WAIT... IT'S FRIDAY ALREADY?
Okay, it's time to talk water. There's a warm front settling in for a few days to our north, and it's going to produce rain through tomorrow. Today will start out cloudy, temps rising into the high 60s and maybe even hitting 70. Sometime this afternoon and definitely this evening, the rain will start getting serious. The weather models are a little uncertain about where. Northern rivers and streams are at risk for flooding, but there's some suggestion that rainfall totals will be lower in our area...unless the front shifts, which it might. There's a flood watch starting this afternoon and extending into Sunday, and the Connecticut River watershed is definitely on the watch list.The Jake's Market & Deli on Mechanic Street in Leb was burglarized early yesterday morning. Store video shows two people trying to get into the store, and one finally wriggled in through a small window, grabbed cash and merchandise, and fled. Police are looking for tips. A former employee is suing Billings Farm and the Woodstock Foundation for age and gender discrimination. Alayna Perkins, who served as farm manager for just shy of a year, is taking the farm and the foundation that owns it to court for firing her. She alleges she was treated with "disdain" because of her gender and relatively young age (she's 25). Billings says other factors led to her dismissal. (VN, subscription reqd)NH DOT wants to replace Rt 25A bridge in Orford. The reinforced concrete slab bridge, which spans Brackett Brook, was built in 1929 and its deck, superstructure and substructure are all rated in poor condition. The DOT will hold a public meeting on 4/30 at the Orford Town Office to explain its thinking and plans.Tonight's rain will be good for one thing: Salamanders trekking over to vernal pools to breed. The Hartford Conservation Commission is leading a walk tomorrow in the town forest to check up on the vernal pool there. Every year, thousands of salamanders make their way there to "sing, dance, mate, lay eggs, hang out and then head back to the forest where they spend the rest of the year," says Lee Michaelides. Vermont Center for Ecostudies biologist Steve Faccio will be on hand to talk all things amphibian. Rain or shine. But hey, at least it'll be warm out there.David Clem thinks Lebanon should stick it to the state on the Westboro Yards. In an intriguing commentary in yesterday's VN, the local developer -- who's got a significant stake in old West Leb -- argues that if NH is going to go by the book in protecting Rymes Propane & Oil's tanks at the yards, the city should go by the book in ticketing Rymes trucks that disrupt traffic. The kicker comes at the end, where he suggests NH's DOT wants to keep leasing the land to Rymes because it keeps the revenues "and perpetuates the cushy jobs there," whereas if it sells the property the proceeds go into the general fund. (VN, you know the drill)Is WRJ's revival just the latest example of gentrificatory neocolonialism? About a week ago, a DailyUV blogger named Rejjie Carter delivered an emphatic "Yes." "There’s no question that a concerted effort is being made to gentrify White River Junction and it is succeeding," he wrote. "The question for residents now is, can this new form of conquest be resisted, or at the very least, do avenues exist to ensure the benefits of gentrification improve the lives of longtime residents and not just the newcomers?" The comments have taken off recently, and it's a robust argument -- sometimes thoughtful, sometimes heedless -- on both sides. The original post is at the top, then read up from the bottom to get the comments as they came in.NH gained second-highest number of new residents in New England, according to new Census estimates. The population numbers, released yesterday, estimate the state gained 6,700 people last year, second only to Massachusetts. Rural counties as well as more urbanized ones grew. In fact, of the state's 10 counties, only one lost population: Grafton.Presidential campaign visits heating up, but not so much around here. A bunch of hopefuls will be in New Hampshire in upcoming days, and WCAX has the schedule. They'll mostly be around Manchester (Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar), the Seacoast (Beto O'Rourke, Eric Swalwell), or Keene (Elizabeth Warren). On the other hand, Pete Buttigieg will be at Plymouth State tomorrow, and Kamala Harris will be at Dartmouth on Tuesday.UNH space scientists find unexpected route to lightning formation. Bear with me for a sec, because this is cool. The prevailing theory holds that lightning gets initiated by what's called "fast positive breakdown," in which a positive charge at the top of a thunder cloud forges a downward pathway to a negative charge in the middle. It travels at one-fifth the speed of light. Now, researchers at UNH's Space Science Center, using radio waves to measure a storm at the Kennedy Space Center, have documented "fast negative breakdown," in which the charge moves upward just as fast. They like the idea that things might be more complicated than they'd thought. Act 46 conference committee at loggerheads, VT's merging districts in limbo. The committee is trying to hash out differences between the House and Senate on giving school districts a one-year delay on forced mergers. The House wants to grant a delay only to districts that never put the question before voters, on the theory they're unprepared. The Senate thinks any district that needs a delay should get one. They could not find common ground yesterday, and frustration's rising.VT sugarmaker moves past maple. New Leaf Tree Syrups in Marshfield is branching out into all kinds of syrups: birch, basswood, beech, walnut. "It’s a great way to utilize the woodland and have the healthiest and most diverse forest possible,” says its owner. He's hoping consumers will give it a shot, but in the meantime has found a small market with specialty beverage makers. He recommends birch syrup on salmon. No word on what basswood's good for. SO, ABOUT TONIGHT...The HOP's got the Women's Adventure Film Tour. It's a night of short films about women climbing, mountaineering, biking, surfing, skiing, and otherwise doing things that most of us can only gape at. In Spaulding, starting at 7.The Kibling Hill Trio will be at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation on Route 5. Local veterans of the region's folk scene playing traditional Irish music, and whatever else strikes their fancy.Pentangle Arts is showcasing Apollo 11. The new documentary is mostly getting raves, though the New Yorker's Richard Brody thinks the archival footage, never seen in public before, has been "edited down to near-banality." He's in the minority, though. "The unearthed footage is too mesmerizing, and the feat too incredible, for you to look away. It is a depiction of a wondrous human experience, told with startling clarity," Adam Epstein wrote in Quartz. At the Town Hall Theater in Woodstock, starting at 7:30.And hey, if you head that way, the Quechee Skinny Pancake is offering free crepes all day. Well, let's amend that. They're offering free Choco Nutty or Sugarshack crepes; the rest are at their usual prices. Still, it's free dessert on your way to the movie. What could be bad?If you're doing none of these things because you're headed off to seder, Chag Sameach. If you're headed to a sunrise service on Sunday or just around your house for chocolate eggs: Happy Easter. And for everyone: have a fine, safe, dry weekend (unless you're out looking for salamanders). See you Monday.
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