GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Can you stand another day of sun? There may be some patches of frost in some spots first thing, but otherwise we get a day with a mix of sun and clouds, with temps getting back into the mid-60s and gentle winds continuing from the northwest. Down into the mid-30s again tonight.Even on a rainy day, there's beauty. Especially when still water reflects the scene around it. Janice Fischel was in Harrisville, NH (home of Harrisville Looms) on Wednesday and sends along this photo.A pregnant coyote. "For 150 years," naturalist Ted Levin writes in response to Erin Donohue's video, "federal and state agencies have tried to erase coyotes from the American landscape, attacking them with guns, dynamite, and poison from every conceivable vantage point, from the back of a mule to the seat of an airplane. But coyotes are flexible and capable of dealing with extreme stress. (Imagine evolving in the shadow of dire wolves.) To cope with persecution, they increase litter size to up to 15; females breed their first year; pack size changes depending on what’s for dinner, which can be anything from deer to grasshoppers to melons, corn, and garbage.""No one ever should go through [an] experience like this. No one." Iryna Petrus is back in the Upper Valley, after escaping Ukraine with her four-year-old daughter, Polina. Petrus lived here a dozen years ago, when she was going to Lebanon College and working at Elixir—where she met an Eastman couple who, now, are putting her up. She and Polina got to the US by way of Poland and then Mexico, then walking across the border into Texas. Which is where they were when Petrus gave a videotaped interview about her experiences. Her mother and husband remain in Ukraine. "They are so brave," she says.“The problem of long haul COVID is not getting better—it’s getting worse.” So says Dr. Jeffrey Parsonnet, who runs DHMC's long Covid clinic. In a press release, DHMC marks the clinic's one-year anniversary, reporting that it's seen or scheduled about 400 patients, most of whom had only mild cases of Covid and three-quarters of whom are women. As is often true, their test results show up normal "but they feel horrible, and this can be especially challenging," says Parsonnet. “Much of what the [clinic] provides is affirmation and validation of patients' symptoms, letting them know it’s not just in their heads.” The true sign that mud season is over: Mountain biking trails starting to reopen. “This year and last year we were able to open up the trails a little earlier than usual," Mason Racing's Jason Ouelette tells NBC5's John Hawks. "We don’t normally get a chance to open up until, usually, the first week in May, but the last two years we’ve been able to open up mid-April to late April.” Upper Valley mountain bikers and trail groups have been out cleaning things up, the Trails Alliance's Russell Hirschler says, cleaning up fallen trees and branches, and monitoring chronically wet spots.SPONSORED: Solar had a banner year in 2021. And there's still time to go solar in '22 before policy headwinds blow! Solar was the biggest source of new power generation in America for the third year in a row in 2021, but developments at the state and federal level—from stalled legislation to cuts in net metering payments—are set to make things tougher soon. Click on the maroon link to learn the details and how we can get back on track. Sponsored by Solaflect Energy.Hiking Close to Home: the Lower Slade Brook Trail in Hanover. From Moose Mountain to its mouth at River Road on the Connecticut River, Slade Brook’s banks are undeveloped and graced by convenient hiking trails through varied forestland. The Jim and Evalyn Hornig Natural Area at Lower Slade Brook is a 36-acre conservation area, offering a quiet retreat with easy walking terrain next to Slade Brook. An easy well-maintained trail about 1 mile in length follows the meandering brook up to a waterfall. A parking area with kiosk and information panel is available on River Road.Been paying attention this week? The News Quiz has some questions for you. Like, what's the slogan some Upper Valleyites are using to encourage letting lawns go wild? And what's happened to the Dartmouth student who was accused of shooting out the menorah on the green in 2020? And what does Dartmouth's commencement speaker this year do for a living? You'll find those and others at the maroon link.Portsmouth NH police officer talks man down from I-95 bridge. The busy Piscataqua River Bridge was shut down for several hours yesterday morning as police responded to a man who was preparing to jump. With officers from both ME and NH on the bridge and boats below, Detective Rochelle Jones, who had completed NAMI training for talking to people in crisis, was brought in and "able to build a rapport very quickly," a Maine State Police officer tells the Union Leader's Shawn Wickham. The man eventually climbed back to the road, and Jones drove him to a hospital. "He hugged me and said 'Thank you,' and I said, ‘No, thank you for coming up.’” In crisis? Call 1-800-273-TALK or text 741741.NH House approves new congressional map. You'll remember: It's their second try, and this one creates an "I-93" district and moves the hometowns of US Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas into it. It also, reports the AP's Holly Ramer, would move several current candidates for the GOP congressional nomination in the 1st District into the 2nd District. Gov. Chris Sununu, who has already said he'll veto the first plan the legislature passed, "has indicated the new one falls short as well," Ramer writes. It now goes to the Senate.Landfill buffer zone passes NH Senate. The measure, which has been knocked about in the legislature for the last two years, is