Daybreak Friday 1/14/22

GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!

Just a reminder: No Daybreak Monday.But first, we have to get through the weekend... Winds from the north are going to pick up and temps will start falling late this afternoon as Arctic air moves into the region. We'll start in the mid-20s, go up a bit, then boom!: single digits by early evening, around -10 during the coldest overnight hours. One bright spot: As it gets colder late this afternoon, it'll also get clearer. And hey! Snow Monday, from a storm that's far to our west at the moment.So many great photos! Sunrises and sunsets around the Upper Valley have been nothing short of spectacular recently, and photos have poured in. You've seen only a fraction in the newsletter—so here's your chance to catch up. Link takes you to the "Daybreak Where You Are" photo album. Which, astoundingly, is closing in on a year old."Every writer needs watering." It's raining in Lost Woods, and Henry's pretty darn happy—and sartorially creative—about it. As he does every Friday, Lebanon author and illustrator DB Johnson chronicles the doings in his favorite patch of trees. Hit the back arrow to catch up on previous weeks or to head right back to the beginning.Shortage of rapid tests shuts Randolph-area schools. They closed yesterday and will reopen Tuesday. "The recent surge of cases in our district has quickly depleted our testing supplies, which are a vital component to keeping students in school and our schools open,” Orange Southwest Supt. Layne Millington emailed families. About 10 percent of the people in the district have tested positive for Covid, he tells VTDigger's Peter D'Auria. The district needs at least 250 rapid tests a day for its high school students alone, Millington said, but by Wednesday it had only 14 left. Upper Valley prepares for Afghan refugees.  “Right now, we’re anticipating a family of 10 and a related family of nine sometime in the next several weeks," Community Care of Lyme president Martha Tecca tells The Dartmouth's Soleil Gaylord. Many of them, she says, will be able to work—"in the Upper Valley—where the workforce is such a challenge—[that] is actually really encouraging,” she says, adding that DHMC is an "eager" employer—and the college's admissions office is working to bring displaced Afghan students to campus. 

