GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Mostly sunny, a bit cooler. The cold front that came through early yesterday morning has brought dry air in its wake, while a narrow ridge of high pressure is keeping conditions calm and undisturbed. It won't last, of course—tomorrow's Saturday so there has to be a chance that showers will move in overnight—but for now, we're looking at more sun than clouds, calm winds, and highs into the low 70s today. Back to the low 50s tonight.On the move and on the prowl. "Black bear cubs are typically weaned by six to eight months," writes Ted Levin about Erin Donahue's new trail cam video. "They leave their mothers by 18 months, and are no longer considered cubs by their third spring. Alaska has the largest population of black bears in America, with over 100,000. New Hampshire has approximately 5,000. Vermont, 7,000, of which two have recently visited my deck. Newly minted young adults, bereft of their mother's knowledge, may be hungry in June. Put your bird feeders in at night or pay the price (as I have)."Did you check out "Dear Daybreak" yesterday? If not, you missed a great quartet of stories: Cynthia Crawford on the recent deluge that took out a section of Norwich's Mitchell Brook road—with video; Perry Allison on the heartbreak and "pure country joy" of keeping chickens after seeing a pair strolling along by the river the other day; Emily Boren on a stunning post-rain view during a date-night hike with her husband; and Laura Abrahamsen on a chance encounter at Lou's that told her that she's back home. Got a good story or anecdote about life in these parts? Dear Daybreak needs them! Here's where to send it in.In bed, hoping for a heart. Literally. In The Herald, Darren Marcy profiles Matty Rikert, a 50-year-old S. Royalton man who's been in the ICU at Tufts Medical Center in Boston since Monday, waiting for a heart transplant—which could come today or in a month or two. "There’s nothing I can do," he says. "I don’t have a choice. I’ve just kind of mentally accepted it. It is what it is.” Twenty years ago, doctors discovered a congenital aortal valve condition after Rikert passed out while working as a snowmaker at Killington. It's been a long road since, and Marcy traces it with him, his wife Rebecca, and their seven kids.Woodstock ordered to hold off on hiring police chief. That word came from a state judge earlier this week as former Chief Joe Swanson challenges his removal from the post in court. As Mike Donoghue writes in the Standard, Swanson's lawyer argued to the court that promoting the current acting chief to the full-time position "could lead to irreparable harm and that the village could end up having two police chiefs if Swanson is successful in his legal fight." The move "presents some difficulties," the village's lawyer told the judge, but it's willing to go along. Donoghue catches us up on the state of the various cases.SPONSORED: Try ArtLibs at the Hood Museum when you're in Hanover! Head over to the Hood Museum to participate in "ArtLibs" (a real-life "MadLibs" experience!). Use our app to interpret selected artwork, see how others view the same pieces, and unlock your personalized "art interpretation style" — all while earning up to ~$40! Simply download the ArtLibs app (iOS only), and it will guide you through your museum visit. Questions? Want to borrow an iPad or schedule a group activity? Email [email protected]. Download the app here. Sponsored by the Finn Lab at Dartmouth.Co-op Food Stores—and other co-ops in the twin states—scramble for goods after cyberattack. The attack hit a major supplier to co-ops and organic grocers, United Natural Foods Inc., last week, reports VT Public's Lexi Krupp. “The trucks kind of just stopped coming,” says the Hanover Co-op's Becca White. Stores have been working to find other distributors, and in particular to source goods from local producers. “Luckily it’s June, so our produce is popping off right now,” says a staffer at Burlington's City Market.“Every time Windsor gets knocked down, it gets up again." That's local historian Cathy Hoyt talking to WCAX's Cat Viglienzoni, who visited as it preps for the day—two years from now—marking the 250th anniversary of when VT's constitution was signed. As Viglienzoni notes, the old tavern where the state's founders met had to be moved a few years back, and is still closed because of structural issues but should reopen by July 8, 2027. Meanwhile, the Windsor diner also has had to move, and is now on the site where the first state seal was forged. Town manager Tom Marsh touts the town's "spirit of innovation."Claremont driver notches second out-of-control accident. Last Friday, Joshua Head "collided with a vehicle in front of him, swerved left and crashed through a building near LaValley Building Supply," writes John Lippman in the Valley News. Head was also behind the wheel on New Year's Eve when he struck four pedestrians near Arrowhead Rec Area. In that case, a police investigation concluded he was having "a medical emergency" and no charges were filed. Lippman reports that in a brief call, Head's mother says last week's incident “was proven to