GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Warmer, mix of sun and clouds. Some of those clouds came in overnight from the west, others are arriving from the Gaspé Peninsula. Even so, there'll be decent sun, at least to start, and temps will reach the upper 30s or low 40s. There's little wind to speak of and it'll be a bit warmer tonight than recently, lows in the low or mid 20s.By the way, this nice sun we've been having? It's part of the same pattern that just brought 3-5 feet of snow to parts of Atlantic Canada. Towns in Nova Scotia and elsewhere were still trying to dig out yesterday, with snow waist-deep and higher in some spots. In Sydney, on Cape Breton, pressure from the snow was so intense it busted in the ground-floor windows of an apartment complex (story plus video that'll make skiers envious at the link). The weekend storm was part of an "Omega Block" in the jet stream that brought us fair weather, but intense storms to California and southeastern Canada.And speaking of sun...
Here's the just-risen sun over a frozen Reservoir Pond (and Jay Davis's ski tips) yesterday morning in Lyme;
"The ice is perfect. The day is perfect," a reader wrote about Lake Morey yesterday—with a photo to prove it.
And Sunday's bright sunshine in the Thetford Academy Ridge Trail woods, from Rebecca Lafave.
And speaking of the TA trails... It's not often that you get to ski to class in high school, but one group of Thetford Academy students has been doing just that, as they head to the school's yurt to work on making snowshoes using the wood from an ash tree they felled earlier this year. In the Valley News, photographer Jennifer Hauck offers up a gallery of photos and reporter Liz Sauchelli provides the article on the project, part of the outdoor program led by environmental studies teacher and program coordinator Scott Ellis.Federal appeals court revives fired doctor's wrongful termination lawsuit against DHMC. The original case was brought by Misty Blanchette Porter in 2017, after she lost her job following the closure of the hospital's fertility clinic. She alleged that the firing was due to her bringing up concerns about improper medical procedures and billing, as well as her own neurologic disability. In 2020, a federal district court ruled DHMC had shown sufficient business reasons for firing Porter, and dismissed the case. But yesterday, an appeals court panel found the lower court had improperly discounted some of Porter's claims, and revived her suit against the hospital. Decision at the link.SPONSORED: Get ready to sway to the rhythm of love at a Valentine's Day Dance at Artistree Community Arts Center! Dive into a night filled with enchanting melodies and captivating beats this Friday, February 9th at 7pm! Featuring DJ John J, who's ready to sweep you off your feet and onto the dance floor! In the hayloft. Learn more at the burgundy link or here. Sponsored by Artistree Community Arts Center.Former Leb resident pleads guilty, sentenced to prison in car theft from historic Plainfield barn. You probably remember the case: Last April, Judith Belyea's barn on Route 120 burned to the ground, and arson investigators found the remains of a Porsche and a Mercedes inside—then learned an Audi TT was missing. They eventually tracked it to the Leb home of Thomas Hamel, and arrested Jesse LaFlam, Jr. in the case as well. Now, reports John Lippman in the VN, Hamel has pled guilty to the theft—but not the arson; he will spend at least 3 years in prison. LaFlam's trial begins next month. Belyea tells Lippman she has no plans to rebuild the barn, saying, "You can never replace it."Cappadoccia Café hoping for April 1 opening. That's what co-owner Jackie Oktay tells Seven Days food writer Melissa Pasanen—but, as Susan Apel reported a couple of weeks ago in Artful, it all depends on when two Turkish chefs can get here. The new venture by Jackie and her husband, Vural, will go into the space once occupied by Piecemeal Pies, using a tiled, wood-fired oven to turn out various Turkish bakes specialties, including pide and lahmacun.Newport NH hires NJ administrator as its next town manager. Kyle Harris, who's been borough administrator in Garwood, NJ, will start work on Feb. 26, reports Patrick O'Grady in the VN. He will succeed Hunter Rieseberg, who moved to Newport after a long stint as town manager in Hartford; Rieseberg stepped down last summer. Selectboard chair Barry Connell, talking about Harris, tells O'Grady, “Not only does he have a lot of the qualities needed in a town manager but he works effectively with others and is a tireless worker.”SPONSORED: Crossroad Farm's CSA is now open for the 2024 season. Sign up now to take advantage of the early 7 percent discount. Farm Shares are available through discounted, pre-purchased credit and can be redeemed at the Norwich farm stand and the farm in Post Mills. Shares don't expire and can be used to purchase everything Crossroad carries, including hanging baskets, vegetable starts, fresh fruits and vegetables, and a wide assortment of products from other local farms. Sponsored by Crossroad Farm.NH AG's office identifies suspects in fake Biden robocall case, announces criminal investigation. The calls in Joe Biden's voice urging Democratic voters to stay home for the NH presidential primary originated from a TX-based telecom provider called Lingo, Attorney General John Formella said yesterday. Lingo in turn transmitted them for another TX company, Life Corp., owned by a man named Walter Monk—both Life and Monk were cited by the FCC in 2003 for illegal prerecorded advertisements, TechCrunch reports. The AG's office says it's issued cease and desist orders as well as subpoenas, and adds it "cannot confirm" news reports about the involvement of AI startup ElevenLabs.To The Holdovers producer and stunt director, NH has promise as a film destination. That may be because Chris Stinson and Amy Greene live in Portsmouth—and their production company is Live Free or Die Films. But despite the fact that NH can't compete with MA on tax incentives—"If you spent $10 million [in MA], at the end of the day you get a check back for $2.5 million," Stinson tells NHPR's Rick Ganley. "You spend $10 million in New Hampshire, you get a check back for zero"—it's got other advantages: cheaper costs, film crews that may work next door but live in NH, and, says Greene, "an incredible stunt community" in New England. Ganley talks it all over with them.Almost half of VT judges leave financial disclosure forms blank. In 2019, reports UVM's Aubrey Weaver for the university's Community News Service, only 13 of 42 superior and supreme court judges, or 31 percent, filled in only their names on Vermont Judiciary disclosure forms. In 2022, it rose to 19 of 39, or 49 percent. The falling completion rate, Weaver notes, raises questions about the public's ability to discern potential conflicts of interest. “Judges should be subject to scrutiny when it comes to ensuring the public that a judge is not beholden to any outside interest,” a state court ethics specialist tells Weaver.With VT town meeting four weeks away, legislators barrel toward school funding rewrite, consider delaying school budget votes. The urgency comes because estimates show education property tax rates skyrocketing this year as districts face budget pressures and, in some cases, contemplate using a 5 percent tax cap contained in Act 127 to justify large one-time expenditures, since the cap would hold taxes down on their own taxpayers and shift part of the burden to taxpayers in other districts. Two helpful stories explain:
VT Public's Lola Duffort gives the background on Act 127 and details how the cap has created a "cascading effect" in which, she writes, "Every time a new district hits the cap, the slack is picked up in the tax rates of other districts, who then themselves are pushed closer to the cap"—and face homestead tax rates that might not budge even if they cut millions from their school budgets.
