On August 12th, I wrote about an upcoming special election for Rockingham County. I asked you to urge anyone you knew in either towns of Northwood and Nottingham to get out and vote on September 19th for Hal Rafter, a former Nottingham selectman and school board member. Well, I am pleased to report that Mr. Rafter won that open seat for the NH House of Representatives!

This past April, incumbent Brian Bartlett (R) resigned due to health issues, resulting in this win by Rafter. Despite a heavily gerrymandered map drawn up last year, this latest win by Democrats brings their numbers up to 197 to the Republicans 198. There are also two Independents in the House with three seats that still remain open. This past Monday, Bill Hatch (D-Gorham) announced his resignation (unknown when to take effect), and Troy Merner (R-Lancaster) resigned on Tuesday. David Cote (D-Nashua) resigned in July due to chronic health conditions. 

If Democrats can flip at least two of the open seats on November 5th, a slim majority can be gained. If you know people who live in those districts, feel free to share this post and urge them to vote in November! Together, we can do this!

The loudest neighbor in our ward is the Ferry Brook Gun Range, also known as the "Cheshire County Shooting Sports Education Foundation."

If that name sounds euphemistic to you, its because it is. This gun range would very much love to be seen as charitable and educational organization, so it can get an exemption that will allow it to skip out on paying $20,000 a year in property taxes on their land and buildings.

According to the Sentinel, the "non-profit" gun range has recently been appealing the City of Keene's rejection of their argument that shooting guns is a sufficiently charitable endeavor as to excuse them from having to pay taxes like the rest of us chumps. 

The gun range was denied this request, and a previous appeal, back in 2021. Since then, they have changed their bylaws to sound more charityish. And educational.

What kind of educational exactly? More than just target practice for home-schoolers, it seems. Perhaps you will recall last year when this gun range was offering a build your own AR-15 clinic?

Right. Because what our state, oozing with nutball secessionists, really needs right now is more people who've been educated on how to build AR-15s in their basement. Surely this is an endeavor worthy of a tax break.

Lets be clear: the culture of gun violence promoted by establishments like the Cheshire County Shooting Sports Education Foundation is a threat to all living people. In 2021 there were 48,830 gun deaths in the United States, and I am entirely out of good will to extend to the personal firearms industry that has lead us down that path.

But, strictly on the property tax issue:  I really think gun ranges should have to pay higher property taxes than the rest of us, on account of the massive noise problem they create. 

That noise doesn't just scare away all of natures critters, it also has the effect of reducing property values in the neighborhood - and hence the amount of taxes collected on those properties. I don't think its unreasonable to say that the gun range should be on the hook for the additional taxes that would have otherwise been collected on those properties if being near the range hadn't damaged their value.

But no, these cheapskates want to burden our community without chipping in to cover the cost. 

And they want to call it charity.

There is a new on-line financial literacy course coming to New Hampshire. On Sept. 14, the NH State Board of Education unanimously voted to approve the course being offered by Prager U. This half-credit course will be available through NH’s “Learn Everywhere” program and is free of charge. 

What is "Learn Everywhere"? Well according to their website: “Learn Everywhere is a program designed to build on existing New Hampshire educational philosophy, law, and rule. At its most basic level, it is simply seeing and understanding our existing public education system and the learning that engages students, from another perspective.”

Learn Everywhere isn’t a “place” per se, but is a belief that students gradually acquire successful abilities by work-based and hands-on learning. It is an educational program that is unique to NH and was initially approved in 2020. The program allows for students to earn credits outside of the traditional classroom and submit completed certificates to their respective schools. All schools are required to permit students to earn up to one third of the required graduation credits through this program. Schools are not required to accept 100% of credits towards high school graduation, but they can. 

Learn Everywhere was founded as a way to increase educational opportunities for public school students in NH. Which means, only those students attending public schools earn those credits.

A small sample of their approved programs: North Main Music in Nashua; Seacoast Science Center in Rye; Friends Forever International in Durham; Seacoast United in Hampton; Neil Stone’s Karate Academy in Hollis. 

What is Prager U? According to THEIR website: “We promote American values through the creative use of educational videos that reach millions of people online. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Prager University Foundation (“PragerU”) offers a free alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology in culture, media, and education. Whether you’re searching for a deeper understanding, a new perspective, or a way to get involved, PragerU helps people of all ages think and live better.”

According to Prager U, their friends at The Daily Wire had put together a documentary praising their first ten years in the “mind changing business.” They promote themselves as an “educational, media platform” dedicated to advancing pro-American values. Their website states their “videos educate, inspire, and entertain millions of online viewers. Serving audiences of all ages, our informative content offers a free alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology in culture, media, and education.” Their political mission is a desire to produce kid-oriented “edutainment” that combats so-called “woke agendas” in the classroom.

