Daybreak Monday 5/16/22

GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!

Decent chance of rain, thunder late today. Clouds are moving in quickly ahead of an approaching cold front, but we're still going to see temps get up to around or above 80 this afternoon. Chance of rain starts in a few hours and grows throughout the afternoon, and thunderstorms—some packing heavy rain and hail—are expected to start moving in from the west late in the afternoon or this evening. Things cool down afterward: low 50s tonight.So many balloons! This past weekend, as you know if you were anywhere within drifting range of the Post Mills Airport, was the annual Experimental Balloon and Airship Meet—"grassroots ballooning" at its best, as one NH balloonist called it in John Lippman's Valley News writeup. Thanks to all of you who sent in photos. Here are some...

It's construction season! Yeah, you knew that. But in particular:

NH AG deep-sixes DH plan to merge with GraniteOne Health. On Friday, Attorney General John Formella—whose mom was Dartmouth-Hitchcock's first female leader—announced that the proposed alliance between DH and the hospital network that includes Catholic Medical Center would be "unacceptable without appropriate protections for consumers in place." In the wake of that announcement, writes Nora Doyle-Burr in the Valley News, the two systems said they were abandoning the effort. Doyle-Burr details the corporate ins and outs; here's the AG's press release."I’ve never seen this happen before in my career." That's Windsor Police Chief Jen Frank—who, it's fair to say, has seen plenty. But not a wild bobcat trapped in a bathroom after it burst through an open door, apparently chasing a cat. It bit and/or scratched an elderly resident before he was able to shut it up in the bathroom and call police, WCAX reports. VT Fish & Wildlife is testing it for rabies and other pathogens.SPONSORED: White River Family Practice is looking for an experienced RN as our Triage Nurse. We are a small, cohesive practice of 8 providers and 15 clinical and administrative staff who are dedicated to our patients and to each other. Your role will be integral and we will support you as you adjust to your new position. Best of all, you will get to know many of our wonderful patients! Candidates should be prepared to work 4 days weekly with an occasional 5th day to cover vacations. Competitive salary and benefits. Cover letter with resume to [email protected]. Sponsored by WRFP.Lebanon Fire Dept. rescues fisherman from middle of CT River. It happened Friday evening, after the department got notice that the angler had waded into the river to fish when the water suddenly began to rise. The fisherman got to the bridge piling in the middle of the river between WRJ and old West Leb, and waited for help. "Anyone operating below the Wilder Dam on the CT River should be aware that although water levels may be slow and low, they can quickly rise," the dept. says.Planned Parenthood to close Claremont clinic. The news came in a Friday press release (here thanks to VPR's Henry Epp) announcing that the organization will be shuttering four clinics in VT and its Claremont clinic as of June 12. It will also expand hours at seven clinics in VT, NH, and ME. The WRJ and St. J clinics will continue with their current operating hours.N. Thetford water company with 24 users comes up against state water-quality regs. I'm not even going to try to delve into the regulatory intricacies, but the short version is that the Union Water Company, which draws from a hillside spring, has faced all sorts of pressure from the state to deal with cisterns, pipes, and water pressure, to the tune so far of two studies costing the company a year and a half of revenue, reports Li Shen in Sidenote. "Those who manage the water companies observe that all this expense and analysis have done nothing for the actual quality of the water," she writes.Mt. Cube rescue among three in NH on Saturday. A 73-year-old Manchester man had a medical emergency near the summit of the mountain in Orford early Saturday afternoon, and rescue crews were able to reach him a couple of hours later, reports WMUR. He was airlifted to a hospital by the NH Army National Guard. Crews were also called out in separate incidents to help injured hikers on the Bridle Path in Franconia. (Thanks, JF!)And speaking of the Whites, there's a second wildfire. This one broke out Saturday morning in Crawford Notch, and has burned at least 175 acres, reports WMUR's Amy Coveno. After thunderstorms forced fire crews to leave on Saturday afternoon, about 50 returned yesterday to keep battling what had turned into three blazes, collectively dubbed the Bemis Fire. Last week's Centennial Fire is now fully contained. Says Jim Innis, district ranger with the White Mountain National Forest, "Please do not build campfires, and if you do, make sure it's out—and that means pour water on it.”Look, but definitely do not touch. So, if you were going to make a full-on cello entirely out of chocolate, how would you go about it? A tutorial in 30 seconds. (This one's from last year, but hey, it's new to me...)And the Monday Vordle. Using a word related to Friday's Daybreak...

Heads Up

And to usher us into the week: Hungarian pianist, composer, and piano deconstructor Peter Bence "messing around" with Luis Fonsi, Erika Ender and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito," thanks to his imaginative use of his piano and a loop station. (Thanks, KK!)See you tomorrow.

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

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