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Brattleboro VFW Breakfast/Lunch Info. Public Welcome to All Meals

by LisaL | Food

Breakfast at the Brattleboro VFW located at 40 Black Mountain Road every Wednesday and Saturday from 6 am – 10 am. Public welcome for our meals!
Breakfast menu includes homemade pancakes, corned beef hash, eggs cooked to order, home fries, bacon, sausage and more. Wednesday’s have breakfast specials, and Wednesday July 28th will be a waffle with strawberries for $5.50. To-go’s are welcome by calling 802-257-0438. Attached is our Saturday menu with pricing, which is slightly different than the Wednesday menu. Come in, socialize, have a chat while drinking a coffee, relax. We don’t care. Just come in and be civil.

The Eve Of Destruction

by RDavis | Activism

It is helpful to step back every once in awhile and try to look at the big picture. What we see when we look at the human species and the planet is not pretty.
Living organisms are programmed for survival. But the great paradox is that so many human activities are geared toward destruction. One of the most glaring example has to do with climate change.

There have always been naturalists and conservationists among us. I would consider them people who understand that our behavior has an effect on all other living matter around us. Their voices have been small and not very loud over the ages, yet they possess the knowledge that all of us need to help preserve the natural world that we live in. Humans have never given science the respect it is due and that attitude is proving destructive to everything we interact with.

In the 21st century it is not enough for there to be naturalists pointing the way because humans have become so arrogant and selfish that the only way they will move to change their behavior is if it effects their pocketbook or their selfish way of life.

Minority Rules in Government and COVID

by RDavis | Health

It’s bad enough that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his band of idol-worshipping Trumpies are controlling much of what goes on in congress, but many of their supporters around the country are also in control of the course of COVID.

Federal politics has always been less than representative of the will of the people and that kind of imbalance has increased over the last few years. Even though Democrats have a slim majority in the Senate they have great difficulty passing any significant legislation because of issues like the filibuster and the need for 60 votes for bill passage. This situation has all but crippled the body politic and it will continue for the foreseeable future.

That future is starting to look at little grimmer when it comes to COVID in this country. A minority of Americans are determining the course of COVID because of their refusal to get vaccinated. The unvaccinated are not a monolithic group but it seems clear that states that lean Republican and places that have bought into the Trump lies have the lowest vaccination rates.

Brattleboro Celebration Planned for the Resumption of Amtrak Service

by Not Signed In | Travel

The Vermont Agency of Transportation has announced the resumption of Amtrak Service to Vermont beginning on July 19, 2021. A celebration is planned for Monday, July 19 at 12:45pm to be held on the green adjacent to the Connecticut River, across from Whetstone Station restaurant. The festivities are provided by the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance (DBA) and will include free gelato and a performance by a local band, the Detrani Brothers. The event is free and the public is welcome. An official from Operation Lifesaver of Vermont will be on hand to give a brief talk on train safety, and other local dignitaries will also address those in attendance.

$1 Amtrak Fares, Special Events in Vermont To Celebrate Return of Trains

by cgrotke | Travel

This is a bit of fun news for train lovers.

“Amtrak and the Vermont Agency of Transportation welcome back Vermont’s beloved Amtrak trains – the Vermonter and the Ethan Allen Express – for full service beginning on July 19. Celebratory events will be held 45 minutes before the trains are scheduled to arrive at all stations in Vermont. To complement these events, $1 fares are being offered for travel on July 19 within Vermont so that attendees can cap off their participation with an Amtrak train ride.

Brattleboro VFW Breakfast/Lunch Info. Public Welcome to All Meals

by LisaL | Food

Breakfast Wednesday at the Brattleboro VFW located at 40 Black Mountain Road from 6am-10am. Special is a 3 egg western omelette with toast for $7.50. (Ham, onions and green peppers) Public welcome, as are to-go’s by calling 802-257-0438. Scott and Lou cooking.

Thursday July 8th lunch special will be stuffed pork with mashed potatoes, gravy, corn and roll.

Brattleboro Senior Meals Lunches Re-Open

by KathrynT | Food

After a long wait the Brattleboro Senior Meals will be opening for our first Congregate meal on July 8th.  Lunch will be served between Noon and 12:30.  Contact: Cynthia Fisher, Director of Senior Meals, and make your reservation at (802) 257- 1236 or director@brattleboroseniormeals.org. for either our sit down lunch or to order a take out lunch.  Take out lunches need to be picked up between 11:00 am to 11:30 am.

I will be great to see all of the faces we have missed for over a year and a half.

