Cavendish Update: 10/4/19 News/Events

Freeze Warning for midnight tonight until 8 am tomorrow.

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10/4/19 Cavendish Update

1. Cavendish Related news

2. Indigenous Peoples Day at the CHS Museum

3. CTES Calendar Prizes-6th grade fundraiser

4. Events

1.CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

TDS Update: New information has recently been received from TDS about when upgrades will be completed in Cavendish. Upgraded and operational service should be available in Proctorsville and Twenty Mile Stream locations by the end of October. It is hoped that the remainder of the town will have the full upgraded service by Dec. 31, 2019.

GMUSD Finance Committee Meeting: The Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) board decided to meet 50 days in advance of last year to allow more time to develop the budget, which is due mid-January. The entire board is acting as the Finance Committee. This action was taken due to overspending by the district and by the Two Rivers Supervisory Union (TRUS) combined with a short budget process. At the Sept. 25 meeting, they decided to table the executive season on pending law suits until their regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 17. It was decided that members would work on the board/administration relationship, data and outcomes and fiscal responsibility, while they would direct the administration to put a budgetary emphasis on basic skills (including early literacy), elementary world language and a STEAM ( science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) program.  For more information on this meeting, see The Chester Telegraph and the Vermont Journal

CHS October Briefs: The Cavendish Historical Society’s (CHS) October Briefs is now available at their website. This post contains upcoming events as well as ongoing activities.

Rutland Holiday Inn Closed: Due to a fire, which damaged the hotel’s boiler, Rutland has ordered the Holiday Inn to close. NBC 5

2. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY AT THE CHS MUSEUM: In May 2019, Vermont became the third state in the country to officially change the second Tuesday of October from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. Per the law, the establishment of this holiday “will aid in the cultural development of Vermont’s recognized tribes, while enabling all indigenous peoples in Vermont and elsewhere to move forward and formulate positive outcomes from the history of colonization.” 

Cavendish’s history began more than 11,000 years ago with the first people who utilized the land for fishing, hunting and traveling the Black River.

On Oct. 13 (Sunday), at 2 pm at the Museum, 1958 Main St. Cavendish, the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) will offer an Indigenous Peoples Day workshop. Presented in two parts, it will begin with a history of the first peoples in the Okemo Valley and will be followed by a “hands on activity” - make your own “Talking Stick.”

The “Talking Stick” is an ancient tradition known in many cultures including Native American, Aboriginal Australian and African. Used to facilitate communication and listening, the person holding the Stick has the right to speak, while those in attendance must listen quietly and respectfully. It should be noted that some cultures prefer other objects (e.g. eagle feather or sacred shell) in place of a stick, but the purpose is the same.

Over the years, schools, businesses, families and even couples have adopted the Talking Stick concept. It is a way to stop the practice of “talking over” and actively listening to a speaker. Ultimately, this makes a more mindful speaker and listener, and leads to the understanding that a conversation is not just talking, it’s also thinking and listening.

Columbus Day has been a day or mourning for Native Americans. Indigenous Peoples Day offers an opportunity to begin a new conversation, one where the spirit of the Talking Stick guides us to listen as well as speak, so that healing and building together can take place.

The Indigenous Day workshop is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 802-226-7807 or e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com

3. CTES CALENDAR PRIZES - 6TH GRADE FUNDRAISER: Each year, Cavendish Town Elementary School’s (CTES) 6th grade goes to Keewaydin Camp for a week. For many, this will be remembered as the highlight of their time at CTES. Each year, the students fundraise to make this experience possible for all of the students as well to help with expenses for other 6th grade activities.

This year, the 6th grade is holding a unique calendar fundraiser. For every day in November, there will be a drawing for a prize. Thanks to the Boxer family, there is an October 31st prize for Halloween. Fridays are “fifty dollar day,” where you can receive a minimum of $50 cash (donors Cavendish Volunteer Fire Department; Fitzgerald, Property Services; Cavendish Roofing and Carpentry; Teaselwood; and Huntly Financial Services). Gift certificates for goods, services and cash have been donated by Au Jus, duJour VT, LaValley, Singletons, Lisai’s, Shaw’s, Neal’s, Calm Moments Massage, Castle Pointe Hotel, Salon 2000, Ludlow Pizza, Aubuchon’s, Murdock’s, Applebees, DJ’s, BJs, Proctorsville Fire Dept, Endless Creations Pottery, and Reading Greenhouse. Other donations include two opportunities for a lottery bundle from the Marks Family and the Harper Family. Snow Fleas have donated a sweatshirt and two gift certificates from Chef Mei.

