YO, FRIDAY! WELCOME!
Now that was rain last night. And the front that produced it isn't quite done with us -- it doesn't actually reach here until this morning. But it's moving along nicely. Chance of showers for a good bit of the day, and slight chance of a thunderstorm this afternoon, but even so the skies will start clearing later this morning and by late afternoon things should be pretty peaceful again. Temps getting up into the 80s then, too. Some drier weather would be good for WRJ, which flooded yesterday. Water got up to car bumpers on North Main, into the basement of Rio Blanco, and came up through the floor drains in Northern Stage's administrative offices. Eric Francis has the pics.Hartford's Tracy Thompson takes reins in Strafford. The longtime Hartford middle school teacher has been hired as the interim principal at Strafford's Newton School, which has been losing students in its 7th and 8th grades. Meanwhile, Mascoma Valley HS also has a new principal, Tom Fitzgerald, who was principal in Whitingham, VT. (Both stories VN, sub reqd)Anyone recognize this Bearded Dragon? The unusual lizard was found in WRJ the other day. "It appears to be in good health, well fed, and nails manicured so we have reason to believe that this is a loved pet who may have escaped," says Christina's Reptile Outreach on its FB page. It's being cared for, which is good, because "there's no way a beardie would survive in Vermont," says one commenter.D-H says Medicaid work requirements enforcement not its responsibility. As you'll remember, NH has had to delay enforcing new work requirements for Medicaid patients because so many of them failed to report in, and the state's trying to get the word out. According to the Union Leader, other hospitals will distribute information. But D-H spokesman Rick Adams tells them, "[O]ur providers are not obligated to notify our patients of those requirements or make determinations about our patients’ compliance with those requirements.”"The members of Peaceful Assembly Church were more than happy with the status quo of allowing a rotting, burned-out building to sit prominently in the center of town." That's Grafton Selectboard member Steve Darrow taking exception to a recent VN editorial about the town's back-taxes suit that's halted efforts to restore the church. Church members and Mascoma Valley Preservation are trying to sidestep debts owed the town, he argues. (VN, etc)Don't want to go to St. J? Now the planetarium will come to you. The Fairbanks Museum's got a new mobile planetarium, which debuted in Thetford yesterday. "The hope is to entice more people to come see our planetarium after they get a taste of what it could be like," says the museum's Bobby Farlice-Rubio. It's already booked through the summer around VT and NH.The New England News Collaborative is up with a podcast on the history of the Dresden school district. John Dankosky interviews former Marion Cross principal Bill Hammond and Stebbins Bradley attorney David Bradley (who was present at the creation) about the politics behind the move. Among other things, Norwich students were tuitioning into the HS, and "Hanover wasn't going to build buildings when they didn't need to for their own children," says Bradley. Story starts at the 25:05 mark. (Thanks for the tip, LM!)"Being one of the only Alaskans in a school full of rich people from the East Coast sucks sometimes." That's Maleah Wenzel, a Dartmouth student from Wrangell, Alaska, who's Kiks.ádi yádi from the Tlingit, Sámi and Hawaiian nations. This interview in the Juneau Empire is partly about the Aurora Club on campus, which helps homesick Alaskans stay connected. But it's also a deeply personal look at coming from a tiny, tight-knit community far away and learning to adjust. Smoked black cod, ground moose and thimbleberries help. "The Upper Valley is positively awash in artistic creativity," says Susan Apel. For the last few years, the retired Vermont Law School prof has brought the UV's art scene alive in a blog she writes on the site-formerly-known-as-DailyUV. She's just up with her 500th post. She loves the serendipitous finds, like the archeological dig on the Baker Library lawn. "Those nice folks let me hold the false teeth they had just found in an excavated privy." Write on, Susan!A bunch of prez candidates headed to NH starting today. None around here, though. Buttigieg in Holderness, Rye and Laconia; Biden in Portsmouth and Londonderry; O'Rourke will get as close as Peterborough; Booker will be RV'ing it through Manchester, Nashua and elsewhere; Harris will be in Gilford and Somersworth. Next week, though, Julian Castro will be in Cornish at Peter Burling's home. NH goes non-binary on its drivers licenses. Starting in January, drivers will be able to have their licenses marked "M," "F," or "X." Gov. Chris Sununu yesterday let the measure become law without his signature. Fitch cuts Vermont's bond rating. It dropped yesterday from AAA to AA+, and makes VT the first state the rating agency has downgraded since Alaska in 2017. Moody's took a similar step last fall. The reason for Fitch's move? An aging population, sluggish economic growth prospects, and a declining labor force. State Treasurer Beth Pearce and Gov. Phil Scott tried to spin the positives in a press release afterward.Okay, man, who planted weed on the Statehouse lawn? Okay, strictly speaking, it's either hemp or marijuana, and no one's sure which. Vermont's Capitol Police have found 34 cannabis plants so far among the flower beds. "We were kind of surprised. I don't think anyone was expecting to find that," says Chief Matthew Romei. Don't let the Fitch's people find out about this...Want to take an artisanal-food road trip through Vermont? The Hartford Courant is out with a long, detailed, and highly enticing guide to VT as a food destination. It features the Vermont Cheese Trail, Parish Hill Creamery in Westminster West, Vermont Fresh Pasta in Proctorsville, Blake Hill Preserves in Windsor, Brownsville Butcher & Pantry, Mon Vert café in Woodstock, Cloudland Farm in Pomfret... Oh, just go read it.WHEW! MADE IT THIS FAR? OKAY... WHAT'S ON TONIGHT?You could join up with people who oppose the US's family separation policies and detention of refugees at the border. There's a Lights for Liberty rally on the Dartmouth Green being held in conjunction with similar protests around the country. It's organized by church groups, the United Valley Interfaith Project, and several Dartmouth groups. Starts at 7 pm.Or you could head over to the Lebanon Mall, where every Friday and Saturday evening you can now hear live jazz. Tonight, the Ed Eastridge Trio features guest vocalist Jamie Fallon Smith, a 20 year-old South African-born singer-songwriter with an affinity for jazz, R&B, and pop music. Tomorrow, The Bears, an acoustic trio with Ted Mortimer on guitar, Katie Rundle on sax, and accordionist Steve Pixley, playing jazz, blues and soul. Starts at 6:15, between Three Tomatoes and Salt Hill.Just down the street, NCCT's new production, Big Fish, opens at the Lebanon Opera House tonight. First it was a novel, then a film, now a musical. A tale-spinning father, a dubious son, and as the program notes put it, "Big Fish is a magnificent 'big fish' of a tale itself — spectacular, whimsical, and overflowing with love." With a cast and crew of your neighbors. Starts at 7:30 pm.Meanwhile, King Arthur Flour's doing its second "Pizza on the Patio" tonight. Unlike the other night, this time they make it for you. Music by Sensible Shoes, beer by Harpoon, gelato from Morano, crêpes from Skinny Pancake... oh, right, and pizza and salads from King Arthur. Ten percent of tonight's proceeds go to Vital Communities.Have a wonderful weekend. See you Monday.
If you like Daybreak and would like to help it keep going and evolve, please hit the "Support" button below and I'll tell you more:
And if you think one or more of your friends would like Daybreak, too, please forward this newsletter and tell them to hit the blue "Subscribe" button below. And thanks! And hey, if you're that friend? So nice to see you! You can subscribe at:
Thank you!