GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
There's a change in the weather coming... But not quite yet. Today will seem a bit like yesterday: mostly sunny this morning, more clouds later, highs getting up toward 60, winds from the northwest, slight chance of rain for a good bit of the afternoon. Still, the jet stream's weakening, high pressure's headed our way, and warm weather's coming. Tonight, though? 30s, frost advisory. We could all use the occasional rainbow in our lives. Friday morning, John Pietkowicz was on his way to work when a rain shower came through. It was off to his west when the sun came out for just a few minutes to the east, as he was headed down Route 5 in N. Thetford, and he managed to catch this full arch.Town, city coffers do okay even during pandemic. Tim Camerato checked around for the Valley News and found that in Lebanon, Hanover, and Norwich, at least—Hartford numbers are still pending—property tax revenues held up or, in Lebanon's case, actually exceeded 2019. Leb's income from development fees also rose. Still, Hanover's parking revenues saw deep losses, and Leb's revenues from rec programs and airport both suffered as usage dropped.Jodi Picoult writes Covid musical. It's called Breathe, a collaboration with playwright Timothy Allen McDonald, lyricist and actor Douglas Lyons, and a team of songwriters, directors, and actors who tell the story of the pandemic through four pairs of people—in scenes named for symptoms: Fever, Aches, Swelling & Irritation, Fatigue, and Shortness of Breath. “I know there are going to be people who aren’t ready for this and maybe never will be,” Picoult tells the NYT's Elisabeth Egan. “That said, I think there are some very funny moments in ‘Breathe.'" They recorded in March; it premieres Friday on Overture+.SPONSORED: TEDxDartmouth is coming to a screen near you! On Saturday, May 15th at 10 am, six speakers invite us to “Reimagine” the world. We hope the ideas discussed will encourage learning that inspires new ideas, new perspectives, and transformative thinking. Through the event, we seek to contribute to the larger Upper Valley community by providing a space to meet new people, engage with incredible speakers, and participate in a communal celebration of ideas. Hit the maroon link for more info or register at this link: https://www.tedxdartmouth.org/reimagine. Sponsored by TEDxDartmouth
New Boat: "Permission to enter?" Pennsylvania: "No." The Fenton family, who own Sunapee Cruises, could be fuming about the unexpectedly long time it's taking their new boat, the MV yet-to-be-named (rebuilt from an old Mississippi river boat) to make it from its Missouri construction site to Sunapee. Hung up by paperwork issues after a reroute (it's big, and requires escort vehicles and state notifications), it actually made it into Pennsylvania eventually... where it's been stuck for weeks because of road construction. Making lemonade, the Fentons have turned its voyage into an online saga. "Over February break, I always remember hanging buckets." Reid Richardson grew up on the Richardson Family Farm in Hartland, and he and his father, Gordon, figure prominently in a new, two-minute film about their farm and its sugarhouse. It's a testament to a farm that's been in the same family since 1905, and was made for Aging in Hartland by Nick Natale, who's from Hartland, is the media technician for Harvard's Art, Film, and Visual Studies department, and won a series of awards for his 2019 film about the World Eskimo Indian Olympics, Games of Survival. (Thanks, SG!)Dartmouth study finds that changes to electric grid needed for renewable energy would make it more resilient. The research, led by engineering prof Amro Farid, concluded that changes to the grid's architecture, including meshed distribution lines and energy storage solutions, will help the grid adapt as climate change and extreme weather phenomena intensify. "Whether you are of one political inclination or another, value resilience or sustainability, the efforts are entirely aligned and should serve as the basis for a bipartisan consensus on the transformation of the electric power grid," Farid says.NH Supreme Court rules that people in mental-health crisis held in ERs can contest within 3 days. The decision came in the case of a woman known as Jane Doe, who was involuntarily admitted to DHMC's ER and held there over two weeks before being transferred to a psychiatric hospital. The law gives the state three days to hold a due-process hearing; the state argued that the clock starts with a transfer to a psychiatric hospital. In rejecting that argument, the justices ruled that the law applies when someone is admitted to the “state mental health services system," not a specific type of facility. NH to get $1.5 billion in federal aid—maybe. All told, Annmarie Timmins writes in NH Bulletin, funding from the American Rescue Plan is slated to include $994.5 million to the state, $264 million for NH's counties, and $86 million to five cities. There are 150 pages of Treasury Department clarifying notes, however, so it may take a while for the dust to settle. Especially since, Timmins points out, Gov. Chris Sununu has criticized the plan "and has not said whether he would accept the state’s portion of the money."NH AG's office says school mask mandates are allowed. The ruling comes as some parents, lawmakers, and school board members argue that masks violate a 2010 law that was designed to prevent physical restraint of children with behavioral issues in a way that might impede their breathing. School districts and private schools have been getting calls alleging that they're violating that law by requiring masks, NHPR's Sarah Gibson reports.Major funding for broadband expansion moves forward in VT. Now to hammer out the sticking points. The state Senate yesterday unanimously approved a bill to spend $100 million of the state's American Rescue Plan dollars on improving broadband in underserved areas, reports Seven Days' Colin Flanders. The House has already passed a similar measure, but with two key differences: Who gets how much money. The House passed $150 million for communications union districts only; the Senate bill would let small internet providers get in on its lower level of funding.UVM, faculty agree on contract. Bargaining has been tough, reports VTDigger's