 The cost of a ticket is $10. Students will be selling tickets outside of Singletons on Friday, Oct. 11 from 4-7. You can purchase them from a 6th grader, or you can send a check, payable to CTES-6th grade-via a student or mail it to CTES-6TH Grade, PO Box 236, Proctorsville VT 05153

4. EVENTS

OCTOBER 6 (SUNDAY): Paint & Munch benefit at the Cavendish Library. $35 per person. Menu includes: Sweet potato guacamole bites; Apple, Cheese and Cracker Board; Pumpkin Pie cupcakes; Chocolate/peanut butter snack mix; Goat Cheese pesto tartlets; Cranberry Meatballs; Roasted Veggie Platter, cider, soda, tea, coffee and water. FMI: 226-7503

OCTOBER 11 (FRIDAY): 6th Grade selling November Calendar Raffle tickets in front of Singleton’s from 4-7 pm. Tickets are $10 a piece and there are 31 chances to win a wide variety of prizes including cash and gift certificates for goods and services.

OCTOBER 13 (SUNDAY): Indigenous Peoples Day workshop at the Cavendish Historical Society Museum, 1958 Main St. Cavendish, at 2 pm. Presented in two parts, it will begin with a history of the first peoples in the Okemo Valley and will be followed by a “hands on activity” - make your own “Talking Stick.” This is free and open to the public. FMI: margocaulfield@icloud.com or 802-226-7807.

OCTOBER 14 (MONDAY): Indigenous Peoples Day. Legal holiday schools and town office closed.

NOVEMBER 14 (THURSDAY): Cavendish Button Up Workshop, 6 pm at the Cavendish Town Office. Ready to stop burning money? Weatherizing your home is often one of the best financial investments you can make. This workshop will help get you started. Whether you’re new to weatherization or have detailed questions about your next project, energy experts from Efficiency Vermont will provide guidance and answer your questions and talk through the new incentive to cover half of your project costs (up to $4000). You’ll also be able to set up a free home energy visit to discuss your best opportunities to make your home healthier and more comfortable. FMI: carlcherylleiner@gmail.com or 802-226-7820

DECEMBER 7-8 (SATURDAY-SUNDAY): Indulgence Tour. Taste your way through Okemo Valley of Vermont. A dozen country inns inn-vite you inn-side to enjoy their holiday decorations and their inn-dulgent treats from noon til 5 each day. Savory pies, homemade soups, decadent chocolate cake, and more! $15 per person in advance (until Nov 27), then $20 per person. FMI: Julie at Golden Stage Inn 802-226-7744

 For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.  

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Cavendish Update 9/27/19: Save Energy & Money/News/Events

THIS WEEK’S POST HAS BEEN MADE POSSIBLE BY A DONATION FROM CAVENDISH GREEN MT. SNOW FLEAS. Thank you for supporting Cavendish Connects and the importance of local news.

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9/27/19 Cavendish Update

1. Reducing Greenhouse Gases Locally Saves Money

2. Cavendish Related news

3. Events 

1. REDUCING GREENHOUSE GASES LOCALLY: Leaders from 200 countries attended the United Nations special summit on climate change Monday to work on reducing global greenhouse gas emission and global warming. In accordance with “climate week,” we have been posting to the Cavendish VT Facebook page various ways you can locally reduce greenhouse gases and save money in the process.

Reduce, reuse and recycle. The Cavendish Transfer Station offers free zero sort recycling and composting, Black River Good Neighbors offers both a thrift store as well as a used furniture store in Ludlow as well as twice yearly rummage sales.

Replace your Light Bulbs & Buy Energy Efficient Products: Efficiency Vermont helps all Vermonters live better while spending less. They provide a variety of rebates for lighting, heating, cooling, insulating, ventilation; renewable energy; appliances; electronics and more.

