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Viado Promoted to Co-Director of Youth Services’ Restorative Justice Programs

by Nanci Leitch | Living

Brattleboro, VT–Cassandra “Kaci” Viado plays a key role in Youth Services’ mission to build resilience and be a catalyst for change as the new Co-Director of the agency’s Restorative Justice Programs.

Promoted from her position as the Restorative Panel and Pre-Charge Programs Coordinator for the last 18 months, Viado is well-versed in working with volunteers, participants, harmed parties, and facilitating restorative justice panels. In that capacity, Viado attended one-on-one meetings for over 100 cases annually, collaborated with local law enforcement, Probation and Parole, and the States Attorney’s Office.

In her new role, Viado manages five restorative justice-based programs for youth and adults in Windham County: Pretrial Services, Court Diversion, Driving with License Suspended, a diversion-based program for substance use and/or mental health needs called Tamarack and the Youth Substance Awareness Safety Program, which emphasizes healthy choices over punishment.

aBrattleboro

by AnneODyne | Home & Garden

Writing from outside and away from the area now, not quite self-imposed exile but with the place in the rear view mirror.  What comes to mind; ghost roads, places only inhabited in memory, a distilled distance.  A somewhat heavy thing to have a home and then not live in it. Circumstances, fate, who knows what controls our comings and goings?

Clearly space and time are connected as being far away throws spectral light on long years of residence. People, snippets of conversation, smell of certain hallways, the bank of various turns, particular potholes… funny what’s recalled of its own accord. 

Those People

by RDavis | Activism

I have been trying to understand why having a visible population of people who either appear homeless or, who look as though their body or their mind is in a troubled state, cause people to react strongly to their presence. I don’t think there is a simple answer to this question, but I do believe that if we try to look at “those people” from different perspectives we just might be able to soften the fear and anger that is aroused.

It is frightening to many people to have to walk in close proximity to people they believe to be homeless or troubled. Part of the problem is that panhandling has become a common activity and when people are asked for money they feel violated and they may fear that they will be accosted if they don’t give people what they are asking for.

We live in a free society and that means that all of us have rights to pursue a vocation, whether or not it is socially acceptable, as long as it does not break any laws. Some places have tried to outlaw panhandling. Panhandling is a confrontational act and some people might say they have the right to walk in their own town without experiencing the fear that panhandling arouses in them. A lot of people react when they see a panhandler by assuming they are too lazy to get a job.

Brattleboro Dog and Wolf-Hybrid Licenses Due April 1

by Not Signed In | Pets

Annual Brattleboro dog and wolf-hybrid licenses are available for the 2024 licensing period. All current dog owners were mailed a renewal notice in early February. To renew an existing dog license, return your payment and renewal notice with updated rabies vaccine information by April 1, 2024.

So, About That Winter

by cgrotke | Nature

Now that Spring is here, we can talk freely. We didn’t seem to get very much snow this winter. Felt pretty warm, too. Is the end of snow near?

This is very much like the weather used to be in the mid-Atlantic. When I was in DC in the late 80’s and early 90’s, it would get cold, but there was barely any snow. A half an inch would surprise people and shut things down. We got much more slush, and that would freeze into ruts because there wasn’t a good plow system in place.

A Celebration of Earth: An Evening with Bill McKibben, Douglas Brinkley, and Ben Cosgrove at Next Stage

by hahrenholz | Activism

Join Next Stage for an evening of discussion and music inspired by the climate crisis and environmental activism. New York Times bestselling author and historian Douglas Brinkley and environmentalist and author Bill McKibben will talk about their writings on climate action and environmental history, in a discussion moderated by Vanessa Vadim.

The evening will open with music from traveling composer-performer Ben Cosgrove, whose music explores themes of landscape, place, and environment. The event will take place at Next Stage on Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 pm at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, VT. Tickets are $15. 

Ember Rebrina on “Here We Are”

by Wendy O'Connell | Activism

A first person account of running for your freedom and safety as a non-binary person from Russia. After much red tape, detainment and hardship, Ember Rebrina is now in Brattleboro, receiving help and support through CASP, and volunteers in the community.

Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department Annual Egg Hunt

by Not Signed In | Family

The Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department is excited to announce that on Saturday, March 30th, 2024, they will be offering their Annual FREE Egg Hunt!

Each egg hunt will start promptly at the times listed below. There will be 6 stuffed animal prizes for each age group. Each child needs to have a basket or container to collect the eggs. 

Youth Services’ Summer Resource Calendar 2024 Available for Download

by Nanci Leitch | Recreation & Sports

Youth Services has once again created a downloadable spreadsheet of all camps in Windham County as a service to area families.

“Our Summer Camp Listing gives parents and grandparents a listing of all the options in one convenient location,” notes Russell Bradbury-Carlin, Youth Services’ Executive Director. “We’ve been doing this for years as a service to local families.”

Brattleboro and VT COVID-19 Regional Dashboard Summary – March 2024

by cgrotke | Health

Here’s the March 2024 dashboard summary. We continue semi-regular COVID-19 dashboard numbers from the Vermont Department of Health, and MA and NH counties that surround Brattleboro, as long as they continue providing them. Scroll down the new comments for the latest.

VT, NH and MA do weekly updates, near the end of the week, so we update on Fridays usually. All three have changed their dashboards since the start, so it is now tough to easily compare how things have changed. Variant updates are every two weeks.

Humanitarian Advocacy Group Seeks a 2nd VT Organizer

by MD | Activism

Grab this dynamic opportunity to strategically engage members of Congress for progressive foreign policy change!  Action Corps is currently recruiting a second Vermont organizer to join our national team. We are building leaders for democracy in the U.S.; a ceasefire in Gaza, Yemen and beyond; and global climate justice. Join us as we continue our track record of effective collaboration and humanitarian results.  https://www.actioncorps.org/ 

Liv Berelson on “Here We Are”

by Wendy O'Connell | Activism

Brattleboro is becoming home to asylum seekers and refugees.

Liv Berelson is on the front lines at CASP, (Community Asylum Seekers Project) and fills us in on the practical measures of support and services available, as well as the reality of their daily lives here and now. And the many ways their presence benefits our town.

A Little Something

by AnneODyne | Activism

I went out on a date this week, if you can call it that. All it was really was dinner. We knew each other quite well, and both of us had the taste for a certain cuisine from a very popular place. It was bound to be crowded at the dinner hour, we knew it would be. And it was. But nonetheless, we were game.

This establishment has a particular and rigid system in place regarding ordering. One line at a counter. For everything. To pick up take out. To eat in. Get a beverage. Whatever. A single line that delivers customers to the register one at a time like a gum-ball machine. You line up and wait your turn. No wiggle room to the method. There are tables, but no table service. Servers bring the carefully prepared items over to you when ready, but the only way to obtain food is to place and pay for an order when it comes your turn.

This brings me to the point of all this. The other night, on our “date”, I went up to order for us and it’d be fair to say there were half a dozen or so people ahead of me. Suddenly, a guy sidles up to the counter, we could all see it coming, and it wasn’t made any better by the fact he had his AirPods in, but anyway, he leans in- well, first he shut his music, angles in and then says, to all of us, “I placed my order before and got served already but forgot something, would you mind if I just slip in and add a little something?”

Housing Crisis Fake News ?

by Kurt Daims | Activism

The town has waged a legal campaign against BCS for its emergency homeless shelters in RVs for a year now. Their charges are based on rumors and technicalities.

They can win only by their legal power. At our “trial” February 21, 2023 selectwoman Elizabeth McLoughlin objected to the chairperson referring to the housing emergency. She said BCS (Daims) was the only one declaring it that. BTW the housing crisis was already a national issue. The only deniers were on the Brattleboro selectboard. (The selectboard is the health board).

Pro Life Means Women Suffer and Die

by RDavis | Health

For 50 years our country gave women the right to control their bodies when it came to the decision to terminate a pregnancy. The Supreme Court took that away in June of 2022. The result of their ruling is that states now have the ability to ban abortions and at least 24 states have done so with a variety of time restrictions.

Many voters will still have this issue in mind in November and it is important for all of us to find out where candidates stand on this issue. Some states, like Vermont, quickly passed legislation to give a woman the right to choose and that means that women at least can try to go to states without abortion bans when they need the procedure.