GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Rain continues for a bit. As last night's cold front keeps up its eastward trek, the rain will mix with snow this morning, but not much accumulation, if any, is expected. Temps will climb to around 40, though as the morning goes on we should see clouds parting, even as a chance of rain continues. Winds today from the northwest, could get gusty. Lows in the upper 20s.Yoga, anyone? "For foxes," writes Ted Levin about Erin Donahue's new trail video, "stretching and yawning arouse the central nervous system, increase blood flow and blood pressure, contract and lengthen back and neck muscles, loosen stiff joints, and signal social status. An involuntary process called pandiculation or SYS (stretching and yawning syndrome), is nature's reset button. Foxes do it 40 or more times daily, mainly after pronounced cycles of rest and inactivity. The original Downward Dog. I'll try remembering the fox this afternoon, bewildered in the liminal state between napping and waking."Did you check out "Dear Daybreak" yesterday? If not, you missed Robin Osborne on basketball championship season at the Aud in Barre and Thetford's regular place in the stands; Ros Seidel watching (in verse) as redpolls descend on a field; and Robert Bryant detailing the thrill-seeking exploits of a squash bug that took up residence in his kitchen this winter. And hey, Dear Daybreak needs more stories about life in these parts. If you've got one, send it in!"I think we look at our national news and we think that it’s incredibly contentious...but it is really collegial here." That's Democratic state Sen. Joe Major, elected to a Windsor County seat in November. In The Herald, Isabel Dreher checks in with Major and three of his equally new colleagues from the region (Republicans Larry Hart, Mike Tagliavia, and Steve Heffernan) about what they're finding in Montpelier. They share Major's take—“Most of the time, we find common ground,” says Heffernan—and on the change of pace. “I owned one suit prior to this,” says Heffernan. “Now I own four!”In Woodstock's east end, Farmer & the Bell aims for fall opening. “Things are progressing really well with the building,” chef, baker, and co-owner April Pauly tells the Standard's Tom Ayres. You may remember that the one-time donut popup is slated to become the debut tenant in a 96-seat restaurant right where Route 4 makes its sharp turn toward downtown. “Everything is designed—the layout, the fixtures, the finishes, the kitchen—it’s all been chosen and is being warehoused,” Pauly says. “Now it’s just a hurry-up-and-wait game — it’s about getting all the other contractors in to do the different parts of the project."SPONSORED: Red-hot Cajun band BeauSoleil comes to Lebanon Opera House on Friday, April 4 with special guest Richard Thompson. Born out of the rich Acadian ancestry of its members and driven by Michael Doucet’s renowned fiddle playing and soulful vocals, BeauSoleil brings even the most no-nonsense audience to its feet. At LOH, they are joined by longtime friend Richard Thompson, who was called “the finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix” by the Los Angeles Times. Sponsored by Lebanon Opera House.Is this the best plant name ever? Interrupted clubmoss has been emerging from under the snow, writes Northern Woodlands' Jack Saul in "This Week in the Woods". It gets its name, he explains, "from a constriction or 'interruption' of the stem with each year’s growth." Also out there this third week of March: three-leaved goldthread, an evergreen woodland wildflower; a millipede that may have been taken over by zombie fungus; and a squirrel drey up in the canopy—squirrels "use these messy constructions to rear their kits and, if they can’t find a warmer tree hollow, to overwinter."Construction resumes on Quechee Gorge Bridge. In the Standard, VT Agency of Transportation project manager JB McCarthy gives a rundown of what's ahead, which right now involves work on the closed eastbound side of the bridge. The trail under the bridge is closed and will remain so through the fall. And VTrans hopes to have the bridge "back open to the public with two new lanes of traffic and new sidewalks by the end of October 2025."SPONSORED: Most in-stock furniture at Pompy Mills is 50 percent or more off through March 31! Spring cleaning isn’t just for closets—we’re making room for new designs! From March 20-31, visit Pompanoosuc Mills’ flagship E. Thetford showroom or our Hanover showroom and save 50 percent or more on most in-stock and floor model furniture. This is a rare opportunity to bring home handcrafted Vermont furniture at unheard-of prices. Shop early for the best selection! Sponsored by Pompanoosuc Mills.With senator lending an ear, DH officials detail how federal cuts are beginning to have an impact. US Sen. Maggie Hassan spent about a half hour yesterday at DHMC, reports Alex Hanson in the Valley News. "In the 48 hours before Thursday’s meeting," he writes, "three active and funded grants, including one to study long COVID," were cancelled, and at least one more is expected today. Several researchers detailed the impact on young researchers. And Cancer Center director Steven Leach said renewal of the center's status has been held up "until we remove banned language from our grant."Hiking Almost Close to Home: Central Vermont Regional Path, Millstone Hill West Section in Barre Town, VT. With mud season in mind, the Upper Valley Trails Alliance recommends this paved bike and pedestrian path connecting the Barre Town School and recreation/athletic complex to the village of Lower Graniteville. The paved 10-foot-wide accessible pathway begins at Barre Town Middle and Elementary School and travels south for about 2 miles through mostly wooded areas. Near the center, you'll also cross a 54-foot historic pony truss bridge as well as several sitting areas with benches.Been paying attention to Daybreak? Because Daybreak's Upper Valley News Quiz has some questions. Like, to what do we owe the new set of bus-stop benches that were installed this week in Hanover? And which company is aiming to add a drive-thru coffee spot to the Route 120 corridor in Lebanon (in addition to Starbucks)? 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 percentage of Vermonters report heavy drinking.