Calculate Your Home’s Energy Efficiency/Audit: Once you have calculated your efficiency, using the Efficiency Estimator, Efficiency Vermont can provide  recommendations that can help you save money. Cavendish’s Energy Committee will soon be offering a “Button Up” workshop that can help keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer, all while saving money.

Drive Wise: Less driving means fewer emissions. Walk or bike when possible. Carpool or us The Current. If you are traveling to Boston (particularly Logan) or New York, consider the Dartmouth Coach.  Amtrak now has more commuting opportunities including from Greenfield, Mass, Bellows Falls or Rutland. Check out Wanderu for bus service. When you do drive, make sure your car is running efficiently. For example, keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Every gallon of gas you save not only helps your budget; it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

Is it better to shop on-line or in-person? The worst option is driving to a store, checking out the product, then ordering it on-line with fast shipping. Check out the Sierra Club’s response to that question

2.  CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

GMUSD Board Tables Handbook, Reviews Budget Overages: Just prior to the Sept 19 Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) board meeting, a dedication of a magnolia tree to long time school board member, Dr. Eugene Bont took place in the park next to CTES. The board received training on Vermont’s Open Meeting Law and voted in, for a trial of four months, expanding the public’s ability to comment at both the beginning and end of the meeting. Once again the Employee Handbook was tabled and not approved. TRSU Finance Director Cheryl Hammond went over several documents with the board. Special education actual budget was over by $644,174.30, resulting in the TRSU assessment being over by $212,503. There were also issues with food services as well as unbudgeted items. Board member Michael Studin discussed a survey he is writing to assess the climate of the school district as well as determine what’s important to stakeholders. The survey will be made available in multiple formats. For more reporting on the board meeting see reports from The Chester Telegraph and the Vermont Journal

TRSU dedicates magnolia tree to Dr. Gene Bont’s memory: Family and friends of Dr. Gene Bont, along with Two Rivers Supervisory Union administrators and School Board members, gathered at the Cavendish Town Elementary School Thursday, Sept. 19 for the TRSU dedication of a newly planted magnolia tree to honor Dr. Bont who passed away earlier this year. The tree has been placed next to a bench that was previously dedicated by CTES school board to honor Dr. Bont after he retired from the board in 2018 after almost five decades of service. VT Journal

Unclaimed Property: Each year, in conjunction with the Champlain Fair, the state reminds Vermonters they may have unclaimed cash. A search of the state's website shows that a number of Cavendish residents have unclaimed property. The average return is about $200.

Vermont Timber Works destroyed in massive blaze: A n early fire that destroyed the Vermont Timber Works factory in North Springfield  Saturday was caused by spontaneous combustion of waste materials in a dumpster, fire investigators said. Chester Telegraph

Consolidated improved repair times for service outages. But officials still aren’t satisfied: Since the state opened an investigation into Consolidated Communications last year, after receiving reports that the internet and phone provider was taking days to restore downed service, the company’s performance has improved dramatically. But state officials say they’re still not satisfied with Consolidated, and that the company — the largest landline provider in the state — is still failing to repair outages and other issues in a timely fashion. VT Digger

Volunteer for SEVCA’s free tax assistance program: Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) and Granite United Way of NH are partnering to offer the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in upper Windham County and Windsor County, VT. VITA helps low- to moderate- income households by providing free federal and state income tax return preparation services. SEVCA is now recruiting volunteers for the upcoming 2019 tax filing season. To learn how you can make a difference in your community by becoming a VITA volunteer please contact Leslie Wood at (802) 722-4575, ext. 199 or lwood@sevca.org. Please put VITA VOLUNTEER in the subject line of your email.

