Category Archives: Quick Hits

WMEO Fall Foliage Update — October 2026

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Two cats sit behind a WMEO 9 news desk delivering a “Fall Foliage Update.” Banner, an orange tabby wearing a black bow tie, and Balboa, a sleek black cat, face the camera with a microphone between them. A teddy bear and toy mouse rest on the desk beside their WMEO press badge. Behind them, a large screen shows a vivid autumn landscape of trees with red, orange, and yellow leaves along a riverbank under a blue sky.

🍁 Live From the WMEO 9 Weather Desk, This is your Fall Foliage Update

WMEO 9   We Meow- You Listen

Banner (Weather Desk): “Good morning, New England! Banner here with your official WMEO Fall Foliage Update. Peak color has exploded across New Hampshire and Vermont, and experts say this is the most vibrant season in over a decade. Reds, oranges, yellows — the whole region looks like it’s been set on ‘autumn mode.’”

A calm pond reflects a dense forest of trees in peak autumn color, with bright red, orange, yellow, and green foliage lining the water’s edge under soft natural light.

Balboa (Anchor Desk): “Well, that explains why the humans keep stopping in the middle of the road to stare at trees. Personally, I prefer indoor foliage — specifically the houseplants I’m not supposed to chew. But yes, the mountains are glowing, and leaf‑peepers are already out in full force. Brace yourselves.”

Banner: “Thank you, Balboa. For on‑location coverage, we now go live to our Autumn Correspondent, Pumpkin Spice, reporting from somewhere inside a leaf pile.”

Pumpkin Spice (Leaf Pile Reporter)

Pumpkin Spice, an orange tabby cat dressed as a WMEO field reporter, sits partially buried in a pile of colorful autumn leaves. He wears a black hat with an orange band and small leaves tucked into it, and holds a WMEO microphone in his paw. A WMEO press badge hangs from a blue lanyard around his neck. Behind him, New England mountains covered in peak fall foliage rise under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

Pumpkin Spice (Leaf Pile Reporter): “Pumpkin Spice reporting LIVE from Leaf Central! As you can see, I am fully immersed in the situation — literally. Experts say this is the best foliage season in over ten years, and judging by the amount of leaves currently stuck to my hat, I can confirm the data is accurate.

Up north, the White Mountains are glowing. Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom is showing off. Northern Maine is basically a postcard. Sunny skies, temps in the low 60s… perfect conditions for leaf‑peepers and terrible conditions for anyone who dislikes raking.

A curving paved road winds through a dense forest of trees in peak autumn color, with bright red, orange, yellow, and green foliage lining both sides under a partly cloudy blue sky.

Peak color will last about a week in the mountains before drifting south. Translation: more leaves for me to sit in, and more tourists for Banner to yell at from the Weather Desk.

…and with peak color expected to drift south over the next week, leaf‑peepers should prepare for maximum crunch conditions. I’ll remain on location — mostly because I’m stuck — but for now, this is Pumpkin Spice reporting LIVE from the leaf pile.

Banner, Balboa… back to you at the desk.”

Banner (Weather Desk): “Thank you, Pumpkin Spice. Please try not to sink any deeper — HR says we’re out of replacement microphones.”

Balboa (Anchor Desk): “And if anyone sees a small orange reporter buried in leaves, please do not attempt to rake him. He is part of the broadcast.”

Banner: “That’s your WMEO Fall Foliage Update for today. Stay safe, enjoy the colors, and remember — if you’re stopping suddenly to admire a tree, maybe use your blinker.”

Balboa: “We’ll be back tomorrow with more WMEO coverage. Until then, keep your paws warm and your leaf piles cat‑free.”

Two cats sit behind a WMEO 9 news desk as if hosting a broadcast. The orange cat on the left wears a dark blue bow tie, while the black cat on the right sits beside a small gray mouse toy and a brown teddy bear. A sheet of paper with red markings lies on the desk. The front of the desk displays the text “WMEO 9” in large yellow letters and “Thank you for watching” in white. The blurred newsroom background features blue and red tones.

 

A Halloween Caution

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Black cat sitting in a pumpkin patch

Halloween brings spooky stories, ghostly wanderings, and old superstitions. But black cats are not evil. They are loving companions and symbols of good luck.

Sadly, black cats are often the last to be adopted from shelters. And during this season, some people target free‑roaming black cats. It’s cruel and heartbreaking.

A sleek black cat lounges on a dark wooden mantel in front of a fireplace, front paws stretched out as he gazes calmly to the side. A TV and small digital clock sit behind him, with a blue wall and plants adding a cozy backdrop.

Please keep your black cats indoors and safe. They deserve protection, love, and a world that sees their beauty — not outdated fear.

WMEO Weekend Editon – The debate continues over AI

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Two cats sit behind a WMEO9 Weekend Edition news desk. Banner, an orange long‑haired cat wearing a black bow tie, sits on the left with a paper marked by paw prints. Balboa, a black short‑haired cat, sits on the right beside a toy mouse and a small teddy bear. A microphone rests between them, and the backdrop shows Dartmouth College with a clock tower under a clear sky.

Banner: Good afternoon, Taunton. This is your WMEO 9 Weekend Edition. We Meow- You Listen. 

Today we’re covering the continuing debate over the use of AI in writing. What began as a business‑sector concern has now moved directly into higher education. Dartmouth College is facing scrutiny after accusations surfaced that Provost Santiago Schnell may have used AI to generate portions of his recent published work — including an opinion piece about AI misuse.

