GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
A mostly sunny morning, a tad warmer. High pressure is shifting eastward today, setting up a flow of air from the south. We'll be getting into the mid or upper 30s, and should see sun until clouds start piling in after midday, ahead of a weather system coming in from the Ohio Valley. It'll start as snow tonight, but change to rain or a mix (depending on where you are) before dawn. A few inches of snow are likely before that happens.Two streams converged... The branches of the Ompompanoosuc meet in Thetford—in a scene rich in late-fall colors and captured by Barbara Woodard.Leb School Board cuts school resource officer from next year's budget. The move to axe a police presence in the schools came on a 6-2 vote at an all-day workshop Saturday, reports Patrick Adrian in the Valley News. Last month, principals at the city's schools had told the board "that the school resource officer has been a positive presence in their halls," Adrian writes; members had sought to keep the officer from carrying a firearm and to give the district more control over the position, steps the LPD rejected. Board members say they'll consider alternatives, such as a police liaison who works with school staff.Pickup driver causes thousands in damage to Oxbow High field. Bradford VT police report that the dark-colored, older model truck drove onto the high school's soccer field around 11:15 Friday night, speeding past the school's entrance and spinning around on the turf, tearing it up. It was caught on camera for three or four minutes, and police say they're seeking tech help to identify the vehicle and driver. They're also asking the public's help.S. Royalton man accused of breaking into neighbors' homes will remain free on bail. That's after Judge Heather Gray yesterday denied a motion by Windsor County prosecutors to revoke the bail of Jesse Durkee, who's charged with two separate break-ins last month: the first, in which his neighbor "fired a gunshot in the intruder's direction," as John Lippman writes in the VN; and a second in which he allegedly stole a crossbow "before showing up in a frenzied state at another neighbor’s home reporting that a motorcycle gang was trying to kill him." Durkee has been ordered to stay with his grandparents in Strafford.SPONSORED: Bah, Humbug! A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Northern Stage through December 31! This holiday season, follow Scrooge on his transformative journey in this newly reimagined Dickens classic. Filled with music and laughter, A Christmas Carol reminds us that it is never too late for kindness and compassion. Special performances including a relaxed matinee, talkbacks, and arts and crafts with rePlay Arts! Through 12/31 in the Byrne Theater at the Barrette Center for the Arts. Sponsored by Northern Stage.Falls, "though common, are not a normal part of aging." Last week, Thetford's community nurse, Sunny Martinson, invited fall-prevention specialist Dawna Pidgeon to give a talk in town. Li Shen was there, and in Sidenote she dives into Pidgeon's presentation: what controls balance (your eyes, your inner ear, and "proprioception" through muscles and joints; why something going wrong with any of those can affect balance and thus raise the risk of falling; and what you can do to improve balance—including exercises and, interestingly, taking Vitamin D. Oh, and traction in winter. Includes several helpful links.Lemon disco. Whatever you're thinking, nope, it's not that. It's the common name for one of two types of little yellow fungi known as Bisporella that grow on decaying logs and trees. And it's a rare spot of bright color out in the woods right now, writes Northern Woodlands' Elise Tillinghast. Also bright this fourth week of November: mountain ash berries, which are not actually ash but, instead, related to roses and much cherished by winter bird flocks. Also, a cool fact about Tamaracks: They can re-absorb nitrogen from their needles before they drop, getting a head start on next year's nutrient needs.SPONSORED: Today Only: Your Gift is Doubled! Celebrate Giving Tuesday with Willing Hands by making a donation before Thanksgiving to end hunger in our community. Your gift will be doubled thanks to a generous match from a group of Willing Hands supporters. Help us reach our goal of 200 gifts this Giving Tuesday, and ensure that everyone can eat well this holiday season! Sponsored by Willing Hands.NH judge rules state is unconstitutionally underfunding education. That ruling came in decisions on two separate cases yesterday by Judge David Ruoff of Rockingham County Superior Court, reports NH Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt. In one, Ruoff found that the state's current spending base of $4,100 per pupil does not actually meet the constitutional