GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Got a moment? See that maroon "Yes, I'll help Daybreak" button down below? It's there because Daybreak exists only thanks to you. Seriously. If you find your day or week doesn't feel complete without the photos or the news or Dear Daybreak or Wordbreak or all the stuff to talk about with your friends and family and colleagues, and you feel like it matters to know what's going on where you live right now, hit the burgundy link or the button below and check out the options. No rush. The weather will be right here when you get back.See? Partly sunny, cooler. This first official day of spring sees us trending the other direction, with a mix of sun and clouds to start and temps getting into the mid or upper 50s before a cold front moving in from the west and low pressure moving up the coast combine to bring us a chance of rain starting this evening and then rain overnight. Overnight lows in the mid or upper 30s.Leaving a trace behind. Along the Sugar River Trail in Newport, NH the other day, Sally Harris noticed this spot, where "a delicate branched twig had melted through the crusty snow."Time for Dear Daybreak! In this week's collection of stories and more from readers, Robin Osborne reflects on basketball championship season at the Aud in Barre and Thetford's regular place in the stands; Ros Seidel watches (in verse) as a "legion" of redpolls descends on a field; and Robert Bryant details the thrill-seeking exploits of Lucky the squash bug, who took up residence in his kitchen this winter.At the Woodstock police chief hearing... It was a long day of testimony and legal back and forth yesterday as Woodstock Village trustees heard arguments on municipal manager Eric Duffy's bid to demote Chief Joe Swanson. As NBC5's James Maloney reports, things got heated at several moments, with a few members of the public walking out. Several police department employees argued that Swanson had neglected his duties while on the job—an argument his attorney rejected—with acting chief Sgt. Christopher O'Keefe testifying the department had felt like a "frat house...People with their feet on the desk, not out patrolling, a lot of downtime, not out on the street."SPONSORED: Exceptional specialty care is closer than you think. As a member of Dartmouth Health, Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital offers expert care in orthopaedics, general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, podiatry, sports medicine, and more right here in your community. From advanced pain management to sleep health and integrative medicine, our specialists are here to help you feel your best. Learn more at the burgundy link or here. Sponsored by Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital. Talking books—and growing up in Lyme—with illustrator Jason Chin. Chin, who won a Caldecott in 2022 for Watercress and just won an award recognizing his work on Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall, has a new book on hurricanes coming out. On VT Public's "Vermont Edition" yesterday, he and host Mikaela Lefrak talked it all over: the challenges of painting the deep ocean and a dead whale that becomes an entire ecosystem; researching Hurricane ("Help your neighbor," he heard over and over); and his close relationship with Lyme illustrator Trina Schart Hyman ("She showed me what the life of an illustrator might be like.") Starts at 18:56 mark.Pulling a play together: "messy, and thrilling to watch." Susan Apel got a chance to sit in on a rehearsal for A Man of No Importance, which the community troupe We The People Theatre is mounting at the Briggs Opera House starting a week from tomorrow. Out of the little adjustments made by director Eric Love, she writes—a shifted chair, reblockings, "the altered tenor of a line"—will come what the audience gets to see. The play, set in 1960s Dublin, was chosen by founder Perry Allison as a quieter piece than last year's Something Rotten. Plus, "there's Irish music."SPONSORED: Know your farmers, love your food! Root 5 Farm is a certified organic vegetable farm in Fairlee, celebrating our 14th season. When you sign up for our weekly CSA box subscription, you’ll enjoy the freshest local organic vegetables, milk, eggs, fruit, and more from April to November. With flexible pickup options and customizable boxes, eating well has never been easier. Your dollars stay local, strengthen our food system, encourage innovation in farming, and help make the Upper Valley a great place to live. Join us today at the burgundy link or here. Sponsored by Root 5 Farm.Dartmouth names GOP stalwart as new general counsel. It's not often that the college finds itself in the pages of the DC-centric Politico, but its announcement this week that it's named Matt Raymer, an alum and the former chief counsel at the Republican