his 90s. In recent years, he could also be found in science and math classes at the local high school, and mentoring aspiring engineers and business leaders in college. Anyone who knew him was well aware of the distances he would travel to be with his five children and six grandchildren. At different junctures in his life, he traveled to Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, California, and even Kenya, Spain and Hungary to be with children or grandchildren. His last trip was to California in December 2015 to visit one of his sons, his daughter-inlaw and two of his grandchildren to celebrate the holidays and his 94th birthday. Following a heart attack, he died there, peacefully, with his son and daughter-in-law at his side. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: Mr. Nestel’s favorite place in the world was atop Dusty Ridge in Putney, in his beloved home where he would sit and watch the sun rise from his picture windows. A memorial service will be held there on Sunday, May 15, 2016, time TBD. Donations to The Putney Public Library, where he sat on the Board of Trustees. • N o r m a n H . S m i t h J r. , 73, of Wardsboro. Died Jan. 4 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. Husband of Laura Smith. Father of Shawn St. Francis of St. Albans; David Smith and his wife, Jessica, also of St. Albans; Robert Smith of Colorado; Debra Smith and her husband, Demian Johnston, of Turners Falls, Mass.; Rebecca Brisbois and her husband, Jeremy, of Chesterfield, Mass.; and Amy Smith and her husband, Steven Freckleton, of Brattleboro. Brother of Herbert Smith of Swanzey, N.H.; Mary Perusse and her husband, Robert, of West Brattleboro; Nancy Perusse. also of West Brattleboro; Norma Struthers and her husband, Clarence, of Vernon; and the late Richard and Paul Smith. Also survived by several grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Born in Brattleboro, the son of Mayolyn (Winter) (Smith) Arsenault and the late Norman H. Smith Sr., he was a lifelong area resident. He worked as a construction supervisor for many years for H. Loney Construction in Brattleboro, and then for Wesfield Construction in Chesterfield, N.H., until his retirement. He was an avid fisherman, and a very creative woodworker, a maker of wine and maple syrup, and enjoyed working his property on his tractors. He especially loved spending time with his family. He would always be willing to share his time and his many talents with his family, friends, and neighbors. MEMORIAL INFOR M ATION : Burial will take place in the spring. Donations to Wardsboro Fire & Rescue, P.O. Box 151, Wardsboro, VT 05355. Condolences may be offered at www. kerwesterlund.com. Available Pets for Adoption Windham County humane SoCiety Make a friend for life 916 West River Road, Brattleboro, VT View all at: w chs4pet s. org 802-254-2232 Hi! I’m Autumn and aren’t I just the prettiest little thing? Once you meet me, you won’t be able to forget me. I would love a family with older children and other cats but I need to be introduced to dogs slowly. I want a family who is just as delighted by the world as me. Don’t make me wait for my new family any longer! Hey everyone, my name is Buddha. I am a 6 year old Boxer mix and am a rather large boy, weighing in at almost 100 lbs. I am the biggest love ball you will ever meet and absolutely love to run around outside and play with other dogs or sit in and watch a good movie while getting my belly rubbed. I am great on a leash, which is a good thing seeing as I am so big. Sadly, I would not do well in a home with cats because I do like to chase them. Please come down and visit me as soon as you can! I’m Ellie, a sweet cuddly girl who came to WCHS with my best friend Jed. We’re both FIV positive, which only means we need to be indoor cats. The staff at WCHS can explain more, but it doesn’t hurt me at all! I could live with other cats as long as they don’t pick fights with me. I’d love to go home with Jed, we play nicely and make a great pair. Come meet us, we’re sure to steal your heart. Hello, my name is Murphy. I have gone through a lot of training and know many commands. My owner also did a lot of agility training with me and it is something I would truly love to continue doing. I am great on a leash and would love to be with someone who could take me for runs. I will require lots of exercise and consistent training but you will be rewarded with a very obedient and