Opinion
Letter: Abortion and religion
Not letting women have control over their bodies is something we profess from our religious views of all life, whether we attend church or not. Men have never had to deal with their own bodies this way. Men have been men and deem women less than...
Letter: Fellow customer saved the day
I have an eyesight problem, not a bad one, but without the medicine I take for it I would have a big problem.I get the prescription from a local pharmacy, and Medicare pays for most of it. When I ran out of my medication, I went to the pharmacy to get...
Viewpoint: Robert Beck – Why NATO matters
Imagine a scenario in which the major powers of Europe and North America had come together in a political-military alliance in the early 1930s, pooling their diplomatic, economic and defense resources to counter the rising menace of Nazi...
Viewpoint: L. Phillips Runyon III – Jaffrey has seen this case before
One of the many far-reaching cases rocketing its way to the Supreme Court this term will settle whether the State of Texas - and presumably any other state - can use its own laws to criminalize and detain people it believes are entering its borders...
Letter: Women have the power
Women in this country have struggled to get the right to vote, since the American Revolution. Women like Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony and others too numerous to mention here have fought fearlessly on behalf of all women to have the right to...
Letter: Democrats aim for total power
The current, ruling progressive Democrats believe only in a one world government. Nations are not their thing. For that matter, citizens aren't either.They believe in themselves, the ruling elite, not in old-fashioned, ratified, national...
Letter: Horrendous animal cruelty
Recently, a 4-year-old male bobcat who lives on our property came crawling to our home. He was severely injured. We managed to trap him, and sent him to Tufts in Grafton with help of a fabulous wildlife rehab contact.We learned he had been shot, and...
Viewpoint: Bradley Davis – Keep the light on for Proctor
By BRADLEY DAVIS
The light is on. Long after the cheering stops, the fans depart, the referees are cleaned up and headed home and the visiting team buses turn on to Route 202, headed back to their respective towns, the light in the northwest corner office window is...
Community Conversations: Gary Gorski – Build enrollment by building more homes
By GARY GORSKI
The high cost of operating our small elementary schools is driven by an imbalance between capacity and enrollment. We’ve voted on cutting capacity by closing schools, and voters have made clear that’s not where they want to go. It’s time to focus on...
Community Conversations: Bethany Craig – Start again, but pledge to keep elementary schools
By BETHANY CRAIG
Where do we go from here? We go back to the drawing board, but honor the original Articles of Agreement.Instead of repeatedly attempting to change the rules, we work within those rules to find solutions and make a reconfiguration plan. The Articles of...
Community Conversations: Tom Burgess – The meanings of the articles
By TOM BURGESS
On March 12, the residents of the nine ConVal towns went to the polls to vote on the proposed school budget and 11 other articles related to the operation of the school system. The voters approved 11 of the 12 articles. Let's focus on three articles...
Letter – School Board members made great effort
In a recent letter to the editor (“ConVal board members should resign”), a writer harshly criticized the ConVal School Board for its attempts to control costs (and our taxes) by diligently investigating an option to consolidate schools. I disagree...
Letter: ConVal board members should resign
The vote is in, and the ConVal School Board’s proposal failed to get even 46%.The reasons why it failed are obvious. Many thoughtful members of our communities have pointed them out in detail. Board members should be ashamed of the turmoil they put...
Letter: Indefinite postponement is no way to legislate
Almost every Thursday since Jan. 4, I have taken my seat in Legislators’ Hall, prepared to do the work I was elected to perform – to consider the bills before us and vote on them in the way I believe best serves my constituents and the citizens of New...
Letter: Vote for Biden to save democracy
During President Joe Biden's fiery and inspirational State of the Union speech on March 7, he stated that his second term would focus on ensuring that women will continue to have access to abortion and all reproductive health care and that everyone...
View From the River: Margaret Nelson – Enjoy the season, even the mud
As I write, the sun is shining and the sky is clear and blue. Hard to realize that one year ago our region had three feet of snow in the middle of March. Welcome to March. My husband informed me early in our relationship in Bangor (Maine) that “where...
Viewpoint: Jeanne Dietsch – How "liberty" replaced the American Dream
By JEANNE DIETSCH
My parents wanted my brothers and me to have a better education than they did. Learning about a world beyond the one we grew up in was the key to opportunity, the American Dream.Now, parents are told children should only learn what their parents...
Viewpoint: Mary (May) Clark -- Consider creative ideas to keep ConVal elementary schools open
By MARY (MAY) CLARK
On March 12, we will vote on a Conval District warrant article that, if it passes, will allow the School Board to close four elementary schools in the district: Bennington (Pierce School), Francestown Elementary, Temple Elementary and the Dublin...
Letter: Ideas for ConVal
Keep and maintain all existing school buildings and facilities. They are already budgeted.Relocate the lower grades in middle schools to all elementary schools, maximizing capacity. If a student wishes to attend a larger elementary school for a...
Letter: Consolidation isn’t worth the disruption
I do not believe closing the four elementary schools will ultimately save any money or lower taxes. In fact, I predict the task of actually performing the reorganization could run into all types of unexpected problems which will be costly. Solving...
