vermont

Vermont Partnership For Fairness and Diversity and African American Heritage Trail Create Opportunities For Poets Of Color

by brattevents1 | Creative

Mount Island is excited to announce that the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity (VPFD) and Vermont African American Heritage Trail—an initiative of the VPFD— have donated a total of $150 toward the Lucy Terry Prince prize. Celebrated poet Major Jackson, who lives and teaches in Vermont, will serve as judge for the inaugural Lucy Terry Prince Prize. Major Jackson is the author of five books of poetry, including The Absurd Man (2020), Roll Deep (2015), Holding Company (2010), Hoops (2006) and Leaving Saturn (2002), which won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize for a first book of poems. The donation will cover the $10 entry fee of 15 poets of color seeking to submit their work for consideration.

Where Have All The Nurses Gone

by RDavis | Health

In his recent budget address Vermont Governor Phil Scott pointed out that Vermont is spending too much money to hire traveling nurses. He has come to recognize something that has been causing economic pain to Vermont’s health care institutions for many years.

When an institution cannot hire enough nurses from the local community and they want to provide optimum staffing, they often turn to one of the national traveling nurse companies to fill vacancies. The overall cost of contracting with these agencies significantly hurts the bottom line of institutions and that means that overall health care costs increase for everyone eventually.

Vermont Companies Support Employees’ Call for Urgent Climate Action

by Not Signed In | State News

Burlington, VT, January 23, 2020 – Some of Vermont’s most iconic companies gave employees time off today to lobby policy makers at the Statehouse in Montpelier.  More than 100 employees met with elected officials and called on the Governor and the legislature to make climate change a priority in this legislative session and to pass a package of laws to ensure that Vermont meets its goals of a 40% reduction of GHG levels by 2030, and 80-95% reduction by 2050.

The employees warned that Vermont’s failure to reduce carbon emissions is damaging to the economy, environment, and their way of life.

Governor Scott’s State of the State Address

by Not Signed In | State News

Mr. President, Madam Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, members of the General Assembly, honored guests and fellow Vermonters:

Today, I welcome the opening of the legislative session with the same optimism I had as a freshman senator from Washington County nearly two decades ago. 

I come before you to report on the state of the state, to reflect on the work we’ve done and to share a vision and priorities for our future. 

Vermont Jazz Center Presents: Annual Big Band Scholarship Fundraiser, Celebrating Nat King Cole

by vtjazz | Music

The Vermont Jazz Center’s Big Band will present its Annual Scholarship Gala on Saturday, December 7th at 8:00 PM. This year’s celebration will honor Nat King Cole’s 100th birthday-anniversary. The VJC Big Band, under the leadership of musical director Rob Freeberg, is a community orchestra made up of professional musicians who come together once a year to raise money for the VJC’s Scholarship Fund. This event is the primary funding source that helps aid scholarship students attending VJC’s educational programs. In 2019 the VJC offered $30,000 in scholarships to help students attend ensembles, private lessons and their annual summer jazz workshop.

This year’s gala will feature the arrangements of songs made famous by Nat “King” Cole, who was recognized as “one of the most influential entertainers of the 20th century” by National Public Radio. The Grammy Hall of Famer was a superstar of his time: he recorded over 150 Billboard singles and sold over 50 millions records. Cole knew he was destined for a life of music – he dropped out of high school at the age of 15 to tour as pianist in his brother Eddie’s trio and he never looked back.

Opening Week for the Winter Farmers’ Market

by Sherry | Food

The Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market opens its 14th season on Saturday, November 2nd once again in the C. F. Church Building at 80 Flat St in downtown Brattleboro. After the last outdoor market in October, fans of the famous summer farmer’s market in West Brattleboro, can simply follow many of their favorite vendors indoors to the only weekly farmers market in the region. The Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market is open every Saturday, 10- 2, November through March.

Visitors will find plenty of farms and local produce, and this great location provides easy convenient parking and a spacious market where we can adequately serve both our vendors and customers. Most weeks, market visitors will find over 2 dozen vendors, including many favorites from past seasons and some new faces as well.

Vermont Jazz Center Presents: 2nd Annual Emerging Artist Festival featuring Harold López-Nussa Quartet

by vtjazz | Music

The Vermont Jazz Center is excited to present pianist Harold López-Nussa and his all-Cuban quartet on Saturday, November 2nd as part of the VJC’s Emerging Artist Festival. This event is being held in memory of the VJC’s dear friend and generous patron, Jonathan Flaccus, whose passion for Cuban music and classic bebop as well as his generosity in assisting those in need has had a great impact on the Jazz Center. This is a rare opportunity to hear the López-Nussa Quartet live, as they are based in Cuba and are coming to the VJC as part of a tour that will take them to seven venues on the East Coast as well as performances in France and the United Kingdom.

Thanks to an Arts Impact Award from the Vermont Arts Council, the Harold López-Nussa Quartet will also be presenting a free workshop on the basic building blocks of Cuban jazz performance and style at the Vermont Jazz Center at 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 2nd.  This workshop is free and open to the general public. The López-Nussa Quartet concert at 8:00 PM is a ticketed event (tickets available at vtjazz.org).

Why I Endorse the F-35 (Fubar-35) Sort Of..

by Namaya | Op/Ed

“The only purpose of war is make the rich richer and the poor poorer.” Major General S. Butler USMC

There is a big NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) brouhaha about the F-35 being stationed in Burlington, Vermont. The plane has certainly lived up to its appellation as Fubar-35 (finagled up beyond all rationality) and the environmental pollution and deafening noise are certainly factors to consider. Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon know the plane is a disaster; nevertheless, it’s a bonanza for the Military Industrial Mafia who profit from it: Pratt Whitney, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and hundreds of military suppliers. Contrary to reason and rationality, bring this noisy mechanical economic failure here to our Green Mountain State!

