GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Quick heads up: No Daybreak Monday. Enjoy your Memorial Day!First, though, we've got to get this system out of our system. Low pressure over the Northeast will bring us a chance of showers this afternoon, rising to a likelihood overnight and through tomorrow. Also a slight chance of thunder. Even so, it's going to be warm today, reaching toward 80 with winds from the south. Only into the lower or mid-60s tonight.Running the spectrum. At least, by name. Photographer Jim Block spent a good bit of May not just in VT, as he posted about last week, but in NH, too. And there, he found everything from Yellow-bellied sapsuckers to to Red-tailed Hawks to American Goldfinch to Bluebirds... with the photos to prove it.Meanwhile, sometimes you just need perspective. Which is what Cody Erwin got plenty of Wednesday evening from atop Wright's Mountain in Bradford, as the sun was headed to its rest.Auk and Eddie discover a wall calendar. Or maybe used meteorites. Or possibly a treasure map. But certainly a pile of rocks. As he does every week here, Lebanon writer and illustrator DB Johnson chronicles the doings in Lost Woods—and this week on his blog he fills us in on the character we never see: Milo Flat, Eddie's dad.Grand jury charges a different Dartmouth student in menorah vandalism case. You may remember that prosecutors in April dropped charges against Carlos Wilcox, after he identified a companion as the person who'd actually fired a BB gun in the 2020 incident on the Dartmouth Green. Now, reports the Valley News's John Lippman, charges have been filed against that companion, Zachary Zhao Wang, alleging that he helped plan the menorah shooting with Wilcox and then carried it out. Wilcox must still pay restitution and meet community members organized by Rabbi Moshe Gray of Dartmouth Chabad.SPONSORED: Set the date—Wm. Smith Post-Memorial Day Auction on Wednesday, June 1st! Come preview the sale and our spectacular Online Timed Sale, with antiques, diamonds, gold, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Scalamandre, Herend... Seats for the live auction are limited, so please call Lori to reserve at 603-675-2549. You can sign up for email notifications at the link above or at www.wsmithauction.com, and check out all the pics and details. Sponsored by William Smith Auctions.Fake call to state police draws VSP troopers "prepared for emergency" to Bethel home. An anonymous caller Saturday told state police that an "active shooter" had trapped a family inside the home, writes The Herald's Dylan Kelley. When troopers, who were preparing to kick the door in, made contact with the people inside, they learned the claim was false—and that the two adults and several teenagers were completely taken aback by the state police presence. The VSP has requested information from internet services in a bid to identify the caller. The prank, known as "swatting," is illegal.Twin Pines apartment plan for Hartford Ave. advances. Despite "intense" opposition, writes the VN's Darren Marcy, Hartford's planning commission and zoning board this week approved the affordable-housing group's plans for an 18-unit complex on property owned by St. Paul's Episcopal Church and next to the Haven. Over 80 people logged on to the remote hearings, and, writes Marcy, neighbors who oppose the project spoke bluntly about safety concerns; supporters cited the need for housing and potential benefits to the neighborhood. (VN e-edition, subscribers only.)To navigate social complexity, humans appear to have adapted ancient brain patterns. For instance, Dartmouth neuroscience researcher Thalia Wheatley tells host Robert Lawrence Kuhn of the deep-thinking PBS interview program Closer to Truth (here via Aeon), the same brain pattern that activates when we register something near us in space also activates when we see a photo of a close friend. "We map our social world onto a sense of physical space," she says. "All over the brain you see this repurposing of ancient computation to handle a more sophisticated, complex social world."Been paying attention this week? The News Quiz has some questions for you. Like, what has SEVCA closed in WRJ? And what's bedeviling local library plant sales? And what led The Sharon Academy high school to cancel classes this week? You'll find those and others at the maroon link.Hiking Close to Home: Upper Valley waterfalls. Continuing her helpful series of themed roundups of places you might want to go see, the Upper Valley Trails Alliance's Kaitie Eddington has pulled together a series of suggested hikes that include waterfalls, from the Hazen Trail in Wilder to the Bicentennial Trail at Ascutney. She's also got suggestions in case you want to go farther afield, like Thundering Falls in Killington and (how could you not?) Porcupine Falls in Gilsum, NH.But hey, maybe you want to tour farmstands close to home, or breweries, wineries, and distilleries close to home. In which case, Vital Communities and a pile of other local groups around the region just got you covered. They've put together five "Upper Valley Adventures"—maps that lead you on themed tours to the above, plus general stores, galleries and arts & crafts creators, family fun and entertainment, and a tour of the White River Valley (by car or bike). Each mapped destination is clickable, with info and location. And they've got versions in French, Spanish, and Mandarin.And if you're still looking for things to do, Happy Vermont's got some suggestions. That's the blog run by Erica Housekeeper, and yesterday she offered a roundup of lots of things to do in the state this summer. From bike paths and off-road biking trails to the Shelburne Museum and Hildene to races (on foot and bike) to hikes and swimming holes... Just hover over the name of something she lists then click on the link for more info.NH House rejects parental rights bill. The vote late yesterday was close, reports Ethan DeWitt in NH Bulletin: 171-176, with 13 Republicans joining every Democrat to reject the measure. Among other things, the bill would have required schools to notify parents about the gender identity and expression of their kids, which opponents argued would discourage students from confiding in teachers or counselors. The Senate had passed the bill along party lines earlier in the day, while Gov. Chris Sununu had already vowed to veto it.Well, NH's congressional districts are going to be up to the courts. Both the House and Senate yesterday approved a plan that would shift almost a quarter of the state's population between districts move Manchester into the 2nd District, joining Concord there (and placing NH's two US reps in the same district). Shortly afterward, Sununu said he'll veto it, reports NHPR. "The citizens of New Hampshire will not accept this map," he said. "Our races have to be fair." The state supreme court will release a new map proposal today as part of an ongoing case.“The chickens have come home to roost in all of the health care that was neglected in the last couple of years.” That’s Dr. Joshua White, chief medical officer at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, describing how Covid’s lingering presence continues to push health care workers to their limits. VPR’s Lexi Krupp reports that VT hospitals struggle to remain adequately staffed, causing delays in the flow of patients and a strain on resources. And people who had put off treatment of other health issues, like depression or substance abuse, are showing up in greater numbers, needing more care than before.Billions of fireflies flashing in sync—it’s as cool as it sounds. No one’s saying that number is exact, nor is it the point. When a phenomenon of this magnitude occurs, the math that really boggles is how these bugs learned to harmonize their bioluminescence. A YouTuber set a camera as night fell on the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in southern India—undisturbed by artificial light after dark—and the fireflies put on a spectacle, blinking in rhythm en masse, or at times in concentrated clusters, like a murmuration of light. Fireflies respond to nearby light, says science, and at a certain density fall into lockstep.The Friday Vordle. But also something new! Today's Vordle has a sponsor... Pompanoosuc Mills: Shop their Memorial Day Sale on new and in-stock Vermont handcrafted furniture!
And the numbers...
The CDC says that community Covid levels in Grafton and Sullivan counties remain high (now joined by all but one NH county), meaning the agency recommends wearing a mask indoors. On the other hand, it has lowered the Covid levels in Windsor and Orange counties to "medium."
On Tuesday, Dartmouth reported there had been 163 active cases during the previous 7 days, about the same as the 162 reported last Friday. The college says 32 undergrads (+3), 40 grad and professional students (+2), and 91 faculty/staff (-4) had active cases over the previous week.
NH cases are falling a bit, with a 7-day average now of 560 new cases per day versus 610 on Monday. The state reported 520 cases Tuesday, 469 Wednesday, and 641 yesterday, bringing it to 323,897 in all. There were 7 deaths reported during that time; the total stands at 2,531. Under the state's rubric of counting only people actively being treated for Covid in hospitals, it reports 33 hospitalizations (+1 since Monday). The NH State Hospital Association reports 131 inpatients with confirmed or suspected cases (-3 since Monday) and another 35 Covid-recovering patients. The state reports 307 active cases in Grafton County (+6 since Monday), 136 in Sullivan (-5), and 433 (+26) in Merrimack. In town-by-town numbers, it says Lebanon has 66 (-9); Hanover 64 (+8); Grantham 40 (+5); Claremont 25 (-6); Newport 19 (-3); New London 15 (-1); Canaan 14 (-2); Enfield 12 (-1); Sunapee 10 (no change); Charlestown 10 (no change); Plainfield 8 (-4); Haverhill 8 (+at least 4); Lyme 7 (-5); Cornish 5 (-1); Newbury 5 (no change); Wilmot 5 (+at least 1); and Piermont, Warren, Orford, Wentworth, Rumney, Grafton, Springfield, Croydon, and Unity 1-4 each. Orange is off the list.
Vermont this week reported 300 new cases from Tuesday, 189 from Monday, and 70 from Sunday. Its latest rolling seven-day average, as of Wednesday, is 226 per day. It also reported 42 people hospitalized with Covid as of Wednesday, down from 60 on Monday. VTDigger is keeping the charts updated as data comes in, if not always the text. Meanwhile, VT's latest surveillance report, issued Wednesday, is here. Workarounds in the works, but it may take a little while.
