Daybreak Thursday, 2/5/26

Mostly sunny. With high pressure building in, we get another in our little series of beautiful days. Highs today might be a couple of degrees cooler than yesterday, but we’re still looking at a comfortable mid 20s. There’ll be more clouds around overnight, but we’ll still be in the minuses by the time dawn arrives.

The play of light. Daytime and nighttime…

It’s time again for Dear Daybreak! This week’s collection of vignettes and poetry from Upper Valley readers starts off with Susanne Pacilio’s haunting full moon photo; moves on to Sonia Swierczynski’s story about how, when you move into a small hamlet, there’s really no such thing as privacy; takes a quick break with Jane Masters’s winter haiku; and then takes us to a small spit of land bordered by the Ompompanoosuc and the Connecticut where Cia Rising grew up—and its little-known name and history. If you’ve got a good Upper Valley anecdote or entertaining story or bit of local history, please use this form to pass it along or email me at [email protected].

Windsor Co. sheriff loses law enforcement certification; governor calls on him to resign. The Vermont Criminal Justice Council yesterday voted unanimously to take away Ryan Palmer’s certification at least temporarily, while he faces criminal sexual misconduct charges, reports Seven Days’ Colin Flanders. As a result, Flanders writes, Palmer will be restricted to “administrative duties, preventing him from carrying out most aspects of typical police work such as investigating crimes or conducting patrols.” Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Windsor County’s legislative delegation asked him to step away from his job while the matter is pending, and yesterday, Gov. Phil Scott called on him to step down entirely, saying, “he’s lost the trust of the folks in Windsor County.”

Sorting through the Norwich candidates. In most towns around the region, it can be tough to learn much about the people running for local office, especially the more obscure positions. Norwich, though (like Thetford), has a town-focused blog, Demo Sofronas’s About Norwich. Yesterday, Demo posted a rundown, with photos, of this year’s office-seekers running for everything from town moderator to town clerk to treasurer, lister, cemetery commissioner, school board, and selectboard (including Pam Smith, a former selectboard member who launched a write-in campaign after no one filed for one of the open seats).

SPONSORED: To heat or eat? Many Upper Valley neighbors are facing difficult choices—heating their homes or affording food, medication, or other essentials. LISTEN Community Services needs your support to provide heating assistance during these final cold months in winter. Last year, generous donors like you helped more than 1,500 community members stay warm and safe. You can make a difference today—and the Jack & Dorothy Byrne Foundation will double your gift up to a total of $25,000. Donate here or at the burgundy link. Sponsored by LISTEN. 

Phnom Penh Sandwich Station moving down the road as Leb readies work on roundabout. Sarin Tin’s original outpost opened a decade ago, writes Clare Shanahan in the Valley News, and it’s been on tenterhooks for years, as the city moved forward with its plans for a $3.86 million roundabout where Mechanic Street, Mascoma Street, and High Street come together. Now that the city’s getting ready to start construction in the spring, Tin is prepping to move later this month to 129 Mechanic Street, where former Lebanon Mayor Georgia Tuttle had her dermatology practice. His current spot will close after Valentine’s Day; he hopes to open the new one this summer.

Here’s a wedding venue you might not have considered: VINS’s forest canopy walk. Well, strictly speaking, that may not be the actual the spot you tie the knot. But VINS is available for weddings (rum punch with raptors?), and it figures in Suzanne Podhaizer’s Seven Days roundup of “offbeat Vermont wedding venues.” There’s a big treehouse in Burlington’s Oakledge Park (though it can’t be reserved), the Ticonderoga steamboat in Shelburne, the ECHO Leahy Center on Lake Champlain in Burlington, and if you don’t mind setting foot a little bit out of state, and definitely out of the ordinary, the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour in downtown Ticonderoga, NY.

SPONSORED: Upper Valley Habitat for Humanity seeks construction manager. The position is for a residential build in WRJ, in charge of construction, material ordering, and supervising volunteers. It’s a part-time position averaging 26 hours/week through this summer, with a possibility of extending to a permanent position. $28-$32/ hour, ideal for semi-retired builder, project manager, or anyone looking to reduce from full-time. Qualifications include at least 5 years’ construction experience and experience overseeing volunteers or construction crews. More details and contact info at the burgundy link. Sponsored by Upper Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Noah NotForgotten? Benjamin BeginAgain? Stanton Steadfast? Montgomery Muchloved? Those are the four names that the board of Haverhill’s Tomten Farm and Sanctuary is asking the nonprofit’s Facebook followers to choose among for the 22-year-old stallion rescued last month from a farm in upstate NY. The horse was in desperate straits when he arrived, writes the VN’s Alex Ebrahimi, nearly emaciated and mostly interested in eating and sleeping; now, says Tomten founder Jenifer Vickery, “He’s started doing just simple horse behaviors. Snaking his neck or doing a little hop, skip and a jump.” You can follow the voting (and vote) here.

