GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Mostly cloudy, chance of rain and/or snow. We start the day off with clouds, but there's a warm front headed this way that will drive temps up above freezing—maybe even the high 30s by mid-afternoon. That's also about when precipitation may start falling, so depending on where you are, it could come as rain, rain and snow, or all snow. It should shift to all snow overnight, maybe 1-3 inches, before winding down by dawn, setting us up for a sunny day tomorrow as high pressure moves in. Lows tonight in the mid or upper teens."Between Water and Ice". Peter Bloch means that literally. The videographer's new video takes us to Great Brook in New London and Sawyer Brook in Grantham, diving beneath and between the intricately sculpted ice layers of mid-winter.So, did you check out "Dear Daybreak" yesterday? If not, you missed Tom Mead and Richard McNulty on the late music teacher Becky Luce; Cynthia Taylor's postcard of the Ledyard Bridge in pre-ball days; and Amy Stringer's encounter with a clear-thinking, can-do stranger who helped get her out of a jam on a scorching hot day. And hey, if you've got a good story about life in these parts, send it in!Two Leb city workers charged with theft. Cemetery supervisor Douglas Boisvert and parks and grounds supervisor Damian Hetzel were arrested—and placed on leave—after an investigation launched in October, reports Clare Shanahan in the Valley News. They're charged with stealing city property and "payments due to the city” valued between $1,200 and $1,800, according to Police Chief Phil Roberts. Boisvert's wife declined to comment; Hetzel's attorney, Allison Schwartz, says in an email to Shanahan, "Mr. Hetzel maintains his innocence and we look forward to telling his side of the story in court."Sprawling 2023 crime spree leads to federal charges. You may remember this: In November that year, Casey Pickett was arrested in connection with two stolen cars, three stolen firearms, two burglaries, and two police pursuits, finally winding up in custody after he barricaded himself inside someone else's Bethel home. And that was after leading police on a manhunt that including locking down Waterbury schools. On Monday, reports Darren Marcy, who's been following Pickett for The Herald, the feds announced a grand jury has indicted him for being a felon in possession of firearms. Pickett pled not guilty.SPONSORED: Reclaim Menopause: care for women in NH and VT who are looking for a trusted guide to help navigate hormonal shifts with confidence. Start preparing in your 30s and continue beyond your 50s to manage symptoms and prevent health risks like heart disease, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. Dr. Laura Duncan stays up to date with the latest science-backed evidence on the impact and importance of hormones. Visit the burgundy link or here to schedule the time you deserve to make informed decisions that are right for you. Sponsored by Reclaim Menopause.With Northern Stage's King James, four quarters (and half time) brought to you by "an amazing cast, a superb director, a great script, and a truly brilliant creative and professional team." It's fair to say the Standard's Sharon Groblicki liked Rajiv Joseph's play, which traces its Cleveland protagonists' friendship through the stages of LeBron James's career. “‘King James’ reminds us of how essential it is to fight for friendship amidst its complexities," director abigail jean-baptiste tells Groblicki—who describes both the play and the people, including production staff, who've brought it to life.Then there are the "little blasts of dopamine" you can get down the street at the Briggs from watching The Effect. Shaker Bridge Theatre's production is "bold, funny, intimate, smart and energetic," writes Seven Days theater critic Alex Brown. By now you know the premise: Two drug-trial subjects "meet, banter, develop an attraction and fall in love," as Brown puts it. But in director Bill Coons' "chiseled" production, she adds, "the play rises above its clever premise to intrigue viewers by exposing the core of human emotion....We all want feelings to mean something, especially when they get as big as these."SPONSORED: Our struggling neighbors. This Sunday at 2 pm, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in White River Junction hosts a free screening of Just Getting By, a new film by director Bess O’Brien about Vermonters experiencing food and housing insecurity, followed by a panel discussion. “People we pass, a clerk in the store, your child’s classmate’s mother, don’t have a home,” says Katy Chaffee of St. Paul’s. “How do they survive? How can our consciences tolerate it?” Screening info at