A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU, UPPER VALLEY!
There's a chance of showers throughout the day, and maybe some thunderstorms. Remember that cold front from yesterday? It's moving slowly across the region. The bad news: this rain possibility, clouds, and if we do get storms they could be intense. The good news: trailing behind are cooler temps, setting us up for dry, sunny weather into the weekend. The weather service throws caution to the wind and uses the word "spectacular."Well. Things got a little heated in Hartford last night. Selectboard chair Simon Dennis even put the "welcoming" ordinance meeting in Time Out last night and suggested calling a halt, but the SB voted to continue. Immigrant supporters really didn't like an amendment added to the proposed ordinance over the weekend; other townspeople are convinced the issue's being driven by outsiders and want it put to a townwide vote. (VN, sub reqd)Remember NH's decision a couple of weeks ago to slash allowable arsenic levels in drinking water? Dartmouth Communications has a profile of the researchers whose work got the state there. Over the years, epidemiologist Margaret Karagas, trace elements research Prof. Brian Jackson, toxic metals program director Celia Chen and their teams "have found that long-term exposure to low levels of the pollutant increases the risk of certain cancers and may also be linked to heart disease and diabetes."Valley Vista says there's less adolescent demand for residential addiction treatment; local counselors say, "Are you kidding me?" A few weeks ago, the Bradford VT-based treatment center asked VT to let it convert some of its slots from serving teens to serving adults, citing lower demand. The VN's Nora Doyle-Burr followed up with a range of substance-abuse counselors, who say the need hasn't gone away at all; if anything, services aren't keeping up with the need. (VN, etc)Just a head's up that VT 110 will be closed in Tunbridge today. And VT 107 around Bethel and Royalton will be a mess for a bit. And VT 244 in Fairlee will be closed for four days starting Aug. 9. Every Monday, VTrans puts out a road-construction wrapup around the state. You'll find it at the link. “I’m not saying this is a particularly strong challenge." That was U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante yesterday, talking about the suit brought by the ACLU on behalf of two Dartmouth students against NH's new residency requirements for voting. But the students have legal standing, he ruled. In the end, he said, the law's goal “is to discourage or prevent non-residents from voting,” and the case will decide whether that's legal. (VN, one last time)NH health officials stop trying to inform people about Medicaid work requirements. They'd been going door to door to tell Medicaid recipients about the state's new work regs. That was until a federal judge struck them down on Monday. Now, says the state health commissioner, there's no point, since "as a practical matter there is no program that we can implement.” For now, anyway. There's almost certainly going to be an appeal.Trump to hold first NH campaign rally. It's been all Dems and Bill Weld, but now the president himself is headed this general direction. He'll hold a rally at the SNHU Arena in Machester on Aug. 15.Education will be an issue in VT gov's race. That's the unsurprising conclusion of Middlebury poli sci prof Matt Dickinson, writing on EducationNext, a national ed-related news site. Former Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe's challenge to Phil Scott "is one of the rare instances in which a state’s highest-ranking education official has run for the state’s top elected position," he notes. Former FL Gov. Charlie Crist and current WI Gov. Tony Evers both held similar positions. "In medicine, we consider the tick the cesspool of organisms," says VT Health Secy Mark Levine. He was at a news conference in Woodstock yesterday, along with Scott and others, to warn people to remain vigilant. This year's numbers aren't in yet, but last year 57 percent of ticks carried pathogens. "As you know, Vermont rates very highly on most health indicators," he said. "We're always in the top 10 states for various things. Unfortunately, we are for tick-borne disease, as well."Speaking of which, local infectious disease specialist Jeff Parsonnet will be on VPR today talking about Lyme Disease. The DHMC doc and Geisel prof will be on "Vermont Edition" with Jane Lindholm at noon and 7 to discuss Lyme's diagnosis