Mostly cloudy but maybe some sun; 60s (maybe even low 70s); decent chance of rain tonight. That's about as definite as the weather folks want to get. There's a low meandering up the coast today, and another headed our way from the west. Things'll change later in the week, but for right now this much is sure: It's warmer than usual for the waning days of April. Hey, I'll take it.North end of campus in the spotlight as Dartmouth master plan gets under way. The college is taking its first comprehensive look in 17 years at how it wants to grow. One of the big questions on Hanover residents' minds is whether campus will expand north of the Dewey Lot, especially around the golf course. “We have committed to operating the golf course through the 2020 season," says one college official. "Continued operation of the golf course beyond that point will depend on the outcome of the master planning effort." Oh good, that's clear. We'll check back in November, when the plan's supposed to be finished. (VN, subscription reqd)I-91 bridge project delayed. You know where I-91 narrows to one lane each way near Rockingham, by Exit 6? It's a four-year project to re-do the high bridges over the Williams River. The work's supposed to be done next June, but now it won't be. The real news, though? Speed sensors in the work zone have clocked people doing 115 mph at night.So just what the heck does make for an annoying mud season? Someone asked NHPR's Outside/In, and Sam Evans-Brown trooped off to find out. First thing to know: Once the thaw starts, the tops of dirt roads might be getting all soupy, but there's still frost underneath, which means that water has nowhere to drain. Long and short? "The worst mud seasons tend to be a result of long, cold winters with a lot of snow, followed by a chilly spring that allows the frost to hold on for longer and keeps the plants from budding out." Hmm. That sounds familiar.Randolph goatskin glove company gets state grant to train stitchers. There's not a lot of clothing manufacturing left in the region, but Green Mountain Glove is a bright spot. It's gone from three employees to nine over the last year, and 200 gloves a month to 500. Its work gloves are expensive -- $100 a pair -- but they last, and construction companies and utilities are going for them. "[They're] saying we can save them money annually because they’ll go through a fraction of the gloves for their utility workers by buying from us,” says co-owner Sam Hooper (whose mom started VT Creamery and whose brother, Miles, runs Ayers Brook, the state's largest goat farm). Gifford having trouble staffing, turns to international recruiting to hire nurses. The medical center's been struggling to find doctors, nurses, food-service workers... just about everything. “Every part of the organization, every role right now, has been pretty difficult to recruit for,” said its CEO. “There just aren’t enough people out there for the positions that are open. And that’s not a Gifford problem, that’s a statewide [problem] — and I would say probably for most, at least in rural areas, an America-wide problem.”Middle-aged women appear to be leaving the VT workforce. There's a new report out from the Public Assets Institute looking at trends in federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data. While joblessness remains low, 77 percent of women in their highest-earning years, 45-54, were working last year, the lowest rate in 20 years. Also, the median-wage gap between women and men is widening again.Bears are hungrier than normal. Spring was late last year, there was a drought at the end of last summer, and there were fewer apples and berries than normal last fall. And remember all those squirrels? They got to the nuts first. So bears went into hibernation less bulked-up than usual. There've been reports of hungry bears getting into pens and killing livestock in VT. So the upshot isn't just that you need to watch your trash and bird-feeders. If you keep bees or livestock, say wildlife officials, you might want to put up electric fencing. Same for gardens. Wait.... Gardens?The only Frank Lloyd Wright house open to the public in New England is not that far away. You knew this already, of course. But I had no idea. The Zimmerman House is maintained by the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH, and it just opened for the season. It's by guided tour only. Wright didn't just design the house and the interior, he specified the plantings. Oh, and he did the mailbox, too. OKAY, SO JUST WHAT IS THERE TO DO IN THESE PARTS ON A MONDAY NIGHT?Well right off the bat, you could go see The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao at Northern Stage. This one-man show, based on Junot Diaz's novel, chronicles the life of Oscar de León, who is obsessed with science fiction and fantasy novels, falling in love, and the curse that has plagued his family for generations. It's being toured by Literature to Life, a project of NYC's American Place Theatre that does adaptations of contemporary fiction based on key dramatic moments in the original text. Or you could finally fulfill that vow to yourself and learn bike-care basics. Change a tire, get cozy with chains, gears, and brakes, and pick up some chain lube, tire levers, and a patch kit while you're at it. It's free, sponsored by Local Motion and the State of VT, but you do have to pre-register ([email protected]). Part of Cabin Fever University in S. Strafford, at the Newton School starting at 6:30. Hope you have an invigorating start to your week. See you tomorrow.
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