GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Mostly cloudy, mid or upper 60s eventually. There's high pressure in place, but there's also a system off to the west that's moving this way, and though it won't bring rain, we'll see its clouds. Otherwise, we're in for a calm day, breezes from the southeast, and temps tonight in the mid 40s.But before the grayness... It looked like this in Thetford Center this morning, from Sally Duston.How do a town and its residents really communicate with one another? That question was at the heart of a recent “listening session” held by Hartford officials in Wilder, reports Christina Dolan in the Valley News. Public comments at selectboard meetings don't allow for back-and-forth; the VN itself can no longer give towns the sustained coverage it used to; and as WRJ's Tim Fariel put it, “There’s a lot of built-up frustration that decisions get made without a lot of engagement." Hartford now has a new part-time communications specialist, JD Hawks, who among other things is planning a biweekly digital newsletter.Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller could expand to take in King Farm. Last Thursday, reports VTDigger's Emma Cotton, VT's congressional delegation introduced legislation to "strengthen the partnership" between the state's only national park and the farm, which has been owned by the VT Land Trust since 1987. It would allow—but not require—the Park Service to buy the farm sometime down the road, though land trust president Tracy Zschau tells Cotton there are no plans to sell at the moment. Currently, the farm holds a forest, a working farm, community gardens, historic buildings, and public hiking trails. And while we're in Woodstock, a correction: Friday's item about the selectboard's response to an economic development commission request for foliage-season funding mentioned that it had approved a "wayfinding" brochure to help visitors find restaurants and restrooms. The Standard later posted a correction to its story, noting that the board had only approved a digital—not print—brochure. Original story with correction at the link.SPONSORED: Northern Woodlands is looking for a full-time Assistant Editor. You may know the Center for Northern Woodlands Education from its weekly feature, "This Week in the Woods". This role will require editing, writing, and the application of scientific knowledge in a highly collaborative, creative environment. The Assistant Editor will work on both the weekly "The Outside Story" series and the quarterly Northern Woodlands magazine. On average, one work day per week will take place in the Lyme office. Details at the burgundy link or here. Sponsored by Northern Woodlands.At Thetford Academy, no-cellphone policy finds acceptance. You'll remember that it's one of the area schools requiring students to put away their phones for the duration of the school day, and WCAX's Adam Sullivan dropped by on Friday to check in. He didn't find students bubbling over with enthusiasm, but they're definitely seeing a difference. “Instead of texting my friend or telling them something over my phone, I go and physically tell them,” says Maya Dixon, a senior. And at lunch, says Dempsey McGovern, "there are a lot more conversations going on."
SPONSORED: High Horses invites you to the Harness the Healing Campaign kickoff! Be part of a transformative community event on Friday, September 27th at High Horses! We're excited to launch our 5-year Harness the Healing Campaign, aimed at expanding our programs and enhancing our impact. Enjoy engaging activities, meet our dedicated team, and interact with our amazing horses. This is a fantastic opportunity to connect, celebrate, and support a cause that uplifts our community. RSVP today and help us make a difference together! Sponsored by High Horses.In central NH, farmers from Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, Congo, and Nepal find a home. And a farm. It's in Dunbarton, just southwest of Concord, and it's run by a New Hampshire nonprofit, the Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success. As the AP's Nick Perry and Charles Krupa report, the farm's made it possible for some three dozen people to build their own small businesses, selling everything from tomatoes and zucchini to okra and the leaves from pumpkins and sorrel to local markets as well as to fellow refugees. “It’s fun and it helps people," says one. "I like when I satisfy people with the food they eat.”As NH's new voter ID law faces legal challenges, here's a preview. The measure, which goes into effect after the November elections, already has drawn one big lawsuit, filed by the NH Youth Movement but backed by the prominent DC election-rights firm Elias Law Group. In NH Bulletin, Ethan DeWitt takes a close look at the legal arguments—and in particular, a 2020 US Court of Appeals ruling that held a very similar Kansas law requiring hard proof of citizenship when registering to vote imposed too great a burden on voters. DeWitt offers up a guide to how the legal arguments will likely play out.VT State Police arrest son in Pawlet triple murder. The news broke on Friday, so odds are good you've seen it, but if not: The VSP announced that officers had arrested Brian Crossman Jr., the son of Pawlet selectboard member Brian Crossman Sr., in the slayings last week of his father, along with his father's new wife and her 13-year-old son. In a press release, the agency said it had "identified significant evidence that linked Crossman Jr. to the killings, including digital information, statements, injuries, and various interviews." VTDigger's Diane Derby fills in the details. VT will get its own dental school. Sort of. It will actually be a branch of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentristry, probably located in Colchester, reports Seven Days' Colin Flanders. The new school will "bring much-needed training opportunities to a state where finding a new dentist can be as painful as a root canal," Flanders writes; VT's lack of dentists figured prominently in the Detroit university's decision-making as it scouted possible locations. Up to 64 students will do half of their four-year program in Detroit before relocating to VT for their final two years of study.“I respect the heck out of Ira Allen, but I wouldn't trust him in a business deal.” Vermont historian J. Kevin Graffagnino has long been interested in Ethan Allen’s youngest brother. In Seven Days, Steve Goldstein speaks with the author about his new biography and what made Ira tick. For one, says Graffagnino, Ira was determined to keep VT out of the Union, since statehood would mean the end of its ability to trade freely with Canada. He owned vast amounts of land, and was instrumental in locating UVM in Burlington. “It puzzled me that he got relatively little attention,” says Graffagnino.The Monday jigsaw. It's a view of two mills along Blood Brook in Norwich—with "the mostly bare Norwich hills beyond," writes the Norwich Historical Society's Cam Cross. He includes a 1906 USGS Survey Map—and writes, "Notice how the route into Norwich went up Lewis Hill Rd. and joined Main Street just north of the current I-91 southbound exit ramp." Here's the puzzle photo at slightly larger scale.
Heads UpCoast Jazz celebrates John Coltrane's birthday. At Sawtooth Kitchen tonight at 8, the ensemble brings in special guests Keith Gibson (drums) and Alexander Hawkins (keyboards), plus Coast alums Mali Obomsawin '17 (bass), Noah Campbell '20 (saxophones), Eli Hecht '23 (bass) and Daniel Lin '23 (cello), along with director Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet).
And for today...Not Coltrane, but another legendary saxophonist, Charlie Rouse, playing a solo on "Bolivar Blues" backed up by Thelonious Monk on piano—until, that is, Monk can contain himself no longer and leaves the keyboards to do his own brand of in-the-swing shuffle. Or as the YouTube jazz site Sharp Eleven Music puts it, "When Monk starts dancing to your solo, you must be doing well."See you tomorrow.Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Associate writer: Jonea Gurwitt Poetry editor: Michael Lipson About Rob About Michael
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