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January 2025 Precipitation Report

by local | Nature

A dry month with fairly normal temps. Measured 1.57″ of moisture compared to a NOAA normal of 3.39″.  Even with the relatively cold temps most of the month, about 1/2 of the moisture fell as rain.

Snow for the month totaled 12.6″ compared to my average of 16.5″.  My average in just the years 1993-2010 was 19.4″. Total snowfall so far this season stands at 25.3″ at my location.  For comparison Mt Snow ski area lists their season total at 93″.  They do exaggerate a little but they also have been receiving much more snow this year and skiing has been good for several weeks.

Audio Story Hits the High Points of Harris Hill “Like Nothing Else in the World”

by Lissa Weinman | Recreation & Sports
ski jumper

The Harris Hill Ski Jump stands like a beacon on the local landscape. Every February thousands gather at Harris Hill to watch athletes from around the world compete for the Winged Trophy. The thrills of this extraordinary event are brought to  life in the January episode of the Brattleboro Words Trail Podcast as jumpers fly, crowds roar and cowbells ring and three very different voices share their impressions on the hill.

Time To Cut Health Care Costs At The Top

by RDavis | Health

A group of lawmakers has finally decided to tackle the issue of obscenely high salaries paid to hospital CEO’s and administrative leadership in Vermont. Every time this issue has come up hospital spokespeople hide behind the mantra that they have to pay high salaries to attract qualified candidates. That may be true, but we are living in Vermont, not New York or Boston, and I think we can still attract excellent candidates without having to lure them in with salaries that could pay for three or four front line health care providers.

The purpose of the recently drafted bill states, “This bill proposes to require hospitals to provide information about employee compensation and administrative staffing ratios to the Green Mountain Care Board as part of the Board’s hospital budget review process. It would also direct the Board to ensure that the ratio of administrative employees at each hospital to employees delivering health care services directly to patients is aligned with national averages for similar hospitals and that the compensation for a hospital’s executive and clinic leadership does not equal more than 10 times that of the hospital’s lowest-paid employees who deliver health care services directly to hospital patients.”

Celebrate the Lunar New Year of China, Korea, and Vietnam

by ACCVT | Family

Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) celebrates the Lunar New Year of China, Korea and Vietnam Sunday, February 2, 1-3:00. You don’t have to be Asian or know anything about Asia to participate! Join us at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center to usher in the year of the Green Wood Snake. Celebrations, which typically last two weeks, began on Jan 29th.

This Green Wood Snake year offers the unique opportunity to quickly shed skins of the past, creatively express what is in the shadows, and move forward covering much ground. We will start our celebration with a potluck. Then join us for traditional Chinese Dance with Li Fei Osborne, group Taiji and Qigong, and traditional New Year songs and crafts.

Do Voters Voting as a Group Support Democracy?

by RobertOeser | Activism

The Planet Hank Live Show streamed live on January 16, 2025 and is available on YouTube
https://bit.ly/4hq2rXC

Starting around 33 minutes, there is a section which I would like to point out. Here is the text, courtesy of the YouTube generated transcript:

Brattleboro Dog and Wolf-Hybrid Licenses Are Available

by Not Signed In | Pets

Annual Brattleboro dog and wolf-hybrid licenses are available for the 2025 licensing period. All current dog owners will be mailed a renewal notice in January. To renew an existing dog license, return your payment and renewal notice with updated rabies vaccine information by April 1, 2025.

Effective January 1, 2025, the State is increasing the dog licensing fees by $2 per dog. That money will go directly to the State to fund an animal welfare program.

Is It Time To Change Tradition?

by RDavis | Activism

Many years ago there were poor farms run by local towns where the needy people in a community would find help and shelter. I have also heard stories from older Vermonters that when the legislature had House members elected from every town that some towns would elect the most indigent among them to be legislators so they could be safe and cared for during the winter.

Another tradition started, and I don’t know when, but it has persisted in many communities in Vermont. I suspect other places around the country may have some variation of this. In Brattleboro, Vermont we have a Human Services Committee that reviews applications from local non-profits and then allocates funding from the town budget. There has been wide support for the town using tax money to support non-profits.

December 2024 Precipitation Report

by local | Nature

For the month of December measured 4.25″ compared to a normal of 4.30 inches.  Most fell as rain but we did receive 8.4″ of snow compared to my average of 13.8″.  The approximate water equivalence of the snow was 0.55″,  so a very dry cold snow from western clipper systems.

I have been measuring snow since 1993.  The average December snow from 93-2010 = 16.1″ and from 2011 to current = 11.3″.  Snowfall on average continues to fall as total precipitation increases.  All this time we were well into climate change.  Wish I had data from the 1960s when I don’t remember a lot of rain storms in winter.

Vermont Homelessness Press Release For Monday 12 23 2024

by RobertOeser | Activism

A group of current and former legislators who have worked on housing issues (former Sens. Illuzzi, Will Hunter, Jim Leddy, current Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky and Rep. Kate Logan) will hold a press event MONDAY at 10:30 at Delta Hotel, 1117 Williston Road, South Burlington to request Gov. Scott declare a state of emergency regarding the homelessness crisis and they will suggest some short-term solutions that should be promptly considered and enacted.

Attached is an introductory document to provide the theme and basis for the request for an emergency declaration, which has been done by one state and several communities across America.

How To Beat Insurance Companies, Legally

by RDavis | Health

Many of us consider health insurance companies to be the enemy. They have too much control over our lives and we feel frustrated having to pay high prices for premiums and then not being sure if our insurance will even cover us when we need it. Sadly, one person recently took his outrage on an insurance company CEO by killing him. That doesn’t make matters better. If that murderer wanted to change the system he could have done a lot of other things, but he chose to make headlines the wrong way.

Short of creating a single payer system where private insurance companies are eliminated, there are a few ways to rein them in and get what you need. One of those ways is to go through the appeals process when a claim for service is denied. Every state has different rules about how to appeal denied claims and I will talk about how to beat the big boys in Vermont. I have helped people with appeals over the years and have won appeals against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont three times.