GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Hot and humid again today. There may be some clouds for the first part of the morning, but then sunny, with highs getting above 90. This afternoon there'll be a "cold" front moving down from the northwest, bringing with it a slight chance of locally heavy rain and thunder starting around 2. That chance will linger well into the overnight hours.The Hartford Selectboard takes up its proposed "Welcoming" ordinance tonight. And boy, has the town been prepping. The version they'll be considering is at the link. Here's a memo from the SB chair on proper behavior at the meeting. And there's prickly discussion on the Town of Hartford Informational Page on FB, which, by the way, is not the same as the official town page. If you like watching civics in action, the Hartford High auditorium is the place to be tonight (starting at 6).Lebanon itching to sue NH over PFAS rules. As you'll remember, the state has imposed strict new standards on the chemicals, and will require municipalities to clean up landfills and water supplies. City officials are ticked that the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules approved the new regs with no input from them or other municipalities. The city's looking for partners in a lawsuit against the regs, which are scheduled to take effect in October. (VN, sub reqd)Baby bobcat rescued from Burger King roof. A little out of our orbit -- this was over in Stratham, NH -- but still... So you're sitting around the PD and get a call that there's a bobcat cub up on a fast-food restaurant's roof. What do you do? Call in Fish & Game. Then grab a camera. "All in a day's work," the department says on its FB page.Federal judge strikes down NH's new Medicaid work requirements. The state had planned to impose them this month, but backed off after it turned out nearly 17,000 of the 25,000 recipients with no exemption had failed to provide evidence that they were meeting the new requirements. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg has voided similar steps in Arkansas and Kentucky, holding that federal health officials failed to consider the effects on low-income residents when they approved the state plans.Sununu vetoes voting bills. These were passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature, seeking to repeal laws crafted when the legislature was in GOP hands. The laws tightened proof of residency requirements and essentially required voters to have NH drivers licenses and car registrations. Meanwhile, a federal judge hears arguments today in the suit filed on behalf of two Dartmouth students challenging the residency requirement.NHPR's about to launch a new podcast. It's called "Patient Zero" and it "investigates the spaces where people and pathogens collide." Its focus: Lyme Disease. "When you’re solving a medical mystery it can be hard to know where to start…. And when you’re confronting something totally new, there is a lot of room for guesswork," says Taylor Quimby, the host and producer, in the show's 3-minute trailer.VT dairy co-op members vote overwhelmingly to merge with Kansas-based national co-op. In the end, it wasn't even close. Members of the St. Albans Cooperative Creamery voted 99-9 to become a subsidiary of the Dairy Farmers of America. “This is certainly better than going bankrupt or some crazy thing where we lose everything,” one farmer told Seven Days. DFA says it'll spend $30 million to upgrade the St. Albans processing plant.Could Vermont face a lawyer shortage? Hush... This is not a joking matter. As the state grays and professionals find more lucrative places to ply their trades, needs are going unmet. It's happening in medicine, says WCAX, and in the law as well, especially when it comes to public defenders. "We are literally a couple or three lawyers away from not being able to do the work we need to do in some of these counties," says the state's Defender General, Matthew Valerio.ME, VT, NH rank 1, 2, 3 for vacation homes. IPX1031, an investment property exchange firm, has taken a look at the proportion of homes that are listed as vacation homes across the country. ME tops the ranks, with 19 percent. VT comes in at 17 percent (with Greensboro at a whopping 81 percent and Quechee at 69 percent). NH is third, with 12 percent (highest proportion: Blodgett Landing on Lake Sunapee, 82 percent). Bringing up the rear? Illinois, 1 percent.And speaking of vacation homes, this is for you, Sip of Sunshine freaks. Karen and Sean Lawson, the couple behind Lawson's Finest Liquids, the Waitsfield VT-based craft brewery with an ardent following, are listing the home where they founded the company on Airbnb. It's in Warren, a few steps away from the original brewery, which is still in use. And yes, the fridge comes fully stocked.SO IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE TALKING HARTFORD ORDINANCES, WHAT'S THERE TO DO?Maybe you haven't gotten quite enough circus yet this summer? If not, the coaches at Upper Valley Circus Camp -- the captivating, nimble performers of Cirque Us and Theatricks -- will be doing a show in the tent set up at Blow-Me-Down Farm in Cornish. Starts at 6. Or maybe you want to be outside listening to music...
The Constitution Brass Quintet (that's two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba) will be on the common in Fairlee starting at 6:30;
The Lyme Town Band, which can usually be found in other towns around the Upper Valley during the summer, will be on the common in Lyme at 7;
Local singer-songwriter James Graham will be at Grantham Recreation Park starting at 6.
Stay cool, stay dry, and see you tomorrow.
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