Daybreak Tuesday 11/19/24

GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!

Some sun eventually, cool. Not that you could really tell, but we're caught between low pressure that's moving out to sea and high pressure that's moving in from the west, so while things will be dry out there for another day or so, we'll see clouds around. Highs today maybe hitting 50, with occasionally gusty winds from the northwest, down below freezing tonight.

Looking up... We began the weekend with a full moon—the Beaver Moon, which was also the last supermoon of the year. Jan Sensenich captured it in all its glory....And across. The weekend also began with a celebration for the newly reopened Lyme-E. Thetford bridge—and in particular, for the crew from New England Infrastructure, Inc. who did the work. "They received a Key to Lyme, (inscribed ‘Lyme,’ — ‘Thetford’ did not fit…), a big card with thank-you messages, a banner with student thanks.., a case of Prosecco...14 packets of Red Kite™️ candy, and applause and cheers from neighbors," writes Peter Webster. "A superintendent and a worker told me they had never before received notice or thanks. Ever."And speaking of bridges: A reminder about I-91 and the I-89 bridge over the Connecticut. Today, Thursday, and next Tuesday (11/26), NHDOT crews are placing concrete on the southbound bridge deck. The right lane across the river will be closed from 5 am to about 4 pm each day (depending on weather), as will Exit 10A on I-91 northbound (the exit leading to I-89 southbound). Motorists on I-91 needing that exit will be detoured to the Wilder exit, where they can get onto I-91 southbound and then take the exit to I-89 southbound.But hey, there's good news coming farther north on I-91... According to a press release yesterday from VT's Agency of Transportation, one lane of the long-closed stretch of I-91 southbound between the Bradford and Fairlee exits will reopen late this week—though the exact timing is still uncertain. In the meantime, all the current detours will remain in place. Once the lane does reopen, there'll be intermittent rolling roadblocks southbound only (the northbound version has come to an end).SPONSORED: “You have to advocate for yourself. That’s the most important thing.”  That’s the advice Nancy Cohn has for others whose pursuit of health care seems to have stalled out in the system. She kept at it, and many opinions and treatment options later, she found what she needed: These days you can find her back at her favorite Dead festivals and looking forward to getting back up on skis! Read her story in the link above. Sponsored by Cioffredi & Associates Physical Therapy.Lebanon investigates "multiple public works employees" for theft. The separate administrative and criminal investigations, reports Clare Shanahan in the Valley News, involve “purchases and accountability of city equipment" that have been going on for “a couple of years,” City Manager Shaun Mulholland says. “It’s not just one simple thing, it’s complex, there’s a lot of activities there that occurred.” Both the city's internal investigation and a separate investigation by the Lebanon Police Department will take several more weeks to complete.Thetford takes ownership of its largest cemetery. The 6-acre Evergreen Cemetery, behind Town Hall, had been run by a private group—but "due to their advanced years, the trustees felt they were no longer able to fulfill their duties to maintain the cemetery," writes Li Shen in Sidenote. "The costs of maintaining the cemetery, including mowing and repair of monuments, had also outpaced the capacity of the...trust that paid for upkeep," she adds. With the transfer of ownership, the town is now in charge of "almost all" of Thetford's cemeteries; Li explores the town's cemetery history and the cemeteries themeselves.SPONSORED: Vroom Vroom…. A 1964 Corvette Stingray under the tree this year? Or how about an 11 carat diamond, oriental rug, or John Deere tractor? Wm. Smith's Pre-Thanksgiving Auction is tomorrow, Nov. 20, with these and other incredible treasures. Join us today from 10-4 to preview them at our gallery (jewelry preview 10-7). And look for our online timed auction next week featuring a closet-full of iconic Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, and more. Get a head start on your holiday shopping! Drop by or check it all out at the burgundy link. Sponsored by Wm. Smith Auctions. In Unity, NH, signs defaced by swastikas will take a while to replace. The vandalism—"We’ve been told this is kids from Acworth," the town's office manager tells the VN's John Lippman—hit stop signs back in September and then additional signs this past weekend. Residents "have expressed frustration with what they said has been the town’s slow response," Lippman writes, but the work has been slow because the solvents officials used at first stripped paint off the signs. Now, it's ordered “graffiti proof” stop signs—but they haven't arrived yet. The two signs hit most recently will just be taken down.In NH, special ed funding shortfall will land on school districts' shoulders. In all, reports NH Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt, the funds appropriated for special ed for the 2025 fiscal year fall $16.4 million short of what districts need—which means the state "can cover only about 67.5 percent of the funding it is supposed to give to districts." The result, DeWitt writes, is that districts and their taxpayers will need to make up the difference. Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut tells DeWitt his department has no plans to ask the legislature  for short-term emergency funding.In VT, Senate Democrats replace Woodstock's Alison Clarkson as majority leader, install Hartford's Becca White as assistant majority leader. The moves came Saturday, in the wake of the party's loss of six Senate seats in the general election, giving them a scant 17-13 majority (including one Progressive). “Vermonters want the property tax reduced — period,” President Pro Tem Phil Baruth (who kept his post) told the caucus. The vote to replace Windsor County's Clarkson, who's been majority leader for four years, with Chittenden County's Kesha Ram Hinsdale was narrow—9-7. Seven Days' Kevin McCallum reports on the Democrats' new focus on property taxes.In Brattleboro, crime takes center stage with "Hank with Brattleboro News". Citizen journalist Hank Poitras first hit YouTube in April with a story about residents reporting a Flat St. blood splatter to police. Since then, writes Kevin O'Connor in VTDigger, the videographer has reported on thefts, impaired driving, public overdoses, fights, a blaze started by fireworks exploding inside a car, and more. He's gotten some pushback from locals, but is clear about what drives him: “I wanted the town to get better,” he tells O'Connor, “and thought, ‘What can I do?’” Here's Brattleboro News and Planet Hank.The Monday jigsaw on Tuesday. "Did you know that Sachem Village, just south of Hanover, started as post-war housing?" writes the Norwich Historical Society's Cam Cross. Here's a history of its origins—the original prefab buildings, first used as wartime housing for shipyard workers, sat behind the Thayer School—and some construction footage at 6:21 of this video.

The Tuesday poem.When I am among the trees,especially the willows and the honey locust,equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,they give off such hints of gladness.I would almost say that they save me, and daily.— From "When I Am Among the Trees" by Mary Oliver.See you tomorrow.

Written and published by Rob Gurwitt   Associate writer: Jonea Gurwitt   Poetry editor: Michael Lipson  About Rob                                                                                                  About Michael

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