And in VTDigger, Ethan Weinstein looks at the direction legislators appear to be headed: replacing the 5 percent cap with a homestead property tax rate discount for districts that would face higher taxes under Act 127, then giving school districts extra time to re-do their budgets. Even with the new discount, Weinstein writes, "the latest modeling indicates the average Vermonter could expect education property tax bills to increase 20%."
Fertilized chicken eggs, fried silkworm pupae, and burgers, lots of burgers: Restaurants critics' husbands dish on being a frequent dinner date. The critics are Seven Days' Melissa Pasanen and Jordan Barry, and recently Barry sat down with Mark Pasanen and her own husband, Kevin, to ask about what all those meals are like. They talk about the photo-taking that has to happen before they can dig in; the over-the-top service if one of the women gets recognized—"I hate it," says Kevin; and being aware that even a leisurely meal can turn into a story. "It's never just fried chicken," says Mark.Do you see what I see? We may know what photoreceptors animals have, but actually understanding what they see has been a challenge. Now, writes Laura Baisas in Popular Science, a team of scientists from the U of Sussex (in the UK) and George Mason U in Virginia have developed a camera system that lets them accurately predict the colors what an animal might see in the wild. That gives scientists and photographers much more insight into the effects of changing light—think dappled forests—and how animals track their prey. And makes for some very cool imagery in photos and videos at the link.The Wednesday Vordle. If you're new to Daybreak, this is the Upper Valley version of Wordle, with a five-letter word chosen from an item in the previous day's Daybreak. A word game—but local!
Daybreak doesn't get to exist without your support. Help it stick around by hitting the maroon button:
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There's that Daybreak jigsaw puzzle, perfect for long nights by the fire. Plus, of course, fleece vests, hoodies, sweatshirts, even a throw blanket. And hats, mugs, and—once you work up a puzzle-piece sweat—tees. Check it all out at the link!
Today at noon, as part of Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller's "Working Woodlands" series of lectures, the National Park Service's Kyle Burton will give an online talk on "The Ins and Outs of Trail Cams". It'll cover the basics of how to set a trail cam so you can observe wildlife without disturbing its habitat—and, the NPS says, will include "cute animal videos." There's a follow-up in-person session on Saturday on habitat ecology and where to place cams. You'll need to register for today's virtual session.
And today's the day! After five months of renovations, the Lebanon Opera House opens its doors again to the public with a housewarming party and kickoff celebration for its 100th anniversary. From 4:30 to 6 pm you can wander around to your heart's content, taking in the redone lobby, theater, and backstage areas. Music by DJ Sean, cash bar by Salt Hill. At 6, some remarks and then a dance party under the new stage lights.
From 6 to 8 this evening, the regular Wednesday acoustic jam will take over The Filling Station in WRJ—with a special guest host: Andrew Brozek of Ramblers & Co. (here's their performance at the Anonymous Coffeehouse recently).
At 6:30 pm, online only, Dartmouth's Rockefeller Center hosts John Jerit, president of American Paper Optics, for the Portman Lecture in the Spirit of Entrepreneurship. Jerit's Memphis-based company began as a paper novelty company and now says it is the world's largest manufacturer of paper 3D and solar-safe glasses. You can imagine there's a little pressure on them these days. Jerit will talk over the company's history and how it's prepping for April 8 with Rockefeller Center director Jason Barabas.
And for today...
There
was
a Vermonter who took home a Grammy Award Sunday night. It went to Jericho's Erin Bentlage, who is part of the LA-based modern/jazz vocal quartet säje, for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals on the group's "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", which also featured Jacob Collier. It's on their first album, and
As it happens, though, this wasn't the first time säje was nominated for a Grammy.
That
happened in 2020, and it was for the very first song they ever wrote together—before they had any way of getting it out in public or, really, any backing of any sort. In a short documentary, Pomplamoose's Jack Conte tells that story, likening their pre-breakout moment to Jacob Collier a decade ago. "If you're a musician or you're in a band and you're trying to put together funds to make a record, if you're trying to reach an audience, then I think säje's story is really important," Conte says.
And if you're curious,
säje will be in Portsmouth, Northampton, and S. Burlington
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.
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