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Issue #829

Next Stage Gallery presents etchings by Briony Morrow-Cribbs

PUTNEY-Next Stage Gallery announces "Quiet Witness: An Homage to the Flora and Fauna of Vermont," a solo exhibit of works by printmaker and illustrator Briony Morrow-Cribbs. The exhibition opens with a reception on Friday, Aug. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill. The public is invited to attend and meet the artist.

In "Quiet Witness," Morrow-Cribbs presents a detailed menagerie of creatures - real and imagined - that explores the boundary between human and animal experience. With over 30 years of etching experience, she offers work that shows "technical mastery and emotional resonance, encouraging viewers to momentarily shed the weight of being human and enter a wilder, more instinctual world," wrote organizers in a news release.

Raised on Whidbey Island in Washington State and now based in southern Vermont, Morrow-Cribbs is the founder of Twin Vixen Press. Her etchings and illustrations have appeared in national and international exhibitions, as well as bestselling books, including Wicked Plants and Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart; and Unnatural Creatures, edited by Neil Gaiman. To learn more about her work, visit brionymorrow-cribbs.com.

The exhibit will remain on view through Nov. 10. The Next Stage Gallery is open during events and by appointment with the artist or through Next Stage. To schedule a visit, contact [email protected] or call 802-387-0102.

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River Singers prepare for fall session

WESTMINSTER WEST-The River Singers Community Choir, led by Mary Cay Brass, will start their fall session on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Congregational Church of Westminster West. The choir, in their 35th year, is a multi-generational community choir dedicated to singing an eclectic mix of "soulful, thrilling" music from...

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Around the Towns

Archaeological findings at Kikitta Ahki to be presented online Aug. 28 BRATTLEBORO - The town of Brattleboro is hosting a virtual presentation on the archaeological excavations at the recently completed floodplain restoration project at Kikitta Ahki, located at 250 Birge St. This presentation will take place Thursday, Aug. 28,

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Still time to use Crop Cash PLUS benefits at local farmers markets

As Vermont's summer farmers markets reach full swing, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) is bringing back Crop Cash Plus, a significant expansion to the existing incentive program known as Crop Cash, which provides matching funds to 3SquaresVT recipients who spend their benefits at participating farmers markets. 3SquaresVT, known nationally as Supplemental Nutrition Assistace Program (SNAP), helps people buy food by providing monthly benefits on an EBT card, which works like a debit card and can be used...

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Brattleboro parking zones change Sept. 3

BRATTLEBORO-The town will be modifying its parking zones on Wednesday, Sept. 3. To prepare for this transition, parking will be free on Tuesday, Sept. 2. According to a news release, parking zones will be renamed using numbers only to streamline the payment process. Rather than typing the word "zone" followed by a number, users will simply enter a string of numbers when paying through the Park Smarter app or text-to-pay system. For example, rather than typing "Zone1," users will enter...

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Builders of all ages to submit their creations for annual Lego competition

BRATTLEBORO-The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) invites Lego enthusiasts of all ages to unleash their creativity and start building for the museum's 18th Annual Lego Contest & Exhibit. This community tradition celebrating innovation, craftsmanship, and pure imagination will take place Thursday through Monday, October 9 through 13, with an awards ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 5:30 p.m. Participants are encouraged to design and construct original Lego creations - anything from fantastical castles and futuristic vehicles to intricate cityscapes...

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Milestones

Obituaries • Elaine Fiske Grant, 90, of West Brattleboro. Died peacefully, in the comfort of her home surrounded by her family, on Aug. 17, 2025. Elaine was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on July 26, 1935, the daughter of Arthur and Naomi (Hallquest) Fiske. She was raised and educated in Wethersfield, Connecticut, graduating from Wethersfield High School, Class of 1953. On May 26, 1969, at the Wethersfield Methodist Church, she married Frederick "Ted" Grant, who predeceased her in 2015. Elaine worked...

