Flying Off the Handle

That's not what I did, because, frankly, I never do, but that is essentially what my left front wheel did on Friday. My car had been making some odd noises, but that it was related to the exhaust, and that I'd take the car in soon and have the problem fixed. Well, it turns out that at least some, if not all, of my wheels lugnuts were not tightened (I just had new tires put on on the 4th of April, about 3 weeks ago). So the tire flew off as I was driving to the New Durham town hall. I mean it flew off, and careened toward some guys putting in a driveway across the street, and I, now with three wheels on a four wheeled car, went to the right. Here's a look:


Yup, that's my wheel in the sand, and my poor fender, after the tire shot it up and out.
Posted by Hello

So yeah, not too fun. That sort of took the rest of my Thursday away, which was expected. My car is currently sitting at Sal's, the repair shop in town, and I am awaiting word from my insurance company as to what I'll have to pay, and perhaps what responsibility Discount Tire has.

So, though my car issues put a damper on things there still were some fun things that happened the last few days. Like me getting paid. I also heard from Ms. Karen Green, who sent me a lovely note after receiving the paper I sent her. I also was privy to the announcement of the birth of Connor Allan, the young nephew of Ms. Susan Southard and Mr. Adam Emperor Southard. Adam, my colleague at the Baysider was also kind enough to have me over to watch game 3 of the C's and Pacers with him and his girlfriend Shannon, who teaches at a school about 90 minutes away.

I will tell you what the most difficult transition is for me here. The accent. Its omnipresent, thankfully for my sanity, Adam and Mary don't have it, but most everyone in the office, especially the women, have that brassy sounding New England accent. Its as omnipresent as chowder or lobster here. And the use of "wicked" as both adjective and adverb. Yup. I feel like there should be ten neighbors around me named Sully.

Congratulaions to the Seniors at Albion College as you enter Senior Week, and a belated congratulations to the fabulous Albion College Euphonics for the concerts. I saw the movie versions of the songs that were posted on the website and they were all fabulous. It should be pointed out that one of the newly annointed Euphonics members off of this Semester's auditions is Beth Carroll, the little sister of one Alexander Theodore Carroll, so we know have second-generation (kind-of) Euphonics, which is very cool.

This story really irks me, as you would expect it would. Banning books by gay authors or with homosexual charchters pretty much is censorship and downright evil, and then of course you have the problem of what you do afterwards, and what line is next to be drawn. Now this state senator argues that such books should be put in a hole and burned, meaning he'd be right at home in a Leni Reifenstahl film.

Story Time- Week #3

I only say number three because I had both 1 and 2 last week. Without further ado, here are my stories for the last week, any comments, constructive or otherwise, please feel free to make in the Comments area (Note- because of the way I copied the text, there maybe some unnecessary hyphens in words where they were extended over two lines in the paper. I tried to get as many as I could, but if you see any odd hyphens, that's why):

Selectmen Deny Rumors of Secret Meetings
(This is the semi-controversial one, the one that prompted my high-horse post of Tuesday)
By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
NEW DURHAM - Rumors can run rampant, and there's one running through town politics right now.
The newly elected Board of Selectmen recently fielded questions about un-confirmed allegations that the board has been meeting in se-cret.
The allegation is that the Board of Selectmen had dis-cussed town business outside of meetings, a violation of state "Right to Know" laws. Town Administrator William G. Herman said that he had been told of anonymous calls to local media outlets regarding this issue when a reporter from a local paper called to get his comments on the rumor. Selectman Dwight Jones denied the rumor and said, "There aren't any illegal meetings going on." He also stated flatly that he and newly elected selectman Ron Gehl, who could not be reached by deadline, had not been meeting at other board mem-bers' homes.
"I've never been to Ron's house and he's never been over to mine," he says, decrying what he sees as an effort to undermine the board in the local press. Jones reported that he had heard about the anonymous calls to local media outlets as well. Jones was adamant that no discussion of town business was going on outside of meetings.
Town Administrator William G. Herman said that he had become aware of the rumors through a reporter from Foster's Daily Democrat, who called him seeking comment, but said that he "couldn't say it was actually happening." One thing that does concern Herman about the ru-mor is that, "There is a perception that a majority of the board is communicat-ing outside of meet-ings." He was also concerned about what he termed a "gray area" of selectmen attending other meetings, such as the Planning Board, in their capacity as selectmen representatives, pointing to a meeting of the New Durham Planning Board, where selectmen who attended were asked a question as selectmen and not as members of the general public. Herman speculated that this sort of exchange may have led to the rumors.
The most senior member of the Board of Selectmen, 25-year-member Dwight Stimpson, deemed the rumors of secret meetings, "a complete surprise to me."
"As far as I'm concerned it certainly is not happening," he says, adding that he "didn't know if someone's trying to cause trouble," by spreading it. He reiterated that he has not met outside of meetings and that he has no reason to believe the other members are.
"It's a real ugly rumor, that's for sure," said Stimpson.
State statutes prohibit communications related to town business outside of meetings, except in certain cases. Stimpson added that some issues could also be discussed in non-public sessions as well, but that non-public sessions were totally different from secret meetings.

Community TV goes dark
(I liked this one, and it was very easy to write, because the source was very open and got back to me.)
By JIM SHILANDER
Staff Writer
WOLFEBORO - Equipment failure has led Wolfeboro Community Television (Metrocast Channel 25) to essentially shut down. While currently showing the Channel 24 Bulletin Board, this is the limit to which the station is able to broadcast at the present time, according to WCTV Coordinator Peter Pijoan.
Pijoan says that the equipment, which sends the television signals of Channel 25 to Metrocast for cable distribution, failed April 23, sometime in the night.
The equipment was shipped to California for potential repairs this week. However, because the equipment is antiquated, and in fact, no longer manufactured by its original company, there exists a very real possibility that new equipment will need to be purchased.
The Governor Wentworth School District has agreed to cover $4000 of the potential $7000 cost, according to Pijoan. Still, he is unsure at the present time where the remaining funds will come from.
If the new broad-casting equipment is needed, that updated equipment would be able to provide greater accessibility and programming to the area. While the programming on Channel 25 would be re-stored, Channel 26 could also be used to broadcast school programming for the Gov-ernor Wentworth district, including sporting events and school produced programming.
Channel 25 services Wolfeboro and New Durham. It broadcasts community events, such as last weekÂ’s New Durham Planning Board meeting and the presentation of the Natural Resources Outreach Coalition to New Durham residents. The Planning Board had talked last week about using Community TV to greater effect in increasing awareness of its activities and events in New Durham.
Pijoan also added that anyone with questions should please call 569-0219, and that any assistance with the purchase of new equipment would be greatly appreciated. He also added that the station is endeavoring to return to the air-waves as soon as possible.

