Daybreak Monday 3/16/20

WELCOME TO AN INTERESTING WEEK, UPPER VALLEY!

Whatever else is happening, so's the weather. Today, at least, we still get high pressure and sunny skies. And a southerly wind to nudge the temps up from their cold start, getting toward 40 late in the day. However, a low-pressure system is headed our way, and it's going to bring a chance of snow showers overnight and then rain tomorrow. Lows tonight into the 20s.Okay, let's dive into this... Things are moving fast, and Daybreak will do its best to keep up. In the "news" section, it's the nature of these times that many items will be coronavirus-related. But not all. Oh, also, you'll see that the "events" section below has been replaced. It's totally seat-of-the-pants and will evolve, and I'll definitely need your help on it. But first things first...The Valley News's coronavirus coverage is not paywalled. This means you can read it at will. The maroon link takes you to their roundup page, where you'll find articles like:

DHMC to delay elective surgeries. The hospital announced yesterday evening that "a nationwide shortage of critical supplies" is forcing it and other hospitals around the country "to strategically focus on maintaining the availability of supplies and equipment during this challenging period." If you've got one scheduled, the hospital will be calling. "Any patient not receiving a call about their procedure," the announcement says, "should arrive as scheduled."It's not just VT and NH: Ski slopes around the country close. That includes not just those owned by Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company, but all resorts in Colorado. "Everyone must do their part in stopping the spread of this virus," said CO Gov. Jared Polis. "The slopes will still be there when this is all over."Though it looks like out-of-state skiers are sticking around Vermont. Seven Days reports that though Vermont's major resorts are closed, "the towns that host the resorts are bustling at levels normally seen at peak times during winter holidays, locals say." And they're worried. Four of the state's eight COVID-19 cases are out-of-staters, and the fact that visitors seem to be staying needs to figure into state officials' health care planning, they and local lawmakers say.SPONSORED: Why is local agriculture so important?  During these uncertain times, consider the benefits of having a reliable source of local, healthy food. Root 5 Farm is going into their eighth season of growing organic vegetables for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Shares. Sign up now to secure a weekly box of fresh vegetables from May-December. You can customize your box each week, and add local meat or fruit share options, if you wish. Small, medium, or large shares are available at 11 convenient pick-up sites around the Upper Valley. Watch a short video to learn more and see the farm in action at www.root5farm.com. Sponsored by Root 5 Farm. The Co-op Food Stores write back. The VN's report a week ago about the Co-op being in the red, acting general manager Paul Guidone writes in an open letter to the newspaper's editor, "stumbles in its attempt to assess how our cooperative business operates and measures results." Co-ops, he says, need to be judged more broadly than profit and loss. "We think you will agree that measuring the success of a cooperative means tabulating the full return received by employees, members, and the places we all call home."At some point things will get back to normal, and then Hanover will have not one, but two candy stores. Not only is My Brigadeiro moving into a corner of the old Dartmouth Bookstore, but the VN's John Lippman reports that Bradford's Red Kite Candy is opening its first retail location, in the spot that's soon to be vacated by the Verizon store. It'll have a full caramel lineup, and an on-site kitchen where you can watch things being made. They're aiming so open sometime before June 14 (Dartmouth graduation), but, you know, don't write it in ink on your calendar. (Behind VN paywall; scroll to second item.)Leb Planning Board approves new Spencer Street apartments. Catching up from last week's meeting, the VN's Tim Camerato writes that the board unanimously agreed that a nearly 16,000-square-foot industrial building on the street that curves off to the east of CCBA can be renovated into studio and loft-style apartments. The building's design, owner Meg Carlton wrote to city planners, is meant to “preserve the essential character of the industrial buildings” in the area.Rebecca Holcombe leads VT gubernatorial candidates in fundraising. The Norwich Democrat has raised $378,000 since declaring her candidacy last summer, giving her a strong lead over her two primary opponents, Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman ($156,000) and personal injury lawyer Patrick Winburn ($106,000, most of it his own). Holcombe raised money from 1,210 different contributors, according to campaign finance reports due in yesterday. Zuckerman has gotten donations from 1,126.The stories signs tell. Bob Totz took an interesting walk around downtown Norwich, documenting the signs (speed limits, crosswalks, historic markers, street signs...). He wonders why the little cartoon figures don't have hands or necks. And why the stone marker at one intersection suggests it's the corner of Elm and Elm. And how much history you can glean. It's a reminder of the little visual stories and mysteries that abound in any town we walk around.Proposed rule change "would effectively legalize the negligent and indiscriminate killing of birds, as long as it was done 'unintentionally.'" That's the Vermont Center for Ecostudies' Chris Rimmer and Jason Hill, writing about a proposed re-interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treat Act by the US Dept. of the Interior. "Under DOI’s decision, entities that kill or harm birds through chemical contamination or oil spills, for example, will no longer be liable," they write. This will affect bird life in Vermont, and they're supporting proposed state legislation that would address the question at the state level.You remember last week's Worm Supermoon pic? Seems so long ago, right? Chuck Sherman checked in with another take: same moon, different sky, different setting. He says that at some point, they'll get around to taking down the Christmas lights. The view from where we are. And here's a first: a pic from a Daybreak reader who doesn't live around here. Susan Kennedy's in Guatemala, up above Lake Atitlan, and sends in this little reminder that it's a big and glorious world out there.The (now-closed) Montshire's doing its bit. Yesterday it posted a one-minute video of a baby snapping turtle in one of its tanks. That little dude's got charisma!Airborne! No, no, not droplets, we're talking cars (and trailers, and trucks) here. Over the other side of New Hampshire, a guy named George Fadden posted "East Conway Road Slam Cam 2020" to YouTube. It's a compilation of the effect of an especially frost-heaved stretch on the vehicular traffic passing over it at, mostly, too high a rate of speed. Except for the person at 1:04, who's priceless. And smart.News that connects you. If you like Daybreak and want to help it keep going, here's how:

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Keeping Up

Staying Sane

Most of us have never dealt with anything like this before. Odds are pretty good we're going to be spending a lot more time at home. So... What to do?

But what we all actually need is a

loooong

list of inspiration. This is where you come in. Hit "reply" and email me your suggestions, or what you're already doing. There's nothing like other people's creativity...

Helping Out

Already, stuff's happening:

We know the economic and health impacts of this crisis will be real and probably dire. But we also know that the people of this region come together to help one another. What needs doing out there? What will help? Send along ideas and, if you see it online, links.

We're all feeling our way through this. Let's be a comfort to one another. See you tomorrow.

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