the burgundy link or here. Sponsored by Vital Communities, St. Paul's, LISTEN, the Haven, and Dartmouth Health.Sentences that cut through the noise—or silence it. "Of all things that might be said of Chekhov is this: He’s never noise," writes Peter Orner in this week's Enthusiasms. Peter's been craving silence, and the other day he turned to Chekhov—an early story and not one of the great writer's best, but still. It's called "The Doctor", and it starts like this: "It was still in the drawing room, so still that a house-fly that had flown in from outside could be distinctly heard brushing against the ceiling." "Funny thing about Chekhov," Peter adds, "his passion was doctoring; he wrote fiction, at least in the beginning, for the cash."Wolf Tree basks in the attention; just don't compare it to a Brooklyn bar. “Just because we live in a more rural setting, doesn’t mean we can’t have access to a place that is terribly thoughtful about the cocktails and the ingredients they use,” Max Overstrom-Coleman tells the VN's Marion Umpleby. He had just dropped his daughter off at day care last week when he finally got to a blast of calls from a friend—who told him that Wolf Tree, Overstrom-Coleman's cocktail bar in WRJ, had just been nominated for a James Beard Award. “Myself, my crew, we couldn’t be more proud and humbled,” he says."I underestimated the entertainment value that a college-aged person like myself could get out of a Vermont dairy farm in the dead of winter." Of course, Noelle Blake wasn't at just any dairy farm. She was at Billings Farm, and in The Dartmouth she sets out to explain why she thinks it's a "not-so-hidden gem." For one thing, there are the horse-drawn sleigh rides, which is why she went there in the first place. Then there are the history, the exhibits, the farm itself—especially the cow barn—and maybe above all, the staff: friendly, informative, and "true believers in the mission," Blake writes.Backcountry Skiing (Sort of) Close to Home: The Cooley Jericho Glade, Easton, NH. With snow on the ground, this week's suggestion from the Upper Valley Trails Alliance brings you to a great backcountry skiing opportunity. The 4+ mile network of backcountry ski glades has options for many abilities with fantastic views on the skin track up. Directions to the trailhead start from Exit 38 on I-93 in Franconia and the details can be found at the link above.Been paying attention to Daybreak? Because Daybreak's Upper Valley News Quiz has some questions. Like, what professional organization is a new Lebanon resident trying to get off the ground? And what was just found to be harboring bird flu in Windsor County? Those and more at the link.But wait! How closely were you following VT and NH?
Because Seven Days wants to know if you know what salary cap a new health care bill proposes for Vermont hospital executives?
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings around the Granite State—like, in 2023, the highest number of New Hampshire children on record tested positive for what kind of poisoning?
The scores for 4th and 8th graders, reports NH Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt, all outperformed the national average (though 8th grade reading scores fell from 2022 to 2024). In a statement, ed commissioner Frank Edelblut said, "
What might not be readily apparent is that our higher performing students are making gains while our disadvantaged or low performing students continue to lose ground and are not recovering [from pandemic learning losses] as quickly." The state's NEA head partly credits federal pandemic money.VT Gov. Phil Scott's education reform plan would cut funding by $180 million. Though his proposed new formula would still steer
$2.14 billion to the schools, reports VT Public's Lola Duffort. Before two Senate committees, education secy Zoie Saunders put some hard numbers on a plan that had only been a sketch before now, outlining a base grant of $13,200
per student, more for those labeled "at-risk" or learning English. The plan drew criticism from one senator worried it would "vastly underfund the current system."
Suspect in border patrol shooting ordered held without bail. The prosecution in the case against 21-year-old Theresa Youngblut had asked that she be kept in custody following her arrest after the shootout that killed Border Patrol agent David Maland. Yesterday, a federal judge in Burlington agreed, labeling Youngblut "a danger to the community." In Seven Days, Colin Flanders covers the hearing—and then sketches the outlines of "a story that has grown increasingly bizarre and complicated as authorities search for clues involving a tangled web of suspects associated with violent acts on both coasts."