National Committee, as its top lawyer and a member of president Sian Beilock's leadership team, has drawn the spotlight. The piece by Myah Ward and Irie Sentner argues Raymer's hiring is "part of an effort to keep Dartmouth out of the path of destruction" some other Ivies are facing and quotes former president Phil Hanlon: “We’ve done a good job in the past of permitting free expression and respecting others’ voices."Just a heads up on the fast toll lanes at Hooksett... NHDOT announced on Tuesday that the Open Road Toll (ORT) lanes in both directions on I-93 in Hooksett will close for a couple of months beginning Tuesday, April 1 (depending on the weather). They're replacing the entire system of sensors, cameras, computer servers, and specialized software, which was installed in 2013 and "is at its life expectancy," the agency says in a press release. All traffic "will be directed through the traditional cash and E-ZPass lanes within the barrier plaza."The calendar may say "spring" but we all know better. As Kevin O'Connor writes in VTDigger in a quick survey the length of the state, a lot depends on where you're placing your attention. There are the family sugar makers at Brattleboro’s Lilac Ridge Farm, who are in full swing. There are the scientists at the VT Center for Ecostudies, who are seeing the signs in wildlife movement. There's Killington, which is still hoping for a good March blizzard. And up in Danville, organizers of the annual Joe's Pond "Ice Out" pool report, “There are still people out on the ice, but you can see some cracks."Vermont Has a Drinking Problem. It's Time to Talk About It. That's the headline atop Colin Flanders' long, deep look at the issue in Seven Days. The stats are sobering enough: VT ranks in the top 10 states nationally for per capita alcohol consumption, rates of binge drinking, and the share of residents thought to have a diagnosable alcohol-use disorder. It's hard to get a handle on why, he writes, but "the toll is immense," including police calls and at least 100 fatal car crashes over the last five years. Flanders goes beyond the numbers, talking to people struggling with alcoholism, docs, peer coaches, and others.Lookin' back at you. So, while lots of people were up really early last Friday morning looking up at the lunar eclipse, the Blue Ghost lunar lander was on the moon, looking back—and capturing the Earth blocking the sun's light. Scientific American has the photos, provided by Blue Ghost's maker, Firefly Aerospace.The Thursday Wordbreak. With a word from yesterday's Daybreak.
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Daybreak tote bags! Thanks to a helpful reader's suggestion. Plus, of course, the usual: sweatshirts, head-warming beanies, t-shirts, long-sleeved tees, the Daybreak jigsaw, those perfect hand-fitting coffee/tea mugs, and as always, "We Make Our Own Fun" t-shirts and tote bags for proud Upper Valleyites. Check it all out at the link!
Three members of the Haitian band Lakou Mizik bring the music to an evening of local food and drink. Starts at 5:30 pm.
In a presentation "featuring stories, images, and a brief musical coda," Taylor will talk about her experiences unearthing detritus from the Ottauquechee River following the 2023 floods, and using them to create art. 6 pm.
The 2005 film adapted from the musical features six of the eight original Broadway cast members reprising their roles. Part of the "Come As You Are Film Series", no charge. 7 pm.
The Nashville-based country singer and songwriter, who grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas, began playing guitar when she was 15 and has built a strong social-media following for her songs. 7:30 pm, reservations required.
: a March 7 "speed dating" gathering for Upper Valley conservationists with presentations on topics that ranged from searching for rare butterflies and rescuing salamanders to Native American agriculture and planting flowers to beautify public spaces; winning short films from JAM's 2024 pitchfest that debuted at this year's WRIF; and the Leb School District's three All-District concerts (Band, Jazz, and Choir).
We're going to ease into the day today...
With Antoine Boyer, a young French guitarist who first drew attention for his skill at what's still known as French gypsy jazz, but then moved on to classical guitar and then flamenco. But really, he can do anything. These days, writes music critic and historian Ted Gioia, he's "playing an emotionally charged music that operates beyond genre labels"—
, which will take you...somewhere...way back.
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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Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Poetry editor: Michael Lipson Associate Editor: Jonea Gurwitt About Rob About Michael
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