Selectman keeps people fed, saves town money
(This was the story I worked on Tuesday tha took me out to Basnstead. Jack O'Neil used to be in the Army, doing Special Ops.)
By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
BARNSTEAD -Jack O'Neil has many jobs in Barnstead. He' a member of the Board of Selectmen, and also welfare director for the town. Still, much of his day he spends in the base-ment of the town hall, working to help local families and fight against hunger.
Since February of last year, O'eil has used donations to put together a food pan-try large enough to provide 2,000 meals a year for Barnstead folks in need. After a town Christmas drive in 2003 had left a significant amount of donated food unused, it was suggested to O'Neil that he start a pan-try to provide for needy families year-round.
With donations ranging from $7 to the $750 check he received last week from summer resi-dents, as well as donations of time and equipment (including the $1,800 refrigera-tor/freezer donated by a local resident after they decided to replace their own) O'Neil is extraordinarily proud of the community for the efforts they've made, "It's a wonderful community, the way they come together (to help)," he says.
The pantry, which sits in the town hall basement, provides "everything a family would need," according to O'Neil. Cans of coffee sit next to a dozen bags of dry milk, and everything from Spaghetti-O's to rice milk and soups and meats are pro-ided at discounted rates by local gro-cery stores, includ-ing the Barnstead Country Store; and Dani's and Twin M Market, both of Pittsfield. O'Neil uses proceeds from donations from supporters to buy this food, and there is a public hearing as to how the money is be-ing spent. The checks are then made di-rectly to the mar-kets, what O'Neil calls "vendors" and the pantry receives the discounted food. The pantry also receives shipments from the US Department of Agriculture as part of its community action program. Food such as pudding, dried figs, yams, peaches, peanut butter and dried milk all come in these shipments, along with other necessities including baby food and diapers.
O'Neil says that 10 to 12 families a week take advantage of the pantry's services. As town welfare director, he says that one of the best ways to keep people off the welfare rolls is through programs like the pantry, because the families would otherwise spend a great deal of money on food. The pantry then, has saved the town thousands and that the pantry has helped reduce the welfare budget of the town by $1,000.
Families are recommended by word of mouth, such as from local churches, and from O'Neil's personal knowledge of the people and their situations. In almost a year and a half, O'Neil says, he has only rarely said no to families in need of help.
O'Neil is aided in his efforts by volun-teers, as well as by kids doing community service as part of the Juvenile Restoration Program. He has received significant help from local busi-ness, especially Bill and Hazel Holmes of Holmes Firewood and Logging, who donated wood for the shelves, and made important donations of time and money to help with this year's Christmas drive, including pur-chasing handmade quilts, mittens and hats.
O'Neil, a Vietnam veteran, feels the need to act primarily, he says, because he sees the needs of people in the area. He says that being a selectman, "because a good percentage of it is helping people." As long as families meet his guidelines, and especially if there are children involved, he says, he won't refuse help to anyone.
Donations to the Barnstead Food Pantry can be made out to "Barnstead Food Pantry", PO Box 11, Ctr. Barnstead, NH 03225. For any questions about the pantry please call Jack O'Neil at 776-8253

Local UNH student is "Not Too Sharp," but right on key
(There would have been more to this story, but because the subject didn't get back to me before deadline, I had very little to go on.)
By James Shilander
Staff Writer
ALTON - Dave Snell, a 2003 graduate of Alton Central High School, will be performing with his co-horts in UNH's "Not Too Sharp," an all male a capella and barbershop singing group, at a benefit concert to raise money for the American Cancer Society next Friday, May 6 at 7 p.m. The group, which has been on campus for several years, has made this charity concert an annual event filled with their take on contemporary songs as well as old favorites. Snell, who is concentrating on math education at UNH, joined the group earlier this school year.
The group recently competed in the semi-finals of the International Championship of Collegiate a capella, which were held in New Haven, Conn. on the campus of Yale University. Not Too Sharp made it there by placing third in a competition in Hartford, Conn. held in November, and was chosen to be among the eight New England groups at the competition.
The Concert will be held at the Municipal Union Building on the campus of UNH. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Municipal Union ticket office at 862-2290.

New church brings two congregations together
Construction on schedule, dedication in July
(This one was difficult to write, because the section on the students was going to be a bigger focus, but because the schools are on break, I couldn't get in touch with anyone before deadline)
By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
ALTON — The new St. Katharine Drexel church building, which is located off of Route 28 in Alton, is proceeding apace, according to pastor, Fr. George Ham. The formal dedication of the building will take place on July 30, but there is still significant work to be done on the church building, including the raising of the steeple, which, Ham says, will be happening soon.
It's been a long and difficult road for the parish, which was recently, established when St. Cecilia's in Wolfeboro (where masses still take place) and St. Joan of Arc in Alton were combined by the diocese of Manchester. St. Joan of Arc church burned to the ground in 2000, and it was felt that St. Cecilia's lacked adequate facilities, especially for handicapped parishioners. When plans for the new church were announced, many at the former St. Cecilia's resisted, because they were used to having their church in town. Ham understood saying, "Everyone wants the church down the street. But there aren't enough priests to have one in Wolfeboro and one in Alton. In addition, neither place (St. Cecilia's and St. Joan of Arc) had adequate facilities, in terms of serving the needs of the handicapped." That access will include basic necessities such as ramps and accessible bathrooms, as well as elevators to take disabled parishioners to the basement and to the choir loft.
Ham also gives credit to the former parishioners of St. Joan of Arc for coming together after the fire. "For many in the Alton area, the fire was a bless-ing in disguise. They realized that a church isn't a build-ing, it' the people. They banded together as a community."
In addition, both former churches will have some of their traditional pieces taken over to the new parish. Ham says that several of St. Cecilia's stained glass windows, along with the church's stations of the cross and the refurbished tabernacle, will be coming from St. Cecilia's. A reproduction of one of the stained glass windows that was lost in the fire at St. Joan of Arc will also be added. Each side of the church will also feature a large, round, stained-glass window that features either St. Joan or Arc or St. Cecilia.
Also being con-structed are church offices next door to the new building. Ham wants to use that space to offer classes and, he says, "opportunities for young people and young couples to have activities." "There are going to be religious education classes as well as a lot of young families looking for new programs." He says that such programs will be a focal point in the new church.
Ham says that a committee has been set up to sell the land currently occupied by St. Cecilia's. A similar committee was able to sell the land in Alton where St. Joan of Arc had stood, and the new Profile Bank in Alton sits on that land today. In a nod to original users of the land, Profile Bank has commissioned local artist Marcia Kiley-LeMay to recreate the church in several paintings. Said LeMay, "it is very important that the memory that the memory of St. Joan of Arc be commemorated."
An interesting note about the new office building is that high school students are helping construct it. Students from the Region 9 Vocational-Technical Education Center (at Kingswood Regional High School in Wolfeboro), who have put up several houses in the area, are responsible to putting up much of the office and class-room spaces. John Deloia, project manager for Eckman Construction, who is building the church, says that the vocational school students, "have worked fine. The whole set up has worked fine."
Due to new diocesan rules, there will be no rectory space, other than for offices, so the parish priests will be living at another location.
Ham believes that this is a new start for the church, coinciding with the election of the new Pope, Benedict XVI. "We can say that this is an exciting time, the church is constantly renewing itself, but the basis of our faith haven't changed." Ham believes that the church, which will attract parishioners from across the Lakes Region, will serve as a central point for Catholics throughout the area.

Number one in acohol consumption
(Another story that proved difficult to get sources for)
By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
WOLFEBORO - Sgt. Dean Rondeau of the Wolfeboro Police Department does not mince words when it comes to what he believes is the worst part of his job. "When you have to tell someone, a father, mother, wife, girlfriend, son or daughter that someone's been in a fatal accident, and then having to tell them that that person had a little too much to drink, and that's why they aren't coming home."
Over the last year, Rondeau says that he and the police de-partment have seen a rise in alcohol related incidents, in-cluding Driving While Intoxicated, Minors in Possession, and other problems. There was even, he says, a fatal motor vehicle accident involving alcohol. Sometimes, he says, police have had to take people into protective cus-tody because, Ron-deau, says "We can't have drunk people walking around in traffic." This especially is true in the winter, he says, because of the added danger of the elements, where, if they passed out or fell asleep, they could die from exposure.
Nearly everyday at Huggins Hospital, someone is admitted to the ER for symptoms related to alcoholism, Terri Hooper, director of Volunteers said. These people are usually referred to their primary care physician, but some of the more extreme cases can end up with the police or with mental health agencies. The hospital does host Alcohol Anonymous meetings on its premises to make use of the AA program to combat alcohol in the community.
According to state statistics, New Hampshire ranked first in the nation in per capita in consumption of alcohol in the year 2000, though that might also be somewhat attributable to people coming from out of state to buy alcohol. The state is making it a goal to decrease those year 2000 levels of consumption by half, from four gallons per person (over age 14) to two gallons.
Rondeau attributes some of the rise in alcohol related ac-tivity to a growing population in town, and greater population density. While he's concerned about the rise he and the department has seen, and in fact would be concerned any time that such statistics are rising, he believes that the factors of population do play a major role, and that there is not likely a crisis in the community regarding alcohol.
There are some state statistics that are encouraging, especially the decrease in binge drinking among underage drinkers, and an overall decrease in that same groups consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Peyton Place

Seriously, that's what the politics locally are like here. Everyone seems to be looking out for themselves and they try to undermine other people. Yesterday, after I got back from an interview, one of the New Durham Board of Selectman came into the office to give me the heads up about some anonymous phone calls going out to media outlets (read: us at The Baysider, and Fosters, the competition) about members of the Board of Selectmen were meeting in secret, which is a violation of New Hampshire law. Anyway, the other outlet received some of these anonymous calls and essentially printed the allegations with comment from several town officials, except they never mentioned that they had received anonymous phone calls in their article. This gave the allegation more credence than it deserved. So anyway, the Selectman (who owns a gun shop in Wolfeboro) came to tell me about the article, and basically I turned around, called the town administrator and one of the other selectmen to get their comment and wrote my own article. They each informed me that the other article had used anonymous phone calls as the basis of their story. I say in my story that the other outlet told the town officials that they had heard from anonymous sources, and the town officials told me as such when I asked them. That's in my story as well, as are denials from the two selectmen who were available for comment, and the town administrator telling me that he was aware of the rumor, but didn't know of anything like that happening.