Meanwhile, the Boston Globe (paywall) adds its bit with a story about the links among the people connected to the VT slaying, murders in PA and CA, and a Bay Area "fringe activist group" known as the Zizians. When a Globe reporter visited an Orleans VT home tied to Michelle Zajko—who allegedly supplied guns to Youngblut and a companion slain in the VT shootout and is wanted in connection with the murders of her parents in Delaware County, PA—"a person with what appeared to be a long hilt sticking from the pocket of his cargo pants came down the driveway and told the reporter to get off the property."
Marooned on a central VT pinnacle, a chocolate lab gets rescued. As Seven Days' Anne Wallace Allen tells the story, back on Jan. 17, while hiking with Plainfield's Jon Rouelle and his two other dogs on Spruce Mountain, Bruin took off—and couldn't be found. Word went out online, and April Farnham, who volunteers for Central VT Canine Recovery, got in touch with the Rouelles to help search: "I know you're not going to be able to sleep tonight," she said. It took a night, a day, and a morning until Farnham suddenly heard a whimper. "I go, 'Bruin?' and he goes, 'Woof!'" Farnham, a weight lifter, carried him down.How to make a scene. Of all the memorable scenes in The Philadelphia Story, Nerdwriter's Evan Puschak believes one in particular captures the beauty of old Hollywood. The 1940 film had a dazzling cast—Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart—and a top-tier director, George Cukor. But a host of other talent made it truly great. Puschak takes us through the moonlit moment of truth between Hepburn and Stewart, explaining how the camera work, art direction, lighting, and costumes contribute to a magnificent seven and a half minutes. Though Hepburn did not win an Oscar, the film resuscitated her career—which was, astonishingly, on the skids. My, she was yar.Clearly, this is AI's highest and best use. Those prankster Scots and their images of the wild haggis (would that be "a herd of haggi"?).Daybreak doesn't get to exist without your support. Help it stick around by hitting the maroon button:
Fleece vests, sweatshirts, head-warming beanies... Strong Rabbit has updated the Daybreak page to keep up with the changing weather. Plus, of course, the usual: t-shirts, long-sleeved tees, the Daybreak jigsaw, those perfect hand-fitting coffee/tea mugs, and as always, "We Make Our Own Fun" t-shirts and tote bags for proud Upper Valleyites. Check it all out at the link!
The Hanover duo of Andrew Brozek and Eli Smith will be in the New Books area at 3 pm for an hour of roots music, with bluegrass and country covers and some of Andrew’s original music.
The Tonight Show w/Jimmy Fallon, the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a legion of followers for her videos about stand-up and life as the spouse of a US military service member. 7 pm in the Grange Theater tonight and tomorrow.
Rudy Ruddell and Lisa Kippen lost their Tunbridge home in November fire. Tonight at 7, Bow Thayer, Turnip Truck, Spencer Lewis & Friends, Trifolium, Bull & Prairie, and Mountain Dog take the stage for an evening of songs and community. No charge, but
.
Hitchcock's WWII spy thriller (produced by Walter Wanger, Dartmouth '15--and no, that's not 2015) stars Joel McCrea as an American reporter in pre-war Europe. "It's wall-to-wall witty repartee, head-spinning plot twists and brilliantly mounted suspense set pieces," the Hop writes. 7 pm in the Loew Auditorium.
Things start at 7:30 pm with Kelly Ravin and Halle Jade, the Jaded Ravins, with Americana and country ballads. At 8 pm, it's Bill Ellis with classic country blues (Leadbelly and Rev. Gary Davis) and original songs. At 9 pm, Philly rapper Kuf Knotz and harpist Christine Elise return with their highly danceable mix of hip hop and soul. At the First Congregational Church of Lebanon.
The veteran soul/blues singer and guitarist is back starting at 9 pm—bandleader for Johnny Rawls, sometime vocalist for Ronnie Earl, and "one of the finest soul and blues men of his generation," VPR once said.
Saturday
Denton works in vinyl and metal: "carefully cutting vinyl stickers and applying them by hand to lightweight aluminum sheet metal."
