GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Partly sunny, downright warm. What with air moving in from the south, we’ll be getting into the high 70s or even to 80 today, under a mix of sun and clouds. Lows tonight in the upper 50s.
They’re just bugs… but charismatic in their own way, right?
For starters, let’s take a look at the spiny oak-slug caterpillar that Cynthia Shelton found by her barn in Thetford and, with total understatement, labeled “Alien creatures live among us.” It’s destined, eventually, to be a moth.
Then there are the bald-faced hornets that Sally Duston found on an old hill farm site, also in Thetford, enraptured by the silverrod flowers they’d found. “These guys are usually aggressive (and scary!) but they were oblivious to us in this case,” she writes. “I was stung once years ago and it hurt for two weeks.”
And finally, the tomato hornworm Scribner Fauver noticed in his Meriden garden a little bit ago. “My wife (the gardener) screamed when I showed her the picture and ran outside to get rid of it!” he adds.
Time again for Sketchbreak! Where were you on May 30th at 2:06 pm? You probably don’t remember the date, but you’ll almost certainly remember the event that Natalie Norris highlights in her cartoon for this week’s Sketchbreak—and heck, maybe you have a similar story. Hit the little image to the left, or the headline.
DH announces job cuts. In all, Dartmouth Health said in a press release late yesterday afternoon, 124 employees were notified yesterday that their positions had been eliminated; in addition, DHMC and various of its clinics cancelled 303 open positions. The changes mostly affect executive and administrative roles, as well as the cancellation of the Tele-ED and Tele-ICU programs and of the cross-hospital collaborative effort known as the New England Alliance for Health. The news came the same day that UVM Health announced it’s laying off 199 staffers. VTDigger’s Olivia Gieger reports on the twin announcements.
“Patient revenues continue to be outpaced by escalating operating expenses, which have grown by 12%,” DH said in its announcement. “Labor, supply and drug costs continue to rise, while insurance companies are paying less and taking longer to pay.” CEO Joanne Conroy: “The employees affected by these changes have made meaningful contributions to Dartmouth Health, our patients and our communities. Some have spent many years serving this organization… Eliminating positions is among the most difficult decisions any organization can make, given the impact on our colleagues and their families. At times, however, difficult choices are necessary to ensure Dartmouth Health is sustainable and well-positioned for the future, while continuing to fulfill our mission and serve those who depend on us.”
A busy afternoon and evening for Hartford, Lebanon police. Three highly public incidents kept White River Junction and West Leb hopping late yesterday, reports Eric Francis for Daybreak. They began near the Kilton Library in W. Leb when police officers stopped a car in connection with a drug investigation, then let the occupants go. Around 6:30 pm, police from Hartford and Lebanon converged on a white pickup on the Lyman Bridge spanning the river, ordering the occupants out at gunpoint and bringing traffic to a halt. After questioning, they, too, were allowed to go. Finally, around 9:30 last night, Hartford police wound up in a scuffle with a homeless man who’d been the focus of complaints all day. He was taken to DHMC—then fled. Eric reports.
SPONSORED: Farm Fashion is now open at Billings Farm & Museum! This engaging new exhibition explores how clothing designed for agricultural work has shaped today’s contemporary style. From durable denim and chore coats to iconic utility wear, these looks can be found on runways and concert stages, and in everyday wardrobes. The opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 24, (5-7:30), will include a farmwear-inspired fashion show with community members on the runway in looks curated by local retailers and makers. Guests will also enjoy light refreshments while exploring the exhibition. Sponsored by Billings Farm & Museum.
Hartford High’s new principal: “Come here, work hard, learn, have fun. I think it’s a really good way to live your life.” Amy Molina began at the school July 1 after 25 years at U-32 in E. Montpelier, writes the Valley News’s Molly Hughes in a profile, with photos by Alex Driehaus. Those colorful parking spaces decorated by seniors? She and the class president came up with the idea, Hughes reports. Molina believes that having at least one adult in the building who knows a student can make a big difference in whether that student shows up—which she emphasized in teacher training. One major issue, Molina tells Hughes: the building’s in rough shape.
Meanwhile, the Claremont schools have a new business manager. Teresa Taylor, who moved into the post after holding a similar position in the Dresden schools, as well as in Newport, NH, started up at the end of August, Hughes reports in the VN. As Hughes writes, “Taylor steps into a role that has seen interim leaders come and go since the district’s finances unraveled last year.” Mary Henry, who was Claremont’s business administrator when the schools’ $5 million deficit first became public, left and now holds the post in the Woodstock-area schools.
SPONSORED: Sensory Friendly Hour at the Montshire Museum this Saturday, Sept. 19, 9-10 am. Sensory Friendly Hours are a time for a quieter and less-crowded visit to the Museum. During these hours, the Montshire offers reduced sound from select exhibits, and a quiet respite space with sensory support supplies. Also available are a social narrative and visual planner to prepare for your visit. Please come if the thought of fewer fellow visitors makes a museum visit seem more possible for you. Admission is complimentary. Sponsored by the Montshire Museum of Science.
