Marilla Marks Young was born on March 18, 1840, to Hannah Young, a Free Will Baptist and freethinker Jonathan Young, in New Durham, New Hampshire. Her father encouraged her to think independently and be curious, often taking her to courtrooms and town meetings. She attended Colby Academy in New London and eventually became the first female lawyer from NH, paving the way for women to be accepted into the NH bar.  

Since the age of sixteen, she had become a teacher in the towns of Dover and Lee. Refusing to read from the Bible during class, she preferred the literary works of Emerson. This brought the school committee who informed her she was required to read from the Bible in class. Ricker still refused and eventually left the teaching profession.

In 1863, Marilla Young married John Ricker, a man 33 years her senior, who passed away five years later. The inheritance left to the young widow made her financially independent. 

Ricker then turned to studying law in Washington, DC, from 1876 to 1880, returning to NH in the summer. When Ricker and 16 men took the Washington, DC bar exam in 1880, she achieved the highest score. In 1884, she was appointed as a commissioner and examiner in a chancery, the first woman to achieve such an appointment. It didn’t take her to long before gaining prominence as a competent and compassionate member of the profession. During her career as a lawyer, Ricker became a strong advocate of prisoners' rights, eventually receiving the nickname "the prisoner's friend". In 1879, she sought a hearing to protest the conditions in state prisons. 

After Ricker’s initial application to join the NH Bar was turned down, in 1890 it was granted on appeal to the NH Supreme Court. She was the first woman allowed to practice law in NH.

Going back to1869, a year after her husband's death, Ricker attended the first National Woman Suffrage Association convention, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. This began her activist work as a suffragette.

Strongly declaring her belief in the equality of all peoples, Ricker acted upon these beliefs by attempting to vote in 1870 in her hometown of Dover, NH. She was the first woman to do so and although her ballot wasn’t counted, continued to hand in a ballot for consecutive decades until the end of her life. 

In 1910, she attempted to become the first woman to run for governor in NH, knowing she’d be barred from doing so, not being recognized as a registered voter. “I’m running for governor in order to get people in the habit of thinking of women as governor… People have to think about a thing for several centuries before they can get acclimated to the idea. I want to start the ball a’rolling. There isn’t a ghost of a reason why a woman should not be governor or president if she wants to be and is capable of it.”

According to Ricker, if women “can be hanged under the laws, they should have a voice in making them.”  Although the Constitution only declared governors must be above age 30 and have lived in the state for at least 7 years, the attorney general ruled her candidacy illegal due to her gender. She continued to step aside for male counterparts, stating her goal was “to get the people of NH used to thinking about a woman for governor.”  

As an aside, it took 82 more years for a woman (Arnie Arnesen) to receive a major party nomination for governor, and 86 more years for a woman (Jeanne Shaheen) to be elected to the governorship.

During the 1910s, Ricker remained in NH concentrating on publishing articles and books clarifying her freethought beliefs. A lot of her writing centered on the dangerous influence of the church on society. "A steeple is no more to be excluded from taxation than a smoke stack.”

A portrait of Marilla Ricker now hangs in the State House. 

“Let come what will come, no man, be he priest, minister or judge, shall sit upon the throne of my mind, and decide for me what is right, true, or good.”

Marilla Ricker

If it isn’t teachers, public schools, or women’s reproductive rights, the attack goes into ensuring voting gets harder and harder.

Here’s a waste of time for supervisors of the checklist. HB 317 is a bill seeking to “prevent a supervisor of the checklist from verifying a person's identity without identification, even if they personally know that person.” That should go over well in a lot of small towns where most people DO know each other!

Anyway, the bill is sponsored by Liberty Alliance members Reps. Claudine Burnham, R-Milton, Kelley Potenza, R-Rochester, Clayton Wood, R-Pittsfield and Robert Wherry, R-Hudson. The other two sponsors, Reps. Sandra Panek, R-Pelham and Aidan Ankarberg, R-Rochester are members of the other extremist group, Young Americans for Liberty (YAL). The Election Law Committee will be voting on Tues., Mar. 11th to send this bill to the full House for a future vote. Please take a moment to send an opposition email to the House Election Law Committee by using this link.

