GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Yeesh. So much getting thrown at us today. In approximate order: Rain and high winds. Flash flood warning. Flash freeze warning. Snow. Strongest winds this morning, with gusts as high as 50 mph, continuing through the afternoon. Temps, meanwhile, will rise to around 50 by noon, hang out there for a bit, then drop to near freezing by dinnertime and 10 or lower by daybreak tomorrow. Rain ends late this afternoon and transitions to snow showers.And some resources:
And snow/ice for NH, along with winds and other hazards.
Road conditions for VT, NH, and ME on New England 511.
Power outage map for VT (it's already happening, especially on the west side of the state). And to zero in, here's GMP's.
In NH, here are links for outage maps fromNH Electric Cooperative, Eversource and Liberty.
A reminder: Daybreak will be off next week. Back in your inbox bright and early on Tuesday, Jan. 3.And a note of thanks. This is the last Daybreak of 2022. A bit over a week ago, it passed 12,500 subscribers, which is all thanks to you: those of you who signed up, who created space for it in your lives, who sent photos and music ideas and suggestions, who drove its growth by passing it along to friends, and more than anything else, who kept Daybreak's doors open and lights on thanks to your contributions and sponsorships. You've been a daily joy and made this a memorable and deeply worthwhile year. I'm looking forward to the next one.Now, though, it's time to say one goodbye. We've known this day was coming for a few weeks, but still, it's hard: This is the last Lost Woods. For 108 weeks, Lebanon writer and illustrator DB Johnson, author of Henry Hikes to Fitchburg and other classics, has been creating a comic strip that gives pride of place to the natural world, all while following the doings of its quirky characters. In his blog post he reflects on the last two years, quoting Thoreau: "I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one."SPONSORED: Uncle Sam's billions help balance a mixed renewable energy gift bag this holiday. The feds' generous matching grants through programs like USDA "Rural Energy for America" program and DOT's "Renew America's Schools" program are putting billions into green energy and EV charging in rural areas. Yet grid security and state solar policy continue to take turns for the worse. Hit the maroon link for more information on ways you, your town, and your schools can go green thanks to Uncle Sam. Happy Holidays and best wishes for a bright and sunny New Year from Solaflect Energy!Judge dismisses Tunbridge lawsuit over trails, at least for now. The move came in a long-running dispute between landowners John Echeverria and Carin Pratt and the town over the town's right to maintain trails across the couple's land. Wednesday, reports Darren Marsh in the Herald, Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Mann ruled that since Tunbridge hadn't actually taken any action on the trails, the case isn't yet "ripe" for a court decision on whether it has the right to do so. Marsh details the issues and Wednesday's courtroom arguments.Woodstock Inn buys the Braeside motel. The Inn's purchase of the 12-room motel on Route 4, writes Ethan Weinstein in VTDigger, is aimed at providing housing for its workforce: With housing for employees so hard to come by, it will “help us to maintain our staffing levels and provide the service people expect," human resources director Judy Geiger says. Weinstein reports that the sale actually closed in October for $1.09 million. The sellers were Patricia and Richard Ploss, who owned the Braeside for three decades.It’s short, it’s sweet, it’s gone. The chalkboard at the corner of Elm and Central streets for years was called the Woodstock Crier. No longer. In the dark days of the pandemic, artist Adrian Tans saw an opportunity to lighten people’s spirits. His artwork on the rechristened Woodstock Town Smiler chalkboard is fleeting—he redoes it every few weeks—but popular. In the Vermont Standard, Tom Ayres describes the impact the images have had on both artist and art lovers. “The ‘Smiler’ has become a point of connection for the town and for me, at a time when we’ve all particularly needed that connection,” Tans says.Lebanon will take up question of an emergency shelter next year. That's what city council member Devin Wilkie tells the Valley News's Patrick Adrian. Some 60 people gathered in Colburn Park Wednesday night to mark the lives lost this year by people while they were homeless. Homelessness in the city seems “worse now than ever before,” human services director Lynn Goodwin says, and, writes Adrian, Lebanon is one of the largest municipalities in NH without a temporary shelter. The last initiative to build one was two decades ago, when an effort by the Haven to create one was rebuffed.New Orange County sheriff-elect tries to take control early, blocked by incumbent. George Contois, due to take over Feb. 1 from longtime incumbent Bill Bohnyak, has grown frustrated by Bohnyak's lack of cooperation, and last weekend, reports Ethan Weinstein in VTDigger, he moved to "take control of the Department's needs" he told staff in an email. Bohnyak was having none of it—mid-week, he suspended Contois' departmental email. A flurry of emails uncovered by Weinstein show "a tumultuous transition" going on, with "swirling rumors of mass resignations, potential layoffs and nixed patrol contracts."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, plus plenty of others. And an added bonus: an updated list of stores in the region that sell spikes for your boots (and other hiking stuff).NH voter confidence committee final report: no evidence of widespread fraud, elections are accurate. The committee was formed by Secy of State David Scanlan in May to address some voters' declining confidence in the election system. Co-chair Brad Cook, a Manchester Republican, said the eight-month study "confirmed state elections were run well with few 'hiccups' that get corrected during recounts or further review," reports the Union Leader's Kevin Landrigan. The committee made 14 recommendations, including new ballot devices and increased training for local elections officials. Here's the report.NH's population growth fueled entirely by in-migration. In a new report, veteran demographer Kenneth Johnson at UNH's Carsey School finds that the state's estimated population gain of 7,700 between July of 2021 and July of 2022 came because enough people moved to the state to offset its greater number of deaths than births. In all, some 10,000 people migrated to New Hampshire, while 2,000 more people died than were born there. In all of New England, only MA and CT are seeing more births than deaths. In percentage terms, ME has been the fastest-growing state the past two years."Thermal runaway." Here's hoping we don't become familiar with the term. It's how fire officials in Sanbornton explain a garage fire there earlier this week, reports David Brooks on his Granite Geek blog, after her power was restored following last weekend's storm and a battery backup system she'd been using for power caught fire. The backup batteries—three used lithium-ion battery packs from Chevy Volts—apparently failed to release heat as normal, which built up until the lithium caught fire. “I’m envisioning some changes to our code enforcement with regard to those types of systems," says the town's fire chief.Been paying attention to Daybreak? Because the Upper Valley News Quiz has some questions for you. Like, where was that Dartmouth Coach when it got hit by a bullet? And how long's it going to be before we're likely to see one of Amtrak's new trains in these parts? And what kind of cookbooks does West Windsor's Chelsea Monroe-Cassel specialize in? You'll find those and other questions at the burgundy link.But wait! How closely were you following VT and NH?
