Eighty-one property
owners in the state who were especially hard hit by Irene remain in a sort of
financial limbo. They were the first accepted into FEMA’s hazard mitigation
buyout program – but they are all still waiting for the money. It’s a delay
that’s pushed many to the breaking point, including Brandon residents Linda
Bunn and Mary McManus.
Choirs everywhere are putting on special
holiday concerts. This year, the Brandon Festival Singers are trying something different. As part of their
program, they’re adding a touch of New Orleans’s jazz.
Earlier
this month, a resident of Post Mills came under fire for building a 25-foot
dinosaur in his yard from wood scraps. He
called it creative expression. His neighbors weren’t so sure. In
Brandon, it’s a painting of sunflowers that’s stirring up debate.
Its creator and many locals say it’s art. Town officials say it’s a sign and needs to come
down.
Brandon residents may get a bigger grocery store just south
of town. But according to a ruling just released by the town’s
Development Review Board, the rest of the proposed shopping center may be in
doubt.
Brandon residents are deeply divided over a new retail
development that’s being proposed south of town. Proponents say it will provide
a better grocery store, encourage economic growth and create jobs. Critics say it will destroy Brandon’s historic village center.
At
a time when state welcome centers are closing, the town of Brandon will soon open a new one – the Stephen A. Douglas Birthplace Community
Center. Townspeople
have spent over two years restoring the historic home of Abraham Lincoln’s
famous political rival.
Vermont Tubbs can trace it roots back 168 years. That’s when William F. Tubbs began using
steam to bend ash into snowshoes and skis.
The company opened its furniture factory in Brandon in 1996. Next Thursday that factory will close its doors for
good, leaving over 90 employees wondering what’s next.
VPR’s Nina Keck reports.