Next up is HB 323 sponsored by members of the above-mentioned extremist groups. This legislation would require a government-issued photographic ID in order to vote. That would be a passport, driver’s license, or military ID card. What is removed from the current law as acceptable is a valid student ID card issued by a New Hampshire college, university, career school and public or non-public NH high school. Anything from out-of-state such as a driver’s license, goes bye-bye, because they got rid of the voter affidavits earlier. This will make it harder for college students to vote. Again, this goes before the House Election Law Committee next Tues. for a vote. Please take a moment to send an opposition email to the Committee by using this link.

Here's another one targeting college students. HB 289 is back to that “domicile” problem again! Sponsored by Reps. Wherry and Wood, this bill: 
I. Prevents a person from claiming domicile if that person is a legal dependent of a person who does not live in NH.

II. Clarifies that obtaining a driver's license or registering a motor vehicle is intent of maintaining continuous presence within NH.

Spoiler alert, most college students are still dependents of their parent(s) even if the family lives out of state. The student, however, resides in NH for 8, 9 or more months out of the year. They don’t want that student to vote in NH. This goes before the House Election Law Committee next Tues. for a vote. Please take a moment to send an opposition email to the Committee by using this link.

Liberty Alliance member Rep. Bob Lynn, has sponsored HB 365, a bill that looks for proof of citizenship. “This bill provides a procedure for local election officials and the secretary of state to verify the citizenship of a voter who does not have documentary proof of citizenship. This bill also creates a voucher program (emphasis added) for local election officials to give to indigent voters who cannot afford the cost of obtaining a birth certificate, requires the secretary of state to reimburse the municipality for the issuance of such vouchers, and makes an appropriation therefor.” Oh boy! Yet ANOTHER voucher program! And who will pay for that? 

This nonsense goes before the full House on Thurs., Mar. 13th for a vote. Please take a moment to send your opposition by using this link. Each link is for each separate bill, but takes only a few minutes of your time. Democracy is worth it.

Yesterday, March 6th, the full House was in session again to vote on roughly 40 bills. One bill was HB 524, the bill to repeal the New Hampshire Vaccine Association. With a vote of 189 for and 181 against, a program where the state purchases vaccines for children, then provides them to doctors free of charge, might go bye-bye. (The bill now goes to the Ways and Means Committee, so we’ll see.) Federal funds and payments come from insurers and are estimated to annually be about $24 million. Doctors are then able to vaccinate pediatric patients (insured and uninsured) for free. That’s what the Association does, collect money and fund children’s vaccinations. According to the state’s health department, costs would rise if the program were repealed. Additionally, the state would have to spend an estimated extra $100,000 a year to purchase vaccines for disaster relief efforts and any outbreaks. The Republicans actually think they are saving taxpayers money. Who wants to tell them. . .?

A bill that got “killed” (Inexpedient to Legislate) yesterday was HB 770. This piece of legislation was sponsored by Reps. Kris Schultz, D-Concord, Hope Damon, D-Croyden and Stephen Woodcock, D-Center Conway. This bill was meant to establish a program in the Dept. of Education for eligible students to earn tuition credits at state higher education institutions through community service. Wow! Helping students and communities! Win, win! 

Nah! Republicans “killed” it. 

Here’s another one meant for child safety that was “killed” yesterday. HB 756 was legislation sponsored by eight Democrats and its purpose was to establish a blood lead level testing requirement for children entering daycare and public schools. Reasonable request you might think, considering lead poisoning is on the rise in NH’s children or that some kids aren’t tested at all. Not according to Republicans who spoke against it. Babies are tested at the ages of one and two and that is more than enough. Besides, think of the extra added paperwork for the daycare or school system! The vote was 202 in favor of ITL with 169 against. 