Now, the ethics of this are the following: you don't use anonymous sources. Now the difference between unnamed sources and anonymous sources is that unnamed sources are known to the reporter. When Woodward and Bernstein used Deep Throat as a source, they didn't just print what he said as fact, they investigated it first to see if what this person was saying was accurate. Just using anonymous phone calls as the basis of a story, and to essentially say that people are alleging that selectmen are violating state law, without any proof of anything, and then not to explicitly say that in your article, is either the height of questionable ethics, or plain not knowing any better. Both are scary, I think the second scares me more.

Still, I've seen backbiting and dirty politics before. I saw PLG (the little blonde girl who managed to get Colleen Kelly, the most friendly woman on earth, to hate her guts) up close and was a part of the Albion College Theatre Department, the Music Department and the politics of the Euphonics. So I know the dirtiest of dirty politics. Plus I lived in Chicago and voted six times last year. Okay, just once ;).

Okay, (steps off of high horse for a while) so it's been a busy last couple of days. I got to layout a page, one with a long story I wrote, last night, something I'll be doing more of, which gives me more responsibility, which I like. A lot of sources didn't get back to me quite in time, and so I had to work really hard to find stories or to finish the ones I started. I'm sure when the paper goes out tomorrow, that we might get some feedback, and certainly, when I post my stories on Friday, you'll be able to judge as well. We've gotten great feedback so far, especially from people like Selectmen and Planning Board members, because Adam and myself write well and we cover their meeting fairly, and sometimes, they like us because we cover their meetings at all.

I'll post some fun thoughts tomorrow, seriously.

Hey Hey

Okay, I've got a couple of thoughts I'll save for tomorrow, but hey now:


I'm kind of out of it today. I just wanted to say that this picture speaks for itself.
Posted by Hello

Okay I lied

David Baas just went to the 49ers. He'll obviously get a chance to play a lot, and he'll be really productive for them. He's also a good player to start building a team round, someone who can be with the franchise for years.

New England Patriots- Logan Mankins, G, Fresno State

I really don't know who he is, though I'm sure he's incredibly smart, and they're seeing he has a real mean streak. This is someone to take the place of Joe Andruzzi.

My feelings on the first round are this, there are a lot of teams that made the chalk picks, and nearly everyone has someone who filled a need. The stories of the draft will be the quarterbacks and the running backs in terms of how they develop, and then the "out of the box" choices like Matt Jones and Mike Williams. The Lions won't be rated highly, unless they blow people away with their choice in the second round. But they'll be among the top offenses in the league next year. They'll take defense in this next round, but they have to get better play than they got from their two corners last year, and they'll need Boss Bailey to stay healthy. If those things happen, and Dick Jauron gets another year in, thy'll be fine. I'll make some posts if I see something interesting in the next couple of rounds, but I do need a bit of a break.

Philadelphia Eagles- Mike Patterson, DT, USC

They got their interior lineman, maybe someone to eventually replace Corey Simon. He's slightly undersized, but Jim Johnson is incredibly smart , and he'll know how to take advantage of his quickness and his ability to split double teams. There are certain characteristics that are way overrated, and height of a defensive lineman, along with that of running backs is not really important. Skill level is. Patterson has that skill level.

The Patriots are up next, and the defense is the logical pick, either a linebacker to replace Tedy Bruschi for however long that is, or someone like Justin Miller to provide depth in the secondary.

Pittsburgh Steelers- Heath Miller, TE, UVa

This is the perfect guy for the Steelers. He's a great receiver, and now they have a great safety valve for Roethlisberger. He had a sports hernia, which kept him from running or working out, but the Steelers have themselves an incredibly good football player at the 30 spot.

The Eagles are picking nnext. They've lost a few players off of their defense, like Derrick Burgess, they may be looking to deal Corey Simon, and they are probably going to say goddbye to Hollis Thomas soon. A defensive tackle would be a godd fit.

Indianapolis Colts- Marlin Jackson, CB/FS, Fine Institution

I'm glad that Marlin went here. He can play really well in the cover two system, and potentially, could move inside to safety if he needed to. He'll be in a great spot with a great defensive coach, and he'll win right away.

The Steelers should be sprinting up to get Heath Miller

San Diego Super Chargers- Luis Castillo, DT, Northwestern

They got a guy to help the defensive line, and a guy who, for whatever reason, admitted that he took steroids to help recover from an injury. And it should be said that it was Andro, not an anabolic steroid or THG. The thing is that they had other need positions, though with White gone, it would have been a reach for any of the receivers.

The Colts are up now, and I'm sure will take something defensively. Here might be a good spot for a linebacker, either Channing Crowder or Odell Thurman, or maybe one of the ends that are still out there. They probably won't be going safety here, because they've done so in the last two drafts (Mike Doss and Bob Sanders).

Atlanta Falcons- Roddy White, WR, UAB

Fine pick, they needed to upgrade at wideout and this helps them. They'll now have another weapon for Michael Vick, the defense is fine and White will grow in this offense.

The Chargers are up again now, they got their pass rusher the first pick with Shawne Merriman. With White gone, they may go after someone like Khalif Barnes of Washington for the offensive line. They don't need a tight end obviously, Brodney Pool could also be a good pick here.

Seattle Seahawks- Chris Spencer, C, Mississippi

This is an ok pick. Spencer is rated as one of the top center prospects in years. Roddy White has pretty good hands, unlike much of the Seahawk receiving corps. He probably will start at guard, and then move to center when Robbie Tobeck quits.

The Falcons are up now. This is probably defense, as they grabbed Michael Jenkins last year, but I wouldn't rule out Roddy White. Probably one of the Cody's, but it wouldn't shock me to see Brodney Pool here, or maybe Roth.

Washington Racist Stereotypes- Jason Campbell, QB, Auburn

I really hate this pick, I do. They already have a couple of QB's, and Patrick Ramsey is still young. They just knee-capped him. I don't know why Joe Gibbs is so enamored of him. I realize he had a great year, but the last three years before that have to count for something too. Campbell was inconsistent throughout that time, only until he became a senior. There were other needs here, like wideout and linebacker, that could have been addressed.

The Seahawks are up now. Other than jars of Stick 'Em for their receivers and a brain for Mike Holmgren in late game situations (You have that play late in the game to tie against St. Louis in the playoffs, and somehow Jerry Rice is on the sidelines, geez) they need help on defense. This could be a spot for one of the Cody's (Dan or Shaun), Matt Roth, or maybe one of the linebackers.

Green Bay Packers- Aaron Rodgers, QB, Cal-Berkeley

Well, they've got their successor to Brett Favre. Good for Rodgers, who's been sitting alone in the rooms for about 4 hours. He gets to learn from Favre for however much longer Favre is there. This doesn't help them this year, obviously, but now they have a real chance down the line, once Favre leaves, to keep their success going, without taking a huge dip once Favre leaves and they have to use JT O' Sullivan to start. They have two seconds, because of the McKenzie deal, maybe they could entice someone at the bottom to trade, or take a linebacker or end in the 2nd round.