VT’s Citizens Assistance Registry for Emergencies (CARE) Program: CARE was created to help seniors, those with disabilities or with other issues in times of prolonged emergencies (e.g. ice storms, floods, fires etc.) or who need an emergency evacuation. CARE’s key partners are the United Ways of Vermont, Vermont 211, Vermont 911, and Vermont Emergency Management. These agencies have worked together to provide a means for emergency responders to identify and aid CARE registrants in the event of a wide-scale emergency. You can register on line or by mail. Download the registration form and mail to Vermont 211, PO Box 111, Essex Junction, VT 05453

3. EVENTS

SEPTEMBER 27 (FRIDAY): Living with Lyme Disease talk, 6:30 pm at Gethsemane Church, 89 Depot St. Rebecca Zellis, the founder of www.vtlyme.org, will lead a roundtable discussion on living with Lyme disease. FMI: Robin 226-7736

OCTOBER 6 (SUNDAY): Paint & Munch benefit at the Cavendish Library. $35 per person. Only 20 seats available so register early. Menu includes: Sweet potato guacamole bites; Apple, Cheese and Cracker Board; Pumpkin Pie cupcakes; Chocolate/peanut butter snack mix; Goat Cheese pesto tartlets; Cranberry Meatballs; Roasted Veggie Platter cider, soda, tea, coffee and water. FMI: 226-7503

For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.  

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Cavendish Update 9/20/19: SB Mtg/News/Events/Lyme

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9/20/19 Cavendish Update

1. Cavendish Select Board Meeting 9/9/19

2. Cavendish Related news

3. Living with Lyme Disease Talk

4. Events

1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETINGS 9/9/19 Cavendish Select Board (SB) Meetings are videotaped by Okemo Valley TV and are available at their website.

 In addition, minutes are available at the Cavendish Municipal website.

The following actions were taken/discussed at the September meeting:

• Approved the placement of a 9/11 Memorial on the Village Green in Proctorsville.

• Discussed lowering the speed limit on Tierney Rd at the request from some of the residents. Town manager Brendan McNamara will look into the costs of doing a feasibility study.

• Renewed the Solar Bond Anticipation Note in the amount of $291,000.00 with Berkshire Bank at 2.25% interest. The electricity savings are paying the bond back and it will be paid off in 2025.

• Approved the petition from Green Mountain Power for the installation of a primary underground line within the town right of way on Stone Way.

• Updates on other projects:

- Wastewater Treatment Plant Aeration System replacement is just about completed and the Plant is operating at full capacity.

- Depot Street bridge might be completed this fall if the weather cooperates. McNamara said that the deck is scheduled to be poured by mid –October, so the bridge could be open by early November if all goes according to schedule.

- Test pits in the town-owned property along Route131 reveal substantial gravel. McNamara has begun to investigate what permits would be needed in order to access it.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Consolidated Customers: Have you had a repair this past spring/summer/fall that has lasted more than 24 hours? If so, please forward information to lsibilia@leg.state.vt.us The state is looking into repairs so it's helpful for them to have the account holder name, town and length of outage.

Gassetts Grange Reopens Hall: Gassetts Grange is proud to announce the reopening of our hall. We started our Bingo every Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. Please come join us and give us a chance. Saturday, Oct. 5 will be square dance round from 7-10. Oct 12 (Saturday) is their buffet breakfast from 8-9:30 featuring sausage gravy and biscuits, bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, real maple syrup, home fries, toast, coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and juices. Oct. 13 (Saturday) will be Country Jamboree from 1-4. FMI: Donna at 802-591-4290

Black River Independent School Moving Forward: Black River Independent School Committee is continuing to make progress toward its goal of opening Black River Independent School for the 2020-21 school year. The name has shifted away from Black River Academy and will officially be called Black River Independent School to avoid confusion with Black River Academy Museum. Curriculum of the Black River Independent School will be based around core classes with additional STEAM classes and will also include an outdoor educational component. Athletics will be offered as student numbers allow, or they will have the option to participate with a neighboring school. The target number of students for the first year is 75 students for grades 7-12. VT Journal

Walmart and TerraCycle are joining forces to launch the nation’s largest car seat recycling event in nearly 4,000 Walmart stores across the country. The first-ever Walmart Car Seat Recycling Event will take place Sept. 16-30, in celebration of National Baby Safety Month. Customers can trade in used car seats at the Service desk in any participating Walmart store and receive a $30 Walmart gift card* that can be used in store or online to buy items for their baby. All car seats collected in this program will be recycled through TerraCycle, and each component will be diverted from the landfill.