This next one should resonate well with property owners who can’t wait for their taxes to go even higher. HB 771 will change how funding for open enrollment schools is sent and received. It will require school districts to establish a line item in their operating budgets that reflects expenditures for open enrollment tuition costs. This will add an unfunded mandate to taxpayers and public schools. This legislation, which passed with 205 votes for and 169 against, was sponsored by members of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) and one Liberty Alliance member.

Wake up, NH voters! “Liberty” members in the legislature are NOT looking out for your best interests. 

Here’s a fun idea and I wish I could take credit for it, but I can’t. However, I’m thrilled to share it! And I hope you will, too.

On March 15th, the Ides of March, that is the day designated for as many people as possible to mail Donald Trump a postcard (or as many postcards as you like) that publicly expresses our disdain, disgust and opposition to him. We, in huge numbers, from all over the country (and hopefully beyond), will overwhelm him and his babysitters with his unpopularity and abject failure. We will show the media and his corrupt, cowardly politicians what standing with him, and against the American people and democracy, means. And most importantly, we will bury the White House post office in pink slips, all informing the Convicted Felon, he’s fired!

Each of us, every protester from every march, each congress calling citizen, every boycotter, volunteer, donor, and petition signer, if each of us writes even a single postcard and we put them all in the mail on the same day, March 15th, well: you do the math.

No alternative fact or Russian translation will explain away our record-breaking, officially-verifiable, warehouse-filling flood of fury. The current record holder for fan mail is Hank Aaron, having received 900,000 pieces in a year. We’re going to set a new record: over a million pieces in a day, with not a single nice thing to say.

So, sharpen your wit, unsheathe your writing implements, and see if your sincerest ill-wishes can pierce the Russian asset’s famously thin skin.

Prepare for March 15th, 2025, a day hereafter to be known as #TheIdesOfTrump

Write one postcard. Write a dozen! Take a picture and post it on social media tagged with #TheIdesOfTrump ! Spread the word! Everyone on Earth should let Agent Orange know how he’s doing. A wall that is high enough to stop all this mail, doesn’t exist!

Then, on March 15th, mail your messages to:

President (for now) Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Other salutation suggestions; The Squatter in the White House,
The Mango Mussolini, Comrade Trump, Traitor Trump, The Treason Weasel. Or make up your own. Have fun with it . . .

We are spreading the word in case you have not heard yet about a rally planned by local Monadnock area residents.  

Saturday, March 8th  Noon-1:00  Central Square, Keene

DOGE's mass layoffs, targeted budget cuts, and US withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) have put the world's women and girls at ever greater risk for starvation, assault, torture, and early death.

And while our senators and congresswoman raise their voices in opposition, Governor Ayotte has remained silent about the impact that recent cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Medicaid, and Food Assistance will have on NH women and girls's safety, health, and longevity.

Come support women!

Come celebrate women who speak up!

Bring flags, bells, noisemakers!!

More information at: https://action.womensmarch.com/events/international-women-s-day-unite-resist-in-keene-nh-1

This is a request from the New Hampshire School Funding Fairness Project whose mission statement is: “The mission of the NH School Funding Fairness Project is to inform the public about the condition of New Hampshire public schools and their funding; to advocate for changes to make the system more equitable for students and taxpayers alike; and, if necessary, to prosecute, manage, control, and/or participate in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the system for funding education in New Hampshire.”

Two important pieces of legislation have public hearings on Wed. Mar. 5th at 1:00 and 1:45 that could severely impact NH’s public education system. HCR 11 and HR 7 aims to remove the court’s role in defining and overseeing education policy, ignoring years of judicial guidance that have ensured NH meets its constitutional obligations for an “adequate education.” 