aimed at protecting drinking water from contamination. The bill sent over from the House required landfills "to be sited far enough away so contaminated groundwater would take at least five years to reach nearby bodies of water," writes NH Bulletin's Amanda Gokee. A fiercely debated Senate amendment makes the distance "site-specific," allowing projects closer to water if they take precautions to keep contaminants contained. The bill now goes back to the House.Québec-based Abenaki accuse VT tribes of being "Pretendian." A long-simmering dispute burst back into the open last week at a UVM presentation by members of the Odanak First Nation, which is based in Odanak, Québec, reports VPR's Elodie Reed. Panelists, including musician and Dartmouth alum Mali Obomsawin, noted that Odanak do not recognize any of the tribes officially recognized by Vermont and criticized them for "commercializing our culture and heritage," as an Odanak councilor put it. "Once we started asking questions about their heritage...they gave us the runaround," he tells VPR.VT Foodbank pushes state to be "a full partner" in feeding the state's hungry. But it seems unlikely. The organization has asked for $6 million in funding this year, but, reports VTDigger's Fred Thys, the House and Senate budgets give it at best a third of that. Thys talks to Foodbank CEO John Sayles about where philanthropist Mackenzie Scott's $9 million gift is going—most of it is for operating expenses over the next few years—and about the increasing need for food assistance. More people have been showing up at its VeggieVanGo events, federal support is dropping, and food costs are rising.Now there are six. Top Vermont politicians who are leaving their current jobs, that is. Yesterday, TJ Donovan announced that he'll step down as AG, possibly before his term ends. “It is time to take a break from the political world and pursue other opportunities,” he said in a written statement. His chief of staff, Charity Clark, tells Seven Days' Colin Flanders she's considering a run to replace him, as is Washington Co. State's Atty Rory Thibault. Meanwhile, pressed by VTDigger on whether he might run for governor if Phil Scott doesn't, Donovan "left open the possibility."Gardener’s Supply founder Will Raap has a vision for “a new way to be a farm.” After decades building both a mission-driven business and the sustainable farming nonprofit Intervale Center, Raap, 73, isn’t finished envisioning a better future for VT farmers. Seven Days’ Melissa Pasanen recounts Raap’s journey from struggling entrepreneur to leading influencer for environmentally conscious agriculture. Now, with the purchase of Nordic Farm in Charlotte, Raap has created Earthkeep Farmcommons, a collaborative, mixed-use operation to support a multitude of food producers.“Finding humor, drawing humor—there’s nothing better.” That’s legendary New Yorker cartoonist George Booth, who at 95 continues to draw each week in his inimitable style. Nathan Fitch's touching video portrait of Booth traces back to his start in rural Missouri, whose characters and rough-hewn charm have permeated his drawings ever since. A poignant cartoon by Booth was the only one included in the first New Yorker issue after 9/11. Reflecting on his life, he believes, “If you can come along with the right cartoon, and quiet everything down by showing how silly it is, then you’ve accomplished something.”Hey, she was thirsty... WMUR is a little unclear on whether this happened in Warren or Holderness, but they've just put up video of a ma bear (with cubs off in the background) climbing a deck then maneuvering along it to check out what looks like a birdbath. "She looks like she's rock-climbing," giggles one of the kids in the family filming through the window.The Friday Vordle. You're probably thinking, "Friday??!! What am I going to do for the next two days without the Vordle?" Never fear: Vordlekeeper Kevin McCurdy's going to create new ones both tomorrow and Sunday, with words related to today's Daybreak. Just hit the same link you use to get to today's and you'll find them.
And the numbers...
The CDC now says that community Covid levels in Grafton County remain high (the only county in NH with that designation) while Sullivan's have dropped to medium. The Covid levels in both Windsor and Orange counties have been raised to high—as has most of Vermont.
On Tuesday, Dartmouth reported there had been 294 active cases during the previous 7 days, a drop from the 346 reported last Friday. The college said 145 undergrads (-29), 54 grad and professional students (-7), and 95 faculty/staff (-16) had active cases over the previous week.
NH cases are rising, with a 7-day average now of 451 new cases per day versus 384 Monday. The state reported 512 new cases Tuesday, 559 Wednesday, and 539 yesterday, bringing it to 312,679 in all. There were 6 deaths reported during that time; the total stands at 2,487. Under the state's rubric of counting only people actively being treated for Covid in hospitals, it reports 25 hospitalizations (+7 since Monday). The NH State Hospital Association reports 114 inpatients with confirmed or suspected cases (+10 since Monday) and another 33 Covid-recovering patients. Meanwhile, the state reports 365 active cases in Grafton County (+131 since Monday), 118 in Sullivan (+12), and 304 (+102) in Merrimack. In town-by-town numbers, it says Hanover has 132 (+54); Lebanon 86 (+21); Claremont 39 (-2); Charlestown 19 (+9); Enfield 17 (+5); Canaan 14 (+3); Plainfield 12 (-4); Newport 12 (+3); Haverhill 11 (+5); Grantham 10 (+1); Sunapee 9 (+2); New London 8 (no change); Springfield 5 (+at least 1); Newbury 5 (+at least 1); and Warren, Orford, Wentworth, Rumney, Lyme, Grafton, Wilmot, Cornish, and Croydon 1-4 each. Unity is off the list.
