Hello

Stories

Brattleboro VFW Reality Sets In

by LisaL | Business

The recent situation with COVID has resulted in some hard truths for the Brattleboro VFW. Clubs have taken a beating financially, along with a lot of other businesses.

We have had to cancel all our functions since March. No dinner/dances, birthday parties, wedding receptions, regular bingos, cancer or Brattleboro Firefighter’s fundraising bingos, banquets, holiday parties, etc. etc.

We had to shut down completely for three months starting in March, but still the bills came in. Some grants from the government helped pay some, but not all of those bills.

Stay Home With WVEW on New Year’s Eve!

by Wendy M. Levy | Entertainment

What’s the safest party in town? The one on the radio!

On Thursday, December 31, please join 107.7fm Brattleboro Community Radio WVEW.org, for an all-day, most-of-the-night party to bid farewell to 2020…please!…and welcome in 2021.

We’re suspending (most of) our regular programming to play festive dance tunes provided by eleven of your favorite WVEW DJs. And it’s all commercial-free and local!

Brattleboro Community Safety Review Committee Meeting Agenda

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Community Safety Review Committee will meet on Monday, December 28, 2020, at 6:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19).  The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.” 

Remembering Wally White and Faith Ministries

by SK-B | Spiritual
Christmas Story in newspaper

Thirty-five years ago, the Town of Brattleboro gave a homeless shelter run by Faith Ministries a December 25 deadline to close.

The Christmas deadline — a public relations blunder — was dramatic enough to garner national attention, but the real issue was articulated in a press release in which Wally & Emily White said the following:

“At a time when many municipal administrations are asking churches to shelter the homeless, in Brattleboro the Zoning Board is trying to close a church run shelter. If they succeed, up to eight homeless men may face the cruel winter with nowhere else to go. One of them nearly died of exposure last year while sleeping in a dumpster.”

A New Bill, Another Slap In The Face

by RDavis | Activism

The elite American ruling class, aka Congress, has once again proven that they do not understand or respect the hardship that a majority of Americans are experiencing. They are also making it clear that they are only willing to offer crumbs to a starving population.

The most recent stimulus package that just passed after months of political posturing is a slap in the face to most Americans. It provides a one-time check of $600 to people whose income is below $75,000. The people who crafted this legislation have no idea what $600 buys in the real world. I suspect most of them never shop for their own necessities, never clean their own houses and could not tell you what a gallon of milk, a gallon of heating oil or a package of toilet paper costs.

Vermont Guidelines for Safe Holidays

by cgrotke | State News

Here’s what the state of Vermont says about gathering during the holidays:

For the period from December 23 – January 2, one household may gather with one other trusted household. That is a maximum of two households gathering during this period.
Staying home and with people you live with is still the lowest risk. Gathering with people you do not live with is not recommended for people who are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 or people who care for them.
If you do gather, the Health Department strongly encourages getting tested 7 days afterwards.
If you gather with anyone from out of state, everyone in both households must quarantine for 14 days, or 7 days with a negative test.
The travel policy has not changed. If you travel outside of Vermont, you must follow quarantine requirements.

Christmas This Year

by Lise | Spiritual
Solstice 2020

Every year at Christmastime, our household goes a little crazy with holiday and seasonal preparations. We play Christmas music from Thanksgiving on, make presents, shop, bake cookies, eat cookies, put cookies away so we’ll stop eating cookies, make chocolates, see above, wrap presents, plan meals, shop some more. Truth is, it’s a bit of a guilty pleasure. It makes you a little corny to love Christmas, especially the way I do. But this year seems different. I believe we have a valid excuse to try to keep up good cheer. To do otherwise would be morbid, and morbid is not what you want to be during a global pandemic. But it’s not easy, especially with all the grim tidings we’ve been treated to lately.

New Year’s Resolution: Volunteer with Youth Services’ Court Diversion

by Nanci Leitch | Activism

Youth Services is seeking volunteers to serve on its Court Diversion panels in the New Year.  Court Diversion is a voluntary, confidential alternative to court proceedings for certain juveniles and adult cases referred to Court Diversion on an individual basis by the State’s Attorney’s Office.