HCR 11 would reverse the State’s responsibility to fund an adequate education by deeming the Claremont decisions to be judicial overreach and the decisions made in that case not applicable to the legislature. (For those who have been keeping track, this has gone on for more than thirty years!) HCR 11 reads: “A RESOLUTION declaring the directives of the judicial branch in the Claremont cases that the legislative and executive branches define an "adequate education," adopt "standards of accountability," and "guarantee adequate funding" of a public education are not binding on the legislative and executive branches.” This is brought by the usual group of Liberty Alliance extremists.

HR 7 instructs the House to determine whether grounds exist to impeach Judge David Ruoff for his rulings in the Con Val and Rand school funding lawsuits. This could have a chilling effect on future court rulings that attempt to hold the legislature accountable for violating the constitution. The only need for these lawsuits and rulings in the first place is because the legislature is not funding schools adequately. Sponsored by three House Liberty Alliance members.

Our courts play an important role in holding the legislature accountable for providing NH students with the adequate education they are constitutionally entitled to. These resolutions would undermine that important oversight. 

Why should we oppose HCR 11 and HR 7? 

• Undermines Separation of Powers: Both HCR 11 and HR 7 attack the principle of separation of powers between the judicial, executive, and legislative branches. The courts play a role in ensuring that the state's education system meets our constitutional requirements.  
• Threatens Educational Equity: By undermining judicial oversight these resolutions open the door for future reductions in quality education and access for NH students.  
• Sets Dangerous Precedents: The passage of these bills would set a dangerous precedent, further emboldening the legislature to ignore judicial rulings.

What to do?

Contact members of the Judiciary Committee and tell them you oppose both resolutions. Use the following example or your own words. Even a simple, “I oppose these resolutions” would suffice.

“I am writing to express my strong opposition to HCR 11 and HR 7, resolutions that seek to undermine the judicial branch’s role in protecting our constitutional rights. These resolutions ignore the essential guidance provided by the courts regarding what constitutes an adequate education and the state's responsibility to fund it and even go so far as to threaten impeachment for rulings that some members of the legislature disagree with. 

The judicial branch has provided essential and legitimate direction in defining an adequate education and holding the state accountable for funding that education. Instead of passing HCR 11 and HR 7, the legislature should be spending time actually confronting how to adequately define and pay for public education in NH. 

I urge you to reject these resolutions and take your responsibility to provide NH students with an adequate education seriously. These resolutions are a dangerous step backward in ensuring that commitment is met.”

Rep. Bob Lynn, R-Windham, rjlynn4@gmail.com
Rep. Dennis Mannion, R-Salem, Dennis.Mannion@gc.nh.gov
Rep. Katy Peternel, R-Wolfeboro, Katy.Peternel@gc.nh.gov
Rep. Joe Andrson, R-Goffstown, Joe.Anderson@gc.nh.gov
Rep. Kristine Perez, R-Londonderry, Kristine.Perez@gc.nh.gov
Rep. Katelyn Kuttab, R-Windham, Katelyn.Kuttab@gc.nh.gov
Rep. Louise Andrus, R-Salisbury, Louise.Andrus@gc.nh.gov

All can be put on one email to make it easier.

Thank you for standing up again, for NH’s students and public education. 

OK, folks. The public schools, teachers and students need us to speak up on their behalf again! 

On Wed., March 5th, at 9:00 a public hearing will be held by the Judiciary Committee on HB 520. This is the bill that sponsors, Liberty Alliance members, Rep. Bob Lynn, Rep. Katelyn Kuttab R-Windham and Rep. Glenn Cordelli, R-Tuftonboro are hoping will enable the NH Dept. of Education to issue subpoenas. To who? Teachers? Support staff? Sounds like the beginnings of a police state attempting to be implemented.

The American Federation of Teachers-NH strongly oppose this bill and the next two. We should, also. 

SUBMIT YOUR POSITION TO A HOUSE COMMITTEE HERE.