Vt. health officials investigating six cases of vaping related illness: Vermont Health officials have confirmed one case of pulmonary disease linked to vaping and five other cases are being investigated. In recent weeks several people have died and more than 400 cases are being investigated around the country linked to e-cigarettes. The health department is making a plea to parents, teens and anyone using e-cigarettes to stop right now. Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine says he knows it's not easy for people to give it up but the health risks are too great. WCAX

3. LIVING WITH LYME DISEASE TALK: The Cavendish Community and Conservation Association will sponsor a workshop on Living With Lyme Disease on Friday, September 27th at 6:30 p.m. at the Gethsemane Episcopal Church hall, 89 Depot Street, Proctorsville.

Rebecca Zellis, the founder of www.vtlyme.org, will lead a roundtable discussion on living with Lyme disease. Rebecca’s experience parenting a child with neuroborreliosis (neurological Lyme disease) led to her work advocating for families affected by pediatric illness and tick-borne diseases. Rebecca educates health providers and education professionals about the psychiatric and cognitive manifestations of tick-borne diseases in children. She facilitates workshops and developed free online resources to support parents of children with complex Lyme disease.

Rebecca is an artist and writer. Her work ranges from personal projects to designing systems that support the wellbeing of families, employees, and communities. This is a valuable opportunity to learn more and to share your experience. With Lyme disease so much in the headlines and with the consequences potentially so serious, we should all learn as much as possible as a protective measure.

The Cavendish Community and Conservation Association continues to bring conservation and other topics of interest to the people through timely workshops and discussions. For more information about CCCA or this workshop, please call Robin at 802-226-7736.

4. EVENTS

SEPTEMBER 20-21 (FRIDAY-SUNDAY): Black River Good Neighbor Services will hold its annual Fall Rummage Sale at Fletcher Farm, 611 Route 103 South in Ludlow on Friday and Saturday, September 20th and 21st, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday September 22nd, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. FMI: 802-228-3663, or BRGNS@gmail.com.

SEPTEMBER 27 (FRIDAY): Living with Lyme Disease talk, 6:30 pm at Gethsemane Church, 89 Depot St. Rebecca Zellis, the founder of www.vtlyme.org, will lead a round table discussion on living with Lyme disease. FMI: Robin 226-7736

OCTOBER 6 (SUNDAY): Paint & Munch benefit at the Cavendish Library. $35 per person. Only 20 seats available so register early. Menu includes: Sweet potato guacamole bites; Apple, Cheese and Cracker Board; Pumpkin Pie cupcakes; Chocolate/peanut butter snack mix; Goat Cheese pesto tartlets; Cranberry Meatballs; Roasted Veggie Platter cider, soda, tea, coffee and water. FMI: 226-7503

For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.  

IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Cavendish Update 9/13/19: Lawsuit/News/Events

Today is the 171st Anniversary of Phineas Gage’s accident.

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9/13/19 Cavendish Update

1.Select Board Meeting 8/26/19

2. Cavendish Related news

4. Events

1. LAWSUIT TRSU/GMUHS/GMUSD: This has been a tumultuous week for the Green Mountain Unified District (GMUSD). On Monday (Sept. 9) afternoon, an editorial in The Chester Telegraph called for the resignation of Two Rivers Supervisory Union (TRSU) superintendent, Meg Powden. Among the reasons given were lack of judgement, spiraling expenses and the racking up of law suits and legal actions.

The Chester Telegraph has taken action against the boards of the TRSU and GMUSD for repeatedly violating the Open Meeting Law-eight times. It was because of one of these violations that the TRSU board had the opportunity to reconsider Powden’s contract at Monday night’s special board meeting.

