Daybreak Thursday 6/18/20

GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!

And even warmer... We've got high pressure nestled right above us, which is going to make for a day much like yesterday, only a few degrees warmer—getting to the high 80s, depending on where you are. Tonight there'll be a subtle shift, with a knot of low pressure wandering in from the Atlantic above that high and introducing more moisture into the air, though it's unlikely to produce anything around here other than maybe clouds. Temps in the higher 50s tonight.

So, let's see...

Aaawww... This photo of a gray fox mom and her pup comes from Lisa Lacasse, who heads the Quechee Area Camera Club and managed to get a bunch of photos of them—just X out of this one and you'll see the gallery. This litter has six kits, Lisa says, which makes it a large one. And adds: Gray foxes are the only canids that climb trees (well, them and Asian raccoon dogs). Meanwhile, loons... Well, actually, just one. But they're never less than eye-catching. Nancy Nutile-McMenemy was out kayaking on Mascoma Lake early the other day and got this one in mid-preen. Downtown WRJ reopens today. The shops and businesses around the main block will re-open their doors to the public at 11, and will be open Thurs-Sat 11-5. "Most of us," writes Long River Gallery's Rachel Obbard, "are requiring face masks and all will have hand sanitizer and encourage social distancing." Among other changes, Fat Hat's WRJ store will focus on men's clothing; Long River used the time to improve its space; Piecemeal Pies is launching outdoor boozy brunches; and Revolution's Kim Souza writes on her FB page, "We’re finally starting to understand the guidance on what our cute little village looks like through the lens of folks who do not identify as White." Hanover postpones town meeting, gets creative for first-ever drive-in. The town's annual business meeting will be moved from the Hanover High gym to the Dewey Field parking lot, and is now scheduled for July 7. Town manager Julia Griffin tells the VN that the space will allow meeting-goers to remain in their cars, or at least be physically distant, that volunteers will have microphones for floor debate, and placards will be distributed for hand votes.