well behaved dog. I do well with female dogs but would prefer to meet them here first; sorry, no male dogs. While I am very shy with men and tend to prefer women, with the right socialization I do come to love men just as much as women. Older children would be preferred because younger kids make me nervous. I really just want to find a home that will help me build confidence and overcome my social anxiety. Come down and see me soon. This space is graciously sponsored by: 648 Putney Road Brattleboro, VT 802.257.3700 onesto p c o u n try p e t.c o m 149 Emerald St Keene, NH 603.352.9200 SECTION B SPORTS Wednesday, January 13, 2016 • page D4 Wednesday, January 13, 2016 page D4 RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT/THE COMMONS Bellows Falls guard Chris McKeen (23) moves in on Black River’s Drew Schoenberger (25) during the first half of their Jan. 8 game at Holland Gymnasium. At right is Bellows Falls guard Cam Joy. Terrier boys even up record with win over Black River R yan Stoodley is in his second year as head coach of the Bellows Falls Terriers boys’ basketball and, like any good coach, he has tried to adapt his strategy to the personnel that’s available. That means when you have a team that is still trying to find a groove on offense and is still learning how to close out games, you emphasize defense — especially when your team has given up an average of 66 points in its four losses. The Terriers entered last Friday’s game against the Black River Presidents on a threegame losing streak, including two tough road losses to Woodstock (68-26 on Jan. 4) and Windsor (65-42 on Jan. 6). BF needed a strong defensive effort to get back on track, and got it with a 55-35 win over the Presidents at Holland Gymnasium. Stoodley said his team tried something against Black River that they hadn’t done so far this season — use a man-toman defense with lots of front court pressure. The result was that the Presidents were held to just one basket over the first 10 minutes of the game as the Terriers went on an 18-2 run to take a lead they would never relinquish. “That was one of our best games in a long time,” said Stoodley. “They played great man-to-man defense.” The Terriers forced turnovers, controlled the boards, and denied Black River any second chances at the basket during the run. The downside of playing with that much intensity is getting fatigued, and Black River eventually got as close as 2615 at the half and was as close as 47-35 midway through the fourth quarter, but Stoodley said his team did what it needed to do to win. “I was having a flashback for a moment, because we had a big lead against Black River when we played them up there and lost (67-65 on Dec. 17),” Stoodley said. “We’ve got to be more patient when we get a lead.” BF got 13 points from Cam Joy in the first half, he finished with 19 points. Anthony Mueller had the hot hand in the second half, scoring 11 points and finishing with 16 points. Black River was led by clobbered Long Trail, 75-32. Justin Hicks had 22 points and eight steals, while Brett Swanson added 17 points. Sports Roundup Three days later, the Wildcats rolled over West Rutland, 74-36, to improve to Drew Schoenberger with 18 6-4 on the season. points. • Leland & Gray is still strugThe Terriers improved gling. On Jan. 6 at Arlington, to 4-4 with the win, and is the Rebels were beaten, 63-51. also getting some help for Arlington made seven threethe second half of the seapointers, including four in the son. Longtime girls’ basketfirst half, to put the game out of ball coach Jayne Barber has reach early. The Eagles led 35come out of retirement to assist 23 at the half, but the Rebels Stoodley and coach the freshcould only cut the lead down to man boys’ team. seven before Arlington closed A 1,000-point scorer as a out the game with more longplayer for the Terriers from distance baskets. The Rebels 1972 to 1976, Barber won ended the week at 2-7. five state girls’ basketball titles as coach of the Terriers Girls’ basketball from 1981 to 2009. Stoodley • Bellows Falls was the latest said that with a strong class of local team to run into the buzz freshmen now, and an even saw that is undefeated Mount more promising crop of eighth- St. Joseph, and lost 56-30 on graders behind them, Barber’s Jan. 4. knowledge and experience is a It didn’t help that the welcome addition to build up Terriers went into the game the boys’ program. shorthanded, losing Keri