Daybreak Tuesday 11/24/20

GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!

Colder... but also sunnier. We got a taste of it as yesterday's cold front passed through and temps dropped behind it. Today there's high pressure overhead, and this morning's first-thing clouds will pretty quickly give way to full-on sun, winds from the northwest. Highs only in the lower or mid-30s, though, down to the high teens tonight. And there's weather headed our way late overnight, so you may wake up tomorrow to snow.The view from atop Mt. Kearsarge. That's where Dolly Courtemanche was on Saturday. Which is the thing about granite underfoot and clear air all around and the sky above and the landscape stretching out to the horizon: They make you forget all about these times we live in. Even if you have to stand six feet away from your hiking partner (though not her dog). (Thanks, R!)Cluster forces Valley Vista to halt admissions. The addiction treatment center in Bradford, VT has seen eight staff members test positive and has temporarily stopped bringing in new patients, the Valley News's John Gregg reports. So far, there have been no positive tests among the 30 patients at the facility. They plan another round of tests tomorrow. Gregg also reports that Lebanon High School will start offering remote classes on Wednesdays following the Thanksgiving break.Norwich draft budget "not for the faint of heart." On his Norwich Observer blog, Chris Katucki digs into the first-pass budget proposal from town manager Herb Durfee, which calls for a 20 percent boost in spending—most of it for the public works department. To finance that increase, Katucki writes, "property tax revenues will need to increase by 27%," though taxes for other spending will decrease, leaving the overall tax hike projected at 19 percent, excluding school taxes. The selectboard will meet throughout December to craft the eventual budget proposal.NH artist's work to hang in US ambassador's residence in Ouagadougou. Pamela Tarbell’s painting “Sisters” first appeared locally as part of an art exhibition at DHMC. Now, Susan Apel writes on her Artful blog, Sandra Clark, a career State Department diplomat who is the new US ambassador to Burkina Faso, has chosen it for her residence for at least the next two years. Tarbell's studio is in Concord, but "she maintains continuing professional ties to the Upper Valley, including a recent show of her work in the fall of 2019 at AVA Gallery," Susan writes.You know those little needles of ice you sometimes see in the woods in late autumn or early spring? They have a name. They're called needle ice. It's the fourth week of November, and they're not the only things you can find in the woods right now, says Northern Woodlands' Elise Tillinghast. There's red osier dogwood and highbush cranberry—"glowing like stained glass in fields and wetlands." Wild turkeys, of course, and red-tailed hawks are still here. There's sphagnum moss (and a link to a story about a 2,000-year-old lump of butter found in a bog). And if you're really lucky, you might find a bobcat cache.SPONSORED: Belonging to the Montshire is about more than your next visit. Members of the Montshire Museum of Science belong to a community of people who care deeply about science, family, and community. You can engage online, in person, indoors, or outdoors. We are here for you. Science is more important than ever before, and the Montshire is counting on you to stay connected. Join, renew, or share the joy of science by giving a Gift Membership to someone you love. Sponsored by the Montshire Museum of Science."People are looking forward to getting outside — and getting outside close to home." Over the weekend, the VN's Greg Fennell rounded up how the Upper Valley's small areas are feeling about the upcoming winter. Despite the restrictions—like the need to have a ticket in hand before you get there—they're feeling pretty optimistic, with Suicide Six, Storrs Hill, Whaleback, and the Skiway all prepping to keep as much as possible outside and make skiing as enjoyable as they can.Heavy internet user? Comcast extending 1.2 terabyte cap to VT, NH. The company has imposed the monthly data cap on its customers in 27 of the states it covers since 2016, but the Twin States haven't been among them. Starting in January, however, the company is adding the 12 states in the Northeast that haven't been covered; notifications will be sent out in customers' bills. For what it's worth, 1.2 terabytes is a lot of data; Comcast says median monthly usage is about 308 gigabytes. "Public health measures, when applied in a school setting, are remarkably effective.” That's Dr. Steven Chapman, a CHaD pediatrician, talking to NHPR's Sarah Gibson about the fact that schools in NH have been able