Connecticut River Transit slated to take over the Beeline

The Beeline will almost certainly end up in the hands of Connecticut River Transit (CRT), after the Selectboard at its meeting last week approved the organization assuming the town's municipal bus service and the grant funding that subsidizes its operation.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) received two proposals for the Beeline from CRT and Deerfield Valley Transit Authority (DVTA).

CRT manages the Current bus line, while DVTA runs the MOOver.

According to Town Manger Barbara Sondag, CRT won out because of its bigger infrastructure and in-house automotive department, which could better “absorb” the Beeline operations and current Beeline's grant funding.

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Voters approve purchase of former regional library building, will be resold to Southeast Vermont Educational Collaborative

Voters at a special Town Meeting last Wednesday gave their approval to having the town buy the former regional library building from the state, and then immediately selling it to the Southeastern Vermont Learning Collaborative, the building's current tenant. By a 39-3 margin, the town got the go-ahead to...

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Arts calendar

Music • Cantrip at Hooker-Dunham: Twilight Music presents an evening of high energy Scottish music from Edinburgh by fiddle/bagpipe trio Cantrip at Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery on Friday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m.  Founding members Dan Houghton (highland bagpipes, borderpipes and smallpipes, flute, whistles, voice) and Jon Bews (fiddle,

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Rural Vermont presents raw milk workshop in Dummerston

Rural Vermont's “Free Enterprise Farming” series will continue throughout Vermont this fall with its “From Cow to Customer” workshops. These classes will provide an in-depth look at the production and sale of raw milk in Vermont. “Producing Raw Milk for Direct Sale,” appropriate for those operating at or interested in selling up to 50 quarts per day, will be offered on Saturday, Oct. 2 at the Bunker Farm in Dummerston. The workshop is from 1-4 p.m. and costs $10 for...

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Colonels fall to 0-2; Terriers clobber MSJ

This football season is not starting out well for the Brattleboro Colonels. They got clobbered by BFA-St. Albans, 55-14, in the Colonels' home opener last Friday night at Natowich Field. As was the case with Brattleboro's Week 1 loss to Burlington, the Colonels kept it close at the start of the game before being overwhelmed by a stronger opponent. The Colonels had a 14-13 lead in the first half as quarterback Nate Forrett threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to Griffin...

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Dueling campaign stops contrast candidates’ positions

Who says politicians work bankers hours? Both the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor swept into town last week as part of what could be described as dueling campaign appearances around the state. Not long after Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie announced what he called his “26.2 Hour Campaign Marathon,” his opponent, Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, scheduled a series of joint appearances with the party's four other candidates. The Democrats campaigned together amid a recount that later...

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Milestones

Obituaries Editor's note: The Commons will publish brief biographical information for citizens of Windham County and others, on request, as community news,  free of charge. • Anna Rose Mary Martin Driscoll, 80, formerly of Brattleboro. Died Sept. 5 in Orlando, Fla. Wife of the late William V. Driscoll for 49 years. Mother of Jeanne and John Lonardo of Brattleboro; Michael Driscoll and his wife, Suzanne Runnels,  of Texas; Mary Rose and Michael Carnaroli of Waterford, Conn.; Thomas and Maria Driscoll...

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What if?

At the Nuremberg Trials, Reich Marshal Hermann Göering testified, “Naturally, the common people don't want war, but after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag people along…. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and...

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Rev. Emily C. Heath to be installed as pastor of West Dover, Wilmington churches

The West Dover Congregational Church and Wilmington Congregational Church will hold a service of Installation for the Rev. Emily C. Heath on Sept. 26. The service will be held at West Dover Congregational Church at 2:30 p.m. The Ecclesiastical Council for Rev. Heath will be at 2 p.m. A reception will follow. Representatives of the Vermont Conference of the United Church of Christ and the Windham-Union Association of the Vermont Conference will be on hand for the service. The Rev.

