OH IT'S YOU, FRIDAY...
These days you just have to take things a day at a time. There might be some sun to start off this morning, but there's a "compact" disturbance headed our way from the Great Lakes that will bring more clouds, a chance of rain this afternoon, and the likelihood of rain this evening before it gets us out of its system overnight. Possible light snow at higher elevations. Highs in the mid 50s, light, variable winds.Crowd turns out to hear Elizabeth Warren. She spoke at Dartmouth's Bema to some 1100 people yesterday, laying out plans to boost the middle class and end "lobbying as we know it." At the end she told the crowd, “I’ll stay with you as long as you want and take selfies. We will have some fun. Because that’s how it should be.” The Dartmouth's report at the link.Norwich report details email scam. The report comes from Leb-based investigator Bill Burgess, who dug into the affair. The long and short: Finance director Donna Flies was duped, and "clearly violated" town policies in transferring funds four times in August to one Donald Jefford, Jr — even after she was warned to stop. She began after an email purportedly from Town Manager Herb Durfee asked her to pay an overdue invoice to Jefford, which she did — without the SB approval required by town policies and even though the email was not from a town address. Lots more at the link, and it's not pretty.Is the Gory Daze Parade going all legit? Just a heads up that WRJ's alt.Halloween tradition has a new route. It used to start at the Main Street Museum. Tomorrow, it kicks off by Hartford Town Hall. Wear your ghastly finest! "Why are you such a dick about safety?" That was a student to Hartford Area Career and Technology Center Principal Doug Heavisides. "Because I love you and do not want you or anyone else to get hurt," he responded. Student: "Oh. Okay. That makes sense. Sorry for being unsafe in the shop. I'll change my behavior." Heavisides: "Can you please rephrase your original question, though?" The student did, but not quite as Heavisides expected. A lovely little FB post.
"Take down your paywall." That's HereCast CEO Watt Alexander in the last of five open letters to the Valley News this week. He argues the VN is hurting itself by blocking potential readers, that the paper's not doing local advertisers any favors with its policies, and that "the flagging fortunes of many local newspapers today [may] simply reflect a provincial, antiquated idea of newsworthiness among their editors and reporters." VN editor Maggie Cassidy's holding public discussions next week. Might be interesting to see how she responds.New Bethel bridge getting closer. Work on a replacement for the 1928 span over Gilead Brook on Route 12 is mostly shutting down for the season, but the contractor has finished abutment and pier work. The new bridge is slated to open next fall. (VN) "Each gallery is a story." Hood Museum director John Stomberg did a wide-ranging interview with NH Business Review, talking about everything from the museum's general philosophy to its notable works. "We are today living through a period of intense strife and vast disagreements on [a wide range of] subjects," he says. "We have found that people can disagree with greater civility when we triangulate the conversation. It is no longer one against the other, but rather two together discussing a third entity — the artwork."Dawnland, Sacred Hair, Little Beeri's March, Major Arcana... A look ahead at WRIF's showcase of regional films. Next weekend, the White River Indie Festival will present 27 films from New England, Quebec, and northern New York. The VN's Sarah Earle offers a preview.Meanwhile, you might not want to be in the audience for the whole thing, but it's still cool. Cue Zero Theater Company in Derry, NH — winner of NH Mag's "Best New Theater" this year — is aiming to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for longest continuous theatre performance next year. The current mark stands at 76 hours, 18 minutes 25 seconds. CZT hopes to go 80 consecutive hours with no more than five minutes between plays.And over in Hampton, NH, the library's considering a temporary ban on patrons who return books with bedbugs. Staff at the return desk found the critters last month. If approved by trustees, the new policy would require people who return books with bedbugs to prove the vermin have been removed from their home before being allowed to borrow again. The idea's based on a state law letting landlords require tenants with bedbugs to show through testing that they've eliminated the problem.NH's timber industry in the wake of the biomass veto. In August, Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed legislation extending subsidies for biomass plants, and the legislature upheld it. That's thrown the market for low-grade wood into turmoil, and timber companies are trying to adjust. NH Business Review takes a detailed look at the state of play. A bright spot: The market for paper seems to be coming back as businesses switch from plastic to biodegradable materials.Consider Bardwell Farm to stop manufacturing, selling cheese. Seven Days reports that the award-winning West Pawlet producer of raw cow- and goat-milk cheeses announced yesterday that "current funds do not allow us to continue manufacturing and selling our cheeses." Consider Bardwell had to recall several of its cheeses a few weeks ago due to listeria contamination, and it has been unable to recover. "Emerging crisis" after VT hotline ends 24-hour and weekend service. The state's 211 call system for people seeking emergency housing, food assistance, mental health care, and other services is run by United Ways of Vermont. It was forced to shut down after-hours service Oct. 1 for lack of funds. The problem: Some three-quarters of calls for help come in after hours. “A lot of alarm bells have gone off in our network around this issue,” says the coordinator of the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition.VT Auditor's office: OneCare failed to track results of its community health efforts. The joint effort by UVM Medical Center and DHMC is focused on preventive care, and as part of its work is subsidizing access to fresh vegetables, investing in programs that promote active lifestyles, underwriting housing for homeless families, and helping coordinate care among different health agencies. But it's hard to know if these efforts are working, State Auditor Doug Hoffer says, because OneCare hasn't been measuring their impact.The single-most popular vehicle in Vermont? Wrong. Admit it, you guessed Subaru. A bit ago, state Sen. Tim Ashe posted the top 10 registered cars and trucks in the state on Front Porch Forum. A Reddit user has graciously provided the list. It's topped by Ford F Series trucks, followed by the Chevy Silverado, then the Toyota Tacoma, then the GMC Sierra. The first Subaru (the Forester) ranks number 5. Though admittedly, the Outback and Impreza are also on the list.
If you like Daybreak and want to help it keep going, here's how:
SO WHAT'S UP TONIGHT?
Deborah Savadge's backstage comedy explores the shifting triangle of an ambitious ingenue, the stage manager who starts things off by giving her a dog, and her suspicious best friend and drinking buddy. 7 pm tonight and tomorrow, 3 on Sunday.
As
Silent London
put it a few years back, it's "a movie made out of movies in which people watch movies at the movies." Snippets from over 1,000 films over 80 years of cinema stitch together a single movie-going experience. "It's important to remember," write the Hop's Johanna Evans and Sydney Stowe, "that only some of a film's power comes from what is on the screen—much of its power comes from what we the audience create, laughing and crying in the dark together." 7:30 at the Loew.
Well, actually, not just waltz. There's also 8-count swing, Lindy Hop, night-club two-step, general swing... All taught by Gina Sonne, who's been running social waltz (ie, informal, relaxed, done for fun) for a dozen years in the area. No partner or experience needed, but flexible-soled shoes aren't a bad idea. Or as she puts it, "Clogs and hiking boots not recommended." Wouldn't you like to see that, though? At Seven Stars Arts in Sharon, 6:30 to 9:30.
Have a lovely weekend. See you Monday.
And if you think one or more of your friends would like Daybreak, too, please forward this newsletter and tell them to hit the blue "Subscribe" button below. And thanks! And hey, if you're that friend? So nice to see you! You can subscribe at:
Thank you!