Daybreak Monday 4/3/23

GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!

Clouds building in, warming quickly. It could get gusty out there this afternoon as air moves in from the southeast and a weak clipper system passes across from the west. That system looks unlikely to produce any rain that hits the ground, though, at least during the day. Highs today in the 50s, chance of showers tonight with a low in the upper 30s.Not your usual visitors. Cathy Eastburn was in Orford late last week when she spotted five sandhill cranes in a field off Route 10. She was able to watch them for about 15 minutes before they flew off, she writes. Cranes have been spreading eastward over the past decade or so, reports naturalist Ted Levin.Hanging out with the crack-of-dawn crowd at Shyrl's. "When it comes to diners, I take pancakes very seriously," says Dartmouth student Tatum Bernet. So when it came time to produce a podcast for a class on non-fiction radio taught by podcast producer Sophie Crane, Bernet headed for Main Street in West Leb and the diner opened in 2005 by Shyrl Rafus. Each day this week, Daybreak is running a slice-of-Upper-Valley-life podcast from the class, and Bernet is first up: She talks to Shyrl about the diner, why it's a go-to spot for so many regulars—and shows up at 5 one morning to meet some of them.You think we've got it bad? You shoulda seen it a century ago. That's pretty much the gist of local historian and former NH ag commissioner Steve Taylor's essay about "Muddy roads of springs past" in the Valley News this morning. "Little wonder folks then actually liked winter over spring, because when things were frozen up hard they could get around," he writes. Taylor talks over the slow march toward making mud season more manageable—gravel was a game-changer—though as he points out, "Mother Nature had and still has other ideas." Plus, a photo gallery of mud seasons past.Keeping a Big Night from turning into "major salamander carnage." A Big Night (in reality, writes Li Shen in Sidenote, "a series of Big Nights and not-so-big nights") is when spring conditions (warmth, rain, darkness) are just right for salamanders to make it from the forest to vernal pools and wetlands, where they can breed. The eastern US is home to more salamander species than anywhere else on earth, and there are a lot of them: It's estimated that "their total biomass exceeds the sum of all the birds and small mammals," Li writes. She covers the burgeoning effort to help salamanders cross roads safely.SPONSORED: Help COVER turn its south-facing brick wall into a colorful mural! If COVER raises $3,500 by April 12, the state of Vermont will match it 2:1, helping bring a visual playground to downtown WRJ. To donate, hit the burgundy link or click here.  The COVER store helps fund urgent home repairs for income-limited homeowners in the Upper Valley. Sponsored by COVER.Upper Valley childcare providers worry new Lebanon center will worsen staffing strain. You may remember that the city is joining forces with the Boys & Girls Clubs of NH to build a new facility for up to 200 kids near the airport (there's a public meeting tonight at 6 at City Hall). In Saturday's VN, Patrick Adrian reports that other local providers, already struggling to find enough staff to meet demand—or even remain open—are fretting that the new center may poach their staff, especially since the Leb center plans to pay higher wages. City Manager Shaun Mulholland tells Adrian it's time for the model to change.Cavendish diesel-oil spill probably due to siphoning. Late on Friday night, the VT State Police report, someone appears to have siphoned diesel stored at the Cavendish town garage—and left the pump running, which wasn't discovered until the next day. Town road foreman Alphonso Chambers reported that up to 100 gallons of fuel spilled into the ground and nearby Black River. "At this time, it is unknown who is responsible for this incident," the VSP writes. "However, an individual was seen driving a white box truck, possibly an older model Ford OBS, at the scene the night of the incident."After more than a year's work, proposed limits to development on Lake Morey get the spotlight tonight. The changes to Fairlee's zoning regs go before the selectboard this evening (starting at 6), as the town tries to get a handle on algae blooms that have been bedeviling the lake. In today's Journal Opinion newsletter, Alex Nuti-de Biasi writes that the changes would prohibit new seasonal dwelllings, require permits for renovations that add bedrooms or change the building envelope, and require permits for all short-term rentals.SPONSORED: Volunteer at Billings Farm & Museum! Love baby animals? Enjoy fiber arts? We are seeking volunteers for our Baby Farm Animal Celebration, April 7 & 8, and for Sheep Shearing & Herding, April 22 & 23. Help with children’s crafts, greet guests, support the Animal Ambassadors, guide guests following the sheep-to-wool passport trail, and more.  