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Northwood NH News

February 22, 2012

The Suncook Valley Sun News Archive is Maintained by Modern Concepts. We are NOT affliated in any way with the Suncook Valley Sun Newspaper.



 

Local Youth Services Benefit Magic Show, by renowned "Frates Creations", at the Epsom Fire Station 2/26 at 2 pm. Sponsored by the Epsom-Chichester Lions and Fire Aux.

 

Admission by donation. Refreshments served. Call 736-9942 for more information.

 


 

Northwood Softball Baseball Registration

 

The registration deadline for the 2012 season of the Northwood Softball Baseball Association is March 4, 2012. Please get the registration and volunteer forms mailed in and postmarked by March 3rd.

 

We are pleased to announce that our spring clinics will begin on March 4th and will be held at the Northwood School gym. More information will be posted on the website soon. This year the clinics are free to those who have registered for 2012 season. We will be accepting registration and volunteer forms on the day of the clinic without the late fee being added on.

 

Please visit the website at www.northwoodsoftballbaseball.org for more information.

 


 

From Northwood’s Own Headwaters Of The Lamprey River,

NALMC Proudly Present Michael Caduto

 

• Saturday, February 25, 2012

• 4 – 8 pm

• Northwood Community Center

• Free and open to the public

 

Michael J. Caduto, who is well known as the co-author of the Keepers of the Earth books and A Time Before New Hampshire, will share stories, songs and indigenous stewardship traditions. Caduto is known internationally for his entertaining, dynamic presentations of science, storytelling, song and stewardship; the programs he presents here have a special connection to rivers.

 

For his children’s program Caduto uses storytelling, songs and chants to immerse his audience in freshwater life and native stewardship traditions.

 

His exciting family program explores different paths toward understanding the science and stewardship of riparian buffers–the habitats along the edges of streams and rivers that serve as guardians of aquatic ecosystems and the life therein. Michael will also introduce Riparia’s River, his new children’s picture book (Tilbury House Publishers).

 

Schedule

4 pm – Keepers of the Waters: Stories and Songs of Stewardship; a fun program for children

5:15 pm – Book Signing

6 pm – Potluck Supper

7 pm – Riparian Buffers as Bridges: Exploring the Guardians of our Rivers and Streams; an engaging program for the whole family.

 

For more information and to RSVP contact: Steve Bailey at [email protected] or 603-608-6624

 

Visit Michael Caduto’s website: www.p-e-a-c-e.net

 


 

Letter

Be Careful What You Wish For – SB2

 

Northwood School District’s first deliberative session under the SB2 form of government on February 9th was anything but a deliberation. Rather, for the approximate 8% of registered voters (170) who attended, it was a travesty for local representative government.

 

When I attempted to amend one of the warrant articles to fund it from surplus rather than taxation, the moderator deferred to the school board’s attorney. She indicated she had a conversation with an individual at the state Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) about this. That individual allegedly informed her that under SB2 a voter could not amend an article at the deliberative session to have the funding source be surplus. The reason given was that the voters were not "forewarned" about this amendment.

 

As a result, the moderator refused to even allow my amendment to be read into the record and voted on. When I called DRA the next day they informed me that legally, I should have been able to make that amendment, regardless of SB2.

 

On another warrant article (Educational Support Personnel Contract), the total cost that went to the budget committee was $55,487. However, at this deliberative session, the school board announced that due to a "clerical error" (of $117,984) the revised total contract was now $173,471, an increase of 212% from the amount disclosed at the Budget Committee’s public hearing.

 

When I explained this to DRA, I received a written response from their municipal auditor. It stated, "Additional purposes or appropriation amounts cannot be inserted in the warrant or budget if not discussed at a public budget hearing. However, amounts may be amended at the annual meeting, special meeting, or deliberative session". This did not happen and resulted in another miscue.

 

Fortunately, there are avenues available to recover from "procedural errors" made at annual school meetings.

 

Sincerely,

Jim Hadley

Northwood

 


 

Letter To The Editor

 

We would like to thank all the people who contributed to the Witham Family Fund. It is very much appreciated. Kenny is home recovering now after almost 4 months of being in the hospital.

 

We would also like to thank our good friends and family members who drove Donna, at night after work, to the hospitals, (Concord Hospital., Peabody Mass., and Portsmouth Rehab).

 

Thank you to everyone who helped build the ramp at our house, and to Tim for donating the lumber for it .

 

We are just so grateful for the generosity and kindness everyone has shown us.