SPONSORED: You're invited to Dartmouth's virtual MLK Celebration Keynote Jan. 19 at 6 pm. The speaker is Dr. Robert S. Harvey, superintendent of East Harlem Scholars Academies, a community-based network of public charter schools; a visiting professor at Memphis Theological Seminary; and a writer and public scholar devoted to the future of human well-being and to countering the impact of racism in American schools and communities. All are welcome – registration required. Sponsored by Dartmouth's MLK Celebration Committee and Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity.Hartford will vote on retail cannabis in March. At its meeting Tuesday night, the selectboard voted unanimously to put the question on the March 1 town meeting ballot, reports Nora Doyle-Burr in the Valley News. Opinion was split at an information session the night before, with discussion focusing on the economic benefits to town versus the potential impact of ready marijuana availability on the community. Windsor, Strafford, and Randolph have already approved retail sales.Skating Close to Home: The Lake Morey Ice Skating Trail. It officially opens tomorrow and is the longest ice trail in the United States. When ice conditions permit, the 4-mile trail circles the lake’s perimeter offering panoramic views and the chance to spot a bald eagle. Current conditions can be found on the Lake Morey Resort's FB page, and Nordic ice skates may be rented from the resort's skate shack. Parking is available at the State boat launch on the west side of the lake or at the resort. And if you need a motivator, you could head over for the UVTA's annual Skate-a-thon (this year on Saturday, Jan. 22).Nine feet wide, six feet tall, and a foot thick. Those are the dimensions of artist Thornton Dial's impressively large "Heaven and Hell on Earth," one of three pieces by the self-taught Alabama artist on display at the Hood. It's there, Susan Apel writes, thanks to the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, which collects and promotes art by Black southern artists. "Heaven and Hell" is "thick with everyday items that had become detritus: corn husks, rope, bedding, and a Christmas tree ornament, before they were elevated into tools of art in Dial’s hands," Susan writes. And best? You can explore it without leaving your couch.“Each person [we bring in] right now increases the Covid risk.” That's Northern Stage managing director Irene Green explaining to the VN's Alex Hanson why the theater company decided to put off its annual New Works Now festival, which was originally slated for this weekend. Performing arts venues around the region are reshuffling their schedules—or forging ahead with live performances despite shrinking audiences, Hanson reports. “It’s exhausting,” says LOH's Joe Clifford. And they're all looking forward to moving outdoors again once the weather permits.And speaking of LOH, it's just updated its Covid safety policies. As of today, patrons, staff and volunteers must be "fully protected" against Covid—meaning at least 14 days out from a vaccine course, including a booster if eligible. Children under 5 and people with a "valid exemption" from vaccination will need proof of a negative PCR or NAAT test—rapid tests won't suffice. Masks will be required for anyone who's not actually on stage performing.JAG digs NYC beachhead. It's joining the NY Theater Workshop as the first non-NYC-based company-in-residence, it said in a press release yesterday. NYTW will provide artistic and institutional support, while JAG "looks to magnify its scope and presence in the theater world." "I have dreamt about expanding the work of JAG and building into NYC ever since I started the company,” says founder Jarvis Green. The organizations hope "to establish a pipeline between worlds—the rejuvenating and quiet, creative spaces of rural New England and the opportunities and scenes of New York City."Been paying attention this week? The guys who run The News Quiz have some questions for you. Like, what was it that protesters climbed in Bow that got them arrested? And is it true that Dartmouth is tightening restrictions as cases spike? And what are Hartford voters going to be deciding about cannabis on the March ballot? You'll find those and others at the maroon link.Last year was not a good one for maple syrup production. It fell across the board in NH, VT, and ME, the USDA says in its latest crop summary. VT saw the largest decline, a 21 percent drop from the year before, to 1.54 million gallons; NH fell 18 percent to 127,000 gallons, and ME was off 16 percent, at 495,000 gallons. In all three states, there was a decline in the per-tap yield, due mostly to warming weather that cut into the number of nights below freezing during sap season. The news on other crops was mixed.And now, another pest we need to worry about. Researchers at UNH have announced that they've found the southern pine beetle, "one of the most damaging tree-dwelling insects in the Southeast," in NH and ME. The beetle's been destroying pine forests in the southern US and Central America for, well, centuries, but hadn't been found north of NJ until some were spotted on Long Island in 2014. Grad student Caroline Kanaskie says a few beetles won't destroy trees, but "small populations can survive in trees weakened by other factors, like lightning strikes” and then grow.NH community power rules leave the starting block. The law allowing cities and towns to assert more control over electricity procurement for residents went on the books in 2019, but the rules to make it a reality have been stalled at the Public Utilities Commission. Now, however—thanks in part to several new commissioners—the PUC is moving ahead, reports Mara Hoplamazian for NHPR. It's adopted a proposal recommended by, among others, the state Community Power Coalition (which includes Hanover, Lebanon, Plainfield, and Enfield). The whole process will take at least six months.Group forms to boost organic dairy farms. You'll remember that the region's organic dairy farmers got a body blow when Danone announced it would axe its milk-buying contracts. Now, reports the Monitor's David Brooks, a coalition—which includes Stonyfield Yogurt and von Trapp Creamery—has formed to encourage consumers to buy from brands that, in turn, buy from the affected farms NH, VT, ME, and NY. "Brand partners" also include Earthwise Farm in Bethel, Kiss the Cow in Barnard, Neighborly Farms in Randolph, and Strafford Organic Creamery. “It sort of feels like the whole system is falling apart for them.” The pandemic continues to take a toll on schoolkids, Peter D'Auria reports in VTDigger, with the combined effect of case surges, staff shortages, school closures, and quarantining/isolation costing them thousands of lost school days across the board. Parents, teachers, administrators and education officials worry not just about the academic cost, but the loss of support—counselors, nurses, engaged adults—that schools can provide. “Without school, some key safeguards are less available,” says one state mental health official.Trading wildfires for water supply, climate migrants flood VT. As extreme conditions make other parts of the country riskier, VT's more climate-change-proof location is attracting an influx of new residents. Seven Days’ Kevin McCallum shares stories of families who’ve resettled here from regions prone to heat, drought, or hurricanes—a potential boon to communities, with drawbacks too. Often it’s those with means who relocate, driving up home prices and, says Dartmouth’s Erich Osterberg, “[pricing] out our local residents who don’t have those same resources.”Skiing on a shoestring.... as long as we agree that "shoestring" is relative. In Seacoast Current, Jolana Miller has a list of 10 mountains where you can hit the slopes for under $100. Starting... why, right here! With the Skiway ("What a cool vibe!") and Whaleback ("all about inexpensive fun"). She then moves on to King Pine in NH, Middlebury's Snow Bowl and Cochran's in VT, and sites in MA and ME.Once ubiquitous, dial-up Rare Bird Alerts have all but vanished. For more than a generation, they were birders’ primary resource for tracking down once-in-a-lifetime sightings. Into the 1990s, right before the internet’s rise, there were some 150 rare-bird hotlines through North America; today, only a few survive. Dan Koeppel’s endearing piece in Audubon magazine recalls an era before eBird and listservs, when the recorded voice of a knowledgeable birder lent a familiar, personal touch to a shared passion: “What I was listening to wasn’t just a public service, it was an act full of meaning.”Let's just say it right now: You can do amazing things with cardboard. I don't read Japanese, so I can't tell you much about this marble... track? machine? extravaganza?... but some serious engineering and creativity went into it. Note what happens to the colored marbles as they make their way down.

And the numbers...

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You know, you could happily listen to Béla Fleck tune his banjo for hours. But it only takes about a minute and a half, and then... Here he is with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Bryan Sutton last month in Denver

Such a fine way to warm up for a cold weekend!

Stay warm out there! See you Tuesday.

The Hiking Close to Home Archives. A list of hikes around the Upper Valley, some easy, some more difficult, compiled by the Upper Valley Trails Alliance. It grows every week.

Daybreak Where You Are: The Album. Photos of daybreak around the Upper Valley, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the US, sent in by readers.

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Check out the Spotify playlist generously maintained by Sarah and Nelson Rooker.

Written and published by Rob Gurwitt         Writer/editor: Tom Haushalter    Poetry editor: Michael Lipson  About Rob                                                    About Tom                                 About Michael

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