GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Sunny, warm. Which looks to be the forecast for most of this week, though temps will go up and down. Today, we get full-on sun and a high in the upper 60s, then dropping into the low or mid 30s overnight, thanks to clear skies. One thing to know: We're getting dry air and decent winds from the northwest, and as things dry out the combination "could allow any fire starts to quickly grow," the weather folks warn. "If you plan to do any burning, please be extra careful." Porcupine. Cat. What could possibly go wrong? Fortunately, writes Anna Hutton from Enfield, Barney (that's the cat) thought better of it and they went their separate ways.Public hearing set on Leb roundabout. The long-planned proposal for the intersection of Mascoma Street, High Street, and Mechanic Street will finally get a public airing a week from Thursday, on May 18, at Lebanon City Hall. The work will require taking portions of some properties on its planned footprint, which has left development in that area in limbo since 2018, when the city council recommended that construction of a roundabout move forward. Next Thursday's hearing will be conducted by a specially appointed commission of Devin Wilkie, Wendy Piper, and Karen Liot Hill. At one Thetford store, a fresh start and new gas pumps. At another, uncertainty as the pumps come out. In Sidenote, Li Shen keeps up with what's going on at the Village Store in Thetford Center and Baker's Store in Post Mills. Last week, the pumps and two huge storage tanks were taken out at the Village Store (she's got photos), which is still looking for a buyer and where the USPS is still "deliberating" the future of the post office there. Meanwhile, Baker's is under new ownership; it reopened a week ago, and Li offers a tour: new pumps, new Baker's branded goods, new coolers...How a stint in prison helped Ed Eastridge serve the Upper Valley when he returned. The Thetford musician has a show of his "Zoom portraits" at the Main St. Museum, which opened on Saturday—one way of honoring the music producer and legendary guitar teacher as he faces terminal cancer. “I don’t know how long I have,” he tells Alex Hanson in a profile that ran in the Valley News Saturday. “I would imagine it’s less than a year.” Hanson details Eastridge's life as a recording engineer before his 1997 arrest for distributing pot, his time in prison learning to teach guitar, and his career afterward. Includes a link to a JAM video profile.Pomfret brush fire a reminder that the woods are drying out. In a Facebook post yesterday, the Pomfret-Teago Volunteer Fire Department notes that the fire—of unknown origin and size when they got there—was on steep terrain that led them to call in help from Bridgewater, Woodstock, Barnard, and Bethel. "Crews quickly went to work using wildfire pump packs, hand tools, and wildland hose lines to contain and extinguish the fire," they write.SPONSORED: Get back to it. All of it. Feeling better isn’t just about minimizing pain. It’s about getting back to what you love. Family outings. Long walks. Home improvement projects. Dartmouth Health is here to help you get back to all of that and more. We offer the most advanced, personalized treatment plans developed by providers you can trust. Some patients may even be able to go home the same day as their surgery. Wherever you are, Dartmouth Health’s expert orthopaedic care is there for you. Make an appointment and get back to it. Sponsored by Dartmouth Health.The State of VT and Newbury VT: A relationship "so broken that it is beyond repair." That was state Sen. Jane Kitchel in a letter to Gov. Phil Scott last week asking the state to drop its bid to place a secure treatment facility for juvenile offenders in the town and seek alternatives. In today's Journal Opinion newsletter, Alex Nuti-de Biasi reports that the town's selectboard jumped on the opportunity, expressing sympathy with the need for a facility somewhere—but pointing to residents' frustration that the state continues to call it a "group home" rather than a "high-security detention facility."In Bradford and Newbury VT, contract with teachers and support staff drives proposed school budget increase. In all, voters in the Oxbow Unified Union School District tomorrow will weigh in on a district budget that's about 5 percent—or $900,000—higher than this year's, reports Alex Hanson in the VN. Though the budget increase adds some facilities spending, most of it comes in pay raises intended to help the district remain competitive at recruiting teachers and paraeducators, Hanson writes.In Hanover, a three-way contest for two selectboard seats. Town meeting there is also tomorrow, and in the VN, Patrick Adrian reports on responses by Carey Callaghan, Jennie Chamberlain, and Peter Christie to questions the paper posed them. Taken together, they're a primer on the issues Hanover faces, from its budgeting to housing to the town workforce to maintaining services. Voting on those races and a series of zoning amendments will run from 7 am to 7 pm tomorrow, followed by the town business meeting at 7 pm.A show-off month. That would be May, writes the VT Center for Ecostudies in its new "Field Guide to May," what with birds back in full force, trees leafing out, and wildflowers in abundance. Chimney Swifts are back, writes Kent McFarland, "perhaps the most aerial of any land bird, only landing when at the nest or roosting at night." As are butterflies and snakes, and Nathaniel Sharp offers handy tours of who's out there now—along with a little guide from McFarland to garter snakes' tongues, which are "highly sensitive chemical collectors." Plus, Spencer Hardy on why wild bees are good for blueberries.USPS unveils Tomie dePaola stamp. It happened on Friday at Manchester's Currier Museum of Art, where the New London author and illustrator was immortalized with a Forever stamp featuring his best-known character, Strega Nona. The Union Leader was there, as was a crowd, and has photos.At 75, "risking his life to capture photographs that may be difficult to look at, but important to never forget." Hanover's James Nachtwey is one of the most celebrated war and conflict photographers of all time, and on 60 Minutes last night, Anderson Cooper sat down to talk with him about his work, his approach, his experiences in Ukraine and Chechnya and Rwanda and Romania and countless other star-crossed places, how he got started (images from Vietnam by Life photographer Larry Burrows captured his attention while he was a student at Dartmouth), and much more. You can read the transcript, but for the full impact, you really need to watch the segment.The Monday Vordle. With a word from Friday's Daybreak.
Heads Up
At 5 pm today, Dartmouth's economics department, the Rockefeller Institute, and The Dartmouth Institute host Harvard economist Raj Chetty for a talk on "Creating Equality of Opportunity in America: New Insights from Big Data." Chetty runs an effort called Opportunity Insights, which plumbs “big data” for clues on how to give children from disadvantaged backgrounds better chances of succeeding. He'll talk about the group's recent work on social mobility, and how it can be used to change policy on affordable housing, education, and other areas that affect economic opportunity. In Filene Auditorium.
And at 6 pm, Dartmouth's Tuck School hosts NH Gov. Chris Sununu for a "View from the Top" conversation with Tuck dean Matthew Slaughter. There will be a moderated Q&A followed by a chance for questions from the broader community. Live in the McLaughlin Atrium (signup required) and livestreamed. Open to the public.
And to start us out for the week...
We'll turn to Moby, who's got a new album debuting on Friday with a set list full of guest vocalists. Including LA-based singer Lady Blackbird,
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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