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings around the Granite State—like, when will the non-stop tolls on Interstate-93 in Hooksett be closed?
The state Senate yesterday
unanimously passed a bill to roll back portions of the state’s 2018 bail reform law, reports Ethan DeWitt in NH Bulletin. The measure, which had already been passed by the House, "requires that people charged with a list of serious offenses be held behind bars until they can be arraigned by a court, eliminating the opportunity to be released by bail commissioners." It also loosens the standards for denying bail. Gov. Kelly Ayotte had backed the bill and is expected to sign it.
As you'll remember, Frank Edelblut announced earlier this week that he'd be stepping down from the post he's held for eight years. In
NH Bulletin
, he tells Ethan DeWitt, "
I met with the governor, and the governor is going to go in a different direction," though he adds, “I’m not aware of any agenda conflicts at all. Maybe just in degree of emphasis." As DeWitt writes, Edelblut was "a cheerleader for school choice programs" and a pointed opponent of "what he saw as improper diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives."
Do NH bats over-winter in loose piles of rock? That's what the state wants to find out, writes David Brooks on his Granite Geek blog. Fish & Game is looking for proposals to study whether bats use talus slopes and rock face habitats for winter hibernation. The reason, Brooks writes: NH "doesn’t have caves in the usual sense—places where water has eaten away at soft rock creating a big opening—so we don’t have many places that certain species of bats use for hibernacula to over-winter." If they use rock piles, the bat population "might be healthier than we realized" despite white-nose syndrome.UVM officially chooses its next president. The university earlier this week had named Marlene Tromp, currently president of Boise State University and formerly at UC Santa Cruz and Arizona State, as its sole finalist. Yesterday—a day after Tromp visited the campus in Burlington—they made the pick official. “This is a university that has the power to truly lead the nation and even the world on several fronts," Tromp said in a statement. Her start date will be sometime this summer. Tromp replaces interim president Patricia Prelock, who took over from Suresh Garimella last August."A walk through seemingly empty woods just becomes all the more rich." Sophie Mazowita specializes in wildlife tracking, and earlier this month in Bakersfield, VT, Seven Days video journalist Eva Sollberger spent time with her in the snow-covered woods—and put up footage from the network of wildlife cams she's got set up. Though snow makes things easier, Mazowita says, "there's tons of opportunity to pay attention to wildlife signs at all times of the year." They check out ruffed grouse tracks, learn what makes raccoon tracks distinct, trace the difference between "toe-heavy" and "palm-pad heavy"...“He has no idea what he’s doing. He’s petrified.” Competitors in Red Bull soapbox races usually get to practice before running their bizarre creations through goofy obstacle courses. One devoted dad, though, was a novice when he stepped in for his 12-year-old, who was too young to compete. Somehow, dad and the go kart made of rubbish survived in one piece. Elsewhere in this video of the 100 funniest races from around the world, crashes abound. A shark/surfboard flying through the water obstacle, a motorcycle flanked by a pair of madly pedaling velociraptors, a dinner table losing its lunch. The spot-on British commentators perfect: “A fraction wobbly!” they say.The Friday Wordbreak. With a word from yesterday's Daybreak. And hey, one thing to know: You can keep doing Wordbreak over the weekend, featuring words from a VT or NH news source. Just hit the usual burgundy link here (or bookmark it) tomorrow and Sunday.
Daybreak doesn't get to exist without your support. Help it stick around by hitting the maroon button:
Daybreak tote bags! Thanks to a helpful reader's suggestion. Plus, of course, the usual: sweatshirts, head-warming beanies, 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!
Circus maestro Troy Wunderle, as he does every year, has been working with the school's students, and this evening (6 pm carnival, 7 pm show) and tomorrow (3 pm/4 pm) they'll be showing off the clowning, juggling, unicycling, gymnastics, and more that they've learned.
Featuring not just Colin McCaffrey and Jim Rooney, but folk singer Patty Casey, Irish fiddler Geordie Lynd, and the Cape Breton-inflected VT instrumental band Footworks. 7 pm.
It's the horror-comedy rock musical about a hapless flower shop worker who raises a plant with...a big appetite. Based on Roger Corman's film, with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken. In the Mascoma High auditorium at 7 pm tonight and tomorrow, 2 pm Sunday. Tickets at both the link and the door.
. Poets Aaron Coleman, Daniel Ruiz, Patrick Donnelly, Susan Browne, and Elizabeth T. Gray Jr., along with fiction writer Allegra Solomon join the NYC publisher for a Zoom webinar. 7 pm.
"
Rounding out a night of David Fairbanks Ford on piano we have the Western Terrestrials (the MSM's favorite house band) & DPW coming up from the gritty south of VT to deliver a true Pagan v. Patrick death match of music! Country, Americana, Folk, Rock...mashup!
" 8 pm.
Yep, it's a drive, but how often do you get to see the great mandolinist and her band just a drive away? After this, it's on to Hawaii. Astoundingly, there are still a few seats left. 8 pm.
Saturday
. Farm owner Greg Morneau will talk about sugaring and lead a tour. 1 pm.
The folk/Americana duo of Mallory Graham & Scott Tyler headline "an Evening of Local Food & Music" presented by Crossmolina Farm, with an all-you-can-eat taco bar starting up at 6:30 pm and music at 7:30 pm.
And for the weekend...
Of course.
The vocals are a little soft, but you can follow the lyrics under "more".
Have a fine weekend! 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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