 

Thank you,

The Witham Family

 


 

Under the Radar

Submitted By Shelley Frost

 

One of Northwood’s best-kept secrets is the Congregational Church – not for its Greek Revival architectural style, but for the community within. We are an energetic bunch and our mission is to be followers of Christ who are committed to building a welcoming and loving community so that we may serve others.

 

From a ¾-time pastor to a fun and lively choir, weekly Sunday School with nursery to an active missions committee, a prayer chain and interesting lay preachers, there is a place for all.

 

We’ve been enjoying the season of the church year called Epiphany, which celebrates the expression of God’s Holy Spirit. We’ve shared poetry, dance, storytelling and live music. We prepared for the season of Lent in a fusion of New England and Southern style with a Fat Tuesday Pancake Supper and Lenten meditation.

 

Come see what we’re up to for Easter, and bring a friend - all are welcome! We’re ‘the church with a heart, found just east of Coe Brown Northwood Academy on Route 4.

 


 

Letter

 

Say you got a brightly colored mailer with the notice that "This mailing was prepared, published and mailed at taxpayer expense," and discovered that it was full of lies and misrepresentations about the supposedly "wonderful" things your congressman was doing for you as a senior citizen. You know that because you have done your homework. Would you be annoyed? "Annoyed" is probably not the word, is it?

 

But in a way the most annoying thing was noticing the flyer tells you Frank Guinta has two offices set up to serve you. My first thought was, "Gee, he finally opened another office in NH, like Carol Shea-Porter and Jeb Bradley used to have; one in Manchester and one on the Seacoast." But no, there’s one in Manchester and the other is...in Washington DC! That’s a big help for the lobbyists there, but not so much for his constituents here in NH-01.

 

I was talking with a friend the other day, and he told me that he would always vote for Carol Shea-Porter, because she is honest. I bet he has been getting the same flyers from Mr. Guinta that I have, and has done some homework too.

 

Lucy Edwards

Northwood

 


 

Letter

Your Vote Counts!

 

Three years ago when the polls closed and the votes were tallied I was holding a one-vote lead. A recount was completed a few days later and the votes were officially finalized at 205 to 204. I had become Northwood’s newest Selectman. It has been an absolute honor to represent the citizens of Northwood. I am proud to be a Selectman and to be part of this fabulous town.

 

In addition to working for you as a Selectman, I am employed as the Chief Financial Officer of Hampshire Fire Protection, in Londonderry. My extensive financial background has helped me to properly and effectively manage your hard earned tax dollars. I am very pleased to have been a key contributor in keeping the tax increase to a minimum this year. Given the opportunity, I believe that we can have the same good fortune next year.

 

As Selectman, I have been helping craft the 2012 Town Budget, since last August. I have attended the budget meetings, as well as all of the Public Hearings, and worked with the Budget Committee to finalize the operating budget. I am the only candidate who attended these important budget meetings.

 

Serving as your Selectman has been a highlight in my career. It would be my pleasure to continue to work with and for you, for the next 3 years. Remember to vote on Tuesday, March 13th. Your vote is very much appreciated. Thank you!

 

Selectman Bob Holden

 


 

Northwood Bears Basketball copy.jpg

The Northwood Bears 3rd and 4th grade girls basketball team ended their season with a record of 5-1-2, which was the best in their division. Members of the team are: front row (left to right) Morgan Tatem, Paige Valli, Makayla DeButts, and Alex Elliot; back row (left to right) Asst. Coach Tim Cox, Jennifer Bettencourt, Addison Cox, Mary Thoms, Madison Tatem, and Coach Dave Elliot.

 


 

Letter

 

In this season of primaries, caucuses, and town hall meetings we should be acutely aware of and thankful for our liberties as Americans. The First Amendment to our Constitution says:

 

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

 

So we are guaranteed freedom of speech, press, and assembly, and the right to seek redress, rights bought at great cost by our forefathers. Therefore, in our open society we don’t suppress information or people, or support those who do, because, as Thomas Jefferson said in his first inaugural speech, "Error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it."

 

Zechariah Chafee was a Harvard Law School professor whose books greatly influenced New England’s great Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. He spoke about our first amendment rights in his book Freedom of Speech: "We all believe in freedom of speech, but the question is, do we believe in it when it is disagreeable to us? After all, if freedom of speech means anything, it means a willingness to stand and let people say things with which we disagree, and which do weary us considerably."

 

If we are timid when fundamental rights are being violated, if we shrink from standing up for our rights, if we look the other way when others are denied their rights, we will gradually lose those rights. Our unique heritage of freedom of expression must never be compromised.

