GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Sunny again, a bit colder. That's because a cold front came through from the north overnight, and the air in its wake—though dry—will keep temps mostly in the upper 20s today, despite the sunshine. On top of that, as you may have heard last night, winds from the north will be fairly brisk, with some gusts into the 20 mph range. Clear skies tonight, lows getting into the single digits.Eagles on ice. The lake at Eastman last week had ice at one end, and looking out his window, photographer Rick Karash saw three birds on it—then realized a couple had white heads. He grabbed his camera and got this remarkable shot. "My bird-expert friends tell me all three are youngsters," he writes. "Brown bird at left is very young, perhaps this year’s hatch. Oldest is in back, and to the right a 3-4 year old." After about ten minutes of pecking at something on the ice, they left—and the crows moved in.Ratings agency downgrades Dartmouth Health outlook. The drop from "stable" to "negative" by Fitch was based on "weak operating cash flow with operating losses that accelerated in fiscal year 2023," reports the VN's Nora Doyle-Burr—though the agency kept the hospital system's bond rating at A and suggested that its financial management efforts "should lead to gradual improvement" and could return it to "stable" in two years. DH spokeswoman Audra Burns noted that in September, Standard & Poor's gave it an A rating and stable outlook, and suggested Fitch's move reflects national concerns.Planning board approves new shelter at former 25,000 Gifts in WRJ. The Haven's proposed "low-barrier" shelter would be open to anyone who needs emergency housing, writes Patrick Adrian in the Valley News, regardless of background, sobriety, or substance use. Hartford planning board members noted Monday night that they were limited by VT's new Act 47, which exempts emergency shelters from many land-use regs. Backers argued the shelter will be key to helping people find services. Residents of Fairview Terrace, above the building, voiced strong concerns about its impact on neighborhood safety.SPONSORED: Give the gift of health for the holidays. Integrative Medicine at APD combines holistic health with traditional medical care to help patients decrease stress, strengthen the immune system, reduce pain, and speed recovery. We offer massage, acupuncture, cupping, energy healing, naturopathic medicine, and craniosacral therapy. You'll find contact information, providers, and more at the burgundy link or here. Sponsored by APD."Some people say the stuff I do is crazy." And despite getting swept up in an avalanche Dec. 9 on Mt. Washington, suffering a compound fracture of his left leg, and undergoing four surgeries, Dominic Torro intends to head into the backcountry on skis again, just as soon as he's healed, though that might take a while. Torro was released from DHMC yesterday, and Concord Monitor columnist Ray Duckler gave him a call. He grew up skiing Mt. Sunapee, has done Airplane Gully—where the avalanche occurred—something like 35 times, and talks Duckler through what the avalanche was like.SPONSORED: Peace on earth, goodwill toward all. Find peace and joy this Christmas, and throughout the New Year, at St Thomas. Be part of glorious, uplifting, music-filled services as we celebrate the arrival of the Prince of Peace. Join us and experience ‘good tidings of great joy’. Sponsored by St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Hanover. All six New England states gained population over the last year. Or at least, between July, 2022 and July, 2023. This is a departure from each of the past four years, writes UNH demographer Ken Johnson in a new issue brief, when at least one state (including VT) lost population—only NH and ME grew each year. Based on new Census estimates, population growth in both those states continued, though at a slower pace, due entirely to in-migration, since deaths exceeded births. The same was true in VT and RI. MA and CT both saw more births than deaths in addition to newcomers from elsewhere.After five NH synagogues receive bomb threats: “This isn’t a game. This isn’t a joke. These are people’s lives." The emailed threats were part of a national wave of them that crested Sunday; on Tuesday, reports NHPR's Todd Bookman, local, state, and federal law enforcement leaders convened in a roundtable at the Manchester PD to vow prosecution and collaboration with faith communities. Jane Young, NH's US Attorney, said her office has been hearing from both Jewish and Islamic religious leaders about increasing tension and fear. “People want to go and worship their Creator in peace,” she said.NH Exec Council gives go-ahead to State House statue honoring Christa McAuliffe—but two members vote No. The vote was 3-2 yesterday on the $500K plan to put up a bronze casting of the teacher and astronaut who died in the Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1986. Councilor Joe Kenney opposed using public money and questioned the statue's planned location; his colleague, David Wheeler, agreed: “Great idea, wrong place,” he said. That drew a "blunt response" from Gov. Chris Sununu, reports NHPR's Todd Bookman: “Could not disagree more." Planners hope to have the statue in place by next September, when McAuliffe would have turned 75.NH officials bite back at feds over numbers of kids who lost Medicaid coverage. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says the state ended coverage for over 19,000 children between March and September, among the highest percentage drops in the country, reports NH Bulletin's Annmarie Timmins. To which Gov. Chris Sununu responded that the feds are "completely out of touch with what’s happening on the ground." The state says many kids lost coverage because their families' incomes rose or they no longer met Medicaid guidelines, and that it's still trying to get others enrolled.In NH, "by far the most housing-related pieces of legislation" filed ahead of a session. As the state legislature preps for its upcoming session, reports NH Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt, it's seeing a slew of housing-related bills being introduced. He looks at several key efforts ahead: making it easier for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units; a suite of zoning-related changes both to encourage towns to allow greater density and to keep them from blocking developments based on certain parking or sewage requirements; and a measure to devote more state revenues to affordable housing.And a look at the challenges VT lawmakers will face next year. Which will be made even tougher because, as Seven Days' Kevin McCallum points out, federal pandemic aid has dried up and for the first time in a decade, the