The
Annual 4-H Cookie & Candy Bar Sale is held during the month of
October. Several varieties are NOW available for only $3.50 per
package. Candy Bars are $1.00 each. Your support to the
4-H youth in your community is greatly appreciated. If a
4-H member has not contacted you, please call 4-H leaders Pamela
Clattenburg 269-3200, Pauline Wheeler 435-8752 Mark Riel
435-6346 or Corine Miller 435-8497.
The Pittsfield Area Community Center for Seniors has
two special events coming up. On Tuesday, October
19th from 9:30 am to 11:00 am, a Massachusetts College
of Pharmacy Professor, a student intern, will be
providing information about over the counter medications
and will answer questions anyone might have. Then,
on Wednesday, October 20th from 10:00 am to noon, Jean
Burlund will be teaching a beginners pattern for knitted
dish cloths. If you plan to participate, you
should bring #8 needles (standard or circular) and
cotton yarn. If you are new to knitting and need
needles, yarn or an introductory knitting lesson prior
to the presentation, contact Leslie Vogt, Director of
the Center at 435-8482.
Celebrating Birthdays are: October 13, Nancy
Pethic,Rebecca Saliva, Norm Tuttle; October 14, John
Topouzoglou, Kris Westerburg; October 16, Margaret
Chagnon, Donna Ward.
A Very Happy Birthday To One And
All.
Fuel Assistance Community Action Program will be at
Pittsfield Community Center October 18th and 25th.
Call for an appt. 485-7824.
Holiday Craft and Bake Sale Saturday, October 30, 2010 9
am - 2 pm
Loudon Center Freewill Baptist Church, Clough Hill
Road, Loudon, NH Get a jump on your Christmas shopping and
pick up some yummy treats too! Vendor space available.
Call Lorraine at 603-435-6510 to reserve your space.
Harvest Hoe Down Saturday, October 23rd 6pm - 10pm
Loudon Center Freewill Baptist Church, Clough Hill Road, Loudon,
NH Music, Dancing, Games, Food & drinks available for a
small fee.
Come join The Greater Pittsfield
Chamber of Commerce as we enjoy our monthly Business After
Hours. The event will be held at Century 21, Thompson Real
Estate Tuesday October 12th from 6pm to 8pm. This event is
located at 1033 Suncook Valley Highway, Epsom NH. There
will be light refreshments served. A tour will be given to
all that participate in this event. This is a networking
opportunity for your business, so remember to bring your
business cards. Everyone is welcome to come. If you
are not a member and are interested in becoming one, this is a
great opportunity to learn what The Greater Pittsfield Chamber
of Commerce is involved in and how it could benefit your
business. Find out more information about this and upcoming
events at
www.pittsfieldchamber.org.
VA
Publishes Final Regulation On “Presumptive” Illnesses For Gulf
War And Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans
WASHINGTON (September 28,
2010) - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki today
announced the publication of a final regulation in the Federal
Register that makes it easier for Veterans to obtain Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and disability compensation
for certain diseases associated with service in Southwest Asia
(including Iraq) or Afghanistan.
“This is part of
historic changes in how VA considers Gulf War Veterans’
illnesses,” said Secretary Shinseki. “By setting up
scientifically based presumptions of service connection, we give
these deserving Veterans a simple way to obtain the medical and
compensation benefits they earned in service to our country.”
The final regulation establishes new presumptions of service
connection for nine specific infectious diseases associated with
military service in Southwest Asia beginning on or after the
start of the first Gulf War on Aug. 2, 1990, through the
conflict in Iraq and on or after Sept. 19, 2001, in Afghanistan.
The final regulation reflects a determination of a positive
association between service in Southwest Asia or Afghanistan and
nine diseases and includes information about the long-term
health effects potentially associated with these diseases:
Brucellosis, Campylobacter jejuni, Coxiella Burnetii (Q fever),
Malaria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Nontyphoid Salmonella,
Shigella, Visceral leishmaniasis and West Nile virus.
With the final rule, a Veteran will only have to show service in
Southwest Asia or Afghanistan and that he or she had one of the
nine diseases within a certain time after service and has a
current disability as a result of that disease, subject to
certain time limits for seven of the diseases. Most of
these diseases would be diagnosed within one year of return from
service, through some conditions may manifest at a later time.
For non-presumptive conditions, a Veteran is required to provide
medical evidence to establish an actual connection between
military service in Southwest Asia or Afghanistan and a specific
disease.