Be part of the Billings Farm story! Find opportunities to go behind the scenes or engage with the public. Flexible shifts available and benefits accrue with the number of volunteer hours you contribute. Sponsored by Billings Farm & Museum.March 6, 1873: "A very cold pleasant day, Ther 12 below 0 at early morn." March 6, 2023: "36 degrees and sunny at 8 am." Since January, the Norwich Historical Society has been running side-by-side weather diaries—one kept in 1873 by resident Ebeneezer Brown, the other, 150 years later, by the VT Historical Society's Alan Berolzheimer. The March versions are out, and despite the cold start to the month way back, things warmed up nicely—though then, as this year, there was some heavy snow mid-month. "The roads are all blocked up," Ebeneezer wrote on the 17th. Also, his wife got a bad case of measles."You have to remember, our patrol boats are our offices." Last month, the pool at Colby-Sawyer College hosted five members of the NH State Police Marine Patrol for several days of training on surviving sudden immersion while in full uniform and duty gear—which can add 15-20 pounds of weight. Last week, Sgt. Josh Dirth joined Jack Heath on The Pulse of NH to talk about it. "Whether it's wind, current, a squall coming through, we have to be at our best when the circumstances are at their worst," Dirth said. Officers trained on everything from swimming techniques to how to fall into the water right.Two VT troopers resign after reports of offensive language at off-duty game night. You probably remember that back in February, reports surfaced of a party at which four troopers and their spouses and partners played an online game in which they wrote rap lyrics, "some of which used racist, homophobic, misogynistic and sexually explicit language," writes Ethan Weinstein in VTDigger. The officers were placed on leave and the VSP opened an internal investigation; on Friday, officers Nathan Greco and Nathan Jensen resigned and apologized. The VSP says it found no evidence of bias in their policing.Down to just a few pawns at VT's first-ever “Youth Chess Day." The event at VT Technical College in Randolph on Saturday drew school-age kids (and their parents) from all over the state, reports Ray Couture in the VN. It was organized by the office of US Sen. Bernie Sanders, who wandered the aisles for a bit, chatting up players—when they were willing to tear their attention from the board. "(Chess) forces kids, especially in an era of social media and short attention spans, to start thinking and focusing and concentrating,” Sanders told the crowd. Here's VTDigger's photographic coverage.Report: 73% Of Vermont Economy Tied To Coziness Industry. Okay, it could be real, but there is the fact that that headline appeared in print on Saturday, April 1. The region's answer to The Onion, the UV Observer hit the stands the other day (link goes to a PDF version), the brainchild of West Leb developer Chet Clem—who mostly uses it to poke fun ("Norwich Farm Has More Board Members Than Cows"; "Lebanon Questions If Allowing Drunk Child to Engineer Route 12A Traffic Was Right Decision") but also to take some pointed personal shots: "N.H. Government Unveils New West Leb Waterfront Park Delay." You'll find the print version in area stores and coffee shops.The Monday Vordle. With a prime word from Friday's Daybreak.

Heads Up

And to get us going for the week...

We

could

wait for a few months, but why? Rickie Lee Jones has a new album coming later this month of

jazz classics from the Great American Songbook. "

This album is as much about being human, the view of surviving — which means aging, and loving relentlessly — as it is about anything. We love ’til the day we die, love our lives, our families, and finally ourselves,” she said a few months back.

written by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson as Walter Huston's one big solo in 1938's

Knickerbocker Holiday—

and covered since by everyone from Sinatra and Liberace to Lindsay Buckingham and Lou Reed.

See you tomorrow.

Written and published by Rob Gurwitt   Writer/editor: Jonea Gurwitt  Poetry editor: Michael Lipson  About Rob                                                                                            About Michael

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