Katya Schwenk, since administrators started out proposing a 10 percent cut in base salaries. Instead, faculty will get a 5.5 percent salary increase by 2024, and their retirement and sabbatical benefits are preserved. The bargaining came in the midst of ongoing debate over the university's austerity measures, including cuts to programs; just a few days ago, it reversed course and announced that with booming enrollment, it's offering reappointment to three lecturers—in history, English, and geology—it had laid off.VT plans to move quickly on Pfizer vaccines for 12-15-year-olds. It was approved by the FDA on Monday, and a CDC committee meeting today is expected to give its go-ahead. If it does, state officials announced, online registration for that age group will open at 8:15 am tomorrow, VTDigger's Erin Petenko reports. So far, 40 schools are slated to host vaccination clinics, which will also be open to the general public."My children told me I sounded...totally nervous and stupid on the radio." Yet somehow, John Dillon managed to hang in there for 20 more years. VPR's first full-time reporter retires this week, and Henry Epp and Anna Van Dine talked to him about how he got into it, the changes he's seen, how a kid who grew up in DC came to seem like he was from here—"I think I'm sort of a New Englander by temperament, if not birth," Dillon says—why VT is not the "exceptional paradise" many residents like to believe it is... and his Bernie Sanders impression (at the 8:24 mark).Got an unwanted old love note hanging around? Guest list? Bucket list? The Museum of Everyday Life up in Glover is looking for notes and lists of all sorts, Susan Apel reports on her Artful blog, as it preps for an exhibition opening in July. Clare Dolan's museum, known for its unusual approach to exhibits—toothbrushes, knots, bells & whistles—is dedicated to showcasing "the minuscule and unglamorous experience of daily life in all its forms.”Oh, what the heck, let's just play around. There are lots of optical illusions that appear to move or swirl, and I'm thinking those aren't the right thing over breakfast. But here's one that's stationary: balls that appear to be of different colors but aren't. The photo takes advantage of what's known as the Munker-White Illusion, which fools the eye by overlaying different-colored stripes on an object. Don't believe it? Here are the balls without foreground stripes.
And on the numbers front...
Dartmouth is down to no active cases among students and 2 among faculty/staff. There are 2 students and 4 faculty/staff in quarantine because of travel or exposure, while 1 student and 7 faculty/staff are in isolation awaiting results or because they tested positive.
NH reported 134 new cases yesterday for a cumulative total of 96,933. There were 3 new deaths, raising the total to 1,318, while 71 people with confirmed cases are hospitalized (down 6). The current active caseload stands at 1,424 (down 68). The state reports 82 active cases in Grafton County (down 12), 51 in Sullivan (no change), and 121 in Merrimack (up 7). In town-by-town numbers, the state says Claremont has 15 active cases (down 2), Lebanon has 12 (down 1), Newport has 12 (no change), Hanover has 11 (no change), Charlestown has 6 (down 1), and Sunapee has 5 (up at least 1), and Newbury has 5 (up at least 1). Haverhill, Wentworth, Rumney, Canaan, Enfield, Plainfield, Grantham, Springfield, Cornish, and Unity have 1-4 each. Lyme is off the list.
VT reported 52 new cases yesterday, bringing it to a total case count of 23,606. There were 2 new deaths, which now number 251, while 14 people with confirmed cases are hospitalized (up 3). Windsor County gained 4 new cases and stands at 1,403 for the pandemic, with 83 over the past 14 days, while Orange County added 2 cases and stands at 784 cumulatively, with 64 cases in the past 14 days.
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Starting at 3 pm today and running through midnight Friday, the Hop presents Iranian kamancheh (spiked fiddle) master Kayhan Kalhor and his ensemble, filmed in Kashan, Iran in a tribute performance in memory of vocalist Mohammad Reza Shajarian—a singer "whose voice was regarded as one of his country's national treasures" (NPR) and who died last fall. The film, "Lost in the Desert Sky," presents all-new pieces by Kalhor, who often composed for Shajarian, and by tar player Ali Ashgar Arabshahi. Pick your own price.
Today at 5 pm, Dartmouth's Rockefeller Center hosts Tina Nadeau, who is chief justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court. She'll be delivering a lecture on the need for alternatives to incarceration for drug offenses, called "Drug Court—Where Justice Meets Treatment." A majority of people who appear in Superior Court with felony offenses suffer from substance use disorder, mental illness, or, often, both. Prison and jail don't improve their conditions, she'll argue—but drug court "has proven effective in treating the underlying conditions that result in criminal behavior" and its graduates reoffend at lower rates.
At 6 pm, the Green Mountain Club hosts author, angler, and backpacker Peter Shea, who has a new book out, Vermont Trout Hikes. He'll talk about finding good fishing spots along the Long Trail and in other backcountry spots, and cover what to bring if you want to make wilderness fishing a part of your time out in the woods. No charge, but suggested donation of $5.
And at 7 pm, Montpelier's Lost Nation Theater presents a staged reading/singing of "Going Up the Country," a new musical based on Yvonne Daley's book about the counterculture's move to Vermont in the 1960s, written by Eric Peterson and with music by John Foley (Pump Boys & Dinettes). No charge (though donations accepted), and the reading will be followed by a chance to offer comments to the playwright, composer, director and actor-singers.
Let's go for two pieces of art at once. The music is "The Last Goodbye," by Nashville-based songwriter Eric Kinny and singer-songwriter Danica Dora. The visuals are something else: a collection of high-def storm cloud timelapses put together by Mike Olbinski, an Arizona-based storm chaser. Black and white to start, color about halfway through, breathtaking throughout. (Thanks, JM!)
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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