The decision to add these presumptives was
made after reviewing the 2006 report of the National Academy of
Sciences Institute of Medicine (NASIOM), titled, “Gulf War and
Health Volume 5: Infectious Diseases.”
The 2006 report
differed from the four prior reports by looking at the long-term
health effects of certain diseases determined to be pertinent to
Gulf War Veterans. Secretary Shinseki decided to include
Afghanistan Veterans in these presumptions because NAS found
that the nine diseases are also prevalent in that country.
The 1998 Persian Gulf War Veterans Act requires the
Secretary to review NAS reports that study scientific
information and possible associations between illnesses and
exposure to toxic agents by Veterans who served in the Persian
Gulf War.
While the decision to add the nine new
presumptives predates VA’s Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses Task
Force (GWVI-TF), the overarching responsibility of the GWVI-TF
is to regain Gulf War Veterans’ confidence in VA’s health care,
benefits, and services and reconfirm VA is 100 percent committed
to Veterans of all eras. The GWVI-TF began in fall 2009
and is not a static, one-time initiative but will continue to
build on its work with annual reports issued every August.
The group’s focus centers on unanswered Gulf War Veterans’
health issues, improving access to benefits, ensuring cutting
edge research into treatments, and to make sure Veterans’
concerns are heard and addressed. This includes continuing
to solicit Veterans, experts, advocates and stakeholders to
share their views to better inform the important work of the
GWVI-TF. The GWVI-TF Report can be found at
www.VA.gov.
Disability
compensation is a non-taxable monetary benefit paid to Veterans
who are disabled as a result of an injury or illness that was
incurred or aggravated during active military service.
Last year, VA received more than one million claims for
disability compensation and pension. VA provides
compensation and pension benefits to over 3.8 million Veterans
and beneficiaries.
Currently, the basic monthly rate
of compensation ranges from $123 to $2,673 for Veterans without
any dependents.
For information about health problems
associated with military service in Southwest Asia and
Afghanistan, and related VA programs, go to
www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar/
and
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/oefoif/index.asp.
For information about how to apply for disability
compensation, go to
www.VA.gov
or
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar/compensation_benefits.asp.
Parks And Recreation News
On Saturday, October 16, Pittsfield
Parks and Recreation will be holding its annual Harvest Fest in
Dustin Park. There will be games, a hayride, entertainment, pie
eating contests, pumpkin carving for the children, and
more. This will be a fun afternoon for all ages. We will have
free cider and doughnuts and will sell hot dogs, hamburgers, and
other snacks. The festivities start at 1:30 and will end at
3:00.
Sign up time for the ski program that will start in
January will be held at the Pittsfield Community Center on
October 19 at 6:00.
Sign up time for recreational basketball
for this winter will be held at the Pittsfield Community Center
on October 30, 2010 from 8:30- 1:00.
Please join in the fun!
“Class of 1975"
Left to Right: Joan Burbank, Sheri Wabertin, Chris
Schoppmeyer, Lily Troughton, Sally Decota, Kathy Kenney, Mark
Reinfort
An enthusiastic group of classmates and their
spouses met, (thanks to Chris Schoppmeyer) at the Coast Guard
Station in New Castle, NH on September 18, 2010 to celebrate 35
years since graduating from Pittsfield High School.
Chris
treated us all to a tour of the facility, his office, the
lighthouse and a coastal map. The history was fascinating
and so were the ghost stories! The weather was superb as
well as the food and the company. We’re all looking
forward to next time!
Some Questions About Conservation Easements
Join us at a FREE
workshop on Thursday, October 28, 7 – 8:30 PM, at the Pittsfield
Town Hall, to learn the answers to these and other questions
about conservation easements:
·What is a conservation
easement (CE)? ·Who owns the land when a conservation
easement is placed on a property? ·Must a property be a
certain minimum size in order to be eligible for a CE? ·Can a
CE be placed on a portion of a property? ·What uses are
permitted on CE land? ·What uses are prohibited on CE land? ·Does granting a CE necessarily give the public access to the
property? ·Does a CE restrict a landowner’s ability to sell,
convey by will, or give away his/her land in the future? ·What entities can “hold” a CE? ·How is a CE monitored and
enforced? ·What costs are involved with easements? ·Are
there financial benefits to donating some or all of the value of
a CE?
This workshop, “Conserving Your Land: Options for
Landowners,” is sponsored by the Pittsfield Conservation
Commission and will be presented by Tom Howe, Senior Director of
Land Conservation at the Society for the Protection of New
Hampshire Forests. Tom is a recognized state-wide expert
in conservation easements and other land protection strategies.
