As soon as the coronavirus hit New England and drastically altered everyone’s lives, my work life also changed. The Valley News has had its struggles with losses of advertising and staff reductions. I’m proud to continue to work with a dedicated groups of journalists covering the Upper Valley. Here’s a few of my favorite photos I made over the past few months.
Weathersfield Elementary Principal JeanMarie Oakman waves goodbye to students leaving on four buses at the end of the school day in Ascutney, Vt., on March 16, 2020. Under the direction of the governor, students will be working from home through the end of the school year.
Hartford Selectboard member Alan Johnson raises his hand to be recognized in the chamber by chair Dan Fraser while meeting remotely as CATV Tech Coordinator Thomas Bishop watches in White River Junction, Vt., on March 25, 2020. Changes to the state’s Open Meeting Law allow for boards and commissions to meet from different locations due to COVID-19 concerns.
Instructor Lisa Dumont, of Rockingham, Vt., demonstrates an exercise for students during a Fit Body Boot Camp workout in the PowerHouse Mall parking lot in West Lebanon, N.H., on March 31, 2020. Dumont, who owns the business and another in Rockingham, said the response to the social-distancing workout in West Lebanon has been positive and she hopes to do the same soon at her other location.
As Enfield Police Chief Roy Holland, middle, and Officer Mike Crate load groceries into her car, Dorothy Braley, of Canaan, N.H., tells them it is her last time for weekly food at the police station in Enfield, N.H., on April 7, 2020. Braley is a dental assistant and her hours have been cut back to one day a week during the COVID crisis – her unemployment check had just started arriving. “This has been a massive help,” she said of the food for herself and her husband.
Quinn Thomashow, right, of Strafford, Vt., projects her camera-less film onto her family’s home as her relatives Julia and Rachel Norton, of New York City, watch while listening to the audio track Thomashow recorded on April 22, 2020. Originally intended to be part of an installation at Hampshire College for her senior thesis, Thomashow is instead sharing the project with friends and family in their cars due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Nortons temporarily moved to Strafford weeks earlier to shelter in place.
On the first day back in business on May 11, 2020, Colonial Barber Shop owner and barber Tracey Barber disinfects the shop’s door following a customer’s departure in West Lebanon, N.H. The shop and other New Hampshire hair salons were allowed to reopen, following restrictions due to the pandemic.
Jacqueline Springwater, of Norwich, Vt., moves soil delivered to her home one bucket at a time on May 15, 2020. Springwater, 86, is growing a garden this summer for the first time because travel is limited due to the coronavirus pandemic. Springwater will be growing herbs and greens for dishes she likes to cook. “I’m not only prepping my garden but also prepping my body,” she said of the workout required for gardening.
Kacey Knight singes remaining hair from a pig slaughtered at Vermont Packinghouse in North Springfield, Vt., on May 19, 2020. Knight supervises an eight-man crew on the “kill floor” at the 30,000 square-foot meatpacking plant. Due to the demand for locally raised beef and pork because of COVID-19, the slaughterhouse is booked through the end of 2020.
Spaced at least six feet apart, Hanover High School sophomore Ian Hedgepeth, right, and his teammates stand at the ready to sprint on coach Rob Woodward’s signal during their first practice for the new summer New Hampshire COVID Baseball League in Lebanon, N.H., on June 1, 2020.
Valley News photographs copyright © Valley News
May not be reprinted without permission