PRESCHOOL
OPENINGS!
Are you
thinking about enrolling your child in preschool for next fall? The
Center School in Northwood is accepting registrations for the
2013-2014 school year. The Center School is a parent cooperative
preschool located next to the town hall in Northwood, which provides
a developmental program for three, four, and five year olds of
Northwood and surrounding towns. There are openings in our two-day
(T/Th) program and three-day (M/W/F) morning programs. Call or email
us soon to get an information packet or to make an appointment to
come for a visit! For information, please email director Karen
Andersen at
[email protected] or call her at the school at
942-7686.
Fisher
Cat Reading Challenge
Northwood students participated in the New Hampshire Fisher Cats
reading challenge. Students were required to read five books and
were able to earn tickets to a Fisher Cat baseball game this spring.
About 300 students successfully completed the challenge and will
also be rewarded with a visit from Fungo in April.
Northwood Vote Recount Upholds Initial Outcome
On
March 21st a vote recount for Northwood Police Commissioner was
conducted, as requested by Spike Bryant, who was defeated by six
votes on Election Day.
With
Town Selectmen conducting much of the recount process Richard (Rick)
Wolf was confirmed the official winner.
Many in
the Town of Northwood wish Rick the best of success when he assumes
his position for three years, alongside two other incumbent Town of
Northwood Police Commissioners.
Letter
Mere
Pennies A Day
We are
told that the 18 cent per gallon gas tax hike passed by the NH
House, but not yet by the Senate, will reap big rewards for
Northwood. It is said that for a cost of only 20 cents a day per
motorist our town would gain $346,000 in block grants from the
State.
But if
the numbers we are being given are correct, and if Northwood has,
say, 3,000 motorists (a conservative figure), in the 10 years it
would take for us to get all of that $346,000 we would have paid the
state at least $2,190,000 in gas tax increases.
So for
every 20 cents we send the State we would get about 3 cents back.
How is that a benefit for Northwood taxpayers?
Michael
Faiella
Northwood
Baseball Reading Incentive
The
Literacy Committee at Northwood School sponsored a baseball reading
incentive to motivate students to read. There were three baseball
games being played throughout the building and runs were made for
each book read.
The
final scores of the games were:
• AM
Kindergarten vs. PM Kindergarten - 237 to 249
•
Grades 1 and 2 vs. Grades 3 and 4 - 1,836 to 1,414
•
Grades 5 and 6 vs. Grades 7 and 8 - 312 to 248
There
were a total of 4,296 books read during the five week game. Way To
Go Northwood Readers!
Letter
Who Are
You Working For?
On
Wednesday, March 20, the House of Representatives considered a bill
filed by former speaker Bill O’Brien to block the state from
accepting federal funds to expand Medicaid. As part of the
Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), this provision of the act would
allow states to cover under Medicaid more of its citizens who aren’t
quite poor enough to qualify for coverage. This would mean that more
people would receive medical care before showing up in the emergency
room: pregnant women needing pre-natal care; kids with asthma; older
folks with diabetes or high blood pressure; etc. Not only would
they benefit from receiving health care, but we all would benefit
because their ER costs would not be shifted onto the “paying
customers” - that is, many of us.
Since
the federal government would pay 100% for this expansion in the
first 3 years and at least 90% thereafter, increasing coverage would
seem to be a no-brainer. In fact, several Republican Governors after
making a great show of opposing Obamacare and all of its provisions
(e.g., Gov. Rick Scott of Florida), have decided to accept the
expansion – and the federal funding.
Fortunately, our Governor Hassan has been on board since the
beginning. And fortunately, the House voted 206-155 to kill
O’Brien’s bill. Seven Republicans joined 199 Democrats to defeat the
bill. Sadly, our Representative Bruce Hodgdon was not among the
seven.
So I am
moved to ask: Bruce, who are you working for? Us or former speaker
O’Brien? And when will you begin to put the interests for your
constituents ahead of those of your party?
Tom
Chase
Northwood
Letter
To The Editor
As you
can well imagine, I’ve spent most of my life in trouble with someone
or another. It seems to bracket my personality abrasiveness. Oh, one
School Board member wants me to be sure to let you know that my
letters are my thoughts only.
I spent
this week thinking about what the Board accomplished in the last
year. I went through minutes, I asked others, what have we done to
be proud of. I came up blank. The only thing that came to mind was
that we actually didn’t overspend our budget but that was last year.
We
kicked cans down the road, I am an elected can kicker. When I think
about the overall management of Northwood School, I think of the
sign outside. Messages are usually 7 days old before they are
changed. When I think about education, I think about the
presentation on the latest NECAP scores. After a year of improvement
this year we stayed about the same, “we stabilized.” I did not run
for School Board to stabilize. I have two years left.
For the
first half of the last year I was pretty quiet. There were
agreements that things would be done, changes would be made. Not one
materialized. Now I’m being told that “unanticipated” Special
Education costs have reared their heads again, that regular
education kids will have to give up more and that we are in danger
of overspending our budget. Good Grief!
For the
record, I plan to push, plead, cajole, embarrass and write letters,
until the Board gets off its butt and addresses the tough issues or
I am voted off. It’s obvious that the Town is unhappy and the staff
also. The budget, two contracts, tech. package all voted down. The
common denominator, yup, the Board.
Tim
Jandebeur
Northwood
Northwood Economic Development Committee Seeks Members
The
Board of Selectmen is seeking Northwood residents and/or business
owners to serve the community on the Economic Development Committee
(EDC). Existing, seasoned members remain on the committee and they
are looking forward to new members to help expand their efforts.
The EDC
was re-established in 2009. The focus of the committee is to promote
Northwood as a place for doing business, with emphasis on the
creation and retention of jobs to preserve economic opportunity and
the expansion of non-residential taxable property valuation.
Through its efforts, the EDC has compiled the Northwood Business
Directory and established the “Business After Hours” program to
provide networking opportunities and support for local businesses.
If you
are interested in being considered for appointment to the committee,
please contact Town Administrator Brent Lemire at
[email protected]
or 942-5586, ext. 204 or send a letter of interest by April 22, 2013
to the town offices.
|