The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 at 9:00am in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center. The Board will convene at 9:00am and is expected to immediately enter into executive session to discuss the appointment or employment or evaluation of a public officer or employee. The Board will reconvene after the executive session and immediately adjourn. No action will be taken.
AGENDA
I Approval of Minutes from 10/4/22
II Update of Board actions on 10/11/22 concerning:
D7 Volunteers and Work Study Students
E8 Tobacco Prohibition
F10 Reporting Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect
F39 Students Experiencing Temporary Housing Insecurity
For those of us who missed the opportunity to view the film, “Out of Our Heads: A Male Journey into the Heart”, shown last night at the Hooker Dunham, I have good news! I discovered that it is available to watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy8nSIze-1M . I found it quite moving, and heartily recommend it.
For many of us our initial exposure to Tarot Cards and Tarot Readings is one of fortune tellers and carnivals; mysterious, shadowy foretelling of things to come be they pleasant or unpleasant. Those who read Tarot Cards are portrayed in the movies as the person who predicts the future or events that haven’t happened yet.
It is rare to experience Tarot as a metaphysical tool for understanding our life path more deeply, a navigational map for moving forward or the sacred sciences it embraces i.e. numerology, sacred geometry, karmic patterns, 5 element principles and a guide to our Higher or Lower roads of Consciousness and personal development.
The Brattleboro Selectboard adopted a resolution recognizing freedom from domestic violence as a human right. They heard a presentation and had a discussion about the impact and effects of domestic violence in the community, and talked about making changes to end it. Men were encouraged to get involved.
The board was also zoom-bombed a few times, which hadn’t happened in a while. They bought police equipment, heard about changes to bike regulations, and got more questions about EMS in Brattleboro.
Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary bluegrass and Americana music from far and near by California-based AJ Lee & Blue Summit and Vermont-based The Stockwell Brothers on Saturday, November 5 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.
Although falling loosely under the bluegrass label, AJ Lee & Blue Summit generally plays without a banjo, with Sullivan Tuttle and Scott Gates on acoustic guitars, AJ on mandolin, Jan Purat on fiddle, and Chad Bowen on acoustic bass. Drawing from influences such as country, soul, swing, rock, and jam music, the band uses the lens of bluegrass as a vessel through which to express and explore the thread that binds and unifies all great music. Since their first concert in 2015, the quintet has performed around the world, released two CDs, and garnered numerous awards including Northern California Bluegrass Society’s Best Female Vocalist, Best Bluegrass Band, Best Mandolin Player, and Best Guitar Player, as well as International Bluegrass Music Association’s Momentum Vocalist Award and Freshgrass Band Contest winner.
Monday, October 10, 2022
4:52 am Stuck in Vermont – Robert Volk Jr.
5:00 am Hooker Dunham Presents – William Shakespeare’s the Winter’s Tale 8/14/22
7:40 am Northgate TV – Guided Meditation – Relaxing and Remaining Calm 7/21/22
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast
9:00 am Stories by Tego – Gilfeather Turnip: Rooted in Wardsboro
Melany Kahn’s passion for foraging led her to write “Mason Goes Mushrooming,” a new book for children, with illustrations by Ellen Korbonski, and it’s just been published by our local publisher Green Writers Press.
Tune in to hear some great stories of Melany’s early years horseback riding overland in West Bratt, being a family mediator in town…….and wild foraging in the woods!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MENU
Oct 10 CLOSED
Oct 11 BBQ Meatloaf
Mashed Garlic Potatoes
Snap Peas
Apple Sauce
It’s bad enough that we are being subjected to a barrage of political ads as the mid-term election approaches. Those of us in the Medicare eligibility pool are also experiencing the yearly lust to enroll by private insurance companies hoping you will switch to a Medicare Advantage plan. Medicare pays them extremely well when people sign up for Advantage plans.
My simple advice is that if you are enrolled in traditional Medicare stay there. Consider switching back to traditional Medicare if you are in an Advantage plan. From October 15 until January 15, 2023 Medicare beneficiaries can switch Medicare plans.
Understanding all of the implications of types of Medicare plans can be difficult. If you look at some of the most important issues, such as cost, then decisions can be easier. Medicare Part A has no cost for most people. In 2023 the standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B will be $164.90 and the annual deductible will be $226.
In case it is of interest, an essay of mine (based on previous commentary regarding various matters), fyi:
Essay: Questionable Intentions: Reflections on Societal Dilemmas and Political Ethics (via Google Drive):
Unbelievably, when I attempted to purchase a lighter today at Rite Aid on Canal St., I was told that in order to do so, I needed to present my driver’s license! I don’t know what the f— that is all about, but maybe somehow I ended up in the wrong country? I know for certain, I’m on the wrong planet!
Shoot the Moon Theater Company returns to live, in-person theater performances with a production of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” for its 2022 Annual Halloween Spectacular.
Shows take place Fridays and Saturdays, October 21-22 and October 28-29 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery. General Admission is $13.00. Tickets can be purchased at the door or reserved in advance by calling 802-451-0523.
“Jekyll and Hyde” will be the company’s first production in front of a live audience since January 2020, according to Shoot the Moon’s Artistic Director Joshua Moyse. “We stayed in contact through COVID-19, did some online readings, and did a digital Halloween show in 2020,” he says. “We’ve mostly been waiting until the time was right to rev back up, and now is that time.”
The Brattleboro Fire Department AP Triton Survey was “closed” to anyone who clicked on the link to access it, despite an October 31 deadline for community members taking the survey.
Clicking on the link this weekend led to a screen that said the survey was closed.
I’m pleased to invite you to this free program at Brooks Memorial Library next Wednesday evening. This is a wrap-up of the Words Project, which has focused on Lucy Terry Prince, Royall and Mary Tyler, and Mary Wilkins Freeman, authors from the past, who lived in Guilford and/or Brattleboro. The Wednesday program serves as a prelude to this year’s Brattleboro Literary Festival, which runs from Thursday through Sunday.
Now we turn to a more recent author, poet William Mundell (1912-1997), lifelong resident of South Newfane. Both his life and his work are of interest. At 6 pm we’ll have our traditional roundtable discussion with his nephews and with Andy Burrows, who worked with the poet on publication of his first book, Hill Journey, by the Stephen Greene Press. We’ll tell you about Mundell’s life as not only a fine poet, but a painter, photographer, town official, ski area developer, State Highway Foreman, stone mason, house builder …. There will also be a small exhibit at the library of Mundell items.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will purchase almost $24,000 worth of 9mm pistols at their next regular meeting.
The board will also discuss a domestic violence resolution, extend a loan to Metalarts, begin modification of the Code of Ordinances regarding bicycles, and more. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER—6:00 p.m. — Michelle Luetjen-Green, Board Chair
II. ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATE
III. New Business
A. Board Development Workshops Update/Scheduling
B. Superintendent Evaluation Rubric
• Review and Steps Forward with Sue Ceglowski, Executive Director of VSBA
C. Code of Ethics Discussion
“III. Parliamentarian
• Motion: Shall the WSESD Board employ Deborah Lee Luskin to serve as Parliamentarian to help the WSESD Board learn Robert’s Rules of Order?
IV. PRESENTATION: Trauma Informed Practices / Social Emotional Learning”
Agenda
1. Approval of Minutes
2. Year to Date Fiscal Review; 1st quarter FY 2023
3. Whetstone Village Property update
4. Recommendation to Board to Approve Warrants and Payrolls
In observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, all Town offices will be closed on Monday, October 10, 2022, with the exception of emergency services.
Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Sunday and Monday, October 9 and 10, 2022. All other violations will be enforced.