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Food Connects names Lee Halpern as its executive director

BRATTLEBORO-Following a comprehensive internal review process, the board of directors of Food Connects says it unanimously selected Lee Halpern as the organization's next executive director. Halpern, who has served as interim executive director since March 2025, succeeds founder and executive director Richard Berkfield, who stepped down earlier this year after more than a decade of leadership. "The decision follows months of thoughtful engagement with staff, stakeholders, and the leadership team," the board said in a news release, adding that it...

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Turning the page

-For the returning players, it's the desire to flush away the pain of an 0-8 season in 2024. The look on the faces of the players as they walked off Natowich Field last October after losing the season finale 41-21 to Mount Anthony said it all. The motivation for the new players is not pain, but promise - the chance to start creating their own gridiron legacy. Brattleboro lost a fair amount of last season's starters to graduation - wide...

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Potential looms for illnesses spread by mosquitos

WHITINGHAM-Mosquitoes in Whitingham have tested positive for mosquito-borne Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV). Vermont began testing for the virus this summer. In light of the presence of the virus, officials urge residents throughout the valley to take precautions to prevent mosquito bites. JCV can be contracted by people when they are bitten by an infected mosquito. To date, no human cases have been reported in Vermont. However, Vermont Public Health Veterinarian Natalie Kwit has told The Deerfield Valley News this week...

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Who pays for the road emergencies?

PUTNEY-As public safety officials around Windham County continue to assess their ability to respond to police, fire, and medical-emergency calls with limited staff and tight budgets, some towns are questioning whether the status quo is working. In a bumpy journey this summer, the Putney Selectboard warned and approved, but then rescinded, an ordinance. After considerable discussion over a number of board meetings, the board has established a working group to address the issue anew and involve the emergency responders who...

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Compass School: lessons and legacy

Rick Gordon was the founding director of the Compass School, which operated in Westminster from 1999 until it graduated its last class in May. WESTMINSTER-While so much attention about schooling focuses on spending and governance, too often we forget about the central question of what the children are actually experiencing in school. How do we assure successful education for every child? For 26 years, Compass School demonstrated how to support each child in finding success in school and in life...

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Democracy simply tries to get as close as possible

Spoon Agave has served in numerous positions in Brattleboro town government, including on the Selectboard. He has been a Representative Town Meeting member (District 8) for 27 years. This piece picks up from his previous Viewpoint, "Is Representative Town Meeting representative?" [Aug. 6]. BRATTLEBORO-Today's question: Is a representative body less democratic than a direct democracy? In the first part of this examination of Brattleboro's Representative Town Meeting (RTM) and democracy, I demonstrated that RTM is in fact more representative now...

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One Person One Vote will go to a vote

BRATTLEBORO-Thank you to all the Brattleboro voters who talked with me and the other campaigners for the One Person One Vote petition. And special thanks to the more than 5% of the registered voters who signed it. The Brattleboro town clerk certified the petition on Aug. 4, so it will be put to a vote. The vote will be held by Australian ballot (traditional secret ballot) as required by Vermont state law at a time to be determined by the...

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BFUHS gets upgrades of athletic facilities

WESTMINSTER-Students returning to Bellows Falls Union High School for the new school year will find not only updated athletic facilities, but also a new director of athletics. A class of 1990 BFUHS grad, Rob Weltz was hired in May to serve students at both his alma mater and Bellows Falls Middle School. The summer was a very busy one on the BFUHS campus. The long-anticipated resurfacing of the school's four tennis courts was completed. The BFUHS tennis team has not...

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'I am your neighbor. I am a Jew by choice. And I am open to dialogue.'

BRATTLEBORO-I am a Connecticut-born Yankee American, second-generation Irish immigrant, raised-Catholic, 62-year-old woman working in Brattleboro. I am your neighbor. I am Israeli. I am a Jew by choice. I was raised with liberal (old-school liberal) and American values. And I am open to dialogue. There seems to be too much polarization everywhere these days. About nearly everything. Depending upon who you hang with and what news you watch, it may feel like we are living in different worlds. My heart...

