GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Cold front coming through, chance of showers, thunderstorms. Though you don't really want to dwell on the "cold" part of that sentence: Highs today will be cooler than yesterday, but still in the low or mid 80s. Biggest chance of rain and thunder is either side of midday; otherwise, it'll be partly sunny, with winds from the west, and we'll be back down to the mid 50s overnight as things get a bit more normal around here.Moose. Just moseying around Kevin Peterson's place in Lyme, which has a large unbroken forest nearby, "so this is not totally uncommon," he writes. Though he adds, "You are much more likely to find moose in the larger unbroken forest east of the Skiway and up toward the Dorchester town line and Cummings Pond."If you happen to see a large police presence in Centerra today... The Lebanon Police Department, working with FitKids Childcare at the River Valley Club, is holding a "multi-agency active shooter training exercise" today from 8 am to noon. In its release, the LPD says it's "aimed to enhance the emergency response capabilities and ensure that participants are well-prepared in the event of an actual emergency"—and that there will be emergency personnel and vehicles around, but they don't expect an impact on traffic or businesses.Oh, and while we're on the Lebanon police: They've been getting reports of a scammer claiming to represent the department—and using its 603-448-1212 phone number while trying to solicit money and advise of fraudulent warrants. They're investigating, but in the meantime, they say, "These calls are not legitimate. Please do not give out any personal or financial information over the phone. Always verify the legitimacy of any law enforcement organization before giving out any personal or financial information."Hartford planning, zoning boards give go-ahead to Sykes Mtn. Ave. apartment complex. The 240-unit complex between Hickory Ridge and Lily Pond roads is the latest version of a project first proposed for the 25-acre site in 2015 by developer Earl Simpson, writes Patrick Adrian in the Valley News. Under the current plan, Simpson Development and the Venezuela-based Pering Group will put up five buildings: four with 192 market-rate apartments, and the fifth slated for 48 affordable units. They're still seeking selectboard approval to realign the intersection of Hickory Ridge and Sykes Mtn. Ave.
SPONSORED: What kind of hiking shoes should I be wearing, anyway? Your hiking questions, answered. From footwear to fitness, get started on the right foot with the Healthy Hiking Guide: tips for a long, fulfilling hiking season courtesy of the Cioffredi & Associates Physical Therapy team in Lebanon and Grantham. Sponsored by Cioffredi & Associates Physical Therapy.Report says state trooper injured in Bethel crash was driving 79 to 86 mph at time of impact. And had hit 88 mph just before that. The March crash occurred while Bethel firefighters were on I-89 responding to a different accident; Cpl. Eric Vitali, a 19-year veteran of the force, was badly injured after his cruiser hit the rear of a tanker truck. Steering and braking data from the cruiser suggest "it is unlikely that [Vitali] fell asleep, or lost consciousness, prior to the collision," the report—first obtained by WCAX and WPTZ—says. It offers no clues on why Vitali didn't see the tanker. WCAX's Cam Smith reports.Royalton forced to close second bridge. This time it's a bridge on Broad Brook Road near Harlow Road, not far from where Royalton, Sharon, and E. Barnard meet up. On Saturday, the VN reports, a resident alerted town officials that stones supporting the steel and concrete bridge had fallen into Broad Brook below. A VTrans official inspected it Monday, and the selectboard has authorized an emergency repair contract. “The bridge itself and the bridge deck are in good condition,” town administrator Victoria Paquin tells the VN. “It’s just that abutment that actually holds the bridge that needs to be repaired.”Political consultant indicted for NH presidential primary AI robocalls. You remember the case: the robocalls that mimicked President Joe Biden's voice telling voters not to go to the polls on Primary Day. Now, reports WMUR's Ross Ketschke, the man who commissioned the deepfake—veteran get-out-the-vote consultant Steve Kramer, who was working for the campaign of Minnesota Democrat Dean Phillips at the time—is facing ten indictments in Rockingham County for intimidation, suppression, and impersonation of candidates. Here's NBC News with more background.In bid to bring in more federal dollars for Medicaid, Sununu and hospitals are at loggerheads. The governor's plan, introduced to the state Senate last week, is to change how the Medicaid Enhancement Tax—basically, the state taxes hospital revenues then pays most back, allowing it to collect hundreds of millions in federal matching funds—gets distributed to hospitals. The upside: more federal money for Medicaid. The downside: Half the state's hospitals would see funding cuts. NHPR's Paul Cuno-Booth explains the details.NH outpaces its neighbors in housing costs. The median sale price for a single-family house hit a record $515,000 in preliminary data for April, reports Jessica Williams