HAPPY DAY BEFORE JULY 4, UPPER VALLEY!
Just open yesterday's Daybreak for the weather. Well, mostly. Clouds clearing out, temps heating up -- this time into the high 80s and maybe, in a few spots, around 90. One good thing: Dewpoints aren't outrageous, which will keep the heat from becoming oppressive. Temps dropping to about 60 tonight.New London Cleaners will take over the old Kleen spot in Hanover. The VN's John Lippman reports that the family-owned business has signed a lease with Dartmouth College, which owns the business, and will be open as soon as next Tuesday. “We’ll be up there quick,” says owner Jeff Owen. "We were a mom-and-pop shop but we’re converting to the big boys.” (VN, sub reqd)Thetford parents organize on behalf of laid-off art teacher. Beth McGee has been Thetford Elementary School's art teacher for six years, but, after missing the deadline for her contract renewal (it was delivered to a neighbor's house), was asked to re-apply for her job and ultimately replaced. In a long post on the Thetford list that's been re-posted to FB, local parent Brandi Brown details McGee's side of what happened. There's a hearing before the school board a week from tomorrow.Appcast sold for $79 million. The Lebanon-based startup, housed in the Whitman Building by the edge of downtown, has sold an 85 percent stake to StepStone, part of the German media giant Axel Springer. Launched in 2014 by local entrepreneur Chris Forman, Appcast helps businesses target job ads online; it has over 1000 clients and has grown from a handful of employees to over 100 in three countries. Forman will continue to lead the company. Local Marine walks 90 miles to honor Marine riders killed in crash. David Roberts, a Marine vet, had spinal surgery recently and--unlike the thousands of riders expected for a memorial ride this weekend--is unable to ride a motorbike. But he can walk. So for the last few days, that's what he's been doing. Monday he did three miles for each victim, or 21 all told. As he walked past WRJ's VA, he reported on FB, "I was greeted by a line of Veterans, employees, and friends as they cheered and waved their flags back at mine.”Two unusual new CSAs launch. Brownsville Butcher & Pantry, the re-imagined general store in Brownsville, is offering a meat CSA. Co-owner Peter Varkonyi, whose background is as a butcher, is focusing on local, humanely raised, non-GMO meats. The store is already a pickup spot for Edgewater Farms' veg CSA. And dumpling entrepreneur Anna Magoon's Dumps-a-Go-Go is offering 20-50 dumplings a month, various pickup locations. (VN, sub reqd)Just in time for the 4th, NH ranks as most patriotic state, VT third. The personal finance site WalletHub used 13 indicators, including share of enlisted military population, share of adults who voted in the 2016 presidential election, and AmeriCorps volunteers per capita. The top five states in order: NH, WY, VT, UT, ID. Vermont, by the way, ranked first for "civic engagement."New lead-testing and remediation provisions take effect in NH. Under a law passed last year, physicians were already required to test one- and two-year olds for lead poisoning. Now, the threshold that kicks off lead inspections and home visits by state nurses has dropped from 10 to 7.5 parts per billion. Landlords of any rental unit where a child tests above 7.5 ppb will have to fix the hazards within 90 days.Can a North Country mill town remake itself? That's the question NHPR's Word of Mouth asks in the second installment of its series on NH's North Country. When Berlin's pulp mill was in full stride, the town was thriving. It closed in 2006. Now, "We're down to only a few stores, a lot of empty buildings," says one resident. Tourism's picking up (no more sulfur smell), but it's not a substitute. NHPR digs deep into a troubled economy on this one.VT leads all rural states in Airbnb rentals. According to a new report by the company, there were 175,000 guest arrivals there in the first half of 2019 (out of over 1 million in rural states nationally), and local hosts earned a total of $25 million, the most of any rural state.What would the St. Albans dairy merger mean for the industry in Vermont? As you may have read, the 330 farmer-owners of the St. Albans Cooperative Creamery are deciding later this month whether to merge with the 14,000-member Dairy Farmers of America, based in Kansas. VPR's Vermont Edition will be talking it over today at noon and 7 with the chair of the St. Albans board and Fairfield dairy farmer Julie Wolcott. VT Fish and Wildlife cancels goose banding effort. Why? No geese. Every year, researchers rely on volunteers to help them track the health of the Canada Goose population, which passes through Addison County's Dead Creek watershed on its migration. Today was supposed to be banding day, but as officials note on their website, "Unfortunately, the geese at Dead Creek Wildlife Area have moved off to a location where they can not be caught." You'll be pleased to know, though, that the geese are thriving this year. A quick note: There'll be no Daybreak tomorrow. Back on Friday... but I'm a sucker for fireworks, which means I'll be up late tomorrow night, so Friday's edition will come later than usual. Sorry about that, early risers! Just think of it as "Coffeebreak."SO.... NEED PLANS?West Windsor's kicking off fireworks a night early. Which is great, but it's the food you might want to go for, especially the "Fried Chicken Shack" set up by Brownsville Butcher & Pantry, which'll have mild and hot buttermilk fried chicken, coleslaw, and biscuits. The Moonlighters are dishing out hamburgers and hot dogs, while Harpoon will have a beer garden with seasonal draft beer, Arctic Summer seltzer, and craft cider. The Lazy Cow tops it all off with ice cream. Eating starts at 6, fireworks at dusk. At Ascutney Mountain Resort.Jonas Horwitz will be in Bradford VT, talking about his book How to Stop Feeling So Damn Depressed: The No BS Guide for Men. Horwitz is a clinical psychologist who believes men should treat depression "with deep respect." He outlines better ways of coping than drink or drugs, including ways to think, behave--and build in healthy eating and exercise habits. Starts at 6:30 at the Bradford Public Library.Blues guitarist--and singer/songwriter--Dave Keller will be on the Quechee Green. "Originally from Massachusetts, Keller landed in Montpelier back in 1993 and has spent the decades since carving out a reputation in the Northeast as a talented songwriter and a ripping blues guitarist," Seven Days wrote last fall when Keller released his latest album, "Every Soul's a Star." Blues icon (and Catfood Records owner) Bob Trenchard calls him "the most talented songwriter I've ever worked with." Starts at 6:30.Finally, got that "I need a good parade, some barbecue, and a whole load of fireworks" feeling? You'll find a good list of 4th of July celebrations here in the VN, a somewhat shorter one here on DailyUV, and if you want to travel farther afield in VT, here on VTDigger.Here's hoping that at least a few of those fireworks make your jaw drop. See you Friday.
If you like Daybreak and would like to help it keep going and evolve, please hit the "Support" button below and I'll tell you more:
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!