be a medical emergency, too ... absolutely."A book that "grabbed me by my non-existent lapels and won't let go." It takes a lot to impress the usually unexcitable Carin Pratt, but in this week's Enthusiasms, the veteran bookseller explains why she intends to reread the new memoir (his third) by former war correspondent Peter Godwin. At its heart is his mother, who was a doctor in Zimbabwe—where Godwin grew up, was conscripted, and lost a sister to the conflict. He's got PTSD from his war coverage, his mother is dying in London, his wife's announced she's leaving him: Godwin recounts "the vicissitudes of a somewhat messy life...superbly."Rivalry. Bands come by their names in all sorts of honest ways, and this one measures up. Hartford's Jacob Vahey and Norwich's Lila Bucci, who form the rock duo, are on opposite sides of a great divide: He's a Red Sox fan, she's got a soft spot for the Yankees. What's a little more unusual is that they're regularly gigging musicians—including opening for Noah Kahan—but Vahey's just 14, while Bucci's 15. They met at Tuck's Rock Dojo, and as Dave Hoffenberg writes in his profile for Mountain Times, "were placed in the same band because of their affinity for rock music, specifically The Foo Fighters." More at the link.Hiking Not Too Far From Home: Chickering Bog Natural Area Trail, Calais, VT. Chickering Bog is actually a fen (not technically a bog), the Upper Valley Trails Alliance notes, and it's considered the largest and best example of a rich fen in Vermont. The system of trail and boardwalk takes you through mixed forest to the fen boardwalk, where you can get up close to showy lady's slipper orchids, blue flag iris, pitcher plants, and other amazing wetland plants. Plus a seasonal chorus of bullfrogs. The boardwalk lets you walk right over this fragile habitat that's been forming since glaciers receded 10,000 years ago. Been paying attention to Daybreak? Because this week's Upper Valley News Quiz has some questions. Like, which major local employer has just announced a “hiring pause”? And what’s the name of that popular WRJ store that’s planning a second spot in Hanover? That 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 a new law expands for Vermont workers?
And NHPR's got a whole set of questionsabout doings around the Granite State—like, how did the state Supreme Court rule this week on the statewide education property tax?
.
The legislature's nearing the end of its session, and yesterday, both chambers met to consider bills they'd approved but that were amended by the other chamber.
NH Bulletin
's William Skipworth has the full rundown, and among them, the House agreed to a slight change made by the Senate to its measure requiring a 60 percent supermajority of voters to override a town's tax cap. The Senate, meanwhile, dumped a Medicaid efficiency measure after the House inserted the ivermectin provision.
Phil Scott signs housing, health care bills into law. The housing measure, which was the subject of acrimonious debate, will allow developers and municipalities to borrow for new infrastructure development, then use increased tax revenues to pay off the loans, Carly Berlin explains via VT Public. The health care bill, meanwhile, will require health care providers to tie prices to the rates Medicare allows, and directs state health care officials to develop a “statewide health care delivery plan” and present it to the Legislature by 2028, reports VTDigger's Habib Sabet.VT names new Youth Poet Laureate. Seven Days’ Mary Ann Lickteig spoke with the award winner, Emma Paris, about her poetry, which “is at the intersection of science and creative writing.” She’s a 19-year-old Bennington College student from Putney, and just the second person to be named. Woodstock's Lylah Zeitlin was a runner-up. Paris has been writing poetry since she was 11—when an appendectomy laid her up. The award considers civic engagement as well as creativity, but Paris believes that in a small town, civic engagement “just feels like being in community with others.”Could the tagline be “Just spray and bray and ticks stay away”? Does donkey sweat repel ticks? New England Public Media’s Karen Brown reports on research out of UMass Amherst, funded by the CDC, that’s looking at whether a substance in donkey sweat can work as well as man-made chemical repellants like DEET. The results look promising, say Stephen Rich, who directs the UMass center that studies vector-borne diseases, and lead researcher Eric Siegel. Donkey sweat, it seems, is different from other animal secretions, and may be just the natural solution we’re looking for. Though then again…Endless winter. Remember that iconic poster of nordic skiing legend Bill Koch skiing on a beach in Hawaii? This works downhill, too. Dunes in the Atacama Desert in Chile have become a sandboarding destination—and sandboarder Franco Diaz Rubilar's up with a GoPro video of what it looks like.The Friday Wordbreak. With a word from yesterday's Daybreak. And if you find yourself missing Wordbreak over the weekend, you just have to hit this link and you'll find brand new words tomorrow and Sunday—though not necessarily from Daybreak.