to keep Covid transmission low, even in schools that have had cases. The challenge is that as rates rise in the communities around them, some schools have had to scramble to find substitutes as teachers are forced to quarantine—even if the school itself is safe. Gibson and colleague Emily Quirk talk over the ins and outs of keeping schools open during this latest surge.NH state revenues may perform better than expected. The state's revenue agency reported to legislators yesterday that while the hospitality industry—with the crucial rooms and meals taxes it collects—has been hit hard, "many large manufacturers or retailers have experienced greater economic activity," reports InDepthNH's Garry Rayno. In particular, “home improvement stores, medical industries, technological industries and box stores seem to be performing better than prior year, decreasing the anticipated loss of revenues,” the revenue agency's Melissa Rollins said.Biden pick for national security advisor has NH, Dartmouth ties. Jake Sullivan is a senior fellow and prof at the Carsey School of Public Policy at UNH, and last year was a Montgomery Fellow at Dartmouth. As NHPR's Daniela Allee reports, before taking up those posts he was Biden's national security advisor when Biden was vice president. Here's an interview with him when he was Montgomery Fellow. Of note: He thought the White House under Obama was "too heavy on lawyers"—of which he's one. VT's outdoor restrictions "bizarre." That's the judgment of Ashleigh Tuite, an infectious disease modeler at the U of Toronto, talking to the NYT's Apoorva Mandivilli about new regs in VT and MN barring small outdoor gatherings while allowing people to dine in restaurants or, in MN's case, go to 250-person indoor events. "The available data do not support" the contention that small gatherings are driving the latest surge, Mandivilli writes. Adds Tuite, “If people are going to meet up, doing so outdoors is probably the lowest-risk way to do it. Telling people they can’t spend time safely outdoors isn’t a rational approach." More on that cease-and-desist order against Zafa Wines. In a press release yesterday, Mike Pieciak, commissioner of VT's Dept of Financial Regulation said that the winery, based in Burlington and with ties to Barnard, was wooing investors while failing to disclose that it was operating without a valid liquor license. "By failing to disclose the company’s lack of multiple liquor licenses that are legally required to bottle, sell and distribute wine in Vermont and neighboring states, the state alleges that [owner Krista] Scruggs broke the law," writes VTDigger's Ellie French.VT State Police troopers to be equipped with body cameras. The agency announced yesterday that troopers at the Westminster barracks began wearing them Nov. 12, and that it expects all 200 troopers at its 10 barracks to have been outfitted by early next month. Troopers will be required to activate the cameras when performing any law-enforcement-related activity. A second-story job. Oh gosh, it's been a while since we had a good bear video, and this one's good. Last week, Kelly Chausovsky and her kids were watching a bear saunter through their yard in Bedford, NH, when it unexpectedly headed for the ladder of their treehouse, climbed it, clambered over the gate, wandered around inside for a while, then casually made its way back down the ladder. Backward. To flabbergasted giggles.And while we're on the bear beat... Several times over the past few months, Daybreak's linked to the panda cam at the National Zoo in DC and its footage of its new cub. The little guy finally got a name, which the zoo announced yesterday: Xiao Qi Ji (SHIAU-chi-ji), or "Little Miracle," chosen by about 135,000 people over five days of public voting. No calls yet for a recount.

And today's numbers... 

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Not yesterday I learned to know  The love of bare November daysBefore the coming of the snow,But it were vain to tell her so,  And they are better for her praise.

It seems right to close out November poetry with... some November poetry. But with a difference. Barbara Blaisdell, lead singer and longtime mainstay of once-local-now-part-local Sensible Shoes,

set Robert Frost's poem "My November Guest" to music.

Here it is with Blaisdell on piano, Joey Spampinato on bass; Kami Lyle, trumpet, and Johnny Spampinato on guitar.

Here's the full poem,

if you want to follow along.

Backwards.

Down the ladder. See you tomorrow.

Written and published by Rob Gurwitt         Banner by Tom Haushalter    Poetry editor: Michael Lipson  About Rob                                                    About Tom                             About Michael

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