AH, IT'S YOU, UPPER VALLEY!
Lots of sun, lots of warmth. It's going to be a beautiful day out there. We may see some smoke way up from wildfires in Alberta, and there's some stuff moving our way but we can worry about that tomorrow. Highs around 80 today.Driving Route 4 in VT? Slow down in Bridgewater. VPR's been looking at traffic-ticket numbers in the state, and tiny Bridgewater -- our Bridgewater, over past Woodstock -- accounted for 12 percent of them in 2018, up 20 percent from the year before. In all, the town's revenue was $240,000 from the fines; it paid $236,000 to the Windsor Co. Sheriff's Dept for an enforcement contract. It's possible things will change: Lynne Bertram, the new SB chair, is not a fan of the arrangement.Speaking of traffic, you may have noticed that Hanover has a bunch of new parking meters. They're part of an arrangement with ParkMobile, which provides a mobile-phone app to pay for parking. It works at 554 spaces around town. This way, you don't have to sprint out of Lou's to go feed your meter; just do it tableside. One interesting thing: in some cities, ParkMobile lets you reserve a space. Not in Hanover, but who knows where the tech will go.... The VN's John Lippman takes a thorough look at the proposed Hampton Inn near the Randolph exit off I-89. The project is backed by five investors with local roots, who want to create a 79-room hotel--and the only sizable lodging between WRJ and the Montpelier area. They see it as crucial to Randolph's economic development, and the area's businesses and institutions, including GW Plastics and Norwich University, back it. Opponents worry about loss of views, farmland, increased traffic. (VN, subscription reqd)What are we, chopped liver? UV mostly cold-shouldered in Seven Days "Best of VT" choices. The final round of voting for the mag's "Seven Daisies" awards ends today at 5. WRJ's Trail Break is in a bunch of categories, and you can also tip a nod to Worthy Burger for best burger, the Montshire for best museum, and Woodstock for best in-state getaway. But where's River Roost or Upper Pass for craft breweries? Northern Stage for theater companies? Chris Calvin's Best Bagels for best bagels? Any of our farmers markets or CSA's? Yankee or Norwich for bookstores? WRJ for people-watching? Oh, the infamy!Humane Society opens "food pantry" for pets in old Hirsch's space in Leb. The Upper Valley society's been helping out pet owners in need for a while, says the VN's David Corriveau, through a "mobile" pantry at the VA and by sending pet food to people pantries in various towns. Now, though, it's experimenting to see if there's enough demand to warrant leasing Hirsch's for a full year. "The people and the pets really need our help," says agency director Nikki Ranieri. "The numbers of people coming in keeps growing.” (VN, etc)Rental affordability gaps in both NH and VT. The National Low Income Housing Coalition came out last week with its "Out of Reach" report on the gap between average wages and average rents, and it's not a pretty picture. In VT, the average renter can afford about $700 per month on rent, vs an average cost of $1,184 for a two-bedroom. In NH, they can afford $813, but the average 2-bedroom cost is $1,208. The numbers are somewhat better for the counties around here. You can play at the link.This is interesting: VT's public service dept has issued an RFP for a feasibility study on electric companies providing broadband service. As you'll remember, just last week the guv signed into law a measure boosting community efforts to build broadband, à la ECFiber. This would be an add-on, looking at whether electric infrastructure could also be used to expand broadband. Back in February, former gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist pitched legislators on the idea of encouraging utilities to install fiber on their poles. Meanwhile, NH towns are struggling with rural broadband. The state last year made it possible for municipalities to issue bonds for projects, which has led to wide interest in public/private partnerships to build fiber. In this detailed NH Business Review look at how communities are being forced to go it alone, Hanover Town Manager Julia Griffin and former ValleyNet CEO Carole Monroe review the challenges and frustrations of depending on state and federal help. Middle finger settles in for the long haul. If you were an early Daybreak reader, you'll remember an item about Ted Pelkey, the sculptor over in Westford, VT, who's in a spat with the town over a zoning permit. His 6-foot sculpture of an extended middle finger has drawn national attention, and is now an official "offbeat tourist attraction" on Roadside America. Pelkey's taken the DRB to court, but even if he wins, he tells VTDigger, the finger's going nowhere. "It's awesome," he says. “It’s a statement made to our rights as Americans. This is my land.”SO, GOT PLANS?Tonight's "A Portal to the Sky" at the HOP. Three filmmakers shift science toward art in their shorts about what's above us. "Meridian Plane" uses archival NASA images; "Observando el Cielo" uses very low frequency radio waves of the magnetosphere; "Lunar Almanac" is four minutes of the moon and its moods. The evening's led by Dartmouth science-and-art galvanizer Dan Rockmore and film prof and -maker Jodie Mack. Afterward, astronomy prof Ryan Hickox will have telescopes set up on Maffei Plaza. Starts at 8.Or you could check out the next Swinton generation in The Souvenir. This film by writer/director Joanna Hogg, based in part on her own life, stars Honor Swinton Byrne in her first -- but probably not her last -- movie, as an aspiring filmmaker who falls in with the decade-older Tom Burke, who, of course, both is and isn't what he seems. Tilda, Swinton Byrne's mom, plays her mom. "A masterful portrait...depicting love as an addiction for which there is no easy cure," per the Toronto Star. At Woodstock Town Hall, 7:30.Or heck, maybe just a picnic? Have a good start to your week, and see you tomorrow.
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