Two members of the GMUSD board, Mike Studin and Rick Alexander spoke in an effort to dissuade the board from approving a contract for Powden, citing mismanagement, over budgeting and the multiple law suits.  However, the representatives from Ludlow/Mt Holly (Paul Orzechowski  and Mary Alberty), said they had no problems in their district, and were joined by GMUSD representative Wheelock in ratifying her contract and a 4% raise by a vote of 3-2. The two no votes came from GMUSD board chair Joe Fromberger and Ludlow/Mt Holly rep Dan Buckley. Read more on Monday night’s meeting at The Chester Telegraph and the Vermont Journal

What is disturbing about this vote is that the TRSU board members received notification over the weekend of a new lawsuit that not only names them and the GMUSD board, but also the GMUSD, TRSU, and individually as well as in their official capacity Thomas Ference, former principal of the GMUHS, Michael Ripley, Associate Principal of GMUSH, and Pam O’Neil, Director of Guidance.

The suit charges that GMUHS administrator actions were inadequate in protecting five sisters from bullying and harassment at Green Mountain Union High School (GMUHS) following one of the sisters reported rape by a classmate. Note that the alleged assailant has subsequentialy been charged with multiple accounts of sexual assault and other charges stemming from additional victims coming forward. He is awaiting trial in Windsor County Superior Court.

The bullying and harassment went on for approximately eight months, beginning in May 2017 and affecting four of the sisters who returned in the fall of that year. The oldest, who reported the rape, graduated in June 2017.

A bulk of the charges in the lawsuit fall under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that protects individuals from sex discrimination in federally funded educational institutions. The law most often comes up in the context of college sexual assault, but Hewes [Karen Hewes is the attorney from EdLaw New England representing the sisters] said the suit is a reminder that rape often happens much earlier. “I think it’s really important for people to know that issues of sexual assault, sexual violence, and sexual harassment are not just happening at the college level. They’re also happening at the high school level, middle school level even,” she said. VT Digger

The Telegraph broke the story with their article Lawsuit on Wednesday (Sept. 11). The VT Digger followed the next day, Thursday Sept. 12, with Lawsuit Claims High School Mishandled Bullying after a Rape Allegation

It is interesting to note that Powden wrote in an e-mail to VT Digger, “I don’t think there is any merit to these claims.” “We will address them through litigation.”

The day before the VT Digger’s article,  The Telegraph reported, Before the suit was initiated, there was an independent review of issues by Rutland attorney Ruth Durkee and an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights [OCR]. The former found that some of the incidents should have triggered a formal sexual harassment investigation but did not, that the school should have developed a safety plan for the students sooner than it did, that some teachers were inadequately trained to handle sexual harassment and the inappropriate conduct that took place in their presence and that there was a failure to recognize the impact of the harassment on the girls.

OCR found that the resolution process brought about by the Durkee review was acceptable and, in November 2018, decided there was no reason to take action itself.

“There was an opportunity to settle the case while it was pending before OCR in the summer of 2018 and the offer was declined,” said Hewes, noting that the discussions were preliminary and no dollar figures had been brought up.

At the June 13, 2019 GMUSD board meeting, in response to The Telegraph identifying two lawsuits, and a possible third one, [TRSU Boards Apparently Kept in the Dark About Suits ] the board voted that from then on, Powden was to provide monthly reports on any possible legal actions and any issues in the offing. Powden was asked point blank about any issues the board should be aware of, to which she said no.

Clearly Powden has known about this situation leading to the filing of this law suit, as well as the OCR findings, for more than a year. She also had to be aware that it wasn’t just going to “go away. “

If the type of statement she made to the VT Digger is similar to what she is saying to her boards, she has not only been negligent in her duty to inform them of pending litigation when it first arose, but also in the seriousness of it.  These boards are once again in a position of learning the full ramifications from the media and not from her.

To round out the week’s activities, the Ludlow Vermont Area Happenings Facebook page created a poll, “Should the Two Rivers Supervisory Union have voted in favor of Ratifying Meg Powden’s contract?” As of Friday,  Sept.13 at 6:30  am, with 61 votes, the opinion is 93% “no” and 7% “yes.”

The GMUSD board is waiting until their monthly board meeting on Sept. 19, Thursday, at 6 pm, to discuss this suit. The meeting will take place at CTES. All meetings are open to the public.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Dr. Bont Dedication Tree Dedication: On Sept. 19, at 5:30 pm, a magnolia tree will be dedicated in honor of Dr. Gene Bont in the park adjacent to the Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES). The area beyond the employee parking lot will now be called Gene's Green Grove.

