WELCOME TO THANKSGIVING WEEK, UPPER VALLEY!
Well, yesterday was fun, wasn't it? But everything's pretty much clearing out, and we've got a quiet day ahead. It will be mostly cloudy, though maybe we might see some sun around midday. Temps rising through the morning to 40 or above before dropping back into the low 30s/high 20s tonight. Winds from the west.Are Kmart's days in West Leb numbered? The VN's John Lippman notes that after recent closures elsewhere, it's the last one in northern New England. Its location helps capture plenty of shoppers from other states and Canada, says manager Carolyn Adams. But Lippman also has this to say: "During my visit I noticed that many of the shelves appeared thin on merchandise and there were more employees on the floor than customers. Only one person was needed to man the checkout lanes." In case you missed Amy Klobuchar on Saturday... Here's video of her town hall at Spark! in Lebanon.You may still have to pay if you take a pic of a land record in VT. Remember that state supreme court ruling that agencies have to let people inspect records for free? And its follow-on from the guv and secy of state that agencies can't charge you for taking your own photo? Well, the VN's Anna Merriman reports that when it comes to land records, some town clerks will still charge. The issue: It's a source of income for maintaining them permanently. And it's not incidental: Hartford took in $11,200 in copying fees last year.Raccoons and porcupines shacking up together? That's what Thetford's Elise Tillinghast wonders in Northern Woodlands, after her game camera caught a pair of each using the same entrance to a rock crevice. She muses, "is this a sign from the heavens: the dawning of a new and kinder age?" Or sheesh, another measure of the Upper Valley housing shortage? (Thanks, AS!)Just so you don't forget what it looked like before yesterday's weather. William Daugherty was out around Plainfield and the 12A wetlands on Saturday with his drone. The village looks so serene when you're floating high above it...A shout-out to Northern Stage's education programs. In its review of the new production of The Sound of Music, the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus (which likes the show a lot, by the way) has this to say about the young performers who play the Von Trapp kids: "Northern Stage, with its demanding education programs, produces the best youth performances in Vermont, and likely among the best anywhere." Are there that many rootless entrepreneurs in the Upper Valley? Co-working spaces are popping up everywhere. The old Cone-Blanchard offices in Windsor are being converted, and RVCC is looking at creating one on the second floor of its space on the Lebanon Mall. There are two in WRJ, the Arnold Block in Bethel, Space on Main in Bradford, The Schoolhouse in W. Woodstock, the brand new Black River Innovation Campus in Springfield... Though the VN's Lippman does note that the Optimist Center in Woodstock is closing at the end of the year "because of financial challenges."Gardener's Supply expands again. The Burlington, VT-based, employee-owned retailer of all things gardening made its first foray out of Chittenden County a couple of years ago, when it bought Longacres' in Lebanon. Now it's about to acquire its fourth store, when it takes over the Hadley Garden Center in Hadley, MA. Closing's in January. Just in case you happened to be around Salem, NH on Saturday night: Yes, that was an earthquake. It barely rates, California-wise — just 1.8 — but still, it was enough to shake houses.Did you know that if you want to take roadkill home in VT, you need to call a game warden for a permit to transport it? That's according to Live Science, which is up with a helpful article, "Is it Safe to Eat Roadkill?" The answer: If you hit it yourself, then yes, probably, unless it has obvious signs of disease. And there are some things to look out for, says VT Fish & Wildlife's Nicole Meier. Not if it's been out in the heat for more than 15 minutes, not if... Oh, but you know what? Let's wait for the rest until after breakfast.Could NH ethics ruling yield "gotcha" complaint filings? That's InDepthNH's Garry Rayno in the wake of the Legislative Ethics Cte's recent ruling that House Majority Leader Doug Ley, who is president of the state teacher's union, violated guidelines by voting on bills directly affecting his employer. Do small-business owners recuse themselves on tax-rate changes? Or docs on Medicaid reimbursement? "In this hyper partisan time," he writes, "there will probably be many more of these complaints filed."Oops. Never mind. The Brooklyn DA's office has announced it will drop felony drug charges against the guy who picked up a shipment of Vermont-grown hemp. The owner of the CBD company for which the hemp was intended is still fuming, though. "This guy thought he had the bust of his life, the arresting officer,” he tells Seven Days. “He covered up everything possible just to make it look like he had the bust of his life.”Aren't you proud you live in a place with a morning newsletter that features wood-stacking art? This enviable piece of work is up in Jeffersonville, VT, the other side of Smuggler's Notch, at Wyckoff Family Maple.VT legislative leaders craft deal on paid leave, minimum wage. After failing to come to terms on what were supposed to be the signature measures of the last legislative session, House Speaker Mitzi Johnson and Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe are trying again. VTDigger's Xander Landon and Kit Norton note the initial plan looks similar to the Senate's effort to meet House terms. Johnson's okay with that. “If we spend all of our time fighting over what our ideal is and we’re not asking the question ‘Does this viable proposal move us in the right direction,’ then I don’t think we’re doing our jobs,” she says.A little hard to wrap, but... Vermont State Parks has a holiday gift idea for you. They've put together a set of "gift packs," including, for instance, two nights of camping, a coupon for an armload of firewood, two Vermont State Parks wine tumblers, and an LED lantern, all for $99. For families, $165 will get you a season pass, a couple of boat rentals, a collapsible picnic basket, and a fold-up picnic blanket. Now if they could toss in some guaranteed sun...
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PRETTY QUIET OUT THERE TONIGHT, BUT...
The legislature's Climate Solutions Caucus is meeting around the state, talking about its goals for the 2020 legislative session and hoping to draw public input. They'll be at Hartford Town Hall starting at 6 pm.
. "Before Superman, the Flash, and Captain Marvel, there was real-life hero Harriet Tubman," writes the
Chicago Reader'
s Janaya Greene. The choice of British-Nigerian actor Cynthia Erivo to play Tubman was controversial, but as one reviewer puts it, Erivo "tears through Harriet, a live wire in the heart of a biography of Harriet Tubman that without her might have risked stateliness." 7:30 at Woodstock Town Hall.
The Upper Valley Scrabble Club plays tournament style every Monday at Tip Top Pottery in WRJ. Starts at 5, runs 'til all hours.
Just a little push to Thanksgiving, people! You can do it! Just in case, though,
This goes out to you, coffee fiends.
See you tomorrow.
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