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OUR STORY
The Weirs Times was first published in 1883 by Mathew H. Calvert. The newspaper, then named Calvert’s Weirs Times and Tourists’ Gazette, was published until Mr. Calvert’s death in 1902.
One of the most remarkable features of the publication was a map of Lake Winnipesaukee which occupied the center spread of the paper. Readers will find the same map reprinted on the center pages of this, and every issue.
The new Weirs Times was re-established in 1992 and strives to maintain the patriotic spirit of its predecessor as well as his devotion to the interests of Lake Winnipesaukee and vicinity.
GOOD STUFF
Locally owned for over 17 years, this publication is devoted to printing the stories of the people and places that make New Hampshire the best place in the world to live. No, none of the daily grind news will be found in these pages, just the good stuff.
30,000 copies are distributed every week in the Lakes Region/Concord area. 15,000 delivered to
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11 23
O’Brien Is A Bully
To The Editor: On May 4th the NH Sen-
ate voted unanimously to reject HB370 which would have weakened NH’s high- ly acclaimed anti-bullying law (put in place last year by a strong bi-partisan vote in both houses). A unanimous vote in this po- litical climate is as good an indication as possible that the vote was the right one. But not for the bully who runs the NH House with a vicious streak never before seen in a NH Speaker of the House. Bill O’Brien treats the NH Legislature as his own petty fiefdom. No wonder he wanted to gut the nationally recog- nized and well researched Anti-Bullying Law that NH enacted last year; it hit too close to home. Bill O’Brien screams at
members, gavels down any opposition to his nar- row point of view, replaces members of committees and chairmen who dare to even question the preju- dices of his majesty. And that’s just how he treats the Republicans! He has utter contempt for the public. He illegally
cleared the public gallery the day of the big demon- strations in Concord. He referred to the demonstra- tors as a bunch of thugs. Yes sir, that’s what democ- racy is all about, telling the people to shut up and obey their betters. When a vote is to be
taken, O’Brien has his whips hold up red or green flags to indicate which way representatives are to vote--no thinking in- volved, no mercy for the representative who feels it is his/her job to represent constituents (another form of contempt for the public). Just do as the high and mighty O’Brien directs, or you will be punished. Bill O’Brien is a bully.
He represents the worst American government has to offer. New Hampshire can do better!
Michael Frandzel Portsmouth, NH.
Pretty Good Week
To The Editor: This was a pretty good
week. We came within an eyelash of voting on legislation to establish a Tax Credit Plan for School
Cardigan Mountain
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communities along the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee and another 15,000 to neighboring cities and towns. An independent circulation audit estimates that over 60,000 people read the Weirs Times every week.
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Choice. The only sad part was that we just plain ran out of time to have it voted on this session. Everyone worked hard to make it happen, but in the end there wasn’t sufficient time to have it heard in the multiple com- mittees required by the house rules. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we worked so hard to make it happen, that we have the legislation “ready to go” and can look for- ward to fast-tracking the finished product next fall. Here is how it works.....
Businesses will be able to decide whether to donate what they owe in business profits tax (BPT) to a non- profit scholarship orga- nization (SO) or pay their taxes to the state as they have been.
If they donate,
they get a tax credit, and the SO has money to fund scholarships for parents and students who choose to leave the public schools for any other educational option. When the student leaves the public school, the adequacy aid payment the state usually makes for that child will not be made, saving the state that money. The average size of the scholarships would be slightly less than the adequacy aid. So the state loses income from business taxes on the one hand but doesn’t have to pay a slightly greater amount in adequacy aid for that child on the other hand. While this program should save the state mon- ey, the primary purpose, however , is to give parents an option to pursue an education for their child outside the public school system that they might not otherwise have. The question parents
ask first when told of this new choice plan is: How much will we get? The short answer is most likely between $ 3,700 - $4,500, but some will qualify for more, and some for less,
depending on things like income resources and whether or not your child currently qualifies as a special needs child, or free and reduced lunch, etc. The amount of individual scholarships is the SO’s responsibility, with an overall cap to ensure a modest cost savings. Is it enough to fully fund an education elsewhere? It depends. Obviously, if you are targeting one of the elite private schools in the area you would have to supplement that scholar- ship, but if you plan to uti- lize some of the better reli- gious schools in the area, it might prove sufficient. The parents will have the choice on where they send their child to school under this voluntary scholarship program. If the parent believes their child is best served in the public school they currently attend, it’s there they should stay. Whatever school you be- lieve fits your child best, that’s where you place the money. It’s parental choice and the money follows the child. Home-schoolers will be able to also receive an amount to cover “instruc- tional materials.” We think this idea fits
well with the ideals of New Hampshire parents, and was designed based on successful programs of this type around the coun- try. Undoubtedly, parents will be greatly enthusiastic about this program. Up until now the only school choice we had was to ei- ther pay for it completely out of pocket OR move to another town. Both of these choices favored the wealthiest taxpayers in the state. Now all taxpay- ers will have more choices regarding their children’s education, regardless of income.
Rep. Gregory Hill Northfield, NH
Senator Jim Forsythe Strafford, NH
THE WEIRS TIMES & THE COCHECO TIMES, Thursday, May 26, 2011
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