and treatment these days.Every brewer has a vision. Austin Design is making them real. They're the architects behind The Alchemist's brewery in Stowe, which has catapulted the Brattleboro and Greenfield-based firm into the front ranks of craft-brewery projects. Lawson's Finest, Tree House, Fox Farm, Lord Hobo, Lost Shoe -- you could get lost in the cute brew names they've worked with. Worcester Magazine has a profile.Whew. That was a lot, huh? No wonder Daybreak needs a break. Just a reminder in case you missed Monday's head's up: One of the drawbacks of doing Daybreak solo is that when I take time off, it does, too. So Daybreak's headed for the mountains tomorrow. Or maybe the beach. Or, I don't know, puttering around the garden and tsk-tsking at all the brazen weeds. Mostly, it's clearing its head. And looking forward to seeing you again August 12.But you didn't think I'd leave you entirely in the lurch, did you? For one thing, there's an extended "got plans?" section just below. And for another, at the link you'll find a page of some memorable past items, those little confections you and I both know we like to eat first. If you signed up for Daybreak after April, you haven't seen most of them. It's like a compilation album! Daybreak: The Early Months. GOT PLANS THE NEXT FEW DAYS?Tonight, assuming there's not stuff coming out of the sky, there's music outside:
The Davis Brothers Garage Band will be on the green in Proctorsville. Brownsville brothers Rick and Jeff Davis and their cousin Lane Gibson formed the band back in the golden age of northern New England gig bands in the '70s. Starts at 6.
Meanwhile, GrooveSum will be at the gazebo on the Quechee green. Joe Mitchell grew up with two social activist musician parents, and he's carried on the tradition in his own music--with a generous helping of Led Zeppelin, Sly and the Family Stone and others adding to his influences. Starts at 6:30.
Or there's the Wednesday cookout at Loch Lyme Lodge with JukeJoynt. That's Dave Clark on guitar, Jed Dickinson playing harmonica, and Jeff Stedman on bass. Food starts at 5:30.
Tomorrow night's an indoor literary night:
It's the last of the Meetinghouse Readings in Canaan, with Christopher Castellani and Peter Orner. Castellani's new novel is Leading Men, about Tennessee Williams and his lover, Frank Merlo. The novel, Dwight Garner wrote in the NYT, "casts a spell right from the start." Orner, who lives in Norwich and teaches at Dartmouth, will be reading from Maggie Brown & Other Stories. "You know from the second you pick him up that he’s the real deal," Garner wrote, still in the NYT. "His sentences are lit from below, like a swimming pool, with a kind of resonant yearning that’s impossible to fake." 7:30.
But what to do? Because it's also the first of this year's Strafford Town House Forums (Fora?). Sy Montgomery, author of 28 books including, most recently, How to Be A Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals, will be in conversation about "Living with Animals" with Denny Emerson, a Strafford-based equestrian trainer whose most recent book is Know Better to Do Better: Mistakes I Made with Horses (So You Don’t Have To). Starts at 7. Oh, and Merriam-Webster says both are okay.
Friday? Well, it's kind of all over the place:
For starters, it's First Friday in WRJ... Here's the lineup.
While you're there, there's a showing of Iyengar: The Man, Yoga, The Student’s Journey at the Briggs. In case you've ever wondered about the guy behind the practice.
You could see a troupe of young actors tackle Narnia...The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe opens tonight at the Old Church Theater in Bradford.
Or you could head down to Concord to see Lez Zeppelin. Because how many chances are you going to get to see a dead-on, all-female tribute band rock the house with "Heartbreaker"? Or, right, that stairway one...
Saturday... Hmmm. Daybreak doesn't do Saturdays. But still, two things you should know about:
It's the Norwich Bookstore's 25th birthday. Remarkable, when you think about it. If nothing else, send them some good wishes. And if you care to do it in person, there's a sale all day, a book signing with author and illustrator Jason Chin, and a StoryWalk with Gravity, one of his books.
And Lyle Lovett and his Large Band will be at the Capitol Center. A schlep, but how many chances do you get to see Lyle Lovett doing a dead-on Lyle Lovett?
Okay, I think that does it. Enjoy your days. See you Aug. 12.
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