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VY story ignored what activists had to say about decommissioning

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Making the Most of I benefit concert was a success

The Aug. 21 benefit concert for Making the Most of I at the Immanuel Episcopal Stone Church in Bellows Falls was a total success. The audience was thrilled and on its feet, giving standing ovations many times throughout the evening, celebrating the musical genius of Samirah Evans, Charles Neville, Moonlight Davis, Rebecca Holtz, Morning Star Chenven, Greg Flower, Mirò Sprague, Jason Ennis, Jon Fisher, and Alec Darien. We thank everyone, including the audience, who so generously supported our program, which...

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Hot enough for you?

Sometimes I wonder about myself. I'm 58 years old, and I've certainly had people peeved at me. But I'm not sure I've ever made anyone seriously, existentially PO'd at me. Maybe it's time. Since reading “Decoding the warmist agenda,” by Les Kozaczek [The Commons, July 9] I've been torn between my usual aversion to conflict and my temptation to offer a rebuttal. To do so, after all, might reveal me as an actual, published researcher in the history of the...

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How Vermont avoided the worst of the recession, and how we can go forward

A couple of pieces of data we found last week point to Vermont's approach to economic growth as the best strategy for economic survival. According to a monthly analysis of economic conditions across the nation by the Associated Press, Vermont placed as the fourth least economically stressed state in the country. Only North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska ranked higher. The five most economically stressed states? Nevada, Michigan, California, Florida and Arizona. According to the AP, more than 20 percent...

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BMAC reconfigures parking lot to add green space

The Brattleboro Museum and Art Center will be increasing the green space between its front lawn and existing green space at the Marlboro College Graduate Center by reconfiguring the museum's parking lot. BMAC director Danny Lichtenfeld presented the plan to the Selectboard on Sept. 7 as part of the permitting process. “It will be a nice addition to downtown,” Lichtenfeld said. The current parking lot, he said, is three cars deep. The project will take the “back half” of the...

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Bursting at the seams

 The Vermont State Police will consolidate the Brattleboro and Rockingham barracks of Troop D, provided they can purchase a suitable parcel of land. For three years, the state police have searched for land in the Interstate 91 corridor between Exits 4 and 5, said Allen Palmer, state Building & General Services property management section chief. According to Maj. Bill Sheets, executive officer for the VSP, the department will conduct four preliminary site evaluations this week. A suitable parcel must meet...

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Mischief makers disrupt Main Street construction work

It may be hard to resist the urge to make one's mark on a freshly-poured concrete sidewalk, but officials from Lane Construction Corp. and the Vermont Agency of Transportation are hoping that people will rein in their artistic impulses as the Main Street project shifts to sidewalk reconstruction. Sometime between 8 p.m. and midnight on Thursday, an unknown would-be artist scratched graffiti into just-poured sidewalk panels in front of Centre Congregational Church and the Gibson-Aiken Center. While the graffiti was...

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Brattleboro Literary Festival celebrates ninth year with another stellar lineup of writers

With the ninth edition of the Brattleboro Literary Festival still several weeks away, organizers Ruth Allard, Sandy Rouse and Wyn Cooper discussed this year's offerings. “The excitement is palpable at events and on the street, and authors are appreciative about their experience here,” Allard said. Special guests will include prolific Barre children's book author Katherine Paterson, “whose international renown is not only due to her writing, but also her speaking,” Allard added. “Mary Childers writes with clarity and eloquence about...

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BMH Health Fair is Saturday, Sept. 25

The 19th annual Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Health Fair is Saturday, Sept. 25.  The fair's theme,“Launch Into Motion,” is designed to show ways to get and stay healthy with activities and exercise. The fair will provide practical information and demonstrations, and will be held under tents and on the hospital grounds, showers or shine, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Are you interested in free screenings? The BMH Health Fair will feature free blood pressure and breathing tests, as well as...

