GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Things start shifting today. It'll be gusty ahead of and during the passage of a "seasonably strong" late-summer cold front that's barging through the region, with rain and thunderstorms possible in the morning and likely in the afternoon. Otherwise, it'll be mostly cloudy, with temps reaching the low- to mid-70s late in the day. Everything clears out tonight, with mildly cooler air trailing behind.Quechee Club geese get a reprieve. After an onslaught of emails, letters, and phone calls, club officials yesterday called off plans to shoot a portion of the golf club's resident Canada goose population. The hunt may still happen, though. As the VN's David Corriveau reports, VT wildlife officials say that hunts are a "sound management practice" used at other golf courses to keep goose-related problems from affecting waterways and area farms. (VN, sub reqd)"This women-in-football thing is so delicate that to do a bad job, or even an average job, can hinder the door staying open for somebody afterwards." That's Callie Brownson, who's about to become the Buffalo Bills' new offensive quality control coach after leaving a similar position at Dartmouth. Her job at the college made her the first full-time female NCAA Div. I football coach; she becomes the Bills' third female coach. Seven Days' Dan Bolles talks to her about what lies ahead.Hartford SB opts to put policing question to voters; Dennis asked to resign. At a contentious meeting last night, board members decided to put a proposed "welcoming" ordinance governing communications between town employees and the feds on the March town meeting ballot. The proposed version does not include a controversial "savings" clause sought by town officials, so might put Hartford at loggerheads with federal law. At the start, SB member Dennis Brown and resident Lannie Collins asked SB Chair Simon Dennis to resign, arguing that he has shown "clear bias" in favor of immigrants. He refused. (VN, sub still reqd)Police, by the way, were taking no chances. Anticipating protests ahead of last night's meeting, several dozen state troopers were set up across the street from town hall, in the parking lot of the state office building, while a half dozen Hartford officers were stationed inside town hall. Hartford Village postmaster still on job after judge's suggestion that she perjured herself in assault case. In 2012, Rosi O'Connell alleged that contract letter carrier Brian Bowles struck her in the head with a scanner. Bowles lost his job, but after being acquitted in 2013 sued the postal service and O'Connell. Judge Loren A. Smith last month awarded him $72,000 in wrongful termination damages and forwarded the decision to federal prosecutors to look at O'Connell's behavior. Seven Days points out that "O'Connell's lies...have not cost [her] her job." Here's the VN's earlier coverage. (Thanks for the nudge, WA!)GW Plastics hiring again. You may remember that the Bethel-based company is expanding its Royalton manufacturing facility to the tune of $10 million. It's adding 30 positions for engineers and hourly workers. It's now doing $173 million in annual sales, has facilities in Tucson, San Antonio, Ireland, China, and Mexico, and was recently inducted into the VT Business Hall of Fame.Like going to the NH beaches in the summer? Better hurry. Okay, actually, you've got some time. But a new UNH report foresees sea-level rise of 1 to 3 feet by the end of the century and expects significant changes to the coastline by 2050. It urges municipalities to start planning now.The NYT wonders whether Corey Lewandowski will lodge "Trumpism" in the heart of the NH GOP. The president's former campaign manager, of course, is toying with the idea of challenging Jeanne Shaheen for her Senate seat. He's showing all the loose-cannon merriment of his White House benefactor, calling Shaheen a "partisan hack" and accusing Judd Gregg (yes, the Republican) of taking “a military deferment for bed-wetting” to avoid Vietnam. GOP leaders are fretting. (Thanks for the tip, MT!)Dan Feltes announces for NH governor. The state Senate majority leader confirmed yesterday what everyone's known for a while: He'll seek the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Republican Chris Sununu. Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky is also looking at running.VTDigger has school-by-school test results from 2018. Vermont students in grades 3-9 take standardized tests in math and English every spring, but data issues at the state Agency of Education delayed last year's results by 9 months. They were finally released in August, and Digger has crunched the numbers so that you can see both the average score on any particular test at each school, but also how different types of students (low-income, special needs) fared. What are your 3 top hikes in VT? It's the season, and there's an inspiring discussion thread on Reddit. Mt. Brousseau in the Kingdom, Burnt Rock Mountain overlooking the Mad River Valley, the short hike up Buck Mountain south of Vergennes.... You're bound to find something you haven't heard of, especially because it looks like there's a severe shortage of Upper Valley commenters."Would you let a stranger into your house if he offered to make you biscuits?" So King Arthur's head baker, Martin Phillip, has this interesting project. He's biking along the Arkansas River — he started last year in the Ozarks (he's originally from Arkansas) — carrying his banjo and a basket of biscuit ingredients, knocking on doors, talking to strangers, baking for them, and writing about the whole thing. He spent a lot of time trying to get the look (coveralls, white shirt), bike ('30s-era Elgin cruiser), and approach (the banjo helps a lot) just right. Yep, Seven Days again, with an interview about logistics, talking to strangers, and biscuits.
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LOOKS LIKE YOU'LL HAVE TO TRAVEL A BIT TONIGHT
. That's where Jim Yeager, singer, songwriter, producer to the stars, raconteur, and all-around music legend hosts an open mic night every Wednesday. Starts at 8.
That's where architect and astronomer Claudio Veliz and members of the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group will be talking about our moon, the formation of the solar system, the moon landings, and the moon's influence on culture and the arts. Starts at 7.
The NHPR team behind the Bear Brook podcast series — that's the one about the long-running investigation into the murders of four initially unidentified women discovered near Bear Brook State Park — will be talking about forensic technology, genetic genealogy, this summer's breaks in the case, and the podcast itself. Starts at 7 pm at the Capitol Center for the Arts.
Or what the heck, just stay in and read a good book. But whatever you do, enjoy it. See you tomorrow.
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