Oh, and donations are tax-deductible . . .

The videos or podcasts offered run anywhere from five to more than 60 minutes on a variety of topics such as:
 Former Dept. Secretary Betsy DeVos Says Teachers Unions Destroy Education 
Dennis Prager on porn, the sexualization of kids and gotcha moments 
Annabella Rockwell: I Entered College Happy. I Left Angry.Hurricane Idalia Hits Florida
 N95 Masks May be Toxic, Man Gets to Stay in Sorority: 
BLM Settlement, China Bans Clothes That Hurt Feelings, Private Gun Safe Code Given to FBI?: 9/8/2023 C J Pearson

As an aside, Rockwell is an heiress to an (unknown) pharmaceutical company in Manhattan and Pearson is a 21 year old conservative, freelance journalist who is the executive director for Young Georgians in Government. He describes himself as an anti-establishment populist and campaigns for Republican candidates. These are just two of the contributors.

This controversial and strongly opposed decision to bring the financial literacy videos came through anyway, in spite of the opposition from teachers unions and educators themselves. The decision brought praise for Frank Edleblut, NH’s head of the Education Dept. from Marissa Streit, the CEO of Prager U. She claimed permitting their program would assist in putting an end to “gaslighting” by also allowing parents to watch these videos with their children. NH is different from Florida and Oklahoma where the programs were approved for use in the classrooms. Here, the approval was for only the financial literacy course, also known as “Cash Course.”

Prager U is receiving no taxpayer money nor a contract with the state. The course is not a requirement for any student in NH. A former public school teacher from Concord, Mary Wilke, feels this course lacks rigor and is not aligned with the intention of Learn Everywhere’s program. The Prager U course consists of memorizing fifteen five minute videos followed by a multiple-choice assessment rather than anything hands-on. 

Make of this what you will and remember, voting has consequences.

With the immediate need to address the in-your-face fact of global extreme weather and climate change, the Bipartisan Infrastruture Act was signed into law by Pres. Biden in Nov. 2021. Among the infrastructure included in this law is the investment in a national network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. It also includes the largest investment in domestic manufacturing of batteries along with the important minerals that power them. 

A charging station is a power supply device, suppling electrical power to recharge vehicles (cars, buses, trucks, hybrids). Charging stations provide multiple connectors conforming to an assortment of international standards. This enables a large variety of vehicles the ability to use these charging stations.

Public charging stations are generally found at government facilities, retail shopping centers and some public parking areas. Private charging stations are usually at private residences, hotels and workplaces.

In 2016, the German automaker Volkswagen AG entered into a settlement with the United States and the state of California for cheating on emissions tests and deceiving customers. Included in the settlement was the company’s agreement to spend $4.7 billion to relieve pollution and invest in vehicle technology that supports zero-emissions. Nearly $31 million came to New Hampshire through that settlement and $5 million had been set aside for statewide charging station projects. 

Which brings me to good news for Keene and the surrounding area. Later this month, Keene’s Monadnock Food Co-op will become the recipient of a public charging station. The station is expected to be finished in November and customers will pay for using it. A usage price will be determined by the co-op in order to enable it to recoup its investment. 

Money from the above-mentioned settlement and around $308,000 from New Hampshire’s Dept. of Environmental Services will go towards the installation. Additionally, the Monadnock Sustainability Hub raised $30,000 towards the installation. 

This is how we move forward in addressing and combating the very real issue of climate change!

“The mission of Hundred Nights, Inc. is to provide shelter and crisis related services to those at risk of or experiencing homelessness.”

That is the mission statement of Keene’s homeless shelter, founded in Jan. 2010 by local resident Don Primrose. Nearly fourteen years later, there will be a celebration of the facility’s new and bigger location on Water St. in Keene. A “Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Open House” will be held on Sept. 23, 

But let’s back up with a little bit of history first . . .

Hundred Nights was originally begun as an emergency shelter during cold weather months for those who were not able to find any shelter through the City of Keene – Southwestern Community Services. These shelters may have already been filled to capacity or the person was not eligible for these services. Hundred Nights initially was opened from Dec. 21 to March 31, but is now open year round, along with their on site Resource Center.

Like other non-profits, the shelter depends a lot on volunteers and fundraising. These volunteers are tasked with assisting in running errands, keeping the shelter (bedding and towels are washed daily), preparing meals on the weekends, delivering evening meals and organizing the closet where donations are stored. There is an on-site shelter manager and a couple more volunteers meeting people as they come in. 

Nearly ten years later, with the need for a bigger facility becoming more apparent, Hundred Nights began the process of searching for and securing the right piece of property to expand on. In 2020 a purchase option agreement was signed for the property on Water St. In Aug. 2021, the Keene Planning Board gave its approval and construction began in April, 2022.  The public will have a chance to visit the new expanded Hundred Nights on Sept. 23. The Ribbon Cutting takes place at 10:00 am with an open house following from 10:30 through 2:00. 