The Skins are up next now, they may end up getting a QB (Jason Campbell) at this spot, but I really don't think they need a QB, they need a receiver more than that, so Roddy White of UAB would be good fit, or maybe someone on defense.

Oakland Raiders- Fabian Washington, CB, Nebraska

Al Davis loves speed. he adores it. Its his favorite thing. Fabian Washington ran a sub 4.3 40 at the combine. They just got rid of Phillip Buchanon and may deal Woodson. Washington will be there a while, mainly because he's fast and also because he's fast.

Well now, the Packers now have a choice to make. They just had a possible Favre successor fall into their laps. They also need defensive help, maybe at linebacker, the defensive backfield or what they might need more, a pass rusher. My guess here is that its either Rodgers or Matt Roth of Iowa to play opposite KGB.

Baltimore Ravens- Mark Clayton, WR, Oklahoma

He's may be a really productive receiver, but really, I question how he'll respond to being hit, because he disappeared completely against LSU and USC in the last two National title games.

The Raiders just traded up with the Seahawks, I have to believe that they're going for defense, or they could well be takign Aaron Rodgers, because they just moved ahead of the Packers. That might make sense, because I question how much longer Kerry Collins will be there, and they can get the guy for the future today with Rodgers. Or they might be moving to get a corner, and that might be in response to the Packers always drafting corners.

Jacksonville,Jaguars- Matt Jones, QB/WR/TE/ATH, Arkansas

No one has been rising up the boards and been more of a story than Matt Jones the past few months. He can create a lot of matchup problems for Jacksonville, and they'll probably use him as an H-Back tight end type. He could be really special, because he has abosolutely amazing athletic ability.

The Ravens should probably take about 15 seconds to go and grab a WR here. Roddy White's more of a classic wideout in terms of build, but Mark Clayton, despite some size issues, caught a ton of balls and could have the best hands in the draft.

Dallas Cowboys (again)- Marcus Spears, DE, LSU

They did get what they needed, the guy who can play the end on the 3-4, and take on the tackle and help with the running game.

One thought I had last night. You know, if things had happened differently, that the top QB in this draft could have been somewhere else last night. Obviously, there's Leinart, who's probably spending the day with a model or one of the Song Girls, but the other guy, the one that was the number one QB prospect in 2001, was behind the plate for the Twins last night against the Tigers, Joe Mauer. Mauer actually committed to Florida State as a QB, and probably would have been starting at least the last two years as Chris Rix struggled and Adrian McPherson got thrown out of school.

The Jags are up now. This is probably a defensive pick, though I wouldn't be shocked to see a receiver here, or maybe even Heath Miller of UVa, the Tight End.

St. Louis Rams- Alex Barron, LT, Free Shoes University

He's going to be playing on the right side, which means that he'll be playing the easier side, and he has the right guy on the other side to learn from, and probably eventually supplant.

The Cowboys are up again. Spears is probably the pick here, given that they need a great 3-4 end, and Spears has the size to do that. They might also decide to go for Rodgers here, or possibly Roddy White, the receiver from UAB.

Minnesota Vikings (again)- Erasmus James, DE, Wisconsin

They got the best pass rusher left in the draft here. The problem they'll have is that he's going to be playing on the turf, and I don't know that he'll stay healthy all the time. The Vikings have to be the prohibitive favorites in the division next year, given the huge improvement they've made on defense. The Lions have to be a factor because of the offense they are going to have, but the Packers have lost a lot, and I don't know if they'll be able to keep pace with the Vikings right now.

The Rams are up next. Torry Holt is talking up Brodney Pool, which makes sense, but Alex Barron has to be awfully tempting.

Cincinnati Bengals- David Pollack, DE, Georgia

This is the pick to help Justin Smith. They've got the right guy to coach him up at the pro level in Marvin Lewis, and he's the most intense guy ever, seriously, the fans of Cincinnati will love his effort, the problem is that he does lack some of the physical tools you might want. But he has produced.

Up now are the Vikings again. Now they'll probably go with defense. There are still some ends available, and it would seem that Marcus Spears would be a great fit at this spot and would certainly help improve the run defense as well as the pass rush.

Houston Texans- Travis Johnson, DL, Free Shoes University

Ok, I know what they're thinking with this pick, but I really don't agree with it. He really doesn't seem to fit well into the 3-4 system. He's not big enough to plug the two gaps as a nose, and he's not really an end, and guys like Spears might have fit better here. I still want to know exactly who's going to protect David Carr.

The Bengals have to be heartbroken that Johnson's gone. They needed someone to help stuff the run, and the most logical person to do that is gone. They might want to try and grab Shaun Cody here, or maybe move Marcus Spears inside here.

Kansas City Chiefs- Derrick Johnson, OLB, Texas

I am very surprised he's fallen this far, even though he's got all of the knocks against him as a tackler. He's going to make so many plays for them, its going to be sick. There is great value where they got him, and with the moves they have made on defense, adding Surtain, Kendrell Bell, Sammy Knight and others.

Houston's up again now, and again Barron is available to be their left tackle of the future. I don't think they got enough value with their trade down three spots, getting a third rounder next year. I'd have held out for something more, maybe a three this year or a fourth this year, in addition to the third next year. They could also go defense.

Carolina Panthers- Thomas Davis, LB/SS, Georgia

This is probably to replace Mark Fields, who may be leaving in Free Agency. He's going to run around a lot and hit the snot out people. This is probably a good pick. Though, I have to say, its unfair to compare Thomas Davis to Derrick Brooks, even at this point, no matter how great a tackler he is.

Aaron Rodgers seems to be getting plenty lonely back there. John, don't be surprised if you end up with the heir to Favre literally landing in your lap.

The Chiefs are up next. Because I am a football genius, I'm going to predict that the Chiefs will go defense here. The pick might be Derrick Johnson, or maybe someone like Travis Johnson of Florida State. Someone, anyone, is needed to make plays on defense or to stuff the run. They now have Patrick Surtain, so they have a couple of pieces. I also wouldn't be shocked if they went out and picked Rodgers here as the heir apparent to Trent Green.

New Orleans Saints- Jammal Brown, RT, Oklahoma

The Saints dealt a third rounder next year and exchanged their picks in the first round. Brown is more of a mauler than Barron, but frankly, and I asked Jerry Hanlon, who used to coach the line at Michigan, and he agreed with me, technique and footwork is more important for an offensive lineman than being a mauler. I really believe that, because the really good tackles today are not maulers, guys like Pace, Jones and Ogden seem to dominate because they have solid technique.

The Panthers will probably go offensive line here, but its also quite possible they could surprise us with another pick, maybe Derrick Johnson, maybe a defensive back/linebacker like Thomas Davis.

San Diego Chargers- Shawne Merriman, OLB/DE, Fear the Turtle

The Chargers get their pass rusher to put opposite Steve Foley. They probably could get a receiver with their later pick, so this fits well.

The obvious pick for the Texans is Alex Barron, the Left Tackle they haven't been able to get in the history of their franchise. Still, with Derrick Johnson, a guy from the state, sitting at 13, you might want to think about grabbing him and finding another guy, like Adam Terry of Syracuse, later in the draft to play at tackle.

I'm kind of surprised that their hasn't been a deal at all yet, and no deal involving the Lions choice. I thought for a second that maybe they'd get a deal with Houston or with San Diego, who might have needs at receiver and could give the Lions more picks.

Dallas Cowboys- Demarcus Ware, DE/OLB, Troy

Here's the combo guy that Parcells wanted. They'll probably be able to get an end at the bottom of the draft, or maybe a guy to replace Darren Woodson.

My jaw is still on the floor becasue of the Williams pick, as suddenly the Lions become the Vikings of a few years ago, going three-wide all day long and scoring tons and tons of points. Seriously, what was the point of signing Kevin Johnson this week, and can we cut Az-Hakim now or five minutes from now? They probably will be able to grab an end in the second round, but wowie wow wow.

