TOP O' THE WEEK, UPPER VALLEY!
Oh well. There's a surface cold front paying a call today and tomorrow on its way through from the west. It will bring a chance of showers and thunderstorms starting around mid-afternoon, with rain likely tonight. Until then, though, things should be partly sunny, highs reaching the high 70s. Down into the high 50s tonight. Winds from the south.Let's catch up...
NH added 43 new positive test results Friday, 17 on Saturday, and 8 yesterday, bringing its official total to 6,988. It reported 1 new death, bringing that total to 423. There are now 6,287 official recoveries (90%), and 278 current cases. Grafton County has had 107 cumulative cases (up 2), while Sullivan remains at 44 and Merrimack at 472. There are 5 active cases in Grafton County, 6 in Sullivan (down 1), and 9 in Merrimack (down 8). Lebanon no longer has any active cases. Hanover, Canaan, Grantham, Claremont, and Charlestown have between 1 and 4 active cases each.
VT reported 17 new cases on Friday, 10 on Saturday, and 5 yesterday, bringing its total to 1,515. There were no new deaths, which remain at 58 total, and 3 people are now hospitalized. Windsor County gained 2 new cases and stands at 75 cumulatively; Orange County gained 1 case, and is now at 17 overall. In town-by-town counts reported Friday, Hartford is still at 17 cumulative cases; Woodstock has gained 1, for 12 all told. Most other towns in the region have had between 1 and 5.
Higher demand, fewer homes on the market lead to fast UV home sales in the age of Covid. "Not since...traumatized New Yorkers swept into northern New England seeking safety in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, has there been such a pressing demand for homes in the Upper Valley," the VN's John Lippman writes. Sales are up—261 pending in five key towns from May-July for houses under $500K, compared to 187 last year. But also, owners are "sitting on the sidelines" during the pandemic, so inventory's down dramatically.As U Mich provost, Hanlon okayed administrator's promotion despite sexual misconduct allegations. A report by the DC law firm WilmerHale found "significant evidence” that U-M dean and eventual provost Martin Philbert made unwanted physical and sexual advances for years, reports The Dartmouth. The firm found that Dartmouth President Phil Hanlon, who was U-M provost until 2013, “did not dismiss” allegations he knew of when Philbert sought promotion to dean of the school of public health, but concluded there was "no evidence apart from rumor" and did not ask the office responsible for investigating sexual harassment allegations to delve further.Dresden schools encounter "fierce resistance" on in-person school reopening. While parents in Lebanon mobilize to request full-time in-person schooling rather than a hybrid model, teachers and parents in the Hanover-Norwich schools are unsettled by the idea. The SAU 70 school board wants a four-day-a-week return to school, but about a third of the district's teaching staff has petitioned for online-only instruction, arguing they were not represented at the planning table. (VN)Speaking of resistance, Post Mills workforce housing site comes in for some, too. Back in the spring, Thetford bought eight acres there—on Route 244 between Cross Road and Lakeshore Road—and has proposed putting up 16 units of workforce housing. About 100 people so far have signed a petition opposing the move for its impact on agricultural land and on Lake Fairlee; some of them are exploring alternative sites in E. Thetford. Because of a covenant on the Post Mills land, it's unclear whether it can legally be subdivided into more than two lots. (VN)"What could NHPR do to help you feel like a more informed voter?" As they did back in presidential primary season about 1000 years ago, they're asking for input from listeners to help them shape their coverage of the upcoming September primary and November general election, not just for the presidency, but for governor, a US Senate seat, two House contests, etc. Survey and details at the link.