· Fill in your Personal Information

· Select the correct date and committee for the hearing by clicking on it in the Meeting Schedule Calendar (make sure you are on the right week!). [Select Bill # and select the date].

· In the drop box below "Select the Committee," select committee.

· In the drop box below "Choose the Bill," select the correct time and bill number.

· Select the correct option for the "I am" drop box (likely "Member of the Public").

· Fill in the content box under "I'm Representing" with the business, organization, or group you are representing. If you are representing yourself only, write "myself."

· Under the “Indicate Your Position on this Bill,” check the circle stating your position on the bill. “I Oppose this Bill” or “I Support this Bill”

· After filling in all the appropriate drop boxes, click “Submit.”

· After clicking submit, you will be brought to the next page, fill in the content boxes with your first and last name, your town, state, and email address.

Press “Continue.”

· If you wish to speak during the hearing to present your testimony, you need to attend in person at the State House, but you upload your testimony if you cannot attend.

On Tues. March 4th at 11:00, HB 115, which removes the household income criteria from eligibility requirements for the school voucher program, will be voted on in the Education Funding Committee. This is not a public hearing, however you can make your opposition known to the following members (email them together) who have sponsored this bill: Valerie.McDonnell@gc.nh.gov; Kristin.Noble@gc.nh.gov; Glenn.Cordelli@gc.nh.gov; rep.jsoti@gmail.com; kweyler@aol.com
All are members of the extremist group Liberty Alliance.

Last one; HB 699  redefines and adds new definitions related to special education. This is not a public hearing, however, you can make your opposition known to the sponsors before the Education Policy and Administrative Committee votes on Wed. to send it to the full House. Katelyn.Kuttab@gc.nh.gov; Glenn.Cordelli@gc.nh.gov

Our public school teachers need our help right now. Let’s not fail them!

LIBERTY: 1. the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views.
2. the power or scope to act as one pleases.

With town meetings and local elections on the horizon, there have been some school districts who have shown a “thumbs down” to putting spending caps on public school spending during their respective town’s public sessions. 

The Republican majority, who wants control of public school spending, has introduced HB 675. Sponsored by Liberty Alliance and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) members, Rep. Joe Sweeney, R-Salem and Rep. Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, (who is also a Free Stater), this bill “changes the formula for determining statewide adequacy aid, ties education funding increases to the Consumer Price Index, requires municipalities to remit excess education tax revenue back to the state, establishes a tax cap for local school districts, and increases the total revenue raised under the statewide education property tax.” (emphasis added)
The bill also raises per student spending from $4,100 to $7,356, which would come from property taxes. 

Where is the state’s share of funding in all of this?

Fellow Liberty Alliance member Rep. Keith Erf, R-Weare, put forth an amendment proposal eliminating increased aid from the state while retaining the spending cap. Voters could override that cap, but would need a two-thirds vote to do so, and for some towns, practically impossible to do. In Oct., a new law went into effect giving towns the choice to cap how much districts spend for each student, as opposed to voting on the district budget as a whole. Voters have mostly rejected that choice, choosing to leave budget writing to local officials. Voters have also stated the solution should be more state support.

Erf has removed his proposal. 

In Epsom, the school district increased a $25,000 per student spending cap proposed by Liberty Alliance member Rep. Dan McGuire. The district raised the cap to $100,000 knowing it will be voted down at town meeting. Naturally, McGuire supports HB 675, stating, “We need some controls on spending and this would give us that.”

Osborne, the other sponsor of the bill had this to say, “Perhaps, if [local voters] are unwilling to cap themselves, the state will step in and cap local taxes for them.”

Let’s say that again, “. . .the state will step in and cap local taxes for them.” 

What happened to local control? What happened to: 1. the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views.
Sounds like the “Liberty” loving Republicans in the House, who carelessly throw that word around, are looking to take “Liberty” away from those who don’t agree with them. Hence: 2. the power or scope to act as one pleases.

This is NOT a “police state,” Jason. Nor do we, the people, want it to become one!