"February is usually when markets start to drop off in popularity, but it's also when the days get bright enough for the first produce to start arriving," writes Hogwash Farm's Leslie O'Hara. "These winter markets represent the lion's share of most of our income this time of year and we love all the community support we can get!"
will be in the Powerhouse Mall 4-7 pm Feb. 13 and 27.
It's a Lunar New Year celebration with Glen Keane and John Kars' animated film follows the journey of Fei Fei, a young girl who builds a rocket to reach the moon to prove the existence of a legendary moon goddess. 11 am at the Loew Auditorium, no charge.
The Cuban-American cellist, who's appeared all over—including at the US Supreme Court for the premiere of a piece in honor of Sonia Sotomayor—will start out
coaching Upper Valley Music Center students on interpretation and technique, then present a short concert, and then sit down for a conversation about performing, recording, and teaching. 12:30 pm tomorrow at the First Congregational Church of Lebanon.At the Norwich Bookstore, Elly Swartz in conversation with two middle-school librarians. The middle grade author of Hidden Truths has a new novel out, Same Page, about a 6th grader fighting a book ban with the help of friends—and librarians. Marion Cross librarian Jillian Van Ells and Ray School librarian Becca Sexton will join Swartz. 2 pm tomorrow.
The Mexican Grammy nominee started out with Dan Zanes and Friends, but quickly gravitated toward music for all ages—especially kids and families. The live show she's bringing to Hanover,
Música,
debuted last year at NYC's New Victory Theater. Afterward, there'll be arts, crafts and music-making with anyone who wants to join in, this season's Hop Fellows, and de los Santos and her band. It all starts at 4 pm tomorrow.
Sunday
NH Consumer Advocate Don Kreis resists pigeonholing, which he proves Sunday morning at 10 at the First Universalist Society of Hartland with a talk aimed at convincing "people who hated Melville’s masterpiece, those who never finished it, and those who ignored it when assigned to them that
Moby-Dick
is outrageously funny, slyly erotic, and uniquely relevant to the times in which our country finds itself."
At the Tunbridge Public Library, S. Royalton poet Ina Anderson will read from her new book,
Sky Furniture.
A longtime teacher at the Community College of Vermont (and a former editor of
Icarus: International Journal of Solar System Science
, led at the time by Carl Sagan), Anderson saw her first collection,
Journey Into Space
, nominated for a Pushcart Prize. 2 pm Sunday. No link.
As you saw above, St. Paul's and a group of Upper Valley nonprofits are screening Bess O'Brien's documentary about Vermonters struggling with the basics: food and housing. She'll be on hand afterward for a discussion with local advocates and service providers. 2 pm.
Singing along encouraged. 2 pm Sunday at the Loew.
"He is lost. He is alone. He is three million light years from home." 3 pm Sunday, free.
The coffeehouse at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Upper Valley in Norwich brings in the veteran bluesy folk singer-songwriter and guitarist at 4 pm Sunday. "A wonderfully lively, very funny, and enormously amiable entertainer with a keen and wicked eye," the
Globe
once wrote.
And as we head into the weekend...
There's probably at least a couple of generations of rock lovers who are convinced that prog rock is dead. It's not, of course. Its various strands are most active in the US and the UK (though there is the BajaProg festival in Mexicali), so
Himachal Pradesh, India, might not be the first place you'd think to look for a sensational, self-taught progressive rock guitarist. But over the last few years, Sutej Singh—who got his start in a band while studying mechanical engineering in college—has built a dedicated following in India and, increasingly, elsewhere. Here's how you can hear why: his slow-building, storytelling "Oceans Apart" last November at Bandland, in Bangalore. Just let him (along with drummer
Paarth Koser and bassist Aditya Negi) take you along.
See you Monday for CoffeeBreak.
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.
The Enthusiasms Archives. A list of book recommendations by Daybreak's rotating crew of local booksellers, writers, and librarians who think you should read. this. book. now!
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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Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Poetry editor: Michael Lipson Associate Editor: Jonea Gurwitt About Rob About Michael
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