A “wide-ranging meditation on trees” with some fine adventures thrown in. Among other things, writes Jared Jenisch in this week’s Enthusiasms, Robert Moor climbed sequoias, spent the night in a chimpanzee nest, and joined an encampment of activists trying to protect a forest from a pipeline development. All of that made its way into In Trees, but so does writing that verges on poetry: trees “eat sunlight and drink water”; and a tree, Moor writes, “is more like a verb. A tree is what a tree does.” Along the way, Moor gets coached in tree climbing, hangs out at the World Bonsai Convention—and pens “an immensely diverting ramble” through pretty much every aspect of trees.
SPONSORED: Overnight shelter staff openings. The Upper Valley Haven is hiring for its Leahy Shelter in White River Junction, third shift, 12:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., seven days a week. Staff work in pairs on a fixed schedule, assisting guests through the night and keeping the shelter safe and running. $22 an hour plus a $1.50 overnight differential, full-time and part-time positions available, with paid training and benefits included. To apply and see all job openings, visit our careers page. Sponsored by the Upper Valley Haven.
NH Supreme Court chief justice resigns. In fact, reports NHPR’s Todd Bookman, Gordon MacDonald made his move effective immediately when he announced it from the bench yesterday. MacDonald has been on medical leave since this summer, but as Bookman reports, the state Supreme Court also announced yesterday that he admitted he’d violated the state’s judicial code of conduct related to the personnel maneuver last year in which a senior judicial employee and political ally of MacDonald’s, Dianne Martin, got laid off and then rehired into another position, which let her collect nearly $50K in accrued benefits. Bookman broke that story last October.
A VT public health pioneer dies at 85. Dr. Anthony Robbins was only 33 when he became the state’s health commissioner in 1973. And in that role, writes Jeré Longman in an NYT obit (gift link), he landed a federal grant to make what was then a small supplemental food program for low-income women, infants and children (now WIC) a statewide effort; he also created a state-financed program to provide dental care to kids whose families couldn’t afford it. He went on to hold a similar position in Colorado, then to run OSHA (he was fired by the Reagan Administration), and, in the early ‘90s, to launch the Clinton Administration’s first national vaccine plan. (Thanks, AW!)
Real Vermonters Don’t Read Books Like This. Tha warning ended Real Vermonters Don’t Milk Goats, the surprise 1983 bestseller by Bill Mares and Frank Bryan—and it still ends the out-of-print book’s comeback edition, now being launched by Onion River Press and Mares’ widow, Christine Hadsel. In VTDigger, Kevin O’Connor recounts the original’s origin story (Bryan, then a UVM political scientist, and Mares, a writer, arguing about whether Bryan—raised in Newbury VT but born across the river—was a real Vermonter); details how the updated version came about; and offers some choice examples of what real Vermonters don’t do. Hadsel will be promoting it at the Tunbridge World’s Fair, the Yankee Bookshop, and elsewhere.
The deep blue (and green and grey…) sea, in photos. The Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 awards are out, with gorgeous images of the watery world and all that inhabit it. Overall winner is Julien Anton’s glowing black and white image of an adult and baby seahorse, shot in French Polynesia. The Fine Art category showcases images like Ben Thouard’s massive wave in Tahiti, “a moment of ocean chaos is transformed into a carefully balanced landscape.” The Human Connection winner, Rui Duarte, documents “compassion in action”—the rescue of a stranded pilot whale in Cape Verde by a team of volunteers, surfers, lifeguards, and conservation groups.
Today's Wordbreak. With a word from yesterday’s Daybreak.
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At the Hop, Toni Dove talks about Sunjammer 6: A Tale Blown by a Solar Breeze. The work was first designed as both an installation and a performance, but Dove has also created an augmented-reality book, and in this talk presents its pages live, “blending age-old book arts practices with AR, VR and digital tools and blurring the line between fine art and performing arts.” 5 pm at the Top of the Hop, free.
In Woodstock, Pentangle Arts screens Anselm. Wim Wenders’ 2023 film portrait of the artist and sculptor Anselm Kiefer is presented in 3D, the better to give a sense of the German artist’s sometimes monumental work delving into humanity and fascism and his country’s legacy. 6 pm in the Town Hall Theater.
Late night at AVA. Every third Wednesday, AVA hosts, as they write, “a relaxed monthly happening where you can enjoy the art, make friends you haven't met, catch some live music, and kick back with non-alcoholic refreshments by our friends at Bitéro.” runs 6-9 pm in the main galleries.
The Ben Kogan Band plays Artistree’s Music on the Hill. The summer music series closes out the season with multi-instrumentalist Kogan, his bandmates Justin Park and Mark Burds, and their “jammy roots rock” tinged with jazz and bluegrass. 6:30 pm.
Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: In Concert at Lebanon Opera House. Henson’s last feature film, Labyrinth debuted in 1986, starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie, with a screenplay by Monty Python’s Terry Jones. As LOH points out, it’s become a cult classic, and tonight’s screening is in HD “while a live band performs the full soundtrack in perfect sync with Bowie’s legendary vocals.” 7:30 pm.
And for today...
Jungle, the British retro soul/funk/disco/electronica band, is back! (In fact, they’re here, in Boston last night, DC tomorrow and Friday…)
See you tomorrow.
Looking for all of the hikes, Enthusiasms, daybreak photos, or music that Daybreak has published over the years? Go here!
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Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Poetry editor: Michael Lipson Associate Editors: Jonea Gurwitt, Sam Gurwitt
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