for the NH Fiscal Policy Institute. ME's median for March (the latest she's got available) was $380,000, while VT's was $376,000. And though MA's median was $610,000 in March, that was a year-over-year increase of 8.9 percent, compared to NH's 11.6 percent. A big issue: dropping numbers of houses for sale. "Overall," Williams writes, "inventory has been on a steady decline on an annual basis since 2018. She digs into the numbers in her report.Vermont has a new wake boat rule—but the fight's hardly over. You'll remember that the rule went into effect about a month ago, limiting wake boats to 30 lakes and ponds in the state. But while some wake sports fans believe the state's already gone too far, reports Anne Wallace Allen in Seven Days, dwellers and boaters on some of those lakes believe the rule is too lax for their particular body of water. About a half dozen lake associations, including Lake Fairlee's, have submitted petitions to have theirs taken off the list. Allen details the background, the sentiments, and what lies ahead.Grace Potter in Burlington, garlic in Bennington, mountain biking in E. Burke: a guide to big-time VT events. The brightest spotlight's on other places in Seven Days' guide to "Can't-Miss Summer Events"—from Garlic Town USA in Bennington to the Grand Point North music festival in Burlington to the Elevate Mountain Bike Festival, the Dorset Theater Festival, and more. But they also mention the Killington Wine Festival, the Central VT Chamber Music Festival in Randolph and Woodstock, and the Tunbridge World's Fair. Wherever, there's plenty going on to build a summer calendar around.Word of the day: chemiluminescence. In scientific terms, it’s the emission of light due to a chemical reaction. In artistic terms, it’s … magnificent. Capture the Atlas has posted its "Milky Way photographer of the year" favorites, and the detail and colors cameras reveal are breathtaking, as are the landscapes below those skies: glacial lakes in New Zealand, the Julian Alps in Slovenia, hoodoos in Utah. Photographers’ notes explain how they got the shot, which is, often, not easily. Think night time… in the desert… in a mountain lion reserve. There's an extensive guide to how, when, and where to photograph the Milky Way.
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We may be the middle of nowhere to everyone else in VT and NH, but
we
know what's good! Strong Rabbit's Morgan Brophy has come up with the perfect design for "We Make Our Own Fun" t-shirts and tote bags for proud Upper Valleyites. Plus you'll find the Daybreak jigsaw puzzle, as well as sweatshirts, tees, a fleece hoodie, and, as always, the fits-every-hand-perfectly Daybreak mug. Check it all out at the link!
The museum hosts Ilona Katzew, curator and head of the Department of Latin American Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, for the annual Orozco lecture. She'll take as her starting point the work of artists after the Spaniards began colonizing the Americas in the late 15th century, who "drew from a range of traditions—Indigenous, European, Asian, and African—reflecting the interconnectedness of the world," and address the role museums can play in shaping the field.
At the Howe, NH Humanities celebrates its 50th—with Steve Taylor on the roots of "the Upper Valley."
Things get going at 5:30 pm with refreshments, then at 6, NH Humanities director Michael Haley Goldman offers up a brief history of the group, followed by Taylor's presentation on the “Great Newspaper War of the Upper Valley": the competition between the Claremont
Daily Eagle
and the upstart
Valley News,
and the fallout—and regional identity—that resulted. In-person or via Zoom, email
to register either way.
The novel, Charry's first, drew strong reviews both here and abroad: Based on "the earliest known mention" of an East Indian worker in colonial America, it tells the story of a boy who's shipped off from the subcontinent to Virginia in 1635, tracing his experiences as he navigates the region's tobacco plantations and caste system.
The Claremont-based theater company once again makes use of the historic Maxfield Parrish stage set—and period costumes—to mount a production of Ibsen's classic in a new version by playwright Brian Friel, with the explosive results as Hedda, constrained by marriage and society, pursues freedom and influence. Tomorrow and Saturday at 7:30, Sunday at 2 pm.
Each week, Ian Behnke and Megan Robinson talk summer baseball in New England with interviews, game insights, and more: this week, a look at the Nighthawks' creative team. Also there anytime you want to see them: US Rep. Becca Balint talks over the issues facing VT; t
he Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission's Adam Namm talks illicit drug use—and how little users know about what's in them; and a profile of Dartmouth's first drag "house".
And to get us into the day...
Okay, it's a gimmick. But it's a fun one. Denis Pauna, a Croatian guitarist and keyboardist, has built a mighty solid YouTube following with his mashups of hit songs. The other day, he dropped a new one:
. And dang if it doesn't kinda work! You need this one on loud.
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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