TOP O' THE MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Chance of snow all day — like, right now — but over time cloud cover will lessen. What seems to be going on is that there are two disturbances barging around above us. One is a "subtle" trough of low pressure that brought in moisture from a storm off the coast overnight. The other is moving in from the west, bringing dropping temps: from a high in the 30s this afternoon to single digits early tomorrow. There may be flash freezing on the roads as temps drop, the weather service warns.Aw gee, says Nitro, I kinda wanted blue ones... This is a seriously memorable pic. Nitro is one of the Lebanon PD's three K-9s, and an anonymous donor just anted up for a bright and shiny red pair of Rex Specs, which are goggles made to protect working dogs' eyes. To keep the peace, the department will pay to snag pairs for K-9 Blesk and K-9 Kimba, too.Norwich considers $2M building upgrades, $450K climate-change fund. The selectboard this evening will take up a proposal drafted by a town working group to cut energy usage by installing new heating and electric systems in Tracy Hall and improving those systems in other town buildings. The fund, proposed by SB member John Langhus, would give town officials "the flexibility to purchase electric vehicles, pay for energy upgrades or even prepare for possible storm damage," writes the VN's Tim Camerato.Lieutenant guv to join Rebecca Holcombe in Democratic race for VT governor. Citing "two Democratic insiders," VTDigger reported yesterday that David Zuckerman, who so far has kept his plans under wraps, will announce his intention to run next week; Zuckerman himself would only say he'll let the world know on Monday. He would join Norwich's Holcombe, the former ed secretary, who announced in July and has already raised $250,000 toward her campaign. Republican Gov. Phil Scott has also started fundraising, but has yet to declare. Vermont Law School opens beachhead in Burlington. For years, there's been speculation that VLS might someday just up and move its digs to Burlington, thus resolving the challenges it faces attracting students to South Royalton. It hasn't done that, but yesterday it cut the ribbon on a new legal clinic and admissions office in the city. The clinic will focus on immigration and business law for Chittenden County residents.In case you're interested in Ledyard Charter School's plans for the old Shoetorium building... It's holding a public meeting today on its bid to buy the building, use most of it, and potentially convert part to retail space. The meeting will be at the school, 39 Hanover St. in Lebanon, at 4 pm.Eye flashes, it turns out, are real. Or at least, they are during radiation therapy. For years, patients undergoing head and neck radiation therapy have reported seeing light flashes, even with their eyes closed. Now, a team led by DHMC radiation oncologist Lesley Jarvis and Thayer School PhD candidate Irwin Tendler, using imaging tech from Thayer spinoff DoseOptics, reports that the amount of light produced by a radiation beam passing through the eye is enough to create a visual sensation.Oh yeah, you definitely need snows. If you've lived around here for a while, just ignore this. But if you've just moved, the Burlington Free Press has a piece on how to get through a Vermont (or New Hampshire) winter. Snow tires, dress in layers, get outside, go do stuff inside, find something flowering (you could wander by Gardener's Supply in Leb, for instance, or the Dartmouth greenhouse). They also say get involved in politics, but ymmv. VT, NH rank 4,5 in WalletHub's "Best States to Raise a Family." The personal finance site's just out with a comparison of a bunch of different metrics in five baskets: family fun; health and safety; education and child care; affordability; and socioeconomics. The two states ranked low on "family fun" (I dunno, not enough laser-tag emporia?), but topped the states in health and safety and rated highly for education and child care. Vermont's in the bottom half on affordability, NH in the top 10. Now that uphill skiing on groomed trails is a thing, here's where to go. Ski resorts differ in their policies on whether, when, and how much it'll cost skiers to skin up and ski down. Boston.com has a handy guide to 10 of the resorts in the region that allow it. 21 bucks at Bretton Woods, free at Jay and Smugglers'.SSN phishing, fake computer tech support, and the ever-popular impostor grandchild... VT AG's scamming Top Ten of 2019. The state's Consumer Assistance Program just released its list of the scams reported by 5,447 Vermonters last year. In addition to the classics, there's a new one in which scammers claim you have an outstanding Amazon charge. How to spot the scams and what to do at the link.“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” That was VT Senate President Tim Ashe yesterday, quoting Mike Tyson as he welcomed his colleagues back to work. What with the prison abuse scandal, the Brattleboro Retreat's fiscal ailments, and other issues that weren't on the table when the legislature adjourned last year, the body has its work cut out for it, he said. House Speaker Mitzi Johnson, for her part, focused on climate change and economic inequities in the state.Looks like ECFiber will be getting some company. VPR reports that 35 municipalities around Vermont will vote at town meeting in March on whether to create communications districts to fund broadband coverage. The votes are in response to a measure approved last year — spearheaded by Thetford's Tim Briglin, among others — to provide funding to startup broadband providers. The proposed districts are clustered in the Northeast Kingdom and the southern portion of the state.What is it with presidents and Burlington? Seven Days' Courtney Lamdin notes that yesterday marked the four-year anniversary of Donald Trump's campaign rally at the Flynn Center, for which his campaign has so far stiffed the city on its $8,500 bill for police, firefighters and rescue personnel who worked that night. But the issue's bipartisan, Lamdin points out: The Obama campaign still owes Burlington some $5,900 for events in 2011 and 2012."It is easy to forget that land experiences time differently than we do." That's Valerie Blakely, a senior at Middlebury, whose essay on Bristol, VT farmer Jon Turner just won a Young Writers Award from the prestigious online environmental magazine YaleEnvironment360. Turner, a war vet struggling with the return to civilian life, "stumbled" into farming when, making a raised bed for a small garden, he put his bare feet in the soil. "In that instant," Blakely writes, "things felt right and made sense to him, and he was hooked."
If you like Daybreak and want to help it keep going, here's how:
GOT PLANS?
Kacandes, who teaches German and comp lit at the college, will delve into how the creative arts — especially memoir, fiction, music, and the visual arts — can impart truths that journalism and history struggle to convey. 7 pm at the Norwich Congregational Church.
You may know the two from The Bobs. They've been playing in these parts for four decades, and pretty much seeded the Upper Valley's rich Americana/roots soil. Folk, blues, Celtic, bluegrass, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, wry, insouciant... You'll hear it all. Starts at 6:30.
In which case, head to Fairlee town fall for the first of the winter season's Scottish country dancing classes/events. All dances are taught, no partner is necessary, beginners are welcome. You'll want to have soft-soled shoes to change into once you get inside. Starts at 7.
Hey, we're halfway through the first full work week of the year! See you tomorrow.
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! You can subscribe at:
Thank you!