Trumka & National AFL-CIO Back Off VT – No Action To Be Taken Against Vermont AFL-CIO For General Strike Vote

by David Van Deusen | Activism

Today 6/29/21] I received a formal letter from National AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. In the letter Trumka confirmed that the investigation against us for passing a General Strike Authorization Resolution has concluded and that he asserts we engaged in misconduct based on his (dubious) reading of national bylaws. Trumka also used the letter to attack us for developing a relationship of solidarity with the progressive rank & file caucuses within the non-AFL-CIO VSEA (Vermont State Workers United!) and NEA (Vermont School Workers Action Committee). But in the end, he stated that he would NOT take any disciplinary action against us at this time. This is a major win for Union democracy within the AFL-CIO, and the Vermont AFL-CIO is proud of our conduct, commitment to social justice Unionism, relationship building within the broader pro-Union left, and our fidelity to the defense of democracy. We may be one of the smallest and most rural States in the nation (with a population of just over 600,000), but here in Vermont our membership is growing and we are not afraid to lead. And lead we shall!

Why Don’t We See More Masks?

by RDavis | Health

Engaging in usual forms of commerce makes one believe that the pandemic is a thing of the past. I find it extremely frightening that more people are not wearing masks in public because the science does tell us that not enough people have been vaccinated to provide the kind of herd immunity that we might need to protect all of us.

Fifty four percent of the U.S. population has received a first dose of vaccine and 47% have received a second dose. That means that as you go about your daily business about half of the people you see should be wearing masks. Of course, the vaccination numbers vary by state. Vermont has a vaccination rate of 82% for a first dose and 75% for a second dose. Massachusetts is at 70% for a first dose and 61% for a second dose.

Even with those numbers we still should see a quarter to a half of the people we engage with on a daily basis wearing masks. It is just not happening. Most places, as well as the CDC, have lifted mask restrictions for vaccinated people and have let the unvaccinated rely on their conscience to do the right thing.
Guess what? It ain’t working. The daily numbers of new COVID cases and deaths are declining but more than 600,000 Americans have died from the disease and it has become clear that most of the recent deaths are in people who have not been vaccinated.

Brattleboro Heat Advisory Notice

by Not Signed In | Health

 The Town of Brattleboro urges everyone to drink plenty of water, wear light clothing, and stay out of the heat as much as possible during the current heat wave. 

People who need some cool air can visit the Senior Center at the Gibson Aiken Center (207 Main Street), Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street), the Central Fire Station (103 Elliot Street), or the West Brattleboro Fire Station (16 South Street). 

Life Out Of Balance

by Kurt Daims | Activism

From this chart we see that in 10,000 BCE (12,000 years ago) wild animals comprised 100% of the total vertebrate biomass on this planet. Today, wild animals comprise only 4% — less biomass than the cats and dogs that we humans keep for pets. The world’s cattle now comprise a greater biomass than all other animal species combined. Now you can believe that methane from cattle can make a deadly difference.

Annie Guion of Windham County Humane Society To Retire

by cgrotke | Pets

Annie Guion has announced her retirement from the Windham County Humane Society. Here’s the letter:

Dear Friends,

After 14 years of the best work of my life and my most fun and fulfilling job to date, it is time for me to move on to the next adventure. My partner is retiring and we are planning to pursue some long-held dreams and check some items off the bucket list. I love the Windham County Humane Society (WCHS) and in order to ensure a smooth transition, I will be staying through the end of 2021.

Good Time To Hike Wantastiquet

by DanAxtell | Recreation & Sports

On Wantastiquet, the trail is dry and the mountain laurel is blooming. On June 23, 2021, there was no water on the carriage road trail up to the summit. Not even a puddle. Really, things are that dry. You can wear sneakers. And the mountain laurel will be in bloom for another week. Invasive mountain laurel is everywhere on Wantastiquet, unfortunately, but it sure is pretty for these two weeks. It doesn’t bloom well at lower elevations, so you won’t see blossoms until the 7th hairpin turn (out of 9). The blossoms are much better if you continue past the summit towards Mine Ledge. (The trail after the antenna tower is narrow. I found a tick on my arm within three minutes. Past the summit, tick precautions are necessary.)

The view from the summit is disappointing now. The scruffy oak trees were last cleared out in 2009. Now they block most of downtown Brattleboro. Instead, you should take the side trail at the 6th hairpin turn to see the view from the lower lookout–the preferred spot for Brattleboro panoramas for 165 years. I’ve posted the two panoramas I took today on iBrattleboro’s photo section. It was a post-thunderstorm morning with low humidity–perfect for a photo. There’s even some mountain laurel in bloom on that side trail. That outcrop will have good blueberries in two weeks.

Thugs, Politicians and Guns

by RDavis | Activism

I can’t stop being outraged at the lack of action by politicians on the issue of gun control. It would be easy to become insensitive to the daily reports of mass shootings in this country but every time I hear about one I become more and more depressed because I know that nothing will change in my lifetime, if ever.

This lack of action makes it clear that the U.S. political system is controlled by amoral, unethical and inhumane people. It is fueled by self-interest and the only time that things get done is when politicians think they can get more votes or more financial support in the next election.

Gun control is not about guns or mental health. It is about a failed political system.