LAST PALINDROME DATE 'TIL DECEMBER, UPPER VALLEY!
Cold and windy. An arctic low dropped in from James Bay last night, bringing with it winds and some bitter weather. Temps today will climb all the way to around 10, with gusts from the northwest getting up toward 30 mph into mid-afternoon. More clouds than sun until around noon, then the other way around. Back down to 0 or below tonight. "Lost Woods": In which Henry, Lydia, and Wally mess about in boats. As you know, Lebanon author and illustrator D.B. Johnson (Henry Hikes to Fitchburg and other classics) is lending his new comic strip to this spot each Friday, a week's worth at a time. It's Week 9: Scroll right to see what happens, left to catch up on previous weeks.Of course, sometimes there's nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in the woods. On Wednesday, Robin Osborne was out on skis around Union Village Dam in Thetford, and caught this quiet moment of a semi-frozen Ompompanoosuc passing by.Okay, one more sun dog pic. Because how often do you get to see a VW with a halo? Back in 2005, Dave Shinnlinger got hold of a 1980 Vanagon, cut a hatch in its floor, and had a crane hoist it on to the roof of a barn he'd built on his family's place in Canaan to serve as a cupola. (And yes, it's a good place to hang out.) So when this week's sundogs broke out around the Upper Valley, Deb Shinnlinger knew exactly where to point her camera. Moderna tells Springfield Hospital doses okay to use. In a press release yesterday evening, the VT Department of Health announced that, "based on a deeper review and totality of the facts," the pharmaceutical company had determined that 860 doses of the vaccine at the hospital remain viable. They may have been stored at a slightly higher temperature—there are inconsistencies between the state's and the hospital's monitoring equipment—than guidelines allow. Meanwhile, reports VTDigger's Amanda Gokee, the hospital is adjusting storage equipment as it awaits new doses.Leb Fire Department, UV Public Health Council team up to vaccinate public housing residents. About 90 percent of the residents at Rogers House in the city are over 65 or qualified for health reasons for the current vaccination phase, but "many don't have any internet access at all [to sign up] and transportation was another huge barrier," the Leb Housing Authority's Beth McShinsky tells NBC5's Matt Leighton. "We were fortunate to have these organizations reach out to us." Ever been stuck in traffic on the Rte 120 corridor? Or tried to walk across an intersection near the I-89 interchange? Got thoughts? NHDOT is conducting a study of the 1.1-mile stretch of 120 from 89 north toward Hanover, and is looking for public input on how it can be improved. This builds on (but is different from) last summer's regional planning commission study. You can flag spots along the stretch for improvement by survey or on a map that also allows you to give a thumbs up or down to other people's ideas. (Thanks, MG!)Hiking close to home: Mount Peg Park in Woodstock, VT. The Upper Valley Trails Alliance this week points out the fairly short walk to the summit of Mt. Peg, which features gorgeous views of the rolling hills of Woodstock and the Ottauquechee River Valley. It's a hike suitable for all ages, they say, and right now the trails are in fine shape for snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, though they're not groomed. The park is owned by the town of Woodstock; the trailhead is a bit off Rte. 106, on Golf Avenue. And speaking of getting outside in winter... Since last fall, the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission has been working with outdoor enthusiasts in both states to create a central site for winter recreation around the region. They've just put it online, and it's full of tips on safety and where to go if you want to walk, hike, ski downhill, ski cross-country, skate, or go winter biking. Each of those activities has links to learn more about them, and for places in the UV where you can go do them. This is a go-to resource.UNH study finds death rates exceeding birth rates in NH, VT, ME...and WV. That's part of a larger study by demographer Ken Johnson, who has been chronicling the vicissitudes of rural population trends for decades. Johnson has a new report out finding that over the past decade, rural America nationwide showed its first overall population decline ever, as in-migration slowed and the long-term trend of lower birth rates continued. The pandemic will further those trends, he tells NHPR's Annie Ropeik, though climate migration is a wild card.57 days out? NH residents having trouble getting appointments for second vaccine doses. NHPR's Todd Bookman and Emily Quirk talk over an issue that's just emerged in the last couple of days: People who've gotten a first dose have been trying to schedule their second one and finding the system is booked up for weeks—beyond the CDC's guideline of a 42-day window. This week, Gov. Chris Sununu said the longer wait doesn't matter, Bookman reports, but the drug companies don't have data on efficacy to prove that.$1 million+ homes in VT don't linger on the market any more. In fact, reports VTDigger's Anne Wallace Allen, the sales of homes going for over $1 million almost tripled in 2020: 313 of them vs. 112 in 2019. “A lot of those seven-figure listings had been on the market for a long period of time,” one realtor tells her—until the pandemic, wildfires out west, and unrest in the cities drove wealthy buyers to the state. Prices in general reflect the trend: The average sale price for a single-family home in November 2020 was $352,537 vs. $279,528 the year before (and in that range for a decade before that).