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69A is a place for everyone

BRATTLEBORO-Have you been to 69A Elliot St. yet? Please stop in soon! It's such a place for rich and poor, housed and unhoused, to gather, hang out, talk, eat, melt into a comfy chair. I go there often to see how everyone's doing, to check in on new clothes, to see the day's food. I can go and meet my neighbors without money being involved. I can find out who is local, where other folks are from, or what we...

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Take care of yourself. But how?

Nancy Braus, a retired independent bookseller, is a longtime activist. GUILFORD-It is August. I am not the only person who is feeling rage daily, usually many times a day. It takes very little to trigger this outrage - just a look at the arrogance of the Trumpers, the killing off of the civil rights of anyone who is not a white, straight Christian who is just fine with fascism, of the passivity of the majority of political figures and institutions...

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Can we take care of our own?

Erica Walch is a Newfane citizen. NEWFANE-Tristan Roberts presents an overview of how the Enclosure Laws of medieval England and the regulation-free, child-labor-dependent early industrial era in the U.S. contributed to making the rich richer on the backs of workers and draws a direct line from those historical moments to the disenfranchised homeless of today. A crucial historical aspect of life left out of Roberts' article is that throughout that time, communities felt a moral responsibility to care for those...

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Making it believable

-With 20 paintings in a range of artistic styles, The Crowell Art Gallery at Moore Free Library's current exhibit, "The Art of Illusion," sets a goal: to "create something that isn't there and make it believable." Artist Nancy Calicchio would love people to respond "to not only the traditional landscapes I've been painting for a number of years and showing, but also for some of the almost abstract landscapes that I'm showing in this show," she says. The exhibit runs...

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Film as a vehicle for change

BELLOWS FALLS-The Commons recently had occasion to talk with Green Mountain Post Films co-founder and filmmaker Charlie Light about the upcoming Bellows Falls Opera House series. [See main article this issue.] * * * Annie Landenberger: How did the series come about? Is this the first time you've done such a retrospective? Charlie Light: It came out of Far Out. Susan McNeil [a volunteer for Bellows Falls Pride, the Bellows Falls Opera House, and the Miss Bellows Falls Diner restoration...

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Bus drivers from Windham Southeast walk the picket line

BRATTLEBORO-Bus drivers and monitors for Windham Southeast Supervisory Union schools are picketing in Brattleboro as tense negotiations continue with their private employer. The student transportation workers, represented by the Vermont Teamsters Local 597 union, have been locked out of their place of employment since Wednesday by Travel Kuz, which has offices in Brattleboro and in Gill, Massachusetts. According to its website, the company became affiliated in 2023 with Beacon Mobility, a firm with school bus companies nationwide. "The employer is...

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‘We believe food is love in action’

BRATTLEBORO-It's all about home grown and home cooking for Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) school meals this year. The change to an independent, in-house school nutrition program came after decades of working with commercial food service management program Fresh Picks of Manchester, New Hampshire. "The shift allows us to build a program that is rooted in our community values - prioritizing scratch cooking, using more local foods, and creating menus that are nourishing, appealing, and accessible to all of our...

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A 'skewed and cherry-picked version of English property history'

DUMMERSTON-Without wanting to validate Trump's demonization of America's shockingly large homeless population, I would like to correct Tristan Roberts' skewed and cherry-picked version of English property history that carried forward into American law. The period referenced by Roberts, the 12th to the 19th centuries, was the time of other property-related events than just the Enclosure movement that converted communal land into private property. It wasn't as if peasants happily cultivated whatever land they chose until Enclosure. They were serfs -

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Activism captured on celluloid

BELLOWS FALLS-A film series centered on resistance, activism, and related politics launches in September for four Thursdays at Bellows Falls Opera House (BFOH). Each film a documentary and each produced by Green Mountain Post (GMP) Films, the series - "Movies About Changing the World" - chronicles the people at the center of this culture, known or unknown, as well as pivotal events, actions, and movements that have had a lasting effect on today's sociopolitical scene. [See column for interview with...

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