And there’s some doozies!

On Mon. March 3rd, there is a public hearing for the Education Policy and Administration Committee at 3:30. This is for HB 555 sponsored by Rep. Ellen Read D-Newmarket. This bill is intended to “expand holocaust and genocide study requirements for an adequate public education to include at least 5 hours of discussion on different genocides and the United Nations.”

Most people have no idea of the crimes against humanity that were committed even in this country against Native Americans, Japanese Americans and Black Americans. History books need to factually cover that. If you agree and would like to let the committee know, click SUBMIT YOUR POSITION TO A HOUSE COMMITTEE HERE.

Fill in your Personal Information

· Select the relevant date and committee for the hearing by clicking on it in the Meeting Schedule Calendar (make sure you are on the right week!). [Select Bill # and select the date].

· In the drop box below "Select the Committee," select Education Policy and Administration committee.

· In the drop box below "Choose the Bill," select the correct time and bill number.

· Select the appropriate option for the "I am" drop box (likely "Member of the Public").

· Fill in the content box under "I'm Representing" with the business, organization, or group you are representing. If you are representing yourself only, write "myself."

· Under the “Indicate Your Position on this Bill,” check the circle stating your position on the bill. “I Oppose this Bill” or “I Support this Bill”

· After filling in all the correct drop boxes, click “Submit.”

· After clicking submit, you will be brought to the next page, where you will fill in the content boxes with your first and last name, as well as your town, state, and email address.

· Press “Continue.”

· If you wish to speak during the hearing to present your testimony, you will need to attend in person at the State House, but you upload your testimony if you cannot attend.

· If you wish to submit testimony, email the committee and upload the testimony file from your computer.

This next one is being heard by the same committee but on Wed. March 5th at 9:30. HB 360 sponsored by Moms for Liberty, Liberty Alliance and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) member Rep. Kristin Noble R-Bedford. The other six sponsors are members of two of the same extremist groups also. This is a bill meant to “prohibit public schools from performing diagnostic tests or surgical procedures, or prescribing pharmaceutical drugs.”

Two things, why does the bill only mention “public schools?” 
And, is this a problem that is constantly going on in the public schools? Would the removal of a splinter be considered a “surgical procedure?” And no matter what Trump says, no kid is having gender reassignment surgery done in school! What nonsense!

On March 5, the Education and Policy Administration Committee will be deciding whether to recommend this bill to the full House. You can write to express your opposition to the Chairman - Glenn.Cordelli@gc.nh.gov, or the Vice-Chairman at Kristin.Noble@gc.nh.gov.

Please oppose this bill that does nothing but attack public schools/teachers needlessly again! Thank you.

During the summer of 1899, in Derry, New Hampshire, a man named William Hobdy opened a business called Star Cleaning & Repairing Co.

According to historical records, William Hobdy was born in Virginia in 1862, eventually relocating to Lawrence, Mass., where he grew up and worked in a cotton mill. After moving to and establishing his business in NH, Hobdy, who was also a skilled piano player, shared that gift of music at private gatherings and special occasions. 

What is known about him:
-To supplement his income while living in Derry, he would shine shoes, clean basements, chimneys and houses, bury dogs and occasionally take on the role of umpire for local games.
-He would host ice cream gardens for summer visitors at his own home.
-In Nov. 1902, he held the first-ever ragtime ball in the area.
-Between 1900 and 1915, he held summer concerts at West Windham and Adams Memorial Hall and was often requested by summer guests to musically entertain.

Hobdy, who was the first known Black business owner in Derry,  passed away in 1918, leaving behind his wife, Maud who was Black and their (informally) adopted daughter, Rose, who was White.

In 2023, The Black Heritage Trail of NH, Derry Public Library and other supporters honored the life of William Hobdy by unveiling a new marker on the Derry Rail Trail to honor Hobdy’s life and his contributions to the town of Derry while living and working there.