The Chargers are probably wanting similar guys as the Cowboys, and Merriman or Spears would fit well for them, especially now that the receivers are gone.

Detroit Lions- Mike Williams, WR, USC

Wow. Wow. The Lions passing game suddenly becomes the most dangerous one in the league. Suddenly, Joey Harrington gets to throw to everyone and everyone this year. There is one other possibility, that hey could deal this to someone like San Diego or Washington, or maybe someone else.

The Cowboys are probably going to take defense here, someone like Demarcus Ware or Shawne Merriman, maybe even Marcus Spears would fit well here, given that Parcells seems to be really wanting to switch to the 3-4, and he needs guys like those to play he rush linebacker, or in Spears' case, the end.

Washington Racist Stereotypes- Carlos Rogers, CB, Auburn

War Eagle, yet again. They needed to replace Fred Smoot. They have Shawn Springs on the other side, and they need to keep the defense great, but maybe I would have liked to have seen Williams here.

The Lions are up now. The popular pick here is Derrick Johnson, which would give them an incredibly athletic set of linebackers. A lot of people who are ignorant of the situation think he would be there to replace Boss Bailey, not so. What would actually happen is the Lions would move Teddy Lehman to the middle and replace Earl Holmes. The other option here is an end, because with the top three corners gone, there is no way they'll reach down and grab someone, unless of course they trade down, probably someone like Shawne Merriman.

Arizona Cardinals- Antrel Rolle, CB, Miami, Fla.

The right pick, this really was. I love that new jersey by the way. They get the help on defense they needed. Rolle played really well against NFL receivers in college. He'll be more physical as a cornerback, which is good, it really is. They'll probably get more help on defense for him later in this draft.

The Redskins are up now. They've lost Fred Smoot, they've lost Antonio Pierce, they've set themselves back by dealing Laverneus Coles for Santana Moss. To me, either Carlos Rogers, Derrick Johnson, Shawne Merriman or even Mike Williams fits here. Joe Gibbs likes physical receivers, and Williams would be needed because Santana Moss is shorter than me, and they need someone to go get the ball. They also need someone to do that on the other side, and frankly, the combination of Johnson and Arrington scares the hell out of me.

Minnesota Vikings- Troy Williamson, WR, the Other USC

They took the faster guy, which I can understand, especially on the turf. Still, he's not huge like Williams is, and now, with Burleson and Marcus Robinson, they now have three of the same kind of receiver, and I don't know who, other than Jermaine Wiggins, who's going to catch the ball on third down and six or seven.

The Cardinals are up now. There's a lot of people who would want them to take Aaron Rodgers here, because with Kurt Warner on a one year deal, and Josh McCown not being completely trusted by Denny Green, the thought is that they can get the QB of the future right now. I disagree. I think the best choice here is Antrel Rolle, and then trying to get the Travis Henry deal done with Buffalo, or maybe trading for Michael Bennett or picking up Anthony Thomas. The Cardinals are getting better now, especially with the receivers they have, they need defense now. They traded Duane Starks in the off-season, so they need a cornerback now. Plus we now get a chance to see their cool new jerseys.

Tennessee Titans- Adam "Pac-Man" Jones, CB, West Virginia

Tennessee goes with the faster and shorter corner. I wonder in the Miami Hurricane pack mentality we're seeing lately, and the problems Antrel Rolle has had of the field, played a role in this. Pac-Man Jones probably will be a return man too.

The Vikings are up. The lay up here is Mike Williams, as the guy to replace Randy Moss, though Merrill Hoge just destroyed Mike Williams and Aaron Rodgers in the pre-draft show on Thursday, saying that Troy Williamson would be a better fit because of the speed. With no running back available, and the likely presence of defense with their later pick, a receiver is the obvious choice.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Carnell Williams, RB, Auburn

Well, its War Eagle time in New York. The pictures said a thousand words as you actually got to see the family get the call there. Way cool.

This is the safe pick for the Buccaneers, though John now automatically hates him. Cadillac is a little small-ish, but I think he'll be fine and Gruden will put him in the right position.

The Titans are up now. and things could get interesting. They've lost their top two corners, but Steve McNair nearly retired this off-season, and there might only be so much left in his body. The hiring of Norm Chow also opens up Mike Williams as a possibility, as a number one receiver across from Drew Bennett. We'll see in a few

Chicago Bears- Cedric Benson, RB, Texas

Here's my problem with this. He started four years at Texas, he carried the ball 1100 times. There has to be a ton of wear on the tread as they might say. Really great shot by the way, of the emotion on Benson's face and the emotions of his family. That really shows the emotional impact of today for the family's involved. The problem I have with Benson is that he really didn't impress me in the Rose Bowl, where he was really facing a faster defense for the first time since the Oklahoma game, and he never really produced against Oklahoma. I don't think Benson will be Curtis Enis, but he won't be Walter Payton either. I think he'll probably be a more bulky version of Neal Anderson, who was their first post-Payton back.

Wow, this interview with Benson is going to raise a lot of eyebrows. Saying things like the process was like a slap in the face and that he felt he was being talked down to. There will be a lot of people, writers and personnel guys who take that as disrespectful those who came before him.

Tampa Bay is up now. They Bucs need a lot on offense, but they seem to be set at wideout, so the likely candidates are Cadillac and Aaron Rodgers. As John Gruden really doesn't seem to be in love with Chris Simms or Brian Griese, the QB is the obvious move.

Cleveland Browns- Braylon Edwards, WR, Fine Institution

So Braylon goes to the Browns. Here's the people they'll have an offense next year, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow II, Rueben Droughns, and Trent Dilfer. They'll be much better offensively next year. The problem will be on the defensive side. They've improved some, with Gary Baxter and Brian Russell, but the front seven is not good right now. They'll probably take a QB later, maybe Charlie Frye or Jason Campbell.

The Bears. A lot of people have them taking a running back here, but frankly I don't understand why. Thomas Jones is fine as long as he stays healthy, and you can pick up a backup in the second or third rounds who can make a really nice contribution. I'd go with Mike Williams, because they need more receivers who can make an impact, they already have Bernard Berrian to be the fast receiver, they need a guy in the red zone to make an impact, along with Mushin Muhammed. This could be another good place to deal down, and maybe pick up someone like Troy Williamson and maybe a corner down the line.

Dolphins- Ronnie Brown, RB, Auburn

Chalk Talks. Now the fun begins. Ronnie Brown's the most complete back. I realize that he didn't start, but he was incredibly productive, and because he doesn't have all the read on the tires as much as, say, Cedric Benson, he can be productive longer. Saban knows what he's getting, and so he'll know where to use him.

The Browns now have the pick. I don't think they really have a huge need at reciever, though some have said that Braylon Edwards may go here, and it seems they would like to go that way. Still, I'd almost rather seem them deal the pick here, get a couple more picks, because they don't have a lot to work with. That being said, Trent Dilfer will have a lot of weapons next year if they take Braylon Edwards.

49ers- Alex Smith, QB Utah

This is the right move to rebuild the franchise. You need the QB to build the franchise around more than anything. The 49ers have been so bad lately, and Smith, because he's so intelligent and because he has the athletic ability and the frame. Now the question is whether he sticks here. I think he probably does. Good pick for the Niners.

Now the Dolphins are up, the chalk says they pick Ronnie Brown, because the need is obviously running back, but Saban really seems to want to deal down, though getting the second round pick for Patrick Surtain yesterday really gives them more flexibility, which is what they need. Personally, I don't seem them being that far away. They had a ton of injuries last year, and had to scramble for a running game. They really could get good quickly if they pick the right guys, particularly in the first few rounds. Mike Nolan just said they were going to keep Alex Smith, so congratulations to the both of them, because you're both tied to one another now.