Independent reviewers noticed a sharp shift in Schnell’s writing style beginning in 2022. Earlier work showed consistent human authorship. More recent pieces displayed patterns commonly associated with AI‑generated text. Dartmouth has launched a formal review committee, and the investigation is ongoing.

Balboa: “So he wrote about AI cheating with AI? That’s like me lecturing Banner about overeating while I’m sitting in the treat bowl.”

Banner: “Balboa, this is a matter of academic integrity.”

Balboa: “And convenience. Don’t forget convenience.”

Banner: “At WMEO9, we believe transparency matters. Whether in business, academia, or any place where trust is essential, the tools we use should be acknowledged honestly. Artificial intelligence can be helpful — even powerful — but it cannot replace accountability. When leaders ask others to uphold standards, they must uphold them themselves.”

Balboa: “Unless the AI writes better. Then maybe uphold it… but quietly.”

Banner: “Balboa, this is an editorial moment.”

Balboa: “I’m editorializing.”

Banner: “The Dartmouth investigation is ongoing, and we will continue to follow it. But the larger question remains: how do we balance innovation with integrity? That conversation isn’t ending today — and it shouldn’t.”

Balboa: “I vote for innovation. Banner votes for integrity. Together we make… moderate progress.”

Banner: “This concludes our WMEO 9 Weekend Edition editorial. Thank you for joining us.”

Two cats sit behind a WMEO 9 news desk as if hosting a broadcast. The orange cat on the left wears a dark blue bow tie, while the black cat on the right sits beside a small gray mouse toy and a brown teddy bear. A sheet of paper with red markings lies on the desk. The front of the desk displays the text “WMEO 9” in large yellow letters and “Thank you for watching” in white. The blurred newsroom background features blue and red tones.

Vermont’s Fall Colors

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A white steepled church sits in a small Vermont town surrounded by vibrant autumn foliage, with red, orange, and yellow trees, a grassy foreground, a winding stream, and misty mountains rising in the background.

🍁  Vermont’s Route 100 — From the Triangle to the Trees

After wandering through the mysteries of the Bennington Triangle, it turns out the perfect next stop is… Bennington itself. Because that’s where Vermont Route 100 begins — the most scenic drive in the entire state, and honestly one of the best in New England.

Route 100 is Vermont showing off. This winding two‑lane highway runs the full length of the state, more than 200 miles from bottom to top, hugging the eastern side of the Green Mountains the whole way. In October, it becomes a rolling ribbon of color — hills blazing in red and gold, quiet lakes reflecting the sky, rivers slipping through the trees, and covered bridges popping up like they were placed there just for your camera.

A curving paved road with double yellow lines winds uphill through a dense autumn forest, surrounded by vivid red, orange, yellow, and green foliage on both sides.

It’s the kind of road where every bend feels like a postcard.

You pass through tiny villages with white steeples, old farms tucked into the hills, waterfalls you can hear before you see, and long stretches where the forest arches overhead like a tunnel of color. We stayed on Route 100 almost the entire way, with just one detour planned: Smugglers’ Notch up north — because honestly, how do you resist a name like that?

A winding paved road curves through a bright autumn forest, with yellow and orange leaves forming a colorful canopy overhead and a large mossy rock sitting beside the road.

If the Bennington Triangle gave us Vermont’s eerie side, Route 100 is the soft, golden, leaf‑peeping side — the part that makes you roll the windows down, breathe in the cold air, and remember why fall feels like magic.

 

The Great Pasta Debate Lives On

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A plate of spaghetti topped with a thick tomato meat sauce, sprinkled with grated cheese and garnished with a fresh parsley sprig.

🍝 You’re Cooking Pasta ALL Wrong!

I guess the Great Spaghetti Debate is never going to rest.

Despite my very reasonable explanation back in April — To Break or Not to Break: The Great Spaghetti Debate — I opened my email this morning to a headline screaming at me like I’d committed a culinary crime:

“You’re Cooking Pasta Wrong.”

Well of course I had to read it. And inside? Another dramatic proclamation:

“arounddustyroads.com According to an Italian Chef.”

Alright, fine. What am I supposedly doing wrong now?

According to Chef Marcello of the Academia Barilla, the perfect bowl of pasta requires long noodles cooked in salted water — without breaking them — so the sauce can swirl and cling like it’s performing a romantic tango. After wading through all the author’s detours, it became clear he was talking about pasta dishes where the sauce is mixed into the noodles, not the kind you spoon on top once it’s on your plate. And after all that drama… they didn’t even include a recipe!

Okay. I can accept that. But I’ve moved on.

I am now 100% in the Short Noodle School of spaghetti cooking. I’ve even stocked up on the “pot‑sized” spaghetti you can buy at the grocery store. I don’t need a restaurant‑sized cauldron to make a single serving, and the pot‑sized noodles work beautifully. No muss, no fuss, no rogue noodle shards launching themselves across my kitchen like tiny edible javelins.Two boxes of pot‑sized spaghetti on a kitchen counter beside a container of uncooked pasta, with a cooking pot in the background.

So yes — the debate lives on. But this home cook has chosen her side.

And if Chef Marcello wants to challenge me, he can meet me in the pasta aisle — I’ll be the one holding the pot‑sized spaghetti with zero regrets.