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Ever wondered how glass engraving works?
with master engraver Heidi Cockwill at their Hanover store. She'll be engraving pieces from noon to 4 today and 11-3 tomorrow, and it's open to anyone to just stand and watch.
It's a big end-of-school celebration at Storrs Pond in Hanover with "beach party vibes" and an afternoon lineup of bands from Tuck's Rock Dojo. Concession stand's open, as are the pools and the pond. 3-6:30 pm.
in Colburn Park. Lots of organizations, lots of vendors. 6-8:30 pm. Then, from 9-11,
, with guest DJs spinning tunes. You'll need to reserve a headset ahead of time.
. The veteran Seattle-area musician—he began as a blues harmonica player with the likes of Taj Mahal before becoming a guitar-playing singer-songwriter—headlines the final "After Hours" concert of the season. 6:30 pm, Woodstock Town Hall Theater.
Saturday
The annual event marks the start of summer with free admission to state parks and state historic sites for residents and non-residents alike. It runs tomorrow and Sunday—and tomorrow, June 14, is also Free Fishing Day, when anyone can fish without a license.
Hosted by CraftStudies and the Woolly Thistle, it runs from 10 am to noon: Bring your project for a casual, drop-in morning of knitting and community. In case of rain, it'll move to the Fiber Studio at CraftStudies, across the street from the park.
The author and publisher will present a children’s storytime of her new book
Homeland: My father dreams of Palestine,
and then an adult discussion. 10:30 am.
Performances including Colombian dance, Nepali folk music, Cuban
rueda
, Taiko drumming, and New England fiddle tunes; food from Jamaica, Bangladesh, India, Brazil, and Siberia; crafts vendors from all over. 11:30-3:00.
It's a platform celebration as the southbound Vermonter comes through (due at 11:37 am), with a dance party planned.
The museum is holding an herb sale, with chances for self-guided tours of its extensive herb garden and the new Children’s Sensory Herb Garden, and at noon, herbalists Happy Griffiths and Susan Quinlan will lead a formal guided tour.
Smith, a legendary jazz percussionist, will join up with Cole, Ras Moshe, Taylor Ho Bynum, Bill Lowe, and Daniel Lin at 1 pm at the Thetford Hill Congregational Church.
You read about them above. They'll be playing at the WRJ brewery from 5-7 pm.
It's an author/illustrator summit, with Caldecott medalist Chin and revered writer and illustrator Macaulay talking over Chin's new book,
Hurricane
, about "an island community’s brush with a Category 3 hurricane, and the cutting-edge science that helps them prepare." 2 pm.
Shaker Bridge regular Susan Haefner will bring Heidi Schreck's "boundary-breaking" play to life, reviving speeches Schreck gave as a teenager about the Constitution and its impact on generations of her family. With Richard Waterhouse and Kaitlynn Cherry, it's a one-night fundraiser for Shaker Bridge. 7 pm at the Briggs Opera House in WRJ.
Music by Rachel Aucoin and Laura Risk, both of them Québec National Heritage Musicians and recording artists, "renowned for their piano and fiddle Quebec traditional style for Contra dances." Local calling veteran Nils Fredland at the mic. Intro session at 7:10 pm, dancing starts up at 7:30.
Sunday
So things'll be getting crowded by about 8 am.
They'll be hosting "
a friendly, action-packed game of historic base ball at 2:00PM. Following rules from 1860, the game will be played on a field beyond the pastures with wood shaving baselines, canvas bases filled with straw, along with a metal pitcher’s plate and home plate. Players will use ash bat reproductions and follow the tradition of playing barehanded." You know you want to catch that high fly ball to center field, right? Spectators encouraged.
Or to Claremont, anyway. After debuting for the summer in Thetford on Saturday, Bill Cole and his fellow musicians will play the first of two concerts in Claremont this summer. 1 pm at the Claremont Creative Center.
. The accomplished NYC-based pianist and educator has performed all over Europe and China. She'll be playing a program of works by Chopin, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Verdi, and Liszt. 2 pm.
And for a Friday morning...
At 85, the great jazz keyboardist and composer Herbie Hancock remains the essence of cool. But not too far behind was the band saluting him recently as one of the winners of this year's
Polar Music Prize, founded by the former lyricist and manager for ABBA (Hancock shared the prize with Queen and Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan). Led by bassist Esperanza Spalding and pianist Robert Glasper, here's the band with Hancock's signature "Watermelon Man", which he wrote for his 1962 debut album.
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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Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Poetry editor: Michael Lipson Associate Editor: Jonea Gurwitt About Rob About Michael
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