GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Reminder: No Daybreak Monday.Snow! Though the amounts and certainty depend a lot on where you are. It's coming from a system that took shape off the mid-Atlantic coast, and coastal areas will see the highest amounts. Vermont east of the Greens may get an inch or two, with amounts rising the farther east you get in NH. Snow will taper off this afternoon. Highs today in the mid-20s, but we'll get some strong wind gusts this afternoon. Down to the single digits tonight.Here are the projected totals:
Daybreak from above. We've gotten the gift of some remarkable dawns this week, but here's one we haven't seen: the view from high above Mascoma Lake, from Enfield photographer and videographer Brittany Schones and her drone."Tick! Did you say TICK?" Henry, Lydia, and Wally hang out on the grass, Auk and Eddy discuss Eddy's favorite material for expressing himself: rocks. As he does every Friday, Lebanon author and illustrator DB Johnson chronicles the doings in Lost Woods, his favorite patch of trees. Hit the back arrow to catch up on previous weeks or to head right back to the beginning.Pedestrian killed in Thetford crash. Yesterday morning, interim Police Chief Michael Scruggs writes in a press release, a man walking along Latham Road was struck by a car. The driver, a 17-year-old female, stopped to call police and render assistance, but the man was later pronounced dead at the scene. Police have withheld the pedestrian's name pending notification of next-of-kin, and aren't releasing the name of the juvenile driver or a passenger.SPONSORED: What a difference a year makes! With President Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ plan in doubt, the road just got tougher for passing federal climate legislation in 2022. Yet the stakes for the climate have never been higher. If figuring out how you can make a difference in the climate crisis is on your radar in 2022—not to mention reducing your electric bill—we've summarized what to expect now at the federal policy level. Just hit the maroon link above. Solaflect Energy is your home energy-management partner—check out our website or call (802) 649-3700. Sponsored by Solaflect Energy."This has now been the largest influx of patients that we've ever taken care of." DHMC's critical-care docs have taken to two separate news venues over the past couple of days to detail the impact of the current Covid surge. The maroon link goes to WMUR, where Dr. Jeffrey Munson puts it starkly: "The truth is we are so busy managing the volume of cases of Covid that we simply can't promise that we'll be able to be there for all those other illnesses." And the day before, ICU doc Elisabeth Souther told NH Bulletin's Annmarie Timmins that it's "heartbreaking" patients can't get the care they need.And they're even more blunt in a new DHMC video. It went up yesterday. "The impact of the surge is that we can’t do what we normally do," says clinical director Ed Merrens. "We’ve...almost eliminated entirely elective procedures because we don’t have the beds." Munson notes that every Covid patient in the ICU thought, "Well, I'm too healthy to get sick from Covid." One of them, Fred Rutherford, says, "I will do anything I can to be the voice to people that don’t understand: You’ve got to get vaccinated, you’ve got to get it done to protect each other." And RN Rachel Chamberlin laments that community "support has kind of dwindled...and people seem to be moving on without us."Meanwhile, VT and NH reduce isolation requirements. Both states have now adopted the CDC's new guidance for a 5-day—rather than a 10-day—isolation period for those who've tested positive, along with looser quarantine requirements for those who've been exposed, the Valley News's Nora Doyle-Burr reports. Some schools and Upper Valley employers have already adopted the new guidelines, she writes, but health-care providers are a patchwork: Hanover Terrace and Cedar Hill are remaining conservative; APD will "generally" follow the new guidance, but make decisions case by case.And Upper Valley venues try to adjust. The Hop will require proof of boosters after Jan. 31 for patrons to be considered fully vaccinated, writes Liz Sauchelli in the VN. LOH is mulling the possibility, but also weighing how to deal with events for which patrons bought tix when "fully vaccinated" meant having two shots, executive director Joe Clifford tells her. “We’re trying to understand what our obligation is to uphold that bond … with our audiences but also being really aware of our goal as defenders of public health,” he says. Meanwhile, New London's Center for the Arts has opted to postpone several events.Been paying attention this week? The guys who run The News Quiz have some questions for you. Like, what kind of animal is being hailed as a hero in that I-89 crash? Is it true that Dartmouth is going to remote classes? And just what happened to River Dave when he returned to the Canterbury NH site where he lived as a squatter? You'll find those and others at the maroon link.