RIP Green Mountain Red, Former Putney Communard, Roz Payne

by Not Signed In | Obituaries

May 21, 2019 -Vermont has lost one of our most remarkable woman; today film maker, journalist, Black Panther historian, communard, Green Mountain Red, revolutionary, and (ironically) Richmond constable Roz Payne has left this world and these Green Hills for points beyond. Roz grew up in a working class-leftist household in New Jersey. Her mother was a union organizer in Lawrence, MA in the 1930s, and her father ran for NJ State Senate as a member of the Socialist Party.  Poet Allen Ginsberg was her sometimes babysitter.

Vermont Town Meeting Day – Empowering Direct Democracy

by Not Signed In | Op/Ed

By David Van Deusen, District Vice President of the VT AFL-CIO

March 5th, 2019, Cabot VT -Today, the first Tuesday of March, is Town Meeting Day in Vermont. While a community may have many Town Meetings during the year, this is the one day when every community has a Town Meeting all at once.  And here, all the citizens collectively act as the legislative branch of the local government.  One citizen, one vote.  Unlike in the rest of the United States, towns in Vermont have the right to conduct all their government business from the floor of the Town Meeting.

Governor Scott’s Inaugural Address 2019

by Not Signed In | State News

GOVERNOR SCOTT: Mr. President, Madam Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the General Assembly, distinguished guests and fellow Vermonters:

I want to begin by thanking the people of Vermont for the opportunity to serve as Governor, and for their trust and support as we carry out the work ahead. It is the greatest honor of my life.

Windham 2-1 Forum on August 3 at 4:30 p.m. in the Hooker Dunham Lobby

by Not Signed In | Politics

The Brattleboro Town Democratic Committee will be holding a forum for candidates seeking nomination by the Democratic party to run for the Windham District 2-1 seat in the Vermont House of Representatives on Friday, August 3 at 4:30 p.m. at the Hooker-Dunham lobby.  There is no charge to attend.

At the event, citizens can bring questions about any matter which will be offered for time-limited responses.  The event is expected to last one hour, so attendees can step outside and enjoy Gallery Walk at 5:30 p.m.

Fundraiser at Vermont Welcome Center to Benefit Dummerston Community Center

by Dummerston Community Center | Dummerston

The Dummerston Community Center is holding a bake, snack, coffee fundraiser at the Vermont Welcome Center on Friday, July 20 from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Donations of baked goods, snacks, fruit, veggies, coffee, coffee cream, bagels etc. are needed. Any donation of food, gift certificates, or money would be greatly appreciated.

Predict Wayne Estey Will Win Also

by DonInGuilford | Op/Ed

Not based on numerology, but based on the new science of nomenology, which I just invented for this posting. And well, maybe he’ll just make a more-than-could-have-been-expected good showing, but let’s think outside the envelope or whatever and give things a shake-up.

OK, so I noticed that this candidate, who is challenging incumbent Windham County Senators in the August 14 Democratic Primary, is named Wayne Vernon Estey. Lot of Waynes out there, but I figure with his middle name being that of one of the towns in the district, that gives him an edge in Vernon.

Brenda Siegel to Win Democratic Primary

by pockets | Op/Ed

I predict, based on Gematria, that Brenda Siegel will win the August 14th Democratic primary for Governor.

Siegel=39 in English Reduction (s exception). Governor=39 in Reverse Reduction. Siegel’s slogan is “A Vermont for all of us”=233 in English Ordinal. 233 is the 51st prime number. Governor=51 in English Reduction.

Selectboard Meeting Notes:  Brattleboro Municipal Property Tax Rate at $1.2762, Project CARE Community Cookout Announced

by cgrotke | Town News

Taxes are going up, as they always seem to do. The Brattleboro Selectboard adopted the FY19 tax rates for property owners that were approved by Representative Town Meeting representatives earlier this year.  The $14.8 million budget includes both the essential items suggested by the Selectboard as well as some optional extras added in by the representatives.

There’s also a new community collaboration that you can be a part of. Project Care is a new effort in Brattleboro to help addicts recover and do well.

And, in case you are curious, setting the tax rate during a heat wave calls for casual attire.

Rummage and Tag Sale at the Dummerston Community Center

by Dummerston Community Center | Dummerston

There will be a benefit rummage and tag sale on Saturday, June 30th, from 9-noon at the Dummerston Community Center, located at 150 West Street. Items for sale include furniture, furnishings, kitchenware, footwear, books, toys, games, clothing and many miscellaneous items, two rooms full. Some items priced, some by donation. Money donations from the sale will benefit the Center’s operating and maintenance cost.

Red Sox Foundation To Highlight Vermont Charities Dedicated To Social Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion for 2018 “IMPACT” Awards

by Not Signed In | Activism

The Red Sox Foundation invites local residents to vote for their favorite non-profit in the the fourth annual “IMPACT” Awards. The awards provide Red Sox fans in the five New England states surrounding Massachusetts with the opportunity to vote to decide which organizations will be awarded grants. Starting this year, the IMPACT Awards will highlight a different charitable mission each year, with 2018 focusing on non-profits dedicated to improving social justice, diversity, and inclusion in New England communities.