GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
It'll get warmer. And then it'll get colder. There's a chance of showers into the afternoon, but the main news is that yesterday's warm front is being elbowed aside by a "sharp" cold front, which will make itself felt after mid-day. It could get into the high 40s around noon, but then temps fall convincingly through the afternoon, and will be back below freezing by a few hours after dark. Low in the mid- or low 20s tonight. Tiny chance of a dusting overnight. Shoulda known. Yesterday's item about GrubHub's state-by-state list of top delivery choices mentioned Michigan's hankering for the decidedly unappetizing-sounding "wet burrito." Ace reader Tom Mead checked in with an explanation, which is not nearly as outlandish as you'd expect. Over to Tom, who gets to inaugurate Daybreak's new "Letters to Daybreak" page, at the link.New thrift store to open Friday at WRJ train station. After months of waiting for okays and permits of various sorts, Uplifting Thrifting will open its doors in the former Welcome Center space at 10 am on... as the owner notes... Friday the 13th. A temporary sign's already up outside, and a permanent one's in the works at Thetford Academy.Geisel report finds that "the rural pipeline" to medical schools is shrinking. The study, led by Dr. Scott Shipman, an assistant professor at Dartmouth's medical school, found that from 2002 to 2017, the number of medical school applicants from rural backgrounds — which the study defines as being from communities with populations of fewer than 20,000 people — declined 18 percent. Urban applicants grew 59 percent. In a VN interview, Shipman says the results suggest a variety of causes, including cost. (VN)Gifford reports it's cut antibiotics use in half. Over the last year and a half, an Antibiotic Stewardship Committee at the Randolph-based medical center has set in place a suite of protocols designed to reduce inpatient prescriptions of the drugs — and, it hopes, fight the rise of antibiotic-resistant super-bugs. Not only has it halved the number of antibiotics used with patients, but it's seeing positive results in the sensitivity of bacteria to certain drugs.Remember yesterday's tree-farm drone photo? Well, William Daugherty's posted the full mesmerizing four-minute footage of his flyovers of the Walker and Noda farms in Meriden.Craftsbury pioneers summertime snow storage. The Boston Globe takes a look at an experiment the Outdoor Center ran this summer with UVM, in which it preserved enough snow through the summer and fall to cover 2-3 km of trails come November. The trick: a bottom layer of wood chips and a covering of white, permeable fabric. It's big news. “This is something that can be applicable all over Vermont,” says the UVM geology prof overseeing the project. “It can buy us a decade or two of Nordic skiing.” (Thanks, MG & JF!)VT regains status as healthiest state; NH ranks sixth. The United Health Foundation (the charitable arm of the health care giant) is up with its 2019 rankings. There's some serious data chops behind this. Vermont benefited from its low pollution, low incidence of chlamydia, and low percentage of uninsured, though it has a high cancer death rate. NH benefits from a low infant mortality rate, but is "challenged by" a high drug death rate and a large difference in health status by high school education. Full report and state summaries at link.NH guv candidates raise combined $900K so far. Campaign finance reports show that, not surprisingly, GOP Gov. Chris Sununu raised the most over the last six months, with $467,043; Democratic state Sen. Dan Feltes was at $369,703; and Democratic Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky trailed with $66,682. About half of Sununu's contributions came from businesses, a number of them "bundled" from different businesses sharing an address. Most of Feltes' money came from individuals, as did almost all of Volinsky's.NH state workers to be allowed to bring infants to work. Sununu yesterday signed an executive order letting parents and eligible guardians of infants between the ages of 6 weeks and 6 months to bring their child to work if their agency has agreed to participate and various other conditions are met. The program's based on similar efforts in Arizona, Vermont and Washington. "We’re trying to encourage and attract young people into the workforce,” Sununu says. Oh, and yes: diaper changes only in restrooms.VT becomes second state to warn insurers not to overdo "virtual claims adjustment." The state's insurance division last week followed Oregon's lead and called into question insurers' increasing use of photographs — rather than in-person adjusters — to verify and settle car-accident claims. "There is compelling evidence that photographs and videos do not always reveal the true extent of the damage a vehicle has sustained," it said in a bulletin, noting that it's seen rising complaints of inadequate settlements.“The integrity of the data is everything — everything.” That's VT State Auditor Doug Hoffer, talking about a whistleblower's contention that OneCare Vermont claimed that "systems for analyzing patient information were reliable, even though they were aware that the data had serious deficiencies," as VTDigger puts it. The private accountable care organization anchors the state's health care reform efforts. Hoffer says the whistleblower's charge is "a big deal," but so far he seems to be the only state official interested in it."Milk in a 600-kilogram Holstein? That's easy. Milk in a one-gram almond? That's hard. Tiny little udders. Tiny!" A third-generation almond milker shows off his tandem rig and explains how it's done. "They want to be milked," he says. "You'll never see a happier nut than a freshly milked nut." A brilliant little bit of on-farm satire to get you rolling. (Thanks for the tip, JM!)If you like Daybreak and want to help it keep going, here's how:
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He teaches Native American studies at Dartmouth, and is out with a new book,
These People Have Always Been a Republic: Indigenous Electorates in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, 1598-1912.
Crandall will be talking over how four indigenous groups — the Pueblos in New Mexico, Hopis in northern Arizona, and Tohono O’odhams and Yaquis in Arizona/Sonora — worked to assert their own sovereignty in the face of colonial rule. 7 pm, Peabody Library.
Adair Mulligan, who directs the Hanover Conservancy, will be talking about the river's ecology, its history in New England's development, and the challenges in safeguarding its future. This is the first in a series of "Winter Nature Series Talks" sponsored by the Mascoma chapter of NH Audubon. Starts at 7.
Here's Nancy Cardenuto with this week's pub/bar listings.
. I'm a little reluctant to mention it because as of this morning there was only one spot left. But if you want an intro to using the Hypertherm Powermax85 to cut steel, aluminum and other conductive materials, grab this chance. Starts at 6 pm.
Okay! Let's plunge into this day together. See you tomorrow.
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