By David Fortier

Come Sunday morning, the acorns will still be tumbling down the oak trees on Broadview and huddling on the sidewalk. They crunch underfoot, litter the sidewalk with brown husks and those little acorn caps. How one of those round brown orbs transforms to these towering oaks is a marvel. And these marvels are slowly coming down, without being returned to their tree borders, and I think we are less for it. And, so it goes.

As for TBE, an email went out to members who have signed up as readers and paying members asking about whether we should take down our paywall, opening our content to all people while depending for our financial revenue on donations–from regular readers and foundations.

This turn of events is the result of review of our current state by the Local Independent Online Newspaper (LION) Publishers. TBE is a member of this organization. Our LION reviewer likes what she sees, and she sees a bright future. That said, she had a bunch of recommendations, the first of which is to drop the paywall.

More on this in the coming weeks. For now, what is significant is, according to our survey results, 98 percent of respondents said they are willing to financially support our efforts.

So, we are going to put these results to the test. We are going to drop the paywall, if not today, on Monday. We hope our financial supporters will continue to support us. We hope more people will sign on. (And, yes, of course, we will be crawling before we run, so expect some bumps along the way.)

As I mentioned last week, TBE will be featuring some new writers and material from CT Mirror. Stay tuned.

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And on to the recommended listening. A reminder that I do not go into great detail about these suggestions. The point is that they struck me as important enough to share, and that if a reader has time to listen to something, one of these is worth the time. In addition, I do not necessarily subscribe to the conclusions or agree with the sentiment. The point is to stretch my own understanding.

The “Capitalisn’t” podcast takes up proposals by the presidential candidates in its episode, titled ” Harris vs. Trump: Economics Beyond the ‘Vibes.'” Included are proposal about taxes, tariffs, price gouging and the “Opportunity Economy.” Click here.

A somewhat disturbing and challenging podcast is from “Honestly with Bari Weiss.” The episode, entitled “Douglas Murray: A Time of War,” covers the Middle East. Click here.

I finished “Beautyland,” the novel by Marie-Helene Bertino. It’s a quick read, very sweet and genuinely human, despite having for its main character an alien.

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City meetings this week include the following:

On Monday, Oct. 7

• Animal Control Building Committee, 5 p.m. Council chambers, city hall. For virtual meeting link, click here.
• American Rescue Plan Task Force, 4 p.m. Council chambers, city hall. For the virtual meeting, click here.
• Police Memorial Committee, 5 p.m. Meeting Room 1-3, city hall. For the virtual meeting, click here.
• Cemetery Commission, 5:30 p.m. Bristol Historical Society, 93 Summer St.
• Parking Authority, 6:30 p.m. Meeting Room 1-1, city hall. Cancelled.
• Library Board of Directors, 6:30 p.m. Meeting Room 1, Bristol Public Library. For the virtual meeting, click here.
• Conservation Commission/Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency, Council chambers, city hall. For the virtual meeting link, click here.

On Tuesday, Oct. 8

• Special Board of Finance Meeting, 6:30 p.m. Council chambers, city hall. For the virtual meeting, click here.
• Joint Meeting of City Council and Board of Finance, 6:45 p.m. Council chambers, city hall. For the virtual meeting link, click here.
• City Council Meeting, 7 p.m. Council chambers, city hall. For the virtual meeting link, click here.

On Wednesday, Oct. 9

• Special Police Board Meeting, 4:30 p.m. Administrative Conference Room, 131 N. Main St.
• Youth Commission, 6 p.m. Meeting Room 1-4, city hall.
• Persons with Disabilities Commission, 7 p.m. City hall.

On Thursday, Oct. 10

• Board of Health, 3 p.m. Bristol-Burlington Health District Office, 240 Stafford Ave.
• Retirement Board, 5 p.m. Council chambers, city hall.

On Friday, Oct. 11

• No meeting posted.

TBE will do our best to update meeting times and locations, but it’s a good idea to check the agendas ahead of time for cancellations. Click here for specific meetings and times.

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If you know a high school student who would like to get first-hand experience covering sports or city government, send them our way. Contact editor@bristoledition.org.

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Consider becoming a supporting member by signing up for monthly recurring donations of $6, $12, or $24 or making a one-time donation of $60 or even better donating more. It might seem outrageous, but 5,000 members paying $6 a month would allow us to hire editors and reporters who would do a great job covering Bristol.

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Enjoy!

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All TBE readers, supporters and donors                

The Bristol Edition will be limiting the number of stories non-members and free readers may access each week. This decision is based on our financial projections and, most certainly, to remind people that TBE is serious about providing accurate, timely and thorough reporting for Bristol. To do this we have devised a financial support structure that makes unlimited access extremely affordable, beginning with a $6 monthly donation.                

• Non-members will be able to access four (4) articles per week.                
• Free readers and people who have subscribed by email will be able to access four (4) articles per week.                
• Donors and financial supporters will have unlimited access as long as they log in.                

Note: Donors may have to contact TBE if they find they are being limited, since we will need to set up a membership account for you. Email editor@bristoledition.org for instructions. Sorry for any inconvenience. People with financial difficulties may write editor@bristoledition.org to be considered for free access.