GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
"The weather will turn more active..." Don't you love the way the weather folks say, "Break out the umbrellas"? There's low pressure moving through today and tomorrow, bringing rain and possible thunderstorms, especially this afternoon and tonight. They're expecting 1-3 inches of rain all told—not enough to get us out of drought, but enough to make you want to keep an eye on small rivers and streams: There's a flash flood watch in effect. High today around 70, low 60s tonight, winds from the southwest.In the eye of a sunset. John Pietkiewicz was on a hill in Corinth last week as the sun was setting over central Vermont, the clouds and the light all conspiring to make you forget pretty much everything else going on here on earth.Sign of the times: Dartmouth to disband Covid task force. In an announcement this week, President Phil Hanlon said that the group will formally end its work on Aug. 1, though as of Monday, it was no longer reviewing operations or making recommendations to college administrators. Instead, decisions will be handled by the usual administrative offices. "We will continue to monitor the global response and, while we are hopeful about the path forward, we may restore parts of our task force should it be needed," Hanlon said in his announcement.That Harlow Lent exhibition and sale over the weekend? Good work, people! Lent, of course, is the WPA-era painter whose last works went to the Strafford Historical Society to help them start raising money to renovate their new quarters. "We were gobsmacked by what a success it was," writes society president Kate Siepmann. "I had hoped against hope that we might clear $10,000—an unheard of amount for the Historical Society. By the end of the day on Sunday, we had taken in $22,750! Thanks to you, (VN reporter) Alex Hanson, (photographer) Geoff Hansen, and Harlow, we have a first leg up on our astronomical fundraising efforts for a restored building."SPONSORED: Elixir Restaurant Update! Our summer vacation is over and we reopen today, Thursday, at 5 pm. Due to front-of-house staffing issues we will not be able to seat at full capacity, and will be open Wednesday through Saturday for dinner from 5-8 pm. Reservations are strongly recommended. We have openings for service staff and food runner/expeditor, and are paying a generous “pandemic wage” plus tips until operations are back to normal. Please inquire at [email protected], 802-281-7009, or at 188 South Main Street, White River Junction. Sponsored by Elixir.
Oh, hey, Quechee, where were you? During last week's big storm, the National Weather Service folks in Burllington—who'd sent out an accurate severe thunderstorm alert for the area ahead of time—were reduced to cold-calling schools, police departments, and others in the area for real-time reports on what was happening. The reason, writes Sophia McDermott-Hughes in VTDigger, is that the service's pool of volunteer weather reporters has shrunk—problematic for helping the NWS hone its predictions in a place like Quechee, which sits in a partial radar blind spot.77 feet per mile. That's the average drop along the Winnipesaukee River as it flows through Franklin, NH—the reason Franklin became a mill town and, now, the about-to-be site of a whitewater park and recreation destination called Mill City Park. The groundbreaking ceremony is on Monday, and there are a lot of hopes riding on the park and the visitors it's already attracting to town. Other NH communities (Lebanon included) are paying close attention, and in InDepthNH, Thomas P. Caldwell takes a detailed look at how it came about—and at some of the investment money snapping up real estate in town.You weren't just imagining it: Home price increases in VT, NH among nation's largest. The average price for a single-family home grew 19.2 percent in Vermont and 18.9 percent in New Hampshire between May, 2020 and May, 2021, according to a new report by the real estate analytics firm CoreLogic. That was enough to put them second and third in New England, behind Rhode Island, writes Jeff Feingold in NH Business Review. Elsewhere, prices in Idaho grew a blistering 30 percent, followed by Arizona at 23.4 percent. The average increase nationally was 15.4 percent.She really didn't want to stop. Monday night, a 17-year-old girl stole a pickup in Berlin, NH and led police on a 50-mile chase into Maine. According to the AP, she first hit a Jersey barrier in a construction zone in Bethel, managed to avoid three sets of spike mats set up to stop her, turned into a dead-end street in Rumford but got away by driving through a yard, crashing through a fence, just missing a swimming pool, and side-swiping a vehicle. She was eventually stopped by a spike mat and turned over to police in Berlin.
Paid family leave in NH is now law, but details are yet to be worked out. In NH Bulletin, Ethan DeWitt dives into the new program, set to take effect in 2023, and why some critics think it faces pitfalls. The plan does not mandate that employers participate—except for the state, which will subsidize the leave benefit for state employees, who will not need to pay premiums. In theory, this will give the state an insurance pool that will keep the plan affordable for everyone else. But insurers have yet to get involved and the actual funding structure is unsettled, as are details on which claims will be approved."Paul Costello won't like this column." That's how new Seven Days political columnist Mark Johnson introduces his tribute to the outgoing director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development. Costello—"an introvert in a job typically held by an extrovert booster," as Johnson puts it—retires in September, and has always preferred that the spotlight go elsewhere. Costello, Johnson writes, has a gift for helping towns turn discussions about their future into practical action. "When folks interact with Paul, they see opportunity and they see possibility because he reflects it back at them," says one admirer.Strolling of the Heifers headquarters sale raises questions about the future. But the Brattleboro nonprofit isn't talking. “I am so sorry but we are not ready at this time,” founder Orly Munzing emails VTDigger's Kevin O'Connor when asked to talk about the organization’s prospects. O'Connor asked after organizers of a proposed local marketplace said they’re purchasing the nonprofit's downtown Brattleboro building to use as a showcase for area products. The Stroll had to cancel its 2020 and 2021 parades, which would have accounted for almost two-thirds of its annual budget.There's only one restaurant in Burlington that offers rooftop dining—and it's the Tuckerbox's sister, Istanbul Kebab House. "It's great to be the only rooftop; you can market that," co-owner Jackie Oktay tells Seven Days' Melissa Pasanen. You'd think that, given the potential views out over the lake (which the Kebab House doesn't have), Burlington would have lots of rooftop dining. But there are logistical and planning obstacles, especially in older buildings. Every summer, the Oktays hire a few "young, energetic runners" to schlep food up three flights and dirty dishes back down. "It's very tiring," Jackie Oktay says. Want to see Vermont for a buck? As you may remember, Amtrak is restarting both the Vermonter and the Ethan Allen Express on July 19. They're planning celebratory events at each station for the southbound morning run of the Vermonter, starting 45 minutes before the train arrives. And on that day, fares within VT are just a dollar. VTrans is offering shuttle service from Brattleboro back to your station of origin, but heck, if you can spring for $2 round trip, why not make a day of it and catch the 4:56 pm back? You'll need to reserve.And speaking of Amtrak... It announced yesterday that it's going to be investing $7.3 billion in a new fleet of trains to replace its current, 40-50-year-old stock in the Northeast—including the trains serving the Vermonter and Ethan Allen lines. Among other things, they promise more comfortable seating, individual power outlets and USB ports, onboard Wi-Fi, and panoramic windows, reports CNBC's Rich Mendez.Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand frames. Todd Vaziri is a visual effects artist at Industrial Light & Magic—Twitter bio: "Made two star treks, two impossible missions, an avatar, six marvels, three transformers, fought in seven star wars, and raised the resistance." About a week ago, he asked his followers for their favorite images from a movie made between 2010 and 2020. Some amazing stills poured in—you'll want to click on "Show this thread" and then on each still to get the full effect.
And in the numbers...
NH reported 31 new cases yesterday, bringing it to an official total of 99,652. There was 1 new death, for a total of 1,374, while 12 people with confirmed cases are hospitalized (down 1). The current active caseload is at 195 (up 14). The state reports 7 active cases in Grafton County (no change), 7 in Sullivan (up 2), and 15 in Merrimack (up 1). In town-by-town numbers reported by the state, Hanover, Enfield, Plainfield, Grantham, and Claremont have 1-4 each. Lebanon is off the list.
VT has reported 5 new cases yesterday, bringing it to a total case count of 24,440. Deaths remain at 258, while 4 people with confirmed cases are hospitalized (down 2). Windsor County saw no new cases and remains at 1,523 for the pandemic, with 10 over the previous 14 days, while Orange County has 1 new case, with 824 cumulatively and 2 over the previous two weeks.
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Today was supposed to be the day for the grand opening celebration for the new Downtown Lebanon Tunnel project. But given the weather, it's been postponed until next Thursday, the 15th.
The Canaan Meetinghouse Reading Series—held on four Thursdays in July—returns for the year this evening at 7 pm (not 7:30, as it's been in the past) with American studies prof and historian Andrew Delbanco and novelist Rebecca Makkai. Delbanco will be reading from his 2018 book, The War Before the War: Fugitive Slaves and the Struggle for America’s Soul from the Revolution to the Civil War, while Makkai will read from her Pulitzer- and National Book Award-finalist novel, The Great Believers: A Novel. Face masks required; there's limited seating inside, and given the weather it's not clear whether audio speakers will actually be set up for an overflow crowd. This will be Phil Pochoda's last year organizing the event, and in the VN Alex Hanson has an appreciation—and description of just how much work goes into it. Pochoda will be replaced next year by his predecessor, William Craig.
Meanwhile, this isn't happening until Saturday, but there are only a few spots left for the tour of master gardener Bill Noble's gardens in Norwich, so you'll want to act now. It's put on by the Garden Conservancy—don't confuse it with their "Digging Deeper" event the same day, which is sold out—and will feature Noble's extensive plantings, including perennial and shrub borders, rock gardens, a vegetable garden, and orchard.
Kaia Kater grew up in Montreal, lives in Toronto, but went to college in West Virginia so she could soak up Appalachian stories and music—so much so that WV Public Radio once called her "a young Quebecalachian," though it could just as well have made it "Quenadalachian," since her father immigrated to Canada from Grenada when he was a teenager. Her musical lot in life was probably inevitable—her grandfather was a luthier and her mom, originally from Quebec, fell in love with folk music and went on to run the Ottawa and Winnipeg folk festivals. Here's Kaia on banjo with Andrew Ryan on standup bass, covering "Fine Times at Our House."See you tomorrow.
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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