A TREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN, UPPER VALLEY!
Though seriously, this weather. The mid-Atlantic states get a nor'easter. Us? Crust and ice on the ground. At least temps will be more moderate today, with winds from the south helping us reach the mid-20s. Even better? Full-on sun for much of the day. Down into the upper teens tonight.There are so many ways to start the year off, photographically. But somehow, this pic from Peter Spiegel in Hanover pretty much sums up the mood of the times. "In the 40 years we've lived here I've never seen anything like this," he writes, of the snow hanging off his garage roof.And let's just catch up a bit... with a handful of items you may have missed over the holidays. Like:
In Fairlee, the future of "Chapman's Place" is starting to take shape, Jonah Richard wrote in his Bricks + Mortar newsletter. After a lot of thought, he and his four partners in the project to rehab the two long-vacant lots across the general store want to create space for a wood-fired pizzeria, micro-retail space for local artisans, a café, and a cocktail bar. He explained the thinking behind it all.
In Norwich, plans for a large solar array that would require clearing some 8 acres of woodland are in front of the VT Public Utilities Commission, Claire Potter wrote in the Valley News. Norwich Technologies' proposed community solar project has the backing of town officials, but some neighboring residents are concerned about its impact on wildlife habitat and contribution to the continuing deforestation of northern woodlands.
In NH, the Union Leader named Dartmouth-Hitchcock CEO Joanne Conroy its "New Hampshire Citizen of the Year." It praised her for her decision to require vaccines for all staff throughout the hospital system—and then for sticking to it even as it made D-H "an outlier in the Live Free or Die state." Josie Albertson-Grove's article explored Conroy's young adulthood and career, her tenure at D-H (which began with the 2017 ICU shooting), and her penchant for communicating regularly with staff.
And in Thetford, a horde of volunteers gathered at the start of last week to install 125 weatherizing window inserts at Thetford Elementary School. It's part of a growing effort in VT to take advantage of "community builds" organized by a Maine nonprofit, WindowDressers, to boost insulation in homes and community buildings. In Sidenote, Nick Clark wrote about (and Li Shen photographed) both the installation and the surprisingly difficult attempt to measure whether it makes a difference.
SPONSORED: White River Family Practice needs a clinical practice manager. This is an exciting opportunity to lead an award-winning family medicine group into the next decade—a cohesive group of physicians, nurse practitioners, and support staff committed to offering compassionate care. Our relatively small size allows us to provide care with a personal touch and be nimble enough to navigate the ever-changing medical landscape. Looking for an experienced RN or AAP with experience leading a clinical team of 5 or more people. Email [email protected]. Sponsored by White River Family Practice.Vandalism temporarily shuts W. Leb's River Park. The two incidents involved graffiti spray-painted on fence scrim—"essentially, a banner"—reports the VN's Liz Sauchelli. The Lebanon Police Department is investigating, though Chet Clem, president of Lyme Properties, which owns the 38-acre parcel, says, "My preference was and continues to be to solve this quietly and without police involvement. I think it's a waste of their time." He adds, "I think my response to the vandalism is going to be art. We’re going to look to facilitate impactful and productive public art.”"If artists are busy delving into new projects, there must be not just a future, but one filled with creativity and light." And, of course, hope. Case in point: JAG Productions, writes Susan Apel in her Artful newsletter. Not only are JAGFest and its popular Theater On A Hill returning, but JAG is building on its production of Next to Normal last summer to launch a multi-year "reimagining" of American musical theater as informed by the experiences of Black Americans. "That we don’t know exactly what the reimagining will produce is the thrill, and all the more reason for doing it," Susan writes.Here’s a good reason not to make a pit stop before you leave the house. Of course, it depends on how far it is to mile 8 on northbound I-89 in VT. But at the Sharon Welcome Center you’ll find more than pristine facilities and free tea. In his latest Dave's Newsletter, Dave Celone writes about what makes this unique and engaging rest stop a destination in itself. First, there’s the two-story greenhouse, “powered” by an eco-friendly wastewater filtration system (called “The Living Machine”). Solemnly adjacent, the nation’s first Vietnam veterans' memorial honors fallen Vermonters around an outdoor amphitheater.Woodstock state Rep. Charlie Kimbell launches bid for lieutenant governor. The former banker and businessman is the first to announce for the post being vacated by Democrat Molly Gray, who's running for the US House seat held by Peter Welch, who in turn is running for the US Senate seat being vacated by Patrick Leahy. In his announcement, Kimbell, who is certain to get opponents in the Democratic primary, called himself "fiscally conservative and socially liberal," reports the VN's John Lippman. GOP State Sen. Joe Benning, whose district includes Bradford-area towns, tells Lippman he may run, too.NH Secretary of State Bill Gardner to step down. “The two previous secretaries of state have died in office, and I thought about that,” he joked at a press conference yesterday. “It wasn’t actually something I aspired to.” Gardner, who is 73, was first elected in 1976 and has made his mark as a staunch defender of the state's first-in-the-nation primary. More recently, he's been an outspoken opponent of Democrats' push to revamp federal voting laws, arguing they're a threat to NH's elections culture.