Because Seven Days wants to knowif you know what's been going on around the state this week—including, how much product did VT cannabis retailers sell their first month in business?
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings in the Granite State—like, what's been happening to the cost of search and rescue missions for hikers in the state?
A look back: Whatever 2022 looks like as it fades from your view, it will seem more vivid, dazzling, even devastating (the war in Ukraine, the fall of Roe) through the lenses of the world’s photographers. My Modern Met’s "Best of 2022: Top 50 Photographs from Around the World," takes you from the eye of an ant (maybe don’t look at that one right before bed) to a far-flung galaxy. And for mesmerizing, haunting views of our planet, see their writeup on the winners of the 2022 Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. There. Plenty to keep you occupied for the next week.The Friday Vordle. Daybreak may be taking a break, but VordleGuru Kevin McCurdy isn't. For the next three days, he'll be using words from today's Daybreak. After that, it'll be from other local news sources. If you've already signed up for weekend Vordle reminders, you're all set. If not and you'd like to get reminders over the next ten days, sign up here.
Daybreak doesn't get to exist without your support. Help it keep going by hitting the maroon button:
Sweatshirts, hats, and, of course, coffee/tea/cocoa mugs. It's all available thanks to Strong Rabbit Designs in Sharon. Check out what's available and wear it or drink from it proudly! Email me ([email protected]) if you've got questions.
If you're not planning to head out into tonight's storm, maybe you'd like to entertain yourself with some of JAM's highlights for the week. There's klezmer music in Montpelier, a guided yoga meditation by Upper Valley Yoga's Leslie Carleton, and in case you missed Bill McKibben's packed First Wednesday presentation in Norwich on the state of the climate crisis, JAM's got it.
And a few things to look forward to:
For the last few years during the week between Christmas and New Year's, Piermont's Bob Kivela has opened his home to visitors who want to see his remarkable, 600-foot-long model train layout in action. "It's the longest train layout in New England, length-wise," he told WCAX's Adam Sullivan a few years ago. If you'd like to go, give him a call at 603-272-5878 (before 9 pm) to get directions and reserve a spot.
Then, on New Year's Eve, you could head over to Tracy Hall in Norwich for a New Year's contra dance, with dances taught and called by New England legend David Millstone and music by New England "All-Stars" big band Calliope, which boasts seven musicians from five states. Starts at 8, masks required.
Or you could head over to White River Junction for Light River Junction: Over 20 filmmakers and video artists from around the Upper Valley will take over downtown, projecting their work on the sides of buildings, as DJ Velvet Vamp spins tunes. "Starts when it's dark. Ends when it's over," says JAM. But definitely not before midnight.
Or, if you're feeling the need to get outta town, Vermont's two signature New Year's Eve bashes are back in a big way. What used to be First Night in Burlington is now Highlight, with dance, music, puppets, food, and eventually a giant wooden sculpture of Champ going up in flames. Meanwhile, in St. Johnsbury, First Night North starts at 4 pm with 180-plus artists and 70 shows and installations—including the Upper Valley's own Valley Improv at 9 and 11 pm, along with the Kingdom All Stars, Tritium Well, Marko the Magician, Kotoko Brass, Patti Casey, and lots more. Seven Days' Melissa Cronin gives a preview of both.
And to take us out for the year...
...A few minutes that made a big crowd of people happy at the
start
of the year. This was a few days into 2022, when Béla Fleck and his band of consummate My Bluegrass Heart musicians kicked off their tour at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
starting with Sam Bush on mandolin alone on stage, then guitarist Bryan Sutton wandering out, followed by fiddler Stuart Duncan, dobro legend Jerry Douglas, bassist Edgar Meyer, and finally, Fleck himself on banjo. Just sit back and relax. You're in good hands.
And now... I hope that if you're celebrating Christmas on Sunday or Kwanzaa starting Monday or reveling in all the light your menorah throws out the next three nights or heading into the night to mark New Year's or just hanging out and appreciating family and this place we all live, your next week is filled with warmth, peacefulness, community, water and electricity, and good food.
See you Jan. 3.
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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