 

Michael Faiella

Northwood

 


 

Letter

 

In response to Tim Jandebeur’s writing, regarding Northwood’s Town Moderator:

 

1) Even more frustrating than the erratic behavior of the Moderator was the inept audio set up with dysfunctional and disturbing output. The A-V technician was lacking in expertise and skill on this night.

 

2) Regarding the moderator, no doubt his actions and behavior over the years are as biased as an Iron Curtain news agency, spewing misinformation, misrepresenting critical facts, and sometimes protecting the guilty and obvious, suppressing the truth and overall free speech.

 

A replacement moderator has been long overdue.

 

The pro-school clique that huddled "as cheerleaders" for more school money made the usual "meaningless noise" yet it is doubtful they will invest ten minutes to have their votes counted, as Mr. Jandebeur infers in his writing.

 

Honorable Mention: Jim Vaillancourt’s straight forward presentation of Budget Committee findings and recommendation to the voters.

Dis-Honorable Mention: Helen Ash, as presiding school board spokesperson, totally overlooking any mention of a fellow school board member who is making a steady medical comeback after months of ICU treatment and rehabilitation, yet touting recognition and compassion for fellow crony Dave Ruth, present school board president, absent from this event due to a family emergency.

 

Ken Rick

Northwood

 


 

Northwood Recreation Update

 

The Northwood Recreation Department is offering ABC Music and Me, taught by Miss Kim. The program offers 4 weeks of themed classes. Each class will include instrument exploration, basic keyboard introduction, and singing and dancing. Class will meet on Thursday, March 15th, 22nd, 29th, and April 5th from 10:00-10:45 at the Northwood Community Hall. This class is designed for children 3 to 5 years old. Register by March 8th. Cost is $17/child and $12/additional sibling.

 

The class is open to both Northwood residents and non-residents. Register in advance with the Recreation Department. Registration forms and additional information can be found online at http://recreation.northwoodnh.org/.

 


 

Chesley Memorial Library Book Launch

 

The Chesley Memorial Library and Friends will host a book launch for Rebecca Rule’s new book "Moved and Seconded: Town Meeting in New Hampshire, the Present, the Past, and the Future" at the Northwood Masonic Hall on Saturday, March 3, at 6:00 p.m. Becky will share stories from her new book and autographed copies will be available for purchase. For a small donation, audience members will be able to enjoy light refreshments (including baked beans to bring back memories of town meetings of days gone by!)

 

Town Meeting is a sacred institution in New Hampshire. It has rituals, traditions, and a unique history. Town meeting is democracy in its purest form.

 

For three years, noted New Hampshire author Rebecca Rule has been gathering stories, attending town meetings and writing "Moved and Seconded: Town Meeting in New Hampshire, the Present, the Past, and the Future." She has crafted an instant New Hampshire classic.

 

In "Moved and Seconded", you’ll meet the characters who keep the drama cracking, from silent knitters to rabble-rousers, from deep-rooted hoary historians to transplants, from across-the-board cutters to homespun philosophers. You’ll dip into the literature – poems, novels, short stories and essays – some by famous writers and some by writers who may be new to you. You’ll sample the legendary dry humor as well as the down-home wisdom, which inspires well beyond the walls of the Olde Meeting House.

 

"Moved and Seconded" is a colorful portrait of a unique institution with a storied past and an uncertain future.

 

Rebecca Rules has several credits. Her collection of short stories, "The Best Revenge," was named one of five essential New Hampshire books by New Hampshire Magazine. Other books include "Could Have Been Worse: True Stories, Embellishments, and Outright Lies"; and "Live Free and Eat Pie: A Storyteller’s Guide to NH", and "Headin’ for the Rhubarb: A New Hampshire Dictionary (well, kinda)."

 

She writes regularly for UNH Magazine and hosts an interview show, the New Hampshire Authors Series, on New Hampshire Public Television.

 

She performs a touring program called Crosscut, with photographs and stories on logging, the mills, and the community of Berlin. She has received an honorary doctorate from New England College for storytelling and contributions to New Hampshire literature, prompting her to change her nickname from the Moose of Humor to Doctor Moose of Humor.

 

Three years of research and writing took the author from town to town, archive to archive as she traced the 300 year history of this uniquely New England institution, studied its evolution, and witnessed how it works – and it still does – today. She interviewed longtime moderators and town meeting enthusiasts with long memories.

 

Additional help came from officials and historians in many towns, as well as from contributors who’d done some thinking and writing about town meeting themselves. Dartmouth Professor Jere Daniell contributed a chapter on how New England town meeting was perceived in America over the years – the pendulum swinging from town meeting the best of democracy in action to anachronism and back. Writer and historian Ron Jager wrote in lively detail about two Washington town meetings one held in the 1970s and one in the 1990s – what changed, what didn’t.