The Preamble

Ok, so the draft is about to start, and we still don't know what's going to happen at one. It probably will be Alex Smith, but we don't know if they're going to trade the pick, trade the player, or go with someone else entirely. I don't know, no one knows. That's the beauty of this draft, really it is. Last year we had six or seven huge big time players and then everyone else, this year its basically a lot of everyone else. I love Braylon, I think he's the best player in the draft. Well, we're starting now, and for some reason Torry Holt is with ESPN today.

Speaking of ESPN, I want to say something about Monday Night/Sunday Night Football. I'm not going to talk about how weird it will be to not see football on Mondays on ABC. My question is, what does NBC do for its broadcasts, and do Madden and Michaels go to cable or maybe go to NBC. I think that its likely that Costas will not be in the booth, he'll be the studio guy, that's what he was the last time NBC had football. Now my personal favorite to be in the booth is Jim Lampley, who is probably best known for doing Boxing on HBO. But he's also an NBC employee. I think he'd be great doing football too. The other studio guys could be anyone, the last time NBC did football, they had two coaches, Mike Ditka and Joe Gibbs, and a player. The group I'd go with is this, Costas as the lead guy, Glenn Parker, who has done the Arena Football League coverage and is really good, Sterling Sharpe, who is just fabulous, without being schticky, and lastly, assuming he retires after this year, Dick Vermeil, who's great on television, or Matt Millen, if he leaves the Lions, as some think he will. I'd then have the other guy as one of the people in the booth, along with Cris Carter and Lampley. That's what this man would do. The 49ers are now on the clock.

Catching up to now

This week has been a little more calm. I got my stories done in a far less stressful time frame, and ended up getting a lot more stories in. I got to meet the Atkins family, who have a plane and a runway in their backyard, as well as David Preston, who's run a paintball park for 10 years and is now 25. I got to talk to Ms. Susan Southard for a while last night, which is always fabulous. I was also glad to see that the Euphonics concert went so well and that Trojan Women was a success last week. That really is great to hear, and I echo John's feelings about feeling like a proud parent when it comes to Euphonics. Otherwise, my highlight of the week so far is getting my internet back, but that's only til tomorrow, when I'll be doing what I did with John last year, blogging the NFL Draft. I'm also going to be going to a party at my coworker Adam's new apartment tomorrow night, so we'll see how that goes.

I wanted to say something about the election of Benedict XVI. To me, its disappointing, because there was a real opportunity for the church to commit itself to social justice, especially in the developing world. Instead, we went with a doctrinal conservative who's going to be all the worst of John Paul II without any of the positives. In Africa, where there's a growing Catholic population, much of the faithful is HIV positive, and because of the position on contraception, the plague of AIDS continues to spread there. We bring in a European conservative as Europe itself seems to be breaking its neck to secularize. I' just kind of mystified, and bewildered, by all of this.

And Hey:


Here's some guy ruining a perfectly good sunset at the lake
Posted by Hello

Story Time

For the purposes of getting my work read by those I care about, here is the story on Florence Holway, followed by the five stories I wrote this week, I'll come up with an obvious way to differentiate them.

April 14
By James P. Shilander
Staff Writer
ALTON — Florence Holway has been an artist since she was a child. Now, with new notoriety following an HBO documentary, which chronicled her fight for tougher rape laws following her 1991 sexual assault, many people have been contacting Holway for her art and to thank her for the battle she has fought so far.
Holway, 89, of Alton, has received dozens of requests for her sketches and paintings in recent weeks, following the broadcast of "Rape in a Small Town: The Florence Holway Story" on HBO in January. This past weekend, the Smith family of Climax, Mich., which is a 16-hour drive from Alton, made the trek to see Holway and her art after viewing the film.
"He (Kyle Smith) called on the phone to see if he could buy sketches," Holway explained. Samantha Smith, Kyle’s young daughter had written to Holway to say how much she had been moved by Holway’s artwork. As promised in her letter, Samantha Smith and her family arrived at Holway’s home during their spring break, toured the gallery, and talked with Holway.
Holway’s fight began more than a decade ago, when Jason LaForest, who was 25 at the time, entered her Alton farmhouse late at night. Holway, 75 on that Easter Eve of 1991, remembers being awakened and "seeing two hands coming out of the dark." Though she passed out, Holway remembers waking to see LaForest undressing, at which point he raped and sodomized her. He also tied Holway, who has had several knee operations, to the bed and beat her.
After crawling to her son’s house next door and calling the police after LaForest fell asleep, Holway believed the worst to be over. But after local prosecutors plea-bargained with LaForest, who had been facing charges of rape, sodomy, breaking and entering, assault and false imprisonment, Holway "was very angry." "I learned that if you’re hurt, the government won’t help you," she says now after more than 14 years.
Holway fought for tougher sentences against rape, appearing in front of the New Hampshire State Senate, and her efforts helped to increase the prison time faced by rapists, as well as forcing plea bargains to be made with the victims’ consent. Still Holway doesn’t see anything heroic in what she did. "Strangers write the craziest things," she says, regarding some of the correspondence she has received, "so many talk about courage." She insists that she wasn’t courageous, only that "I raised hell."
The HBO documentary came about by chance. A friend of filmmakers Charlene Chapman and her husband Jeffrey had seen an article about Holway in a magazine. She encouraged them to make a documentary about Holway’s fight. The Chapmans, Holway says, came for one weekend a month for seven years to make the movie, which was eventually sold to HBO. The film primarily focuses on Holway’s efforts to fight LaForest’s parole over the last two years.
Still, Holway hopes that her art will again become the focus of her life. With her gallery being reopened to the public with a party held April 1, Holway is more than enthusiastic about showing off her pieces, created over a lifetime, which included raising five children. She has written a book about her experiences of the last 14 years, and is hoping for an editor and a publisher to see the project through. Still her art is what helps to bring her much joy as she approaches 90, and with new audiences ready to appreciate it, Holway likes to say that she’s "not anywhere near finished."

April 21

The Atkins family has wings
By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
BARNSTEAD — A lot of families in the area might have big lawns in their backyard. Most families might use this as an occasional baseball diamond, soccer pitch or tanning bed. The Atkins family uses their backyard as their personal airstrip. Ron Atkins, the patriarch of the Atkins family, has taken each of his three children out in the air since they were small, but now the shoe might well be on the other foot.
Ron Atkins flies commercial cargo aircraft for UPS. His Barnstead office features stencils of each of the type of aircraft he has flown, and features pictures of his aircraft in action. His schedule is such that he’s flying for nearly 13 days straight, making a four-city run with stops in Philadelphia; Cologne, Germany; Hong Kong; and Anchorage. Then he’s home for nearly two weeks, "It kind of makes it difficult to get involved much socially in town, but its really good to be home so much," he explains. His father worked for Eastern Airlines while Atkins was growing up, and this, he says, is where he caught the flying "bug."
Aaron Atkins is Ron’s 17-year-old son. He’s a junior at Prospect Mountain High School, and a member of the baseball team. Aaron has also "caught the bug." While he had been flying in the family’s plane, a 1952 Piper Tri-Pacer that is three years older than Ron, Aaron has in recent years taken his own flying a bit more seriously. Two years ago, when his family’s plane needed refurbishing, Aaron assisted his father and his brother Austin in putting the fabric airplane back together. For the last three years, Aaron has been working at home to study for the written pilot’s test. Ron Atkins says that that isn’t all that easy, "You see a lot of people fail when it comes to the written part." Ron has been instructing his son while he was home. Aaron scored a 92 percent on his written exam, which, his father explained, about half of test-takers fail on their first attempt. What makes this doubly impressive is that failure is 80 percent meaning that Aaron easily passed an extraordinarily difficult-to-pass examination.
This past February, Aaron received his Private Pilot’s license just after his 17th birthday, almost exactly 32 years after Ron got his license. Aaron describes the whole experience as "pretty cool." He has already taken friends from school as well as some cousins up in the air (the Private Pilot license allows him to take up passengers, though not for a fee). His mother, Patti Atkins, a stay-at-home mom, does admit that she still worries about her son, at least a little bit, when he goes up.
Aaron is hoping to become a pilot, similar to his father. He would like to get an Aircraft Mechanics license at Nashua Tech, and then attend college for a business degree to, he explains, and "have something to fall back on." He would also like to enter the military and fly there, but eventually end up flying cargo like his father does. He does plan to continue his efforts, "I’m going to keep going with it (flying) – I want to get the rest of my license over the next few years." He would also like to work part-time as a flight instructor once he gets to college.
Still, the flying Atkins’ have their own private airport in their backyard. With daughter Arielle and son Austin still flying, presumably the family runway will remain busy for years.