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Weather permitting, today at 5:30 Lebanon's Music on the Mall series starts up for the summer—free music Fridays and Saturdays between Three Tomatoes and Salt Hill. It'll be a mix between now and Labor Day: jazz, roots, blues, indie folk... To kick things off this weekend: the Grace Crummer Quartet, with songs from the Great American Songbook. You're welcome to bring a chair and hang out, or dine at one of the restaurants and listen.
This evening at 7, Seven Stars Arts hosts a livestreamed concert by Beecharmer, the new name for the longtime string band collaboration between Wilder duo Jes Raymond (banjo and guitar) and Jakob Breitbach (fiddle and bass). They'll be joined by Ben Kogan on bass and guitar, and banjoist Steve Hennig.
This evening at 7:30, and again tomorrow at the same time, the Dartmouth Dance Ensemble presents new works developed by students and faculty over the course of the past year. In the Hop's Moore Theater.
And at 8 pm, the White River Indie Film Festival continues with a free showing of To the Moon, Irish filmmaker Tadhg O’Sullvan's "cinematic collage of film, song, and poetry that ponders and celebrates that shimmering orb of the night sky in all its phases and fascinations." It will be in the Briggs Opera House in WRJ, relocated from Lyman Point Park because of tonight's rain forecast. Plus, a panel on the future of movie theaters and a full lineup of films tomorrow and Sunday.
Tomorrow morning at 7:30, the Ashley Community Forest, which straddles Sharon and Strafford, is hosting a spring bird hike led by Kathy Thompson and Susan Tiholiz—a chance to see the tail end of the spring migration as well as resident birds that have set up their territories. To register, you'll need to email Michael Sacca at [email protected].
Tomorrow and Sunday, 10-5 each day, you can glide around the Vermont countryside visiting artists' studios as part of the 30th Annual Vermont Spring Open Studio Weekend. There are more than 150 artists, craftspeople, and galleries participating, including all around the VT side of the Upper Valley. Susan Apel has a fine writeup on Artful. Here's the White River/Randolph touring loop, the Springfield/Ludlow loop, andthe other 12 loops around the state.
Or if you feel like doing something you almost never get to do here in the East, Killington's got a Memorial Day Weekend trifecta going: skiing, mountain biking, and golf.There'll be slush bump skiing on the Superstar glacier today-Monday, mountain biking tomorrow-Monday, and golf starting tomorrow. They do point out that "late season conditions are suitable for advanced skiers and riders only."
And yet another drive: Over at Goddard College in Plainfield, VT, Village Harmony is hosting LarryFest tomorrow and Sunday, a gathering of VT's choral community to honor Larry Gordon, the Village Harmony founder who died last year. The outdoor music festival features free programming tomorrow—shape-note singing and English and Balkan country dancing, along with a funeral march by Bread and Puppet Theater—and a benefit concert Sunday by with performances by local, regional, and international musicians in Village Harmony's orbit.
Meanwhile, at 1 pm tomorrow, Thetford's music on the porch will be music in the church, instead. The first improvisational jazz Front Porch Concert, with Bill Cole, Ras Moshe, and Taylor Ho Bynum has been moved to the First Congregational Church, on Thetford Hill, because of the rain forecast. In case you missed Li Shen's Sidenote article earlier this week on this summer's series, here it is again.
And tomorrow at 7 pm, the Chandler in Randolph hosts an evening of music and storytelling from the "farmers, writers, loggers, artists, scientists, poets, thinkers, and doers" who feature in the most recent volume of the Vermont Almanac. Writers include Chuck Wooster, Shanta Lee Gander, Sidney Lea, Sylvia Davatz, and others. Music by Turnip Truck. This will be both in-person and via livestream.
And, of course, it's Memorial Day Weekend. There'll be observances on Sunday in Norwich, and on Monday in Bradford, Canaan, Enfield, Tunbridge, Lebanon, and Perkinsville. The Valley News rounds up the times and places.
Remember that item earlier this week about the chipmunk that ran up a Claremont resident's overalls back in the 1930s? Well, it's not an unheard-of event, and the basic idea's been turned into high art. Or at least, art. Or, well, a song and a video. It's possible you know Ray Stevens as the Nashville songwriter and recording artist responsible for the inspirational pop tune "Everything is Beautiful," but it's more likely you know him for his long streak as a writer of comic tunes—"Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills" comes to mind—that can be found on old albums in pretty much every corner of the South (and plenty of corners beyond). So, thanks to reader DM, that chipmunk item now brings us this Ray Stevens video (he was prolific: over 80 albums and millions of direct-to-consumer videos):
Have a fantastic long weekend! See you Tuesday.
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 and writers who want you to 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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