Ticino to a knee injury and Boys’ basketball Emma Lawrence to illness. • Brattleboro improved to Hannah Kelly gamely picked 5-3 with a pair of wins over up the slack, scoring 13 points Division II foes. for BF. Taylor Patno and Taylor Two nights later, the King came off the bench to Terriers snapped a three-game score 17 and 12 points, relosing streak with a 56-26 win spectively. to lead the Colonels at Poultney to improve their in a convincing 77-19 rout of record to 3-5. Abbe Cravinho Springfield at the BUHS gym led BF with 11 points, while on Jan. 5. King started off hot Hannah Kelly and Murphy with three three-pointers in Hicks each added nine points the first quarter. He finished and Molly Kelly scored eight with four threes, while Tony points. Martinez added a pair of three• Leland & Gray started the pointers, and Ian Fulton-Black new year with a home loss to and Chayse Cunniff hit one West Rutland, 40-33, on Jan. each. 4. Caroline Tietz led the Rebels Outside shooting has been with 11 and Hannah Buffum a big part of the Colonels’ ofadded 10. fense this season, but they also Four nights later, the Rebels have a strong front line of Josh traveled to Proctor and lost 48Hanson, Eli Lombardi, and 34 to fall to 3-6 on the season. Dillon Green. That trio abused • Brattleboro had a week it the Cosmos, scoring a collecwould rather forget, with three tive 12 points as Brattleboro tough road losses. On Jan. 5, led 27-8 after one quarter. the Colonels fell to Drury, Brattleboro can play a lit52-42. tle defense too, as they held Two nights later, Mill Springfield to just three points River beat the Colonels, 61in taking a 40-11 lead at the 53, despite Brattleboro gethalf. The second half was for ting 20 points from Devin entertainment purposes only as Millerick and 11 points and everyone got a chance to play eight rebounds from Gabby and put some numbers on the Carpenter. scoresheet. The most heartbreaking The Colonels improved to loss came last Saturday, as the 5-3 with a 55-48 win at Mill Colonels dropped a 49-48 deRiver on Jan. 8. cision to Fair Haven to fall to • Twin Valley had a cou1-8 on the season. ple of big wins at home last The Slaters hit five threeweek. On Jan. 6, the Wildcats pointers in the first half, but the RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT/THE COMMONS Bellows Falls guard Anthony Mueller (31) goes up for a basket in second half action against Black River on Jan. 8 at Holland Gymnasium. Colonels were still in it, trailing 26-23 at the half. Brattleboro stayed in it, thanks to a big night from Carpenter, who finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Morgan Derosia had seven points and three steals, while Kelsea McAuliffe came off the bench to score six points. • Twin Valley picked up a pair of home wins last week. Brianna Rafus had 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Wildcats to a 51-17 demolition of Long Trail on Jan. 6. Tayler Courchesne scored a teamhigh 11 points and Sammy Morse added 10. Teya Johnson chipped in with eight points and six steals, while Kirra Courchesne had seven points and eight rebounds. Against Mid-Vermont Christian last Friday, Sammy Morse scored 20 points to lead the Wildcats to a 49-27 win. Kirra Courchesne had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Tayler Courchesne scored 10 points as the Wildcats evened their record at 5-5. Mount Anthony and Burr & Burton. Woodstock was nearly as dominant in the girls’ race, placing three skiers in the top five to win. Mount Anthony and Burr & Burton came in second and third, respectively, followed by Middlebury and Brattleboro. Nordic skiing • Brattleboro beat Taconic at Withington Rink, 6-4, on Jan. 6 for their third straight win after starting the season with six straight losses. Milton snapped the Colonels’ win streak last Saturday, as the Colonels came up short in a 4-1 road loss. • The Brattleboro Nordic team had its first meet of the season last week in Woodstock. Middlebury dominated the boys’ race, placing four skiers in the top five to win the event. Brattleboro came in second, followed by Woodstock, Boys’ hockey Extra visible and surprisingly affordable Get your business front and center with an ad on a section cover like this one! You know it works, because you’re reading this right now. Call 802-246-6397 or email [email protected]. • Proof generated January 12, 2016 11:26 PM
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