requirement for an "adequate education"; it should be at least $7,356 per pupil, Ruoff ruled. In the second decision, Ruoff found that the statewide education property tax is administered unconstitutionally, since it allows wealthier towns to retain excess revenues. An appeal by the state to the NH Supreme Court is almost certain.In a new NH incident, Franklin man fatally shot during police standoff. The incident began Sunday night, the AG's office said in a press release yesterday, when the man's neighbor, a woman, called 911 to say he'd tried to smash through her door. Responding officers escorted her to safety, and a standoff began, with an NH State Police SWAT team joining in and the man trading shots with officers. At about 3 yesterday morning, the man stopped shooting; officers saw fire in the building and found him with "apparent gunshot wounds." He was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for today.Twice-tied Rochester NH candidates tied no longer. Remember how Democrat Chuck Grassie and Republican David Walker ran neck-and-neck in a state House contest last year then tied again for a city council seat early this month? The legislative race was resolved in February, when Grassie won a special election. Now the city council race has gone to Walker, after a recount found that he'd won 410 votes, not the 409 votes originally tallied. The two have known each other for decades and spent the Saturday recount side by side, "smiling and cracking jokes," Steven Porter writes in the Globe newsletter.For Northeast in most recent National Climate Assessment: increasingly intense rain and snow. In fact, reports NHPR's Mara Hoplamazian, the number of days since the 1950s with at least two inches of rain has increased 40 percent—and, USDA scientist Erin Lane tells Hoplamazian, “The number of days with more than three inches of rain is increasing even more and four inches of rain is increasing even more. We looked at the number of days with more than five inches of rain and that has doubled in the last 64 years.” Most NH counties have less than a 1 percent flood insurance "take-up" rate.Slate Ridge owner agrees to official inspection. Friday's deal between Daniel Banyai, the owner of the gun training facility, and the town of Pawlet "outlines a possible end to the extended legal battle between both parties," writes VTDigger's Ethan Weinstein, and was reached the same day a state environmental court could have reinstated Banyai's arrest warrant. As you'll remember, the dispute stems from Pawlet's request to dismantle unauthorized buildings on Banyai's property. The inspection is scheduled for Nov. 27, and environmental court officials have been invited along for the ride.Like snorkeling, only on ice. That's the comparison Alaskan ice rescue instructor Luc Mehl makes after cold and dry conditions produced smooth-as-glass ice last month on Rabbit Lake, in the mountains outside Anchorage. It was perfect for skating, and plenty of skaters hiked in for the chance. "It’s maybe a once-in-a-decade window, but to have it for one week straight, I think is even more exceptional,” Mehl told the Anchorage Daily News. Video at the burgundy link, Daily News article with background (and lots of photos) here.The Tuesday Vordle. With a word from yesterday's Daybreak.
Daybreak doesn't get to exist without your support. Help it keep going by hitting the maroon button:
Fleece vests, hoodies, sweatshirts, even a throw blanket! Plus, of course, hats, mugs, and once you get the wood stove cranking, tees. Check out what's available and use it proudly!
As you saw above,
. Company favorites Jamie Horton as Scrooge, Gordon Clapp as Jacob Marley, a full complement of Cratchits and ghosts and others, a host of young performers, and plenty of music—all brought together by director and adaptor Carol Dunne. Runs through Dec. 31.
The Tuesday poem.
When two violins are placed in a room if a chord on one violin is struckthe other violin will sound the noteIf this is your definition of hopeThis is for youThe ones who know how powerful we areWho know we can sound the music in the people around ussimply by playing our own strings...
—From
by
.
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.
Want to catch up on Daybreak music?
Want to catch up on Daybreak itself (or find that item you trashed by mistake the other day)? You can find everything on the Daybreak Facebook page
, or if you're a committed non-FB user,
.
Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Poetry editor: Michael Lipson Associate Editor: Jonea Gurwitt About Rob About Michael
And if you think one or more of your friends would like Daybreak, too, please forward this newsletter and tell them to hit the blue "Subscribe" button below. And thanks! And hey, if you're that friend? So nice to see you! Subscribe at no cost at:
Thank you!