And if you're planning to vote absentee in November, mail your ballot in early. New Hampshire is among the states that got a warning letter from the US Postal Service that delays could mean uncounted votes. The state recommends requesting an absentee ballot at least 7 days ahead of the election; the USPS says that may not be enough time, and urges voters to send in their completed ballots no later than October 27. You might want to mark your calendar. (Scroll down at the link.)Also, read the dang instructions! "The number of Vermonters voting by mail soared to record levels" last week, writes Seven Days' Kevin McCallum. "So did the number of people who completely botched it." They filled out more than one ballot, or forgot to return unmarked party ballots along with the one they'd chosen, or didn't sign the envelope containing their ballot, rendering their votes invalid. In all, some 6,000 votes weren't counted as a result. With only one general election ballot, the "defective" rate should be lower in November.“The 10 most commonly spoken languages in Vermont, aside from English, are Swahili, Mai Mai, Somali, Nepali, Kirundi, French, Spanish, Arabic, Burmese, Vietnamese, and I would add Chinese in there." That's Xusana Davis, the state's first director of racial equity, whose job is to ensure equal access to state services. VT Business Mag's Joyce Marcel has a profile, including Davis' efforts to lower language barriers. and to address sprawling racial equity issues with no agency, budget, or staff. “It's a Herculean job, and the state is going to need to very intentionally find ways to support that office in the work,” says Hartford's Kevin "Coach" Christie.Just where Justin Morgan had a horse finally tracked down. For years, the location of Morgan's home had been unkown, writes the VN's Alex Hanson, until Dennis and Laura Tatro, who own Morgans and clearly can't abide a mystery, spent 14 years tracking it down. It's by the Randolph-Brookfield town line, and at the end of the month a historic marker commemorating the site will be dedicated — across the road, since the current landowner doesn't want the sign on his property.A little photography lesson. "I feel that sunrise and sunset photos are better with foreground objects and not just pretty clouds," Jim Block writes in his latest blog post. And proceeds to demonstrate using Lake Sunapee. Or there's always a mountain. Right under the Milky Way. During a meteor shower. Snagged by Reddit user peeweekid the other night, with Camel's Hump off in the distance, the Milky Way rising above it, meteors raining down (it's a time-lapse)... As always, click on the image for the best view.
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Heads Up
At noon, the Norwich Library holds the first of two Zoom discussion on "Civil Rights in the Whitest State." Today, a look at Vermonters' reaction when the civil rights movement in the '60s shifted its focus from voting rights to public accommodations and fair housing, and at Sen. George Aiken's compromise language advancing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but at a cost. Link at the link.
Also, this is way in advance, but just so you know: the CHaD Hero will run over two weeks in October, virtually. "Superheroes need to be ready for anything at a moment's notice," they write, and this year proves it. Registration's only $15, there's no fundraising minimum, and you can do whatever activity you like—including running. Details at the link.
Reading Deeper
"It is in our power to have an abundance of tests within months—and to return life to normal, or something close to it, even before a vaccine is found. There is a way out of the pandemic." The US's current testing regime is failing, The Atlantic's Robinson Meyer and Alexis Madrigal write, in part because it takes too long to get results from PCR tests right now, making them practically useless at stemming the pandemic. A "loose confederation of scientists, economists, doctors, financiers, philanthropists, and public-health officials" has come together to plot new strategies to carry out massive, near-daily testing, and their approaches center around a saliva test on a strip of paper that returns results in 15 minutes. Meyer and Madrigal's in-depth piece ran on Friday. Then, on Saturday, the FDA approved just such a test, developed at Yale with backing from the NBA. Yale's making the protocol available to any lab using any equipment they want (as long as they get Yale's protocol approval), which means it can become cheap and ubiquitous. In this Twitter thread, Andy Slavitt, former Obama health care official and current Covid breakout commentator, explains why he's convinced this one's a game-changer. "Rarely am I this enthusiastic," he writes.
Let's plunge into the week on a lyrical high note: Compay Segundo's "Chan Chan," made famous by the Buena Vista Social Club but here in a Playing for Change version, with an ace lineup of musicians, including acoustic bassist Carlitos del Puerto, tres (Cuban guitar) master Pancho Amat, Havana-based jazz pianist Roberto Carcassés, Mali's Mamadou Diabaté showing that the kora transcends oceans, and an indisputable star turn by Cuban singer Teté Caturla, coming out of retirement. (Thanks, KRH!)Have a fine mid-August day. See you tomorrow.
Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Banner by Tom Haushalter Poetry editor: Michael Lipson About Rob About Tom About Michael
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