state's general fund will shrink. Even so, there's a long list of problems that need addressing, and McCallum, Anne Wallace Allen, and Alison Novak outline some of them: regulating dams and revamping disaster recovery; making housing more affordable; housing the homeless; how to fix the state's old school buildings; overdose prevention; climate-related bills; and more.FEMA will pay Montpelier $500K for land that won't get trailers; Orange, Windsor counties will get a handful of displaced households. You may remember that on Monday, the federal agency confirmed it won't set up a trailer park on a golf course in Montpelier, after it was able to find alternatives. Even so, reports Carly Berlin for VTDigger and VT Public, it's going to pay the city for the first year of the lease it had agreed to. Meanwhile, of the roughly 20 households displaced by July's floods who still need housing, five are getting new trailers in existing mobile home parks in Orange and Windsor counties.Next year in the cookie cutter world: '60s and ’70s psychedelia? You know: mushrooms, peace signs... That's Ann Clark CEO Ben Clark's prediction. Yesterday you learned about the Rutland company that produces more cookie cutters than any other manufacturer in the US; now the NYT's Priya Krishna (gift link) comes at the story from a different angle: cookie cutters as cultural signposts. The company responds quickly to trends, channeling the zeitgeist: this year's top seller is a gnome, probably thanks to Cottagecore; musical notes began selling just as Taylor Swift began her Eras tour. Krishna explores.In Goof Rap, parkour crew "finds kin on ledges and rooftops." The name is a play on "roof gap," which is a preoccupation when you're navigating an urban environment "in the most creative and efficient way possible," as Camila Van Order González writes in a UVM Community News Service profile of the group. It came together during the pandemic, when three bare acquaintances, locked out of their gyms, "found themselves parallel to each other practicing the aerobatic sport of hopping ledges, scaling walls and running roofs." It's grown to be 33 members strong, González writes, with ties all over the country.Soooo much more refreshing than standing still under a shower head. Ever admire the no-nonsense prerinse/lather/scrub/rinse/dry efficiency of a drive-through car wash? In and out in the time it takes to say "rubber ducky shower curtain." Apparently, so does "kinetic artist" Joseph Herscher, the creative mind behind Joseph’s Machines. Via Threads, he shows off what could be your favorite shower, if only you had enough space, a couple of extra Christmas trees, and 16 water guns.The Thursday Vordle. With a word from yesterday's Daybreak.
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There's that Daybreak jigsaw puzzle, 252 or 520 pieces, just in time for these long nights by the fire. Plus, of course, fleece vests, hoodies, sweatshirts, even a throw blanket. And hats, mugs, and—once you work up a puzzle-piece sweat—tees. Check it all out at the link!
Today at 4 pm, the Upper Valley Land Trust leads its annual winter solstice hike—this year to the top of Lyme Pinnacle, "where we will gather around a fire to enjoy shared company, conversation, and hot chocolate to celebrate the Winter Solstice." UVLT staff will lead the way (and get the fire going), but hikers are free to go at their own pace. It'll be dark on the descent, so bring headlamps.
Starting at 5:30 pm, musicians Bow Thayer and Krishna Guthrie will be at Fable Farm in Barnard, as part of the fermentory's wintertime "Rumney Sessions". Probably neither needs introducing: Thayer, of course, has been making music in VT for over a quarter century; Guthrie, Arlo's grandson, began touring at a young age with his family, before eventually launching his own band and style. "We will be accompanied by a big fire, pizza, soups and lively drinks," Thayer writes on his website.
At 6:30 this evening, Interplay Jazz holds its December jazz jam in the Vermont Room of the Hotel Coolidge in WRJ. Open to all players and listeners. They write: "Instrumentalists, you can join in on the songs others bring, or you can bring 8 copies of the sheet music for tunes you want to play. Singers, please bring 6 to 8 copies of lead sheets or sheet music for your tunes in your key."
This evening at 7:30, Court Street Arts at Alumni Hall in Haverhill hosts Sam Robbins & Halley Neal, with special guests The Rough & Tumble, for "You and Me on Christmas Eve: An Americana Celebration of the Holiday Season". Robbins and Neal are based in Nashville and draw inspiration from both classic and contemporary folk musicians and singer-songwriters. The Rough & Tumble are the local duo of Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler.
And anytime, feel free to check out JAM's highlights for the week: an interfaith menorah lighting and gathering at the LISTEN Community Center focused on local organizations addressing climate change and on opportunities stemming from the Inflation Reduction Act; a tour of The Family Place's Gingerbread Festival and its 110 houses; and JAM's George Spencer reading O. Henry's masterpiece, "The Gift of the Magi", with visuals by Chico Eastridge.
And to get us going for the day...
Nat Myers grew up in Kentucky, the son of a South Korean mom and a dad from Indiana. He got picked on a lot as a kid, got into skateboarding with a crew that defended him, and eventually found his way to poetry—and early blues music. He taught himself to play, set his own poetry to music, and eventually headed off to study poetry at the New School in New York—where he discovered that you could play music on the street and earn money at it. During the pandemic, like a lot of musicians, he put a video on Instagram, where it happened to catch the eye and ear of Dan Auerbach, half of The Black Keys and, more important for Myers, owner of the Easy Eye Sound label. Thankfully, Myers didn't just delete Auerbach's email, as he thought he'd do at first. Now he's got a debut album out, a fast-growing fan base—you'll know why when you hear his voice and his songwriting—and media attention.
, filmed by Western AF at a distillery in Nashville.
See you tomorrow.
The Hiking Close to Home Archives. A list of hikes around the Upper Valley, some easy, some more difficult, compiled by the Upper Valley Trails Alliance. It grows every week.
The Enthusiasms Archives. A list of book recommendations by Daybreak's rotating crew of local booksellers, writers, and librarians who think you should read. this. book. now!
Daybreak Where You Are: The Album. Photos of daybreak around the Upper Valley, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the US, sent in by readers.
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