 

And who knew town meeting is well represented in literature, including poems by Donald Hall and Jane Kenyon, Dudley Laufman, Jody Wells, Neil English, and former New Hampshire Poet Laureate Marie Harris. Winston Churchill, not the English fellow, the New Hampshire novelist, shows how a town meeting can shift power from the old guard to the new in his 1906 political potboiler, "Coniston". A crucial scene in Ernest Hebert’s classic, "The Dogs of March", takes place at, you guessed it, town meeting.

 

Of course, Rule includes a chapter on town meeting humor: "Fella run for selectman once. Unopposed. And he lost."

 

Yes, town meeting is serious business, but with plenty of room for (and need for) belly laughs, as Ken Sheldon, also known as Fred Marple, sage of Frost Heaves, NH, shows in his short story, "Heaves, Hoops and Early Hadley: The Shocking Truth about What Went on at Town Meeting."

 

"I’ve always loved town meeting," Rule says. "I love the drama, the sense of the community, the idea that together we can figure out what’s best for our town."

 

Ironically, as she was finishing up the book in 2011, her town, Northwood, voted town meeting out in favor of SB2 and Deliberative Sessions. "That was a blow," she says, "It made a tidy ending to my chapter on 250 years of town meetings in Northwood, but it was a blow." She explains the differences between traditional town meeting and SB2 and adds her voice to many concerned about the future of the institution.

 

On a hopeful note, Professors Inez McDermott and Maura McNeil at New England College teach a course on town meeting. Students Zach Harris and Ashley Paul write:

 

Where will you find a place where an individual voice can still be recognized, accounted for, and really mean something?

 

Perhaps it is outdated to use a system that has been around for over 300 years, but in a developing culture where voice and individuality are cocrucial, why would we even consider limiting the voice of every person? A pen is mightier than the sword, but a voice is mightier than a pen. Town Meeting’s roots are historical, cultural, influential, and are symbolic to the founding of the United States of America.

 

Not every New Hampshire town found a spot in "Moved and Seconded", but a lot of them did, from Langdon, which boasts the record for the most consecutive town meetings held in the same hall, to Mason, which has fought the good fight against SB2 for years, and is still fighting.

 

"Moved and Seconded" makes stops in Andover, Bow, Brookline, Cornish, Deerfield, Exeter, Franconia, Gilmanton, Hillsborough, Lincoln, New London, Nottingham, Plymouth, Seabrook, Weare, Wilmot, and many others.

 

Turns out over the years a lot of folks have had something to say about town meeting. Back in the early 1800s, French writer Alexis de Toqueville, declared it, a "more perfect" democracy, "than any of which antiquity had dared to dream." Ralph Waldo Emerson was a fan. As was Thomas Jefferson who said, "Town meetings have proved themselves the wisest invention every devised by the wit of man for the perfect exercise of self-government and for its preservation." James Madison, on the other hand, didn’t trust group decisions making: "In all very numerous assemblies, of whatever character, passion never fails to wrest the scepter from reason. Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would have been a mob."

 

Henry David Thoreau called town meeting "the true congress." And he meant it as a compliment. He wrote, "When, in some obscure country town, the farmers come together at a special town meeting to express their opinions on some subject which is vexing the land, that, I think, is the true Congress, and the most respectable one that is ever assembled in the United States."

 

"Move and Seconded" is a tour of New Hampshire then and now through the lens of one of its oldest and most respected institutions, town meeting.

 


 

Letter To The Editor

 

Budgeting is an extremely important part of any organization. If you don’t take it seriously it’s at your peril. The Northwood Town budget this year is an example of a thoughtful budget process. It takes time and work. In a Budget Committee Town the BC is tasked with taking the budget submitted by the Selectmen and using all available info, crunching it and submitting it to the voters. Works well.

 

Ditto for the school budget, until it gets to the works well part. I like the system, the School Board does not. Short of a blank check, I am not sure what would please them. The problem is that it’s a well known "secret" that we are paying a lot more for a lot less. Why?

 

The answer is how we spend the money. Budgeting is not taken seriously, the money is not going to the kids. So when a lady gets up and says that students are sharing books (she is right) she is thinking that there is a lack of money. Baloney! Other districts spend thousands less per child and educate them better. How do they do that? If you look at their budgeting, more of the money appropriated from the taxpayers to educate students, in fact, goes to those students. They have books, pencils and paper.

 

Just like our Country, the Northwood School District does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. Contemplate that while you think of your voting options.

 

Tim Jandebeur

Northwood

 


 


 

 











 
 

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