According to Sally Struble, Youth Services’ Director of Restorative Justice Programs, its underlying intent is to repair harm that is caused by the crime and to address underlying conditions that led to the offense. Youth Services relies on community volunteers to represent community values to hold the person who offended accountable for his or her conduct.

Brattleboro Town Holiday Closures

by Not Signed In | Town News

In observance of the Christmas holiday: 

Brattleboro Town offices will close at 12:00pm on Thursday, December 24, and will be closed on Friday, December 25, 2020, with the exception of emergency services. 

Brooks Memorial Library is closed to the public at this time. The curbside service will end at 12:00pm on Thursday, December 24, and will not be available on Friday, December 25. Curbside service will resume at 10:00am on Saturday, December 26, 2020. 

12 Local Organizations Collaborate on Wellness Care Packages for the Community

by HBLozito | Health

Brattleboro, VT — United Way of Windham County has released funds in the amount of $90,322, via a Vermont Department of Health Grant, to 11 area organizations in support of the Collaborative Care Package Project. The participating organizations are: The AIDS Project of Southern Vermont, The Brattleboro Community Justice Center, Brooks Memorial Library, Community Asylum Seekers Project, Deerfield Valley Community Partnership, Elnu Abenaki, Greater Falls Connections, Out in the Open, The Root Social Justice Center, The Susu Healing Collective, United Way of Windham County, and West River Valley Thrives.

HB Lozito, Executive Director of Out in the Open says of the project: “we want to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, both those that are direct and indirect, on our most impacted community members—those who are rural, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQ+ by offering care packages that are supportive of people’s whole selves and families. Our goal is to source as many of these items from locally-owned, BIPOC-owned, LGBTQ+-owned businesses as possible. We are happy to live in an area so abundant with local producers!”

BCTV Schedules – Week of December 21, 2020

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV Channel 8 / 1075 schedule for the week of 12/21/20

Monday, December 21, 2020

5:00 am Brattleboro Democracy Forum – It’s All About Democracy 11/5/2020
6:30 am Brattleboro Music Center presents – The EOS Project Concert 11/8/2020
7:45 am Stuck in Vermont – World Travelers Bring Their Magic Home to Vermont
7:50 am Stuck in Vermont – Bindhiya Khadka Shares Her Nepali Culture Through Dance
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda – December 22, 2020

by cgrotke | Town News

Shall the voters of Brattleboro be allowed to vote to opt-in to retail sales of cannabis? The Brattleboro Selectboard will decide it the question will be asked on March 2 ballots at their next special meeting.

They’ll also accept a planning grant and continue with their review of the FY22 budget, which is a great time for Representative Town Meeting Reps to pay attention and report back to all of us about what the budget will contain.

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Monday, December 21, 2020 at 4:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19).  The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.” 

The Brattleboro Community Safety Review Committee will meet on Monday, December 21, 2020 at 6:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19).  The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.” 

Downtown Brattleboro Snow Removal

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Town of Brattleboro would like to remind everyone that the snow emergency ban is in effect.   

Snow and ice will be removed from the streets in the downtown area this evening.   

Parked vehicles in the downtown district must be removed by 11:00pm or they will be towed at the owner’s expense.

The Much-Needed Snow

by cgrotke | Nature
snow person head

I think we all needed this snowfall. There’s something calming about a big blanket of snow that keeps people inside, vehicles off the road, and so on.  

It purifies. Think how happy Dorothy and friends were to have Glinda cover them in snowy flakes. It took away the witch’s spell.

Winter Farmers’ Market – Updates to Curbside Service

by Sherry | Food

As you may know, the Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market is currently 100% online pre-orders for Curbside Pick up. To effectively manage the volume of orders and items that our market producers need to make, bake, pick, pack and label for your Saturday Pick up, and so our Curbside Team can better serve you at pick up time, we are making a few changes:

1. Market orders will close at 9 AM on Thursday starting this week.  This will be especially helpful as we have two Friday holidays in a row coming up! So shop early!