Speaking of Hanover... Police Chief Charlie Dennis, who is also president of the NH Assn of Chiefs of Police, was on NHPR's The Exchange yesterday, and said that he has clarified Hanover PD policy on officers intervening if they see a fellow officer using excessive force. “In reviewing our policy, even though we had a clear reporting of misconduct rule, and an expectation that if you saw someone using excessive force, you would intervene, it wasn't clearly stated,” Dennis said. “So I've already made a special order effective immediately that there is a clear duty to intervene, not only report, but also to intervene.”Wow. That's dedication. Matthew Tyler, of Claremont, was busted Tuesday for stealing a 2020 Toyota Tundra from a dealership in Claremont, driving an hour across Vermont to the tiny Bennington County town of Peru, and breaking into J.J. Hapgood General Store, where he tried to steal the cash register. He was unsuccessful, but did manage to leave with some disinfectant.SPONSORED: Want solar but your home or business isn't suitable?  Maybe it's too shady or small. Or you live in a rental or a condo. Norwich Solar Technologies is offering the chance to go solar without the complications and cost of your own photovoltaic array. It's building new community solar arrays in the Upper Valley, allowing you to sign up for clean energy and get the credit on your electric bill. Open to GMP and Liberty Utilities residential and business customers. Sponsored by Norwich Solar Technologies.Lighter NH college population in fall could affect election outcome. In his "Primary Source" column today, the VN's John Gregg looks at the possibility that coronavirus concerns will keep students at Dartmouth and other colleges and universities in the state home, depriving Democrats "of a key voting bloc." While some may take absentee ballots, Hanover town clerk Betsy McClain says that freshmen will likely be ineligible, as they won't have been around to establish domicile. "I believe this would have an observable impact on our electorate,” she tells Gregg.Sibs from Peterborough rescue hikers in distress in Whites. Schuyler, Sydney, and Caleb Michalak were just below the summit of Mount Jackson after a ten-hour Presidential traverse last week when they came on three hikers in their teens, one of whom was having a seizure while another was obviously dehydrated. The third was calling 911. The Michalaks wrapped them in clothing, gave them food and water... and called their mom, who works for New England K-9 Search and Rescue. As night fell, they accompanied the three—who'd hiked up with only half a bottle of sports drink between them—to near a trailhead, where they were met by Fish & Game.Another pandemic crisis: failing septic systems. NHPR reports that the NH Dept of Environmental Services is seeing a higher percentage of applications for replacing failed systems than in the past, and believes the pandemic is to blame. “Under the situation that we’re living in today, where many, many households have their entire families staying at home," says a spokesman, "there’s much more stress being put on their septic systems." Also, people are using more antibiotic cleaners, which kill the bacteria septic systems need. VT food box program extended, Willing Hands gets contract. The federal Farmers-to-Families food relief program has gotten a two-month extension and will now run through the end of August. That's the effort that's drawn long lines of Vermonters in need waiting for boxes of meat, dairy, and produce. That "retail" delivery will continue to be organized by the Abbey Group around the state, but Willing Hands also got a contract to distribute food boxes to food shelves throughout the Upper Valley.Hey, you pols lamenting the death of local news: Put your ad dollars where your mouth is!  Every election, writes Seven Days' deputy publisher Cathy Resmer, candidates in VT and elsewhere use their funds on FB, Google, and other platforms, "sending money to Silicon Valley rather than to the local media outlets that write about them day in and day out." The platforms stoke division and misinformation, she argues, while contributing no reporting themselves. The solution? "Restrict your campaign advertising to trusted local sources that cover, cultivate and invest in our communities. Use social media sites to share your message, but do not support them financially."Vermont guidance for reopening schools is out. Or, actually, just the first whack at it. It includes requirements for daily health checks for all staff and students at "first point of contact"—including before or upon getting on a school bus; face coverings for bus drivers and all students on buses, with assigned seats; staggered dropoffs and pickups; frequent hand-washing; face coverings inside the school building for all staff and students, and outside when physical distance can't be maintained; frequent cleaning/disinfecting throughout the day... Whew. Full document at the link.VT legislature moves relief money forward. The House late yesterday passed a $300 million measure focused on supporting the state's health care system; the Senate gave first-round approval to a state budget that includes $116 million in federal aid. Legislators have been at odds with the Scott administration over the speed at which they're working, but Seven Days' Paul Heintz reports they've "been working frenetically" to ready major spending packages focused on business, agriculture, housing and broadband in time for a June 26 adjournment.VT tops nation in 2020 maple syrup production. New USDA data reports that the state accounted for 2.2 million gallons of syrup this year—"the most of any state and more than half of the country's total production," MyNBC5 says. That's a record. Vermont also had a record 6,150,000 taps in place; all other states combined reported having 7,360,000 taps.No crossing-the-road jokes, please. Though you'll forgive the Vermont Game Warden Association for not being able to control itself. "Why did the Tegu cross the road?" it posted on its FB page yesterday. Turns out passersby had spotted a four-foot-long "Red Dragon" lizard that had wandered off its property. The warden responding corralled the Tegu, put out the word on social media, and eventually reunited it with its owner. Shouldn't it have been wearing lizard tags?

What technology has accidentally killed the most people? That's the question Gizmodo's Daniel Kolitz asks a bunch of historians, and gets an eye-opening array of responses: the oceangoing vessel (which carried disease to the New World and was deadly for slaves), the internal combustion engine, processed foods, air conditioning, the printing press (critical to the spread of nationalism and hatred), the mechanical cigarette roller, the cotton gin... Thought-provoking throughout.

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Hey! Time to get up and moving. Many months ago in this spot, I put a version of Astor Piazzolla's "Libertango" as done by the Swingle Singers. And I just felt like hearing it again... only this time,

down in what looks like a large drainage pipe. With fantastic acoustics.

See you tomorrow.

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