Volunteers are always welcomed and needed, as are donations.  

To read Hundred Nights “Good Neighbor” agreement: Hundred Nights Neighborhood Relations (hundrednightsinc.org)

My four-year term as a Keene City Councilor has gone by in a whirlwind and now I find myself up for re-election. I am hoping the good people of Ward 2 will see fit to send me back to a seat on the Council.

When you register with the City Clerk to run for local office, they give you a chance to provide a short summary to explain to the voters what you are all about. I used the opportunity to say a little about what I've done this past term and what I would like to do in the the next four years. 

Here is an excerpt from what I wrote for that, with a few links I've added for reference:

I am proud of the work I have become known for as a Councilor. I’ve advocated for better sidewalks and bicycle infrastructure, for housing affordability, for environmental protection, and for efficient, effective, accessible, and inclusive city services.

As a Councilor, I introduced a new city ordinance that loosens the restrictions on building Accessory Dwelling Units (aka mother-in-law suites) in residential areas. The ordinance was passed unanimously by the Council and should help to provide some new housing options to people affected by our city’s ongoing housing shortage. I also fought to ensure that safe bicycle lanes will be included as part of the upcoming downtown infrastructure project, which will enable a greener and healthier future for transportation in Keene.

If re-elected as City Councilor, I will continue to work for the people of Keene, and especially for the people of Ward 2. In my next term, I plan to push for the re-establishment of a city street tree program, to ensure that our neighborhoods stay green as our existing trees reach the end of their natural lives. 

I will also continue my work to make sure that the City makes effective use of money that has become available as a result of lawsuits against the pharmaceutical industry for their role in creating the opioid overdose crisis. If prudently spent, that money can save lives in our community.

I consider myself deeply fortunate to be able to serve the people of Ward 2 on the Keene City Council and I hope they decide to send me back.

I'm also excited about some of the new faces we are seeing in the City Council race, including Cora Elliot and Ashok Bahl, who are running for at-large seats, and Laura Tobin, who is running in Ward 4. 

The primary is on October 3, and the general election is on November 7. Best of luck to all who are running.

“The mission of Keene Pride is to promote the visibility of LGBTQ+ people in the Monadnock Region, create community-building programming, and develop a coalition of services, organizations and businesses that embrace and serve the LGBTQ+ population.”

This is the mission statement on the website of Keene Pride.

Included on the website are events listed for Keene Pride Week which will be happening from Sept. 9th through the 17th. Among the events listed is “Just be a queen: a Lady Gaga tribute” held at the Colonial Theater on Sept. 9th at 8:00pm. On Sept. 11th there is Drag Bingo Night at 21 Bar and Grill at 7:00pm. And then of course there is the second annual Pride Fest itself on Sunday Sept. 17th on Central Square beginning at noon. For a complete list of events during that week go to the website.

From Sept.13-18 there will be a display of the Aids Quilt at Keene State College’s Alumni Center. Many years ago, when I was still living in Richmond (yes, New Hampshire, not Virginia), there was a group of us who organized to bring the Aids Quilt and have it displayed at the town’s Veteran’s Center. I was one of many who helped to reverently set up the panels we received for temporary public display. As a quilter and a human being, just knowing each panel was lovingly and painstakingly created to commemorate the life and memory of a fellow human being’s beloved family member or friend was a very moving and powerful experience indeed! I was honored then (and now) to have been a small part in bringing this powerful message to Richmond. It was a wonderful experience. If you have a chance, please take the time to go to Alumni Center and see for yourself eight of the more than 50,000 panels made in dedication to the more than 110,000 people who have lost their lives to Aids.

Thanks to Adam Toepfer and the rest of the Keene Pride Board of Directors for shining a light on the LGBTQ community of Keene and the surrounding towns!

Who takes an oath of office? Public servants do. That would include federal employees, Representatives, Senators, judges, political appointees, and the President and Vice President of the United States all take an oath of office. 

The framers of the United States Constitution decided to include a requirement in the Constitution itself, to take an Oath of Office. Article VI: “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” 

The Oath of Office for Senators and Representatives states: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

The Oath of Office for President states: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Which now brings us to the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
“Section 3: No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”

That doesn’t sound too hard to understand. Pretty much covers ANY and ALL elected office holder(s) who participated in a coup attempt, insurrection or rebellion, to not be able to hold public office again.

Now, with the brief civics lesson behind us, there have been some law scholars who have stated the Disqualification Clause in the amendment prevents Donald Trump from being on the presidential ballot. In The Atlantic, law scholars J. Michael Luttig and Laurence H. Tribe noted that Trump has already been indicted for several crimes at state and federal levels, including conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results.