The
Boy Scouts of Pittsfield Troop 84 enjoyed a weekend at
Waterville Valley for the Wannalancit District Fall Camporee,
Oct 1-3. Pictured are: Brian Ward, Eric Chapman, Nick Cooper,
Mike Osborne and Tyler Darrah. The weekend was filled with
hiking Mt Tecumseh, outdoor skills and plenty of games. The
stiff winds Friday night took out one of the tents and Sunday
morning saw frost on everything with temperatures in the 20’s.
They returned to Pittsfield Sunday happy, tired and - due to
their cooking expertise - well fed.
Poles Up--Rocks Delivered
Lots of action has been taking at Pittsfield Youth Athletic Park
this past week. Pictured is Jim Thyng, “Boomer” Volpe and Dennis
Volpe who kindly took time out of their busy day to help raise
the flag poles at the entrance to the park. One pole was donated
by Scott and Donna Ward in memory of their son, Specialist
Matthew W. Ward who passed away unexpectedly while serving in
the United States Army. The other was donated by Peterson-Cram
Post #75 of the American Legion in Pittsfield. The Pittsfield
Youth Baseball Association is deeply appreciative of these
contributions to the renovation project.
In the background of
the picture is a pile of rocks delivered from Catamount Mountain
by Scott Aubertin. They were donated by Mr. Charles Humphrey and
will be transformed into a beautiful entryway to the park this
late fall and winter by stone wall master builder, Dan Schroth.
Thank you Scott, Mr. Humphrey and Dan.
Let
me introduce these two brave men, Sergeant Chris Duquette of
Epsom, and Private First Class Todd Connor of Pittsfield.
These two men are being deployed to Kuwait. They were in
the large group called up on September, 11, 2010. These
two men are also members of American Legion Post 112 of Epsom.
I ask that all the citizens of both towns pray for them and
their families. - Commander, Epsom Post 112, Gerard A. LeDuc
There are women who paint and women who sew. But we know a
lady who enjoys “meddling” in your life … especially if you
haven’t yet found that perfect someone to marry. In the
interest of romance, she believes that mother nature always
needs a little push!
Amenico Sells One Millionth Gallon Of Renewable Diesel Fuel
Pittsfield, NH –American Energy Independence Company (AMENICO)
is proud to announce that on October 1st, 2010 they sold their
one-millionth gallon of renewable diesel. “Despite having
launched our business during the greatest recession since the
Great Depression, our renewable diesel sales continue to
increase and attract new customers” said Tony Giunta, President
and CEO of the company. “Even with the collapse of our
financial system and expiration of a key Federal Alternative
Fuel Credit, we were still able to attract private investments
to help grow our business. I’m very proud and appreciative
to all those who supported us in our mission to keep local fuel
prices low, reduce carbon emissions, and make our country more
energy independent” Mr. Giunta said.
AMENICO’s proprietary
manufacturing process produces a renewable diesel that is
non-toxic, biodegradable, and carbon neutral. Every gallon
used to replace fossil fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions
(GHG) by 80% and reduces the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
It is also cost competitive with fossil fuel thus helping to
keep local fuel prices low.
To put into perspective,
substituting AMENICO renewable diesel for fossil diesel or home
heating oil is equivalent to:
·Eliminating the GHG emissions
from 1540 cars for one year. ·Saving 107 tanker trucks of
gasoline from being burned. ·Eliminating the GHG emissions
produced from burning fossil fuels to supply electricity to 977
homes for one year. ·Planting 1,718 acres of mature carbon
sequestering forest. ·Saving GHG emissions from burning 42
railcars of coal.
Missions Conference
There will be a Missions Conference at
Park Street Baptist Church, located in Pittsfield, NH,
October 22-24, featuring Mike Sullivan.
Mike was an atheist
at the University of Miami when he came to Christ through the
witness of students from a local Bible college. He is an
alumnus of the University of Miami, Florida Bible College, and
Grace Theological Seminary. He has a Master’s degree in
intercultural studies. He taught Bible at New Tribes Bible
Institute in Jackson, MI, where he and his wife served for 27
years – and worked in various other capacities there as well.
They moved to Florida where Mike assumed responsibilities as
General Secretary of New Tribes Mission, USA and Director of
Church Relations in January, 2010.
The schedule of meetings
is: Friday, 7pm, Saturday, 7:30am for a Men’s Breakfast,
10:30am, Ladies’ brunch, 6pm, general meeting, Sunday, 9am,
Sunday School, 10am, church service, and 6pm, evening service.
Open to the public. For more information, please call
603-435-8036.”
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