Phineas Gage story continues to fascinate in Cavendish: Sept. 13, is the 171st anniversary of the Phineas Gage accident. Cavendish Historical Society’s Margo Caulfield gave her annual talk and walking tour of the story of local legend Phineas Gage to a packed house Sunday, Sept. 8, starting at the historical society building and then walking to key nearby locations in the immediate area that all had to do with the Gage story. In 1848, Phineas Gage, working as a railroad foreman in Cavendish while putting in a section of the Rutland & Burlington Railroad, was made famous for surviving a blasting accident, which sent a large tamping iron from under his left cheekbone, traveling completely through his brain, and out the other side. The resulting injury and subsequent changes to his personality were key to medical history’s understanding of brain science. His was one of the first documented cases that showed the relationship between personality and the frontal lobes of the brain. VT Journal

Okemo Valley TV addresses funding cuts: Community access TV stations across the country are facing a serious threat to their primary funding source, cable TV “franchise fees,” following a federal rule change. Last month, the Federal Communications Commission voted to approve a rule change in the way the fees are calculated. The franchise fees are charged to cable companies in exchange for their use of public lands and rights-of-way. In Vermont, they are earmarked specifically for community access TV. The new rule change is expected to result in a significant loss in franchise fee revenue for the community stations. Locally, Okemo Valley TV cut its operating budget by 10% this year starting July 1, in anticipation of the rule change, which was long expected to pass. This comes on top of an unexpected 7% loss of franchise fee revenue the station began to experience last year as a result of a change in the way that the area’s largest cable provider, Comcast, accounts for the franchise fees. To address the losses in revenue, the station is scaling back on its open hours by seven hours per week. Beginning Sept. 16, the station’s new hours of operations will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Okemo Valley TV’s Patrick Cody says they “have known for some time that we need to diversify our funding in a sustainable, meaningful way, and we’ve been working towards that. We also have to accept the impact of these latest hits and address them head-on.” He estimates that this reduction will account for most of this year’s budget cut. VT Journal

Rutland Mall to Close and Be Redeveloped: Zamias Services CEO Joe Anthony says the Rutland mall will close, but he is unable to say when, due to confidentiality agreements. He says they plan to convert it into a "mixed-use" facility, but could not give any more detail. At least two businesses were evicted from the mall last week, with another saying they plan to move downtown. Old Navy's corporate offices told the Herald its store would close later this year. WCAX

Study finds high cost of living has people leaving Vermont: Lower- and moderate-income people are leaving Vermont because it's too expensive-- that's according to a new study from the Legislature's Joint Fiscal Office. From 2011 to 2016, Vermont lost more than 4,000 people. That net loss of taxpayers makes us the 11th worst in the country. WCAX

3. EVENTS

SEPTEMBER 14 (SATURDAY): VT Golden Honey Festival. 10-4 Part craft fair, part food festival, the VT Golden Honey Festival is a community favorite. Located on the lawn of the Golden Stage Inn, 399 Depot St. in Proctorsville. Proceeds of this event will benefit VT Coalition of Runaway and Homeless Youth (Ludlow and Proctorsville. For vendor and other information: vtgoldenhoneyfestival@gmail.com or 802-226-7744 (Julie).

SEPTEMBER 18 (WEDNESDAY): 2-6 Pm Hazardous Waste Collection at the Springfield Transfer Station. For a printable list of what to bring and what not to bring, click on the Southern Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste Management District. The next collections will be in the spring of 2020. FMI: 802- 674-9235

SEPTEMBER 19 (THURSDAY): Dedication of magnolia tree and Gene’s Green Grove, for Dr. Gene. Park adjacent to CTES, 5:30 pm.

• GMUSD Board Meeting: 6 pm at CTES

SEPTEMBER 20-21 (FRIDAY-SUNDAY): Black River Good Neighbor Services will hold its annual Fall Rummage Sale at Fletcher Farm, 611 Route 103 South in Ludlow on Friday and Saturday, September 20th and 21st, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday September 22nd, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. FMI: 802-228-3663, or BRGNS@gmail.com.

For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.  

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