New Hampshire’s Secretary of State David Scanlan (R), is now looking into the 14th Amendment, specifically as to whether it gives him the power to keep Trump off the presidential ballot in 2024. He had recently been approached by attorney Bryant “Corky” Messner, who ran for a seat on the United States Senate in 2020, having been endorsed by Trump. 

Our first-in-the-nation presidential primary is five months away (!) and Scanlan acknowledged that he has gotten several letters requesting he take action to keep Trump off the ballot, citing the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. Scanlan has stated he will be looking for legal advice on the matter.

We are not alone. A Florida attorney filed a legal challenge two days ago to disqualify Trump citing the Disqualification Clause. Stay tuned New Hampshire, this is not going away any time soon.

It's late August and the Japanese knotweed is in bloom. 

Japanese knotweed is an invasive plant originally from – you guessed it – Japan, that has taken over so many of our state’s roadside ditches, flood plains, and even city parks. It grows about six feet tall and, where it grows, it will push almost all the native vegetation out of its way.

Ladies’ Wildwood Park, in west Keene, is an example of a city park that has developed quite a knotweed infestation. This past Monday, through a program I’ve organized via the Keene Conservation Commission, a group of half a dozen of us volunteered to pull out as much of it as we could. 

This time of year is a prime time for pulling out Japanese knotweed, because most of the plant’s energy and resources are above ground, in the stalks and leaves and blossoms of the plant, rather than in the roots. That means that pulling the plant up by its roots – and destroying the crown of the plant, where it keeps its energy reserves – is relatively easy as compared to earlier in the season.

Based on the before and after photos, shown to the side here, it sure looks like we took out a whole lot of Japanese knotweed. And we did! We took out a grove that was encroaching on the sidewalk, blocking the view of the park from the street, and threatening to envelop a new hillside. 

Unfortunately, there is so much more of it out there. Realistically, a knotweed problem of the size currently in that park is likely best managed by professionals using herbicides. The methods our group uses are a bit more soft touch, ecologically speaking. 

We pull out the knotweed with the understanding that it will grow back, and that we are going to have to revisit the spot regularly for the next several years to continue pulling it out. All the while, we encourage other species, like sumac and milkweed, to take its place. Once the native plants can recover a foothold, its easier to make sure that the knotweed is, if not eradicated, at least far less of a nuisance.

This is what we have been doing in other spots in the city – Robin Hood Park and Woodland Cemetery, for example – and we are seeing these these areas on their way to recovery.

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If you have a Japanese knotweed problem on your property and would like to read more about what to do, this publication by the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture will give you some ideas on where to start.

The Connecticut River begins just south of the border between the United States and Quebec, Canada, running 410 miles before emptying out into Long Island Sound. Along the way, there are nearly 400 communities in its 7.2 million acre watershed. The Connecticut River Watershed is the drainage basin of the Connecticut River which happens to be New England’s longest river cutting through Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. 

On July 27, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) introduced a bill in the Senate, S.2660, the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership Act for the purpose of protecting and restoring the river and its tributaries. This proposed legislation would officially recognize a partnership between federal, state and local governments along with tribal organizations, nonprofits and institutions of higher education, with a goal of advancing conservation, education, recreation and restoration efforts in the Watershed area. It would also create a voluntary grant program to make these activities easier. Additionally, the passage of the bill would be a great benefit for fish and wildlife areas along with protecting sources for drinking water and improve flood resiliency. Other benefits would be that of economic and environmental for such industries as boating, farming, fisheries, hunting, recreation and tourism. Other Senate co-sponsors include Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-Ma), Chris Murphy (D-Ct), Elizabeth Warren (D-Ma) and Peter Welch (D-Vt). 

If we all recall last month’s devastating flooding in many areas around New England, Sen. Shaheen’s office stated in response to the proposed bill, “. . . this event points to the need to put the watershed in a better position to withstand severe weather events.”

A similar bill, HR 5216, was recently introduced on August 15 in the House of Representatives by Jim McGovern (D-Ma.) and co-sponsored by New Hampshire’s Annie Kuster (D). HR 5216 is to “direct restoration and protection efforts of the 5-State Connecticut River Watershed region, and for other purposes.”

This proposed legislation is also supported by private organizations throughout New England such as the Friends of The Nature Conservancy, Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Kestrel Land Trust, the Connecticut River Conservancy and the Appalachian Mountain Club among many others.

Sen. Shaheen had urged the Biden administration to repeal an order and policy changes made in the final hours of the Trump administration that would have hurt conservation efforts in New Hampshire. She also ensured fullfunding and permanent authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which helped to protect more than 2.5 million acres of land and supported tens of thousands of state and local outdoor recreation projects throughout the nation.

Kudos to these elected officials who recognize the dangers of extreme weather and climate change, not just here in New Hampshire, but nationally and globally!