Population could increase by 60 percent
How to protect natural resources?

By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
NEW DURHAM — A coalition of various area conservation groups, the Natural Resources Outreach Coalition (NROC) hosted a workshop in the New Durham School gym Tuesday Night. Representatives of various UNH programs, as well as a member of the Strafford Planning Commission, presented ideas on how to best grow New Durham, with respect to the desire to preserve as many of the natural resources as possible.
Selectman Ron Gehl, who had previously served three years as planning board commissioner, said that the town has been looking to get NROC involved for a while. "We originally contacted them near the end of 2003," Gehl said. While the group was unable to respond to New Durham’s application in 2004, Gehl said that NROC was impressed enough by the application of the town that they were willing to get involved with the community’s development planning this year.
Using a PowerPoint slide show, various speakers tried to convey to the audience of about 35 assembled townspeople the issues of conservation that will be confronting New Durham in the coming years. A graphic that showed a potential 60 percent increase in the town’s population, an increase of some 1,330 people, by 2020 drew audible gasps from the crowd, as did some of the next few slides which pertained to how much land this population might end up using.
Much of the presentation focused on educating the crowd on the natural resources of the area, as well as the potential costs of poor planning. NROC representative Julia Peterson spoke about the changes that developed land could have on the town’s supply of groundwater, particularly relevant to a town with as many wells as New Durham.
As the presentation moved to planning for the development of the town, NROC presenter Gerry Mylroie spoke on the subject of effective use of land in new subdivisions, as well as how best to possibly move toward creating more neighborhoods around a town center. Other portions of the presentation focused on preserving town aquifers, stopping habitat fragmentation and ways for the town and for individuals to manage the city’s conservation efforts.
While many seemed pleased following the presentation, Gehl had been hoping for a bit more of a turnout, but he did add that "this is a start of an ongoing process of getting people involved and getting input." He also said that the beautiful weather might have played a part in keeping some from attending the presentation.
It was also announced a follow-up meeting, during which New Durham residents could lay out their own concerns and ideas on the issues brought up in the presentation would be held on Saturday, May 7, at the Elementary school. Anyone in town is invited to attend, including those who were unable to attend the first meeting.


Preston makes extreme sport work
By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
BARNSTEAD — Spring is considered the muddy time in the Lakes region. Snow has melted and the earth is still recovering from winter. But getting dirty and muddy is all a part of the fun of paintball, which David Preston, who owns OSG Paintball in Barnstead, knows very well. Having just opened for the season, the business, one of the leading paintball parks in New England, is about to get really busy, really fast.
Preston, who took over the business at the age of 15 after the two Florida businessmen who ran it left, has now run his paintball center for ten years. He employs more than a dozen Barnstead residents as referees and in other capacities. "We are one of the largest employers in Barnstead," Preston explains, "we have about 12 to 18 people on staff." The staff serves crowds, which can sometimes number 150 on the weekends, the busiest time at OSG. "There are games during the week, but they are mostly private parties," says Preston.
Paintball is a billion dollar a year industry, it ranks behind only rollerblading and skateboarding in terms of annual spending for extreme sports. For those unfamiliar with the sport, Preston describes it as "a very physical game of tag" or "cops and robbers for adults." Still, safety, Preston says, is the number one concern of his company. "We require masks at all times once you step onto the field, and barrel plugs (small bags which catch fired balls) when you step off." Referees are on alert to look for injured players, and do not hesitate, Preston says, to get hobbled combatants out of the game. The paintballs used are also environmentally safe, he says, because the "paint" is made mostly of gelatin and food coloring. Violators of safety policies are kicked out, according to Preston.
The courses, which are built and maintained by Preston and his employees can be very elaborate and detailed. Since the course was put up, constant improvements have been made. A "castle" area as well as woods courses dot the 25 acres of the business. Most intricate of all are newer areas that Preston has dreamed up. Two town courses, one with an Old West theme and another, more "urban" setting, which both Preston says "can be very intense." Preston is currently building a new course for the summer, which will be based on the video game Halo, with intricate structures and ramps.
Most of the money generated by the course has been reinvested, according to Preston. The newer courses require more maintenance and upkeep, as well as repairs for winter damages. During the winters, Preston manages a snowboarding store.
With spring now upon him though, Preston seems excited about new challenges. He and other employees will be working on efforts to cleanup roads into town, as well as adding additions to some of the courses. A "scenario" game will be held which pits New Hampshire players against those from Massachusetts. For Preston, who got into the game when he was 10 years old, there is excitement, "It’s not a bad business," he explains, while picking up used paintballs on his course, "it will eventually grow into a nice large business, We’re constantly expanding, constantly growing."


Welcome Wagons give way to Web
By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
NEW DURHAM — The Monday meeting of the New Durham Planning Board was highlighted by a close look at some of the provisions of the town’s proposed new Master Plan. In taking to account the last civic profile conducted for the town, in 1996, which helped to inspire many of the basic tenets of the new plan, the board took a hard look at some of the proposed elements and hoped for improvement in the future.
Several sections of the Master Plan referred to the now defunct Town newsletter as the only means of communication. Board members noted continuously that new guidelines should take into account the town’s new website (http://www.newdurhamnh.us/) as well as access to Community TV as a more effective way of communicating. Other efforts, such as "Welcome Wagons" for new residents, seemed to whither on the vine since the last time they were instituted, and members of the board urged greater efforts and more realistic views of such programs in the future.
Other issues were also discussed. Board members were adamant that the town needed a new sign or board that would allow citizens to be aware of coming meetings and events, in addition to signs already in front of the library and school. While money for such efforts has been appropriated in the past, such a board has yet to be constructed. Other possibilities, such as greater visibility for board meetings on the town website, were also discussed as possible solutions.
Also, issues of communication between the town of New Durham and other area organizations were discussed, especially regional planning and conservation boards, as well as local ties like the Merrymeeting Lake Association and the Cropple Crown Village District.
The board then appointed Cropple Crown resident Chris LaPierre as an alternate member of the board. The voting rights of those members was also under discussion as the board made several suggestions that new chairman Robert Craycraft said he would take into account in his further time on the board.

A Penny (Sale) is a penny earned for vets

ALTON — Dennis Kaszynski of Alton found the military to be one of the most important parts of his life. "The military changed my life in a big way," he says, "It taught a lot, about leadership, how to work with people, followership." He flew B-52’s in the Air Force He is sending one son to the Air Force Academy, and another is trying to decide on which branch of service he wants to go into. Still, Kaszynski realizes that many veterans have a hard time when they come back from service.
"When a lot of guys come out, they’re still hardwired for the military, to work with his buddies and to protect our country, but when he comes back, he isn’t necessarily hardwired to capitalism, to marketing himself. So sometimes when the men get out they need help for a little while." After meeting with Doreen Galipeau, who had been working with the Veteran’s First Family Shelter, which is being built in Nashua. The Shelter, according to Kaszynski, 45, will house some of those families that need help. "This is the only shelter being created in the state of New Hampshire dedicated to housing veterans and their families." He went on to explain that the project, which is being built by Harbor Homes, Inc., was primarily to give veterans a break and get them back on their feet as they and their families became acclimated to the civilian world.
To raise funds, Kaszynski has put together The Alton Family Penny Sale, which will be held at Prospect Mountain High School on April 30, at 4 p.m. The effort he says has been community wide, "Not one business has said no to me, everyone in the town of Alton has come through for this…It does my heart good just to be a part of this kind of community." Donations from across the area, from a $1700 leather couch donated by Grevier Furniture, to die cast model cars and numerous gift certificates will be available at the event. One local businessman, Ruben Wentworth of Alton Home and Lumber Center, has been particularly generous, Kaszynski noted. "Ruben was incredibly excited to donate to this, he’s given us boxes of items’, 10 gift certificates for propane refills and more." Wentworth also donated the door prize for the event, an etched glass door window.
Kaszynski said that he hopes to raise at least $10,000 for the Shelter through the event.