"Please visit working Vermonters at the local auto repair shop, nurses’ lunch hangout, construction company..." Last week, a Who's Who of Vermonters called on the state's press corps to address sexism in its coverage. Now Matt Krauss, a former GOP state rep and senator, has another idea: hire, report on, and listen to conservatives. It's time, he says, for conservatives and the state's press establishment to "set aside past grievances" and talk to one another. "Avoid upscale anything," he advises. "Compare what you heard to your work product. Make appropriate adjustments.""So, what's going wrong here? And the fact is, nothing is really going wrong." That's Post Mills farmer Tim Taylor, who chairs the district commission overseeing Act 250 regs for part of the Upper Valley, talking to VPR's John Dillon about last week's executive order by Gov. Phil Scott centralizing the development review process. Taylor and legislative allies contend Scott is trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist; Scott, obviously, disagrees. Dillon talks to colleague Henry Epp about what's at stake and the legal wrangling ahead."People come up here not to look at a billboard but to look at cows and mountains and a field." Ted Riehle Jr. was a lifelong Republican and, in the VT legislature, the dogged champion of the state's signature billboard ban. Hard to believe now, but when he introduced it in 1967, the measure was controversial; it also drew big-money opposition. Riehle overcame doubters, writes Seven Days' Cathy Resmer in one of a series of "Good Citizen Stories," by patiently talking to people—"a lot of people." In this polarized time, she suggests, his story is "an example of how government can work."So this is why they do it! Ever see people out skating on the CT River and think, "They're nuts"? Yeah, me, too. Then along comes this stunning video, by E. Ryegate's Evan Perkins. He took it toward sunset earlier this week at the end of a long skate a few miles north of the Ledyard Bridge with the wind at his back and gliding along what looks like open water it's so glassy. It gives you a sense. You don't need me to tell you, but I will anyway: River skating's only for skaters with experience, training, and the right safety gear. (Thanks, JF & NK!)Mrs. Stumpy Tail. She's a "frumpy, insignificant" female elephant in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park whom wildlife photographer Chris Fallows has gotten to know over the years—"part of the fabric of each of our visits," he tells My Modern Met's Sara Barnes, describing his work photographing African elephants. Though he often photographs herds, he focuses on individuals. He tries, he says, "to showcase the last of the truly exceptional and rare individuals that are still out there to draw attention to what we stand to lose." These are striking photographs.
Last numbers for the week.
Dartmouth reports 12 active cases among students(down 1) and 6 among faculty and staff (up 2). In the meantime, 21 students and 6 faculty/staff are in quarantine because of travel or exposure, while 13 students and 22 faculty/staff are in isolation awaiting results or because they tested positive.
NH added 721 new cases yesterday for a cumulative total of 64,258. There were 16 new deaths, bringing the total to 1,022. Meanwhile, 222 people are hospitalized (down 1). The current active caseload stands at 5,374 (up 160); 90 percent of all cases have recovered. The state now reports 264 active cases in Grafton County (down 16), 159 in Sullivan (up 4), and 404 in Merrimack (up 29). Town by town, the state says that Claremont has 64 active cases (down 3), Newport has 33 (up 7), Unity has 18 (down 3), Lebanon has 18 (down 4), Hanover has 17 (down 1), New London has 13 (up 2), Enfield has 12 (no change), Grantham has 12 (up 1), Charlestown has 10 (down 2), Sunapee has 9 (down 1), Haverhill has 9 (up 1), Canaan has 8 (down 1), Rumney has 5 (down 2), Warren has 5 (down 1), and Wentworth has 5 (no change). Dorchester, Plainfield, Grafton, Springfield, Croydon, Newbury, and Wilmot all have 1-4.
VT reported 132 new cases yesterday, bringing it to a total case count of 11,523. There were no new deaths, which remain at 172 all told, while 59 people with confirmed cases are hospitalized (up 13). Windsor County gained 10 new cases to stand at 810 for the pandemic (with 156 over the past 14 days). Orange County had 1 new case and is now at 410 cumulatively (with 34 cases over the past 14 days).
News that connects you. If you like Daybreak and want to help it keep going, here's how:
At noon today, Dismas House launches a series of online conversations about reform of the criminal justice system through the lens of restorative justice. To start things off, they've tapped VLS professor and former Windsor County prosecutor Bobby Sand, who'll give an overview of the restorative justice movement and the criminal justice system as it stands now. Free, but you'll need to register to get the Zoom link.
This evening at 6, the Dartmouth Political Union hosts an open-to-the-community online conversation with controversial investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald, who made his name reporting on the NSA documents leaked by Edward Snowden, went on to launch—and then last fall abruptly resign from—The Intercept, and most recently has made waves for his criticism of media "censorship." The title of his talk: "Authoritarianism in the United States."
And running through Wednesday, the Hop's got its two new Film On Demand offerings: The Australian Dream, a 2019 documentary about Adam Goodes, an indigenous Australian-rules football superstar who, in 2013, plunged into the maelstrom of racial politics in the country when a 13-year-old girl in the stands called him "an ape"; Goodes asked that she be removed from the stadium. The incident changed his career. Also up: The Weasels' Tale, Argentinian director Juan José Campanella's twisty dark comedy about four cinematic throwbacks in a decaying mansion and two real estate schemers who come calling.
Northern Stage's New Works Now festival continues tomorrow at 7:30 pm with a sneak peek at the songs and artistic process behind the first musical it's ever commissioned, Shook, about a group of high school actors prepping for a national Shakespeare competition. "Shook takes us on a rollercoaster ride through song and sonnet, foes turned friends, kingdoms lost and won…and at least one good showmance," NS writes. Includes a chance to hear creators Zoe Sarnak and Alexis Scheer, and director Maggie Burrows. Free, but $10 donation suggested.
At 8 pm tomorrow, it's "Here in the Valley," the monthly variety show livestreamed from the Briggs Opera House showcasing local musicians and artists, hosted by Jess Raymond and Jakob Breitbach.
Time to blast into the weekend. Rock guitarists Emily Hastings and Warleyson Almeida
as a "duel" between her Gibson Les Paul and his Fender Telecaster. You'll want to have your earphones on—so you can listen with all due volume without waking the neighbors and because you'll hear this best in stereo, with the Fender on the left and the Gibson on the right.
See you Monday.
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