NH Exec Council digs in heels on emissions testing. Yesterday, reports Molly Rains in NH Bulletin, the council voted 3-2 against a 60-day extension on the state’s contract with the company that provides electronic equipment for emissions testing in the state—and that successfully sued to keep NH’s inspection program going despite the legislature’s vote last year to end it. As you remember, a federal court last week ordered the state to continue inspections for the moment; Exec councilors who voted to kill the contract argued that the legislature’s action means the state has no law justifying one. Now, Rains writes, there’s even more confusion for motorists.

Some hard numbers on VT’s medical-aid-in-dying law. In the ten years before the state changed its law to allow out-of-staters the ability to get a prescription to end their own lives, reports VT Public’s Mikaela Lefrak, 204 Vermonters used the law. In the two years between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2025, 190 people did: 132 Vermonters, 56 out-of-staters, and two people whose home states were unknown. In all, says Patient Choices Vermont’s Amy Bruce, fewer than 1 percent of deaths in Vermont each year are through medical aid in dying.

Rumble Strip’s Erica Heilman: “Figuring out how I do [radio] was a little like that game Hotter/Colder, except it took forever.” In the slice of the radio world where ordinary people’s voices tell the story, Heilman is a rock star. So the folks at the audio storytelling group Transom asked her advice for big-city pros and small-town aspirers alike. Even though she likened it to “singing acapella, naked,” she came up with a list of “My Rules of Radio”. You could just read the list (“Why should my mother care about this?” “Remember this person you are talking with is the world expert in their own life"…) but even better, listen to her cutting-room-floor snippets. They’re entertaining, educational, and a look at how great audio gets made.

He swam four hours through rough seas to save his family. He’s 13. On vacation in Quindalup, Australia, Joanne Appelbee and her three kids—13, 12, and 8—were splashing around in shallow waters on inflatable paddleboards and a kayak, writes Ima Caldwell in The Guardian. Then, says Appelbee, “It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly.” Strong winds blew them from shore, dark fell, waves rose. Appelbee made the agonizing choice to send Austin, 13, to get help. Four hours and a 4k swim later, he reached shore, ran another 2k to a phone, and called for help. Rescuers found the family, cold and sea-tossed but OK, and brought everyone to safety. 

Oh, heck, we all look like this first thing in the morning. Of course, we’re not all pumas waking up with a trail cam sitting right there…

The Thursday crossword. Today, it’s wily puzzle constructor Laura Braunstein’s “midi” — slightly longer and harder than her Tuesday minis, but nothing that’ll eat up your morning. Added bonus: This one’s got a couple of key Upper Valley landmarks. And if you’d like to catch up on past puzzles, you can do that here.

Today's Wordbreak. With a word from yesterday’s Daybreak.

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HEADS UP
Dartmouth Winter Carnival and Frost Lights. The opening celebration for Carnival is at 7 pm, but late this afternoon starting at 5 pm (and running until 11 pm), the college is hosting Frost Lights: “a remarkable immersive and interactive light and sound installation inspired by this year's Winter Carnival theme - The Blizzard of Oz: Wicked Cold.” In College Park on top of Observatory Hill, runs through Saturday (though Saturday is tentative depending on the temps).

The Norwich Historical Society and “Norwich & Hanover in the American Revolution”. On Thursdays this month, the NHS will host four Zoom presentations as a fundraiser. This is the first: “The years of the American Revolution brought challenges to this frontier town. The men and women who lived here during those years encountered dilemmas that echo through time and around the world.” 6:30 pm and you’ll need to register (and, ideally, donate).

At the Howe Library, “Research at the Dartmouth Organic Farm”. As the Howe writes, the farm on Route 10 “hosts a variety of research projects and opportunities for experiential learning.” In this presentation, Earth Sciences prof Carl Renshaw will talk about his research into carbon sequestration in agricultural lands, and Environmental Studies prof Theresa Ong will lay out her research into the interactions among the environment, organisms, and people and how they influence food production. 6:30 pm in the Mayer Room and online.

Ellis Paul at the Flying Goose Pub in New London. The Maine native was a key figure in the folk revival of the '90s, a driver of what became known as the Boston school of songwriting: "a literate, provocative, and urbanely romantic folk-pop style." 7:30 pm, reservations required.

And for today...

Janjay Lowe spent the early days of his childhood in Liberia when the country was at war with itself and kids like him were being forced to pick up guns and fight. After his mother died, his grandmother placed him with a missionary family from Florida, where he moved when he was 7—and from there to Montana, the Bahamas, and, eventually, Chattanooga. He now performs as Mon Rovîa, a nod to the city in which he was born, labels himself an Afro-Appalachian folk musician—and has parlayed TikTok success into growing fame. His highly personal debut album, Bloodline, came out last month (“Swirling melodies, hypnotic rhythms, and joyous harmonies,” wrote one reviewer). Here’s a taste, but it’s worth searching out others, including the title track.

See you tomorrow.

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Written and published by Rob Gurwitt      Poetry editor: Michael Lipson    Associate Editors: Jonea Gurwitt, Sam Gurwitt