Well that's it for this week. Anyone with comments should feel free to post anything you want, no matter how damning.

Times, Well, They are a Changin'

Well, I'm up in Wolfeboro now, and I have been for about two weeks. It’s been a pretty crazy last couple of weeks, I've had to find an apartment, furnish it, and begin to get settled at work and in town. When my mother and myself awoke on Friday, we had to find an apartment. We had a place, then we couldn't get the relatively enormous funds required for it together, and we ended up with what is probably a much better place for me. It's a very nice 1 bedroom, and I was able to move in right away.
After a weekend where we looked around town for furniture and to try to familiarize me with the city, I started work on Monday. I really got thrown into the fire, because most of the stories have to be in on Tuesday Night to allow for the paper to go out on Thursday morning. I ended up covering two stories my first day, which included a drive, first to Alton, the main town where the paper I am working on is based, and then close to New Durham, another town in the area. Just so you understand my situation, I work at the Granite State News office here in Wolfeboro, but the newspaper I work for covers Alton, New Durham and Barnstead. That's the situation, its really not that odd, when you consider that these are all small towns, but that there's a lot of interesting news here. One such story is that of Florence Holway, whom I had my first really large (in terms of time) interview with. I sent out a lot of newspapers to people last week, so some of you might have read the story by now, but for those of you who haven't, Florence was raped on Easter Eve 1991, when she was 75 years old. A man, drunk and high, broke into her home, beat her, and then proceeded to rape and sodomizes her. That night, she escaped to her son and daughter in law's house and called the police. But because the man who attacked her had worn a condom, there was no rape kit evidence, the local prosecutors made a plea deal with her rapist, who the police had found naked in Florence's bed. Florence could have been embarrassed, but instead she raised hell. She lobbied for tougher rape sentences and for victim's rights. And she won. Now she just reopened her art gallery that sits in her home. She's been painting since she was a child and now she's reopened her home and her art to the world. She was really amazing to talk to, as you can imagine.
On Tuesday I had my first drive out to Barnstead to cover a school board meeting. What worried me most was that it was snowing on my way out. But I ended up getting a couple of nice pictures and covering the meeting, which ended up running long, long enough that I ended up writing the story at around 10:30 that night for my editor to look at the next morning before she sent it to the printer.
The next few days I really didn't need to stay that late, because most of the work on the paper gets done on those first two days of the week, so when my parents came on Thursday, with furniture, it was great. I also got cable and Internet on Friday, but then something odd happened. While I was taking Netscape off of my computer, I accidentally took a necessary file out, thus making the Internet inaccessible. I am only getting it back tonight, so yeah, weird wild stuff there.
I asked my editor if she would allow me to post my stories online, and she said it would be ok, so tomorrow, for all of you interested parties, I'll post my stories for this week. I'll let you know more about this weeks happenings, as well as the election of Benedict XVI tomorrow.
Til then, I leave you with this look at Lake Winnipesaukee


The Lake, still with a bit of Ice still out. Ice Out was just declared this week
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Sic Transit Gloria

Obviously, I do feel some need to talk about the passing of John Paul II (the Great). More than any Pope in the last century, with the possible exception of John XXIII, meant as much to the Catholic Church, and none, with the exception of Pius XII, was more controversial. John Paul II, and his tenure as pontiff, will go down as one of the most dramatic papacies ever. Here is a man who traveled more than any pope ever, and probably more than all of his predecessors combined. Here is the Pope that helped to overthrow communism in Eastern Europe, starting with his native country. He was a man who forgave his attempted assassin, and who opened all forms of ecumenical dialogue, and not just with in the Christian community. As Pope, he recognized Israel and visited a mosque. He's received Lucille from B.B. King, and had breakdancers perform in an audience with him. He saw his church grow dramatically in the developing world, while the church in Europe floundered in the face of secularism and the Church in America became mired in the sinkhole of its own vices. He has stubbornly kept out of step with mainline Protestantism on issues like contraception and the ordination of women, while becoming a hero to liberals for his objections to the Iraq war and his steadfast opposition to capital punishment. This pope was a man of contrasts, but what's most important is that he did things, not just sit in his palaces, and detach himself from the world. The world will be a much different place without him in it.

I must say it has been an eventful few days. I saw John in Chicago on Friday, which was really nice, because I felt like we needed to talk about some things as well as just hang out for a while. I also saw the Steeno's for the first time since the breakup. I must admit, I had been a little worried about how they would react to me, even after so long. I was always comfortable around them, but you never know how something like what happened can change someone's reaction to you. Thankfully, Mr. and Mrs. Steeno couldn't have been happier for me when they found out about my job, and they seemed really happy to see me. I enjoyed the writing 5 show John did, and was able to stay the night, which I want to thank John publicly for here. Saturday morning I headed to Valpo to pick up my mom's keys and to have lunch with Robert and Jen. Everything went well, though I got out later than I wanted to, and so I wasn't able to go home before I picked up...Amy Lewis!!!

Amy is at the Purple Rose and doing smashingly. Things really seem to be going well for her and it was amazingly good to talk about things with her again. I also want to congratulate the people who did the workshops. I had some tie to all of them, some more than others. I want to congratulate N. Matthew Mourning for his amazing piece, because it challenged everyone in the audience, it didn't spoonfeed anyone, which I greatly appreciated. I also got to see Mike Bohne's last performance in Chelsea Sadler's play. I also want to congratulate Brinn Cronin, who's play was directed by Alex Rivera. While not perfect, she's come a really long way with her writing and hopefully will continue. I've always loved the workshops, because its such an amazing thing to watch the work of students as writers and directors, and also to see new faces along with the old ones on the stage. Workshops are really a great opportunity for younger actors to get experience and for the "veterans" to try new things, or, just to help their friends in their shows. After the shows, and a couple hours at the Phoenix with John, Amy, Mike, Nick, Maggie Holdershaw and several drunken Alpha Chi's, we went back to the Mae. I enjoyed the conversation there as well, especially with Chelsea Sadler.

The next morning came a trip to Denny's with more old friends, like Karen and Andy, and the ride home, the long goodbye as we left Albion and the chat with Amy Lewis on the way back to Chelsea was a great way to end the weekend. Its been kind of crazy here. We're doing our best to find some leads on Apartments before me and my mom head out on Thursday. We're trying to get all of these things together and I also am trying to say some goodbyes. I had lunch with my grandmother today, and it really hit me how far away I was going to be from everyone, and how much I'll miss them, and be missed. Still, I'm hoping to be able to come home pretty regularly to visit, as well as to see Albion and the people I still have there. Plus, hopefully, I'll be getting some visitors over the summer. After all, Wolfeboro is a resort.

Tonight I went to see Woody Allen's newest, Melinda and Melinda. The movie is essentially two different writers' views of the same story, and one man creates a tragic one around his version of Melinda, while another, played by Wallace Shawn (a movie with Wallace Shawn having dinner is always interesting), takes a more comedic approach. I really enjoyed it, I found both stories compelling in their own way and I really enjoyed the performances. Still, I heard a couple talking as I left the theater about how Woody's newer movies never seem to be favorably viewed in comparison to his 70's work. I find this unfair. Woody can't make Annie Hall for 30 years, he has to try new things. I have found most of his new work to be pretty good, actually. The problem is that he is judged against himself, and his movies are not judged against heir peers today. I think a movie like this, which speaks to real themes about the duality of life, in that it can be viewed as both tragic and comic, makes lots of interesting points and arguments, and I enjoyed it for what it was. Happy Hunting everyone, and good luck to Miss Kraly over these next couple of trying weeks.