Hiking Close to Home: Spike Hikes. The Upper Valley Trails Alliance's Kaitie Eddington checks in with a little gift: a compilation of trails and trail networks good for winter walking and hiking that also have easily accessible parking. Eight suggestions, from Hanover's Britton Forest to Woodstock's Ottauquechee River Trail to Eastman's northern trails in Grantham and more. And an added bonus: stores in the region that sell spikes for your boots (and, last Kaitie checked, actually have them in stock).NH House: expanded ed vouchers and banning school/business vax mandates tabled, yes to limiting guv's emergency powers. It's been a busy couple of days, the NH Bulletin team write. In a bipartisan vote, the House opted for a ban on the so-called "panic defense," using a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity as a defense for manslaughter. They tabled a bill to expand the state's new education voucher program to use local taxes for private and parochial schools, as well as a bill barring schools and businesses from requiring employees to be vaccinated. Lots more at the link.Meanwhile, the House is just fine with new political maps backed by the GOP. The congressional map in particular has drawn attention, since it turns the First District, currently held by Democrat Chris Pappas, into a safely Republican district. Democrats derided the move, reports NHPR's Josh Rogers. Republican backers wondered what the fuss was about, arguing that redistricting is inherently political. The measure passed on partisan lines.VT hits new case record, Scott announces new rapid-test effort. As you'll see below, the state reported 2,188 new cases yesterday, over 500 more than its previous record three days ago. Breakthrough infections rose, too, but state officials noted that "people who were not fully vaccinated were more than 20 times more likely to be hospitalized or die," writes Seven Days' Colin Flanders. Meanwhile, Gov. Phil Scott announced the state will deliver 500,000 free rapid tests to households across VT in coming weeks, and is working to let residents order them online."What was top of mind for you in July 2020? Our guess? Is that it was not composting." That's when VT's law banning food scraps from landfills kicked into full force, and following a listener's question, the folks at VPR's Brave Little State decided to look into how the state's been doing at composting—and why the law exists in the first place. Remarkably, local waste management districts report composting rates that are orders of magnitude higher than they were a few years ago. But BLS goes beyond that, to look at ways to keep food out of the waste stream in the first place and at how composting operations work."Most believe flames are greedy, indiscriminate, consume what lies in their path. Flames choose what feeds them." Kevin Goodan was raised on the Flathead Reservation in Montana and now teaches poetry at Colby-Sawyer and is an adjunct at VLS. But before that, he spent a decade fighting wildfires. In the latest Author, Can I Ask You? podcast, he tells Joni Cole that he was a scrawny kid, and his stepfather, who fought fires, told him he'd never be able to follow suit. "So I decided I would prove him wrong," Goodan says. He and Cole talk fire, poetry, and why fighting fires prepared him for the classroom.Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A goldfish drives a tank down the street… There’s no punchline. That’s really what happened. Gizmodo’s George Dvorsky caught a story of biologists at Ben-Gurion University who “wanted to test the navigational skills of goldfish outside their accustomed habitat” and contrived a “Fish Operated Vehicle” from a computer-rigged water tank on wheels. With sensors to propel the vehicle in whichever outward direction the fish swam, they tested to see if it would navigate toward a target that guaranteed a treat. There’s video; otherwise, who’d believe this fish story?Oh, and what the heck. A truly awe-inspiring domino setup (and fall-down) from renowned domino artist (and entrepreneur) Lily Hevesh. 32,000 dominoes, 82 days to build, and minutes of pure artistry. (Thanks, AS!)
And the numbers...
Dartmouth's cases continue to climb: The college's dashboard last night reported 254 active undergrad cases (+182 since Monday), 62 among grad and professional students (+41), and 59 among faculty/staff (+26). There have been 422 combined new cases among students over the previous seven days, as well as 75 among faculty/staff. There are 217 students isolating on campus, 100 isolating off-campus, and 67 faculty/staff in isolation.
With the holiday lull behind it, NH reported 1,093 new cases Tuesday, 1,854 Wednesday, and 2,184 yesterday, bringing its total to 211,952. There were 44 deaths reported over that time, bringing the total to 2,017. The state reports 14,937 active cases (+6,152 since its Monday numbers) and 359 (-22) hospitalizations (though there are an additional 144 recovering Covid patients in hospitals not counted in the state numbers, reports the state hospital association). NH tallies 944 (+485) active cases in Grafton County, 282 (+101) in Sullivan, and 1,431 (+568) in Merrimack. In town-by-town numbers, the state says Hanover has 287, Lebanon has 123, New London has 90, Claremont has 84, Newport has 51, Haverhill has 33, Enfield has 31, Sunapee has 30, Charlestown has 29, Grantham has 23, Canaan has 21, Newbury has 19, Rumney, Plainfield and Grafton have 16 each, Orford, Lyme, and Wilmot have 10, Springfield has 9, Wentworth has 8, Piermont and Cornish have 7, Warren and Croydon have 5, and Dorchester, Orange, and Unity have 1-4 each.
VT's been busting records, reporting 1,644 new cases Tuesday, 873 Wednesday, and 2,188 yesterday, bringing its total to 71,942. There were 2 deaths tallied during that time; they now number 482. As of yesterday, 91 people with confirmed cases were hospitalized (+17 since Monday), with 17 of them in the ICU (+3). Windsor County has seen 142 new cases over the last 3 days, for a total of 5,358 for the pandemic and 510 new cases over the past two weeks; Orange County gained 68 cases, with 220 over the past two weeks for a total of 2,271 for the pandemic.
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As the good folks at WRJ's Main Street Musuem say, "There is no better way to dispel the malignant spirits of 2021 then to watch them go up in flames!" So here's your chance: This evening from 6-9 the museum's hosting its annual tree burn and Carnival celebration, with food, drink, King Cake, music, and a lot of trees (bring yours, $10 a pop, proceeds support the museum) going up in smoke.
This evening at 7, Hop Film launches a weekend of recent films, all in Spaulding: Will Smith as Richard Williams—Venus and Serena's dad—in King Richard tonight; Daniel Craig in his last Bond performance in No Time to Die tomorrow; and Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in Spencer on Sunday. Masks, vax proof (boosters required after Jan. 31) or negative PCR test...
And you should know that the Upper Valley Regional Public Health Network is running a series of vaccination clinics at the former JC Penney in West Leb. There are still appointments available for the statewide Booster Blitz tomorrow—registration and details for the Booster Blitz are available at https://business.nh.gov/covidvaccineregistration/. And then, every Tuesday and Thursday this month, they're running walk-in clinics—no residency requirement—from 11 am to 6 pm. All vaccines are available. Ages 5 and up for 1st and 2nd doses; boosters for ages 16 and up.
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I just don't want to be back in this place again..." There are so many ways you could hear Brittany Howard's "History Repeats." She made her name as the lead vocalist for the Alabama Shakes, but in recent years has been out solo, building a following as an electrifying performer. Which is why her live performance of "History Repeats" on Austin City Limits is just so dang much fun to watch.
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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Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Writer/editor: Tom Haushalter Poetry editor: Michael Lipson About Rob About Tom About Michael
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