VT's case numbers are holding roughly steady. The state reported 310 cases Tuesday, 510 Wednesday, and 345 yesterday, bringing it to 125,699 total and a 7-day daily average of 330, compared to 331 on Monday. There were 3 deaths during that time; they stand at 642 all told. Hospitalizations have dropped: As of yesterday, 56 people with confirmed cases were hospitalized (-10 since Monday), with 16 in the ICU (+7). Windsor County added 88 cases since Monday and 324 over the past two weeks, for 9,442 overall, while Orange County gained 37 since Monday and 153 in the past two weeks and stands at 4,324 overall.
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Well for starters, it's First Friday of course, and there's
a lot
going on in WRJ.
, which include:
The opening of the new exhibition at Kishka Gallery, Amanda Martinez's "Mutable Construct."
Friday Night Piano at the Main Street Museum, with pianist Stevie Pomije and tonight's piano rolls rocketing you through power ballads of the 70s, 80s & 90s: REO Speedwagon, Heart, Poison, Journey, Meatloaf and more. "Singers who can vocalize guitar solos are encouraged," Stevie writes.
"Vulture Sister Song" at Open Door, a dance/storytelling work in progress by Ellen Smith Ahern, Kate Elias, and a migrating herd of sculptured lanterns.
Here in the Valley's "Swing Soirée" at Speakeasy Studios in the Tip Top Building featuring Ed Eastridge at 6, The Epitones at 7, and Sunday Table at 8, and an Americana Review onstage at the Briggs Opera House with Allison Fay Brown, Ethan Lawrence, Alex Kelley, Ben Kogan, and Jes Raymond (this one's both in-person and livestreamed).
Plus, as always, stuff going on at the stores and galleries around town.
And elsewhere:
You should know that on your radio at noon today, VPR's Vermont Edition tackles one of the region's great conundrums: Where to find (or how to make) the best bagels in these parts, with panelists including UVJustBagels owner Katie Stamper and King Arthur author and baker Martin Philip.
At 5 pm, New Hampshire Humanities hosts an online presentation by UNH prof Lucy Salyer on how a group of forty Irish Americans, outfitted with guns and ammunition, sailed to Ireland in 1867 to fight against British rule, got arrested for treason, and launched "a revolution in how we understand citizenship today."
At 6 pm (with a reception starting at 5), Pentangle Arts is screening Truth Tellers in the Woodstock Town Hall Theater. It's a new documentary by Maine filmmaker Richard Kane about Maine artist Robert Shetterly and the activists—on behalf of indigenous rights, racial equity, and other causes—whose portraits he's painted.
At 7:30 pm, the Anonymous Coffeehouse is back at the First Congregational Church of Lebanon with Jamie Gregory, "who likes to channel Garnet and Stan Rogers"; the folk and country duo Green Heron at 7:50; and at 8:50, singer-songwriter and guitarist Tom Pirozzoli—who last played the coffeehouse not long before everything shut down. It's been a while.
On Saturday:
Farmers market season opens, with the Norwich Farmers Market kicking things off from 9 am to 1 pm on its home turf on Route 5. Soon to come: South Royalton on May 19, Chelsea on May 20, and Canaan on May 22. For a full listing of what's around, here's Vital Communities' guide to Upper Valley farmers markets.
At 7 pm, the Chandler in Randolph brings in Louis Prima Jr. (yeah, that Louis Prima Jr.) and The Witnesses with some work from Prima's dad's songbook plus big-band jazz, swing, and rock-and-roll. Both in-person and livestreamed.
At 7:30 pm, The Notch climbing gym (no, it's not open yet, but it will be early next year) is joining up with the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club to screen Reel Rock 16, featuring climbing movies from the past year—the longest crack climb ever attempted, barefoot bouldering, Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold linking up 17 alpine summits, and more—plus a gear raffle.
Finally, on Sunday...
It's Draft Animal Day at Billings from 10 am to 5 pm (free admission for moms) with horses, oxen, steers, demonstrations, hobby horse barrel racing, leatherworking, yokes and harnesses for sale, and lots of historic farm foods (plus Trail Break's food truck) available. Here's the Randolph Herald's description and write-up.
Whew! Let's cut to the chase. Here are LA funksters Scary Pockets with Julia Nunes—she first came to attention YouTubing pop covers on a ukulele, but no surprise she's in demand as a singer these days—
Glitter in the sky, glitter in my eyes...
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 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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Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Writer/editor: Tom Haushalter Poetry editor: Michael Lipson About Rob About Tom About Michael
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