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Trip of a lifetime

Some people love to travel. They'll tell you about the light in Venice or April in Paris. Me, I like to go to the dump. While the transfer station might lack the attraction of a major European city, it has an appeal all its own. It's one of the few places where you can let go of your excess baggage. In an age of computers and surveillance cameras, the transfer station is one of the few places where you can...

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Cooperating in commerce

The number of worker-owned businesses are on the rise in Vermont, and according to the National Center for Employee Ownership, nearly 11,000 businesses nationwide are owned by their workers. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced two bills last December that support an alternative solution to job loss, wage cuts, and business closures both in Vermont and the nation through employee-owned business education, funding and banking. At an Aug. 26 hearing in Montpelier of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education,

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Thoughts from Bennington to the Bi-Towns on economic development

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A history of employee ownership

The International Co-operative Alliance notes, “In 1844, a group of 28 artisans working in the cotton mills in the town of Rochdale, … England, established the first modern co-operative business, the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society.” “The weavers faced miserable working conditions and low wages, and they could not afford the high prices of food and household goods. They decided that by pooling their scarce resources and working together they could access basic goods at a lower price. Initially, there were...

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Yellow man, hearing aid complicates opening of Bootsy's Grille

Sometimes you can't win for losing. Mike Greco, who owns and runs Milbrook Tile and Remodeling in Jamaica, was remodeling bathrooms at the River Bend Lodge in Newfane on Route 30 awhile ago when he learned the restaurant next door was out of business. So he contacted the owner, Newfane resident Nicholas Mercede, who owns both establishments, and made arrangements and, thus, Bootsy's Grille was born in early July. “Bootsy” is his father's nickname. “I thought it was catchy,” Greco said.

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Looking at economic development in Windham County

While many think that the economic woes of Windham County started with the collapse of the financial markets in 2007-08, Jeffrey Lewis, executive director of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corp. (BDCC), believes that our region has been experiencing a recession for the past two decades. BDCC was founded in 1954 by community members concerned about Brattleboro's economic health. To keep a large printing press and employer threatening to leave the area, the BDCC built a building and leased it back...

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Strategy before dollars

Bill Colvin likes to talk about opportunities rather than challenges. As the first Bi-Town Economic Development Planner for Wilmington and Dover, he's in uncharted territory. “Everyone I've met has been great,” he said. Colvin started work Aug. 30 and for his first year will focus on nine goals approved by the Dover and Wilmington selectboards. “This position is in large part a strategy development position,” Colvin said, adding that he will focus on the larger, big picture projects benefiting both...

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'Come and See' CBC Sunday offered at Community Bible Chapel

 Pastor Neil Stetson of Community Bible Chapel has announced Sunday, September 19 as “Come and See” CBC Sunday.  The Puppet Team, whom many met at the River Valley Credit Union's Kids Fair on Saturday the 18th, will be welcoming everyone at the start of the 9:30 a.m. worship service with a special performance. Having participated with the community at large through involvement at this year's River Valley Credit Union Kids Fair, CBC now wishes to extend the invitation to the...

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Solid Waste Committee presents work plan

After months of heated debate over recycling policies and a pay-as-you-throw trash system, the Solid Waste Committee presented its work plan last week to the Selectboard - a plan that includes education, enforcement, and new ordinances that its architects say will bring the town to full recycling compliance in 10 years. “It's a pretty aggressive plan,” Town Manager Barbara Sondag said. She said the Selectboard approved the work plan over the summer with one change and requested the committee attend...

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Third Friday Art Walk is Sept. 17

Village Square Booksellers organizes the 3rd Friday Art Walk monthly event in Bellows Falls and surrounding villages. This month's event is Sept. 17 . Besides the Harvest Festival at the BF Farmer's Market, there will be the following events this Friday: • New exhibit at Works on Paper: Meet the artist: Leigh Niland's London Pictures. • Kids event: Storytelling at Village Square Booksellers. Pat Fowler will be reading aloud from various children's books, coloring, etc. • Downstreet Café: Art opening...

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