“I think this is the best place in all of America.” That's Hussain Amiri, 24, talking about NH. He was born in Afghanistan, grew up in a refugee camp in Pakistan, landed in Concord in 2016, is a student at Plymouth State, and was recently hired by a Manchester-based nonprofit to be "a familiar face and friendly voice" for the roughly 120 Afghan refugees already in Concord and Manchester, writes Mark Hayward in the Union Leader. “Here in the U.S., people can have patience, they can wait," Amiri says, about navigating red tape. "People from Afghanistan, they can’t wait.”As NH legislature prepares to reconvene, a look ahead. There's plenty of heated debate ahead, write Amanda Gokee, Annmarie Timmins, and Ethan DeWitt in NH Bulletin. Just who can mandate what when it comes to vaccines, how to handle the state's new vaccine registry, whether to reverse the PUC's controversial decision to defund energy efficiency programs, the possible creation of localized "education savings accounts," whether to expand or repeal the "divisive concepts" law, how to handle the new ultrasound requirement for abortions (and the ban after 24 weeks)—all that and more ahead!Looking for a fun activity at home? The VT Legislature will be online! Okay, that's maybe a tad tongue-in-cheek, but still: The legislature reconvenes today, and after a decision last week it's going to be all virtual at least through Jan. 18, which means the proceedings will be streamed and accessible to anyone—including separate YouTube channels for each committee, writes VTDigger's Riley Robinson. Details on how to watch at the link.VT tops United Van Lines' list for inbound migration in 2021; ranks 12th on U-Haul's. It's not like these are the definitive word on migration patterns, but in reports released yesterday, the we'll-do-it-for-you and the do-it-yourself moving companies offered a snapshot of what happened around the country last year. Some 75 percent of the households United moved to or from VT were moving in, while VT rose 14 spots from last year in the percentage of one-way U-Haul rentals headed there. Meawhile, 53 percent of United's NH moves were inbound, while the state dropped from 23rd to 25th place on U-Haul's index.“We’ve rescued people, but never a loon.” Add that one to the books for the Monmouth, ME fire department. Every year, a few loons stick around a bit longer than they should and get iced in. There are groups that undertake early-winter loon rescues in VT and NH, but none in ME, so when a loon got stranded about a quarter-mile out on Monmouth's Tacoma Lakes, firefighters were called in. One fell through the ice, but had the presence of mind to use a net to scoop the bird up, reports Emily Duggan in the Kennebec Journal. Here's a link to a VCE loon-rescue story from a year ago.The US has 161 active volcanoes—and other facts we learned in 2021. If you haven’t had your fill of annual retrospectives, the NYT has a few dozen of “the most interesting, striking or delightful facts” from its articles last year. Like, did you know that “treadmills were used as punishment and to prevent idleness” in Victorian times? Or that way before then—around 70,000 BCE—our human ancestors were already engaging in idle gossip? And although Betty White (R.I.P.) didn’t quite make it, today there are roughly half a million 100-year-olds, up from 95,000 in 1990. By 2100, expect 25 million centenarians.
First numbers for the year...
As it tests returning students, Dartmouth starts off with a bang, reporting 72 undergrad cases, 21 among grad and professional students, and 33 among faculty/staff. There have been 146 combined new cases among students over the previous seven days, as well as 45 among faculty/staff. 93 students and 40 faculty/staff are in isolation,
NH reported just 25 new cases yesterday, but it's been averaging 1,206 per day over the past seven days (up 15 percent from the week before). Overall, it's reported 13,762 new cases over the past 11 days and is now at 203,749 total. There were 96 deaths reported over that time, bringing the total to 1,973. The state reports 8,785 active cases (-364 since Dec. 24) and 381 (+8) hospitalizations. It tallies 459 (+46) active cases in Grafton County, 181 (-117) in Sullivan, and 863 (-189) in Merrimack. In town-by-town numbers, the state says Hanover has 97, Lebanon has 65, Claremont has 48, New London has 48, Newport has 31, Sunapee has 25, Canaan and Charlestown have 16 each, Enfield and Haverhill have 15, Newbury has 13, Grantham and Plainfield have 12, Orford, Lyme, Grafton, and Rumney have 8, Wentworth, Cornish, and Springfield have 6, Piermont has 5, and Warren, Orange, Croydon, Unity, and Wilmot have 1-4 each.
VT reported 245 new cases yesterday, amid an overall spike that has brought its total to 67,226 (+6,961 over the past 11 days). There were 20 deaths tallied over that time; they now number 480. As of yesterday, 74 people with confirmed cases were hospitalized (+21 since Dec. 24), with 14 of them in the ICU (-3). Hit the link to explore the state's new fully-vaccinated vs. not-fully-vaccinated breakdown, which is better seen than described (at the bottom of the chart with the map, hit the right arrow to get to the third and fourth pages). Windsor County has seen 378 new cases over the last 11 days, for a total of 5,216 for the pandemic and 455 new cases over the past two weeks; Orange County gained 152 cases, with 188 over the past two weeks for a total of 2,203 for the pandemic. In town-by-town numbers compiled in the middle of last week, Springfield gained 51 cases over the week before; Hartford +38; Killington +25 (numbers lag an outbreak among staff at the ski resort); Randolph +16; Royalton +15; Chelsea +14; Windsor +11; Bradford and Fairlee +10; Norwich +9; Newbury +8; Sharon, Thetford, W. Windsor, and Woodstock +6; Tunbridge and Weathersfield +5; Barnard, Corinth, Hartland, and Strafford +3; Bethel, Bridgewater, Cavendish, and Reading +2; and Pomfret, Vershire, and W. Fairlee +1.
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So much of any year is flammable, lists of vegetables, partial poems. Orange swirling flame of days, so little is a stone.Where there was something and suddenly isn’t, an